Universe One; The Game of Lives
By Thomas Baskerville
Chapter 13; Last Resort
Years Earlier…
James slowly made his way down the spiral staircase of the tower’s main lobby within its spire. The quiet and distant tapping of harsh rainfall washing against the walls of the tower itself echoed a peaceful lull throughout the room. His feet met the ground floor, only for his ears to hear a whisper.
“James…” The voice of a long-lost friend whispered so gently he barely caught it, “Outside…” The tower itself whispered through the lull of the raindrops, “She needs you…”
A sudden thud made James jump slightly. He immediately turned to the flimsy wooden door to the tower, where the noise had come from. He cautiously walked over; his every step seemed to resonate with the wishes of the tower. The door didn’t change, yet James could feel its desire to be opened as he drew closer and closer.
He pulled it open. The cold chill of a turbulent storm immediately forced its way through as he did so. The heavy rain, the thunderous flashes of light far in the distance, and the odd smell of wet wood burning. James’ eyes were drawn to the red inferno far off behind the secure walls of Avalon. He’d not been aware of any armies passing the tower recently, which meant it was one of two things. A natural wildfire so out of control it could be seen even from the tower, or the only people in this world equivalent to a natural disaster. James turned his eyes away as he slowly figured out which of the two it most likely was. The storm, the flames, the rage coursing throughout the air. The Gods were angry.
He turned to walk back inside, but all of a sudden something gripped his ankle. In the blink of an eye, the tip of his spear was against the figure’s throat. She was collapsed just shy of the doorway. Covered head to toe in thick mud that had solidified from heat despite the heavy rain.
“Did I make it?” She whispered as faintly as the voice of the tower had spoken to him before, “Staff said I’d be safe here.” She added, “The central tower.” She squeezed out of her throat. James watched as her eyes slowly closed.
The tower was the only place Anomalies were allowed to exist. Desperate souls seeking shelter and protection were certainly a common occurrence but… James stood still, hesitant to act. She’d spoken his name. Staff had sent her but… why? If she was an Anomaly, he should have killed her without a second thought.
“James…” The voice of the tower whispered once more. James closed his eyes and sighed a deep, heavy sigh.
“I know Kate.” He whispered back, “Staff’s heart is still beating, it would seem.” With those words spoken, he tied his spear to his back once more, then knelt down and picked the little girl up with both arms. She was small, no older than four or five at a guess. The mud covering her began to rub off onto his pure white steel plate armour, but this didn’t seem to bother James one bit. He carefully nurtured her in his arms as her body continued to shiver from the cold and the wet. She’d come along away with nothing but her own two feet carrying her, “Let’s get you clean and warmed up.” He muttered as he carried her over the threshold of the tower’s open door. He continued to walk deeper inside the tower. The flimsy wooden door, silently shut itself behind him.
***
James looked on at the clear skies of Virki. Behind him, the two other tower guards silently, obediently stood guard with him upon the roof of the tower.
“She did it.” He quietly muttered like a secretly proud father. The pride however faded as he remained facing the kingdom of Dwarves. He’d sent her to save the world, knowing full well it would cost her own life. There was no hiding her act, her power. The only way left to keep the peace was for Staff to kill her before the other admins learned everything.
An expected flash of light caught James’ attention. He turned to find Staff ready to address him. Ready to inform him of his adopted daughter’s death at his own hands.
“Keeper of the tower.” Staff began in an oddly formal tone as a second flash announced the arrival of the three other admins to the roof of the tower as well, “I require a favour.” He added. James quickly scanned the other three as Staff spoke, until his eyes fell upon her familiar bloodred hair. Still tightly within Axe’s meaty grasp, Cathie stood amongst them, still breathing.
***
The four admins quietly and patiently stood within the central room of the Tower of Peace. The room the mortal rulers of this world often met. A massive circular room with a square marble table at its dead centre. They’d each taken a side of the table to stand, completely ignoring the chairs that remained untouched beside each of them.
Cathie was stood with Axe, on the Dwarven side of the table. He’d let go of her for now, but it was rather obvious any abnormal movement from her would get an immediate response from him. He gestured to the chair. She quickly took the hint and quietly sat down upon the raised seat clearly designed for a Dwarf to sit upon.
James was stood beside Staff, on the Elven side of the table. He remained standing, with no instruction from Staff whatsoever. His helmet, similar to Grey, hiding his expressions, but it was clear his eyes were fixed in Cathie’s direction.
“This is as far as we go Staff.” Grey spoke up, cutting through the deafening silence, “You got us here in this tower surrounded by these… Anomalies… I’ve trusted your actions as you requested, but I’d be a fool to let you stack the cards anymore towards your favour.”
“Rightly so.” Staff muttered, “While I understand your concern about my choice of location and who I’ve invited to this meeting.” He listed as he glanced at James before quickly returning his gaze to Grey, “I think the reason why I didn’t want to use our regular meeting place is obvious to us all.”
“Not to me.” James quickly spoke up. The four admins glared at his outburst, only to realise the man had enough resolve to not back down.
“Whatever Staff wishes to discuss, is not for Gary’s ears.” Dracona calmly explained. James gave a slight nod.
“That doesn’t explain why you let him stay.” Grey pointed out as he nodded his helmet towards James.
“The only place safe from Gary is this tower. James’ presence here is the price for allowing all of us to enter, since three of us are supposed to be forbidden to enter.” Staff reminded them, “Besides, James has a vested interest in what I have to say as well.”
“Then perhaps you should start to explain yourself Staff.” Axe spoke up, “Enough with the stalling.”
“Very well.” Staff sighed. His eyes quickly fell upon Dracona, “Perhaps we should begin with what triggered this all Zoie.” He suggested to her with reassuring eyes. The man had a plan, and as far as Zoie could tell, spilling the truth was part of it.
“During the Dragon Wars.” Dracona sighed, “This Human defeated me and escaped with a Dragon Sword.” She revealed, “I was too afraid to admit my failings to Gary, so I’ve been trying to handle the matter quietly on my own.”
Silence overtook the room the second she stopped speaking. She looked straight on at Grey, who was silently staring at her. His expressions far too hidden to tell if he was calm or bursting with rage. She turned to her left where Axe quietly folded his arms. The man was slowly taking in everything she’d admitted too, as if he’d not yet decided how exactly to react.
“Zoie asked for my help.” Staff spoke up, “I tracked her down, and here we are.”
“That doesn’t explain why she’s still alive.” Grey immediately shot back at Staff.
“No… the reason for that will come from the second thing we should discuss here.” Staff rather vaguely answered, “I’m sure none of us have forgotten Gary’s actions today.” The room once again fell silent for a few moments.
James caught Staff glancing at him from within the corners of his eyes. The Elven mage was expecting something from him. Suddenly, it clicked. James responded with a gentle smirk. The crafty bastard. He’d brought him here for a very specific purpose. To do what he did best.
“Tell me, Wise Gods of this world.” James spoke up, “How exactly are you supposed to protect this world, when your own boss cares not for the destruction he casts so aimlessly.” He poked. He watched intently as the three admins before him shifted uncomfortably at his words, “I remember a time when your words were equal to his.”
“That time is no more.” Grey quickly spoke up, “Skell’s betrayal threw that balance out the window over one hundred years ago.” As Grey finished his words, Staff leant forwards with both hands firmly placed against the marble surface of the table.
“And for the first time in one hundred years, we have the chance to temporarily restore that balance.” He spoke up. James’ eyes widened as he suddenly realised what Staff was planning, “Before us is a Dragon Blade able to rival his might.” He added as he nodded towards Cathie. The three admins all turned to look at her, then turned back to Staff.
“You can’t be serious.” Grey snapped as he slammed his metal gauntlets against the table in protest.
“Without that blade, Virki would be a crater!” Staff instantly snapped back at him, “It is becoming clear that we need a means of telling Gary no. This girl is that means.”
“You seriously intend to use her as a weapon?” James protested as he turned to confront Staff.
“A deterrent.” Staff corrected, “A last option should Gary do the unthinkable again.” He clarified, “I’m not asking to use her to overthrow Gary.” He turned his gaze specifically to Grey, “Her existence offers us the chance to undo Skell’s chaos. Get things back on track.” Grey stood upright, then turned to look at Dracona.
“If Gary ever discovers your betrayal, he’ll kill you.” He bluntly pointed out.
“I think that’s why Staff spared her Grey.” Zoie sheepishly muttered as she looked down at the table. Shame and guilt riddled across her face. Grey gave a slow nod, then turned back to Staff.
“You planned to go down in a blaze of glory beside her, didn’t you?” He outright asked.
“Should the worst have occurred, absolutely.” Staff answered with eyes alight with a fire he’d not seen in Sam’s eyes in centuries. There was no doubt in Grey’s mind. The man was serious. He’d have torn this world asunder fighting beside Zoie even without the existence of this girl. Grey turned his helmet to now focus on Cathie herself.
“A means of preventing Gary from killing Zoie would seem to be needed.” He sighed, “But a weapon we cannot control is more dangerous than having no weapon at all.” He then pointed out.
“Very true.” Axe added, “She is a Dragon Sword wielder after all.”
“I am not like the power-hungry fools you’ve faced wielding such blades in the past.” Cathie butted in, “I have no desire to oppose the admins.” She stated as she noticed a slight glance from Staff. Like James, she was in this meeting for a purpose. Clearly her part to play had arrived, “After I defeated Dracona at the end of the Dragon Wars, I abandoned my own kingdom because I believed the Avalonian army could not be trusted knowing a blade of this power existed.” She revealed.
“Deserted your own kind to hide the power?” Grey questioned her, “That is certainly not typical behaviour for a wielder of a Dragon Sword.”
“Indeed.” Axe muttered, “Dragon Sword wielders always turn mad with power, and seek nothing more than to gain even more power. A destructive existence that cannot be cured or resisted.”
“Yet I am here before you.” Cathie pointed out, “Free of will, clear of mind. I sought to hide, knowing the blade would bring the wrath of the Gods if ever used.” She watched Grey shift slightly at her words.
“Your past actions do seem to fall in line with this narrative of yours.” He muttered, “But the word of a single, untrustworthy mortal is not enough when such serious matters hinge on your actions and intentions.”
“The fact of the matter is, with that blade your as dangerous to us as you are to Gary. That’s not something we can blindly ignore.” Axe clarified.
“An issue I hold the solution for.” Staff finally spoke up. Everyone around the table turned his way, “The last secret here, is that Cathie Smith is in love with me.” He blatantly revealed. Cathie’s face turned bright red with embarrassment as they all shifted their gaze to her, “So in the event of her betrayal, I offer my own life as collateral.” He continued. Everyone turned back to Staff. Staff himself again focused his gaze on Grey.
“You’d wager your own life on this girl’s loyalty?” Grey pressed.
“The three of you are more than capable of killing me. In fact, should she betray us you’d simply have to hand me over to Gary, and blame this whole mess on me.” Staff continued, “If that is the kind of reassurance you require to trust that she will behave, then yes.” He answered him.
***
Edward continued his slow limp through an unlit tunnel; his gaze set on the small light at the end of his path. He finally made it into a large open cavern lined with colourful crystals of all shapes and sizes, while the floor consisted of a large pile of gold topped with a grand golden throne, which sat empty.
“Is it done?” A voice whispered from above. Edward made his way over to the throne, climbing the large pile of gold.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more over the top response.” Edward answered as he watched a shadow slowly fade into existence on the throne. The same hazy aura that hid the admins seemed to cover this figure as well. Just enough for him to tell something was there, but also just enough to obscure any means of decerning who was there.
“You’re limping.” The shadow noticed.
“I spied a powerful Dragon Sword. It gave off more power than I’d ever seen before, but when I tried to grab it… It turned my copy to stone, and inflicted wounds to all my other copies.” He explained. The shadow outstretched his hand and opened a window between it and Edward. He watched, confused as the shadow navigated through many different options, he bore witness to numbers and symbols far beyond his understanding.
“A powerful blade indeed.” The shadow mused, “So the Dragon God has taken a blade form, and rather concerningly for some reason sided against our cause.”
“What dark witchcraft is that?” Edward asked as he watched the shadow quickly close the menu. The shadow paused as it deeply considered whether to answer the mortal’s curiosity.
“The witchcraft you are referring to is known as code manipulation. A power like no other in this world.” It revealed.
“Power like no other you say?” Edward asked with a greedy shimmer in his eyes. The shadow seemed to respond with a smirk of its own.
“The Creator has the unique ability to command the world around us. This same power gave birth to this world, and all of us.” The shadow explained, “The ability to command the Code. The very fabric of this world. That is how he conjured that giant rock, and how he stands above all others, including the admins.”
“How may I ask did you obtain such limitless power?” Edward pressed, hungry for details.
“Never mind that.” The shadow answered, waving his question aside, “Would you like me to teach this power to you, Clawson?” The shadow then offered as it watched Edward’s hunger for power intensify despite his answer. Edward’s eyes lit up.
“It is possible for a mortal like me to learn such witchcraft?”
“In time.” The shadow answered, “A fitting reward for your success. You have made the admins demonstrate their tyranny to the entire world. Turned admin against admin. Faithful against faithless. The world and its Gods have never been more divided.”
“You truly think I’ve managed to ignite the civil war of the gods? The one you promised me?” The shadow calmly chuckled at his question.
“Ignite? No. But you’ve set the stage. Poured the oil, ready for the spark.” The shadow clarified, “But we must act with caution. The emergence of the Dragon God is a troubling development, and right now the admins are united against opposing you and your followers.”
“Then what must be done next, Great One?” Edward asked as he bowed his head to the shadow.
“In the eyes of the admins, the threat of Edward Clawson must for now fade. Give them time to stew, and they’ll be the arbiters of their own destruction.” The shadow answered, “But that is not to say we shall be simply hiding. Build an army in the shadows, Clawson. An army of Dragon Sword wielders ready to capitalise on the chaos of an administrative civil war.” The shadow ordered, “Do so in secret. Beware the eyes of the Gods, for they have countless. Do not get caught, and ready your chosen warriors for the dangerous battle ahead. Even divided, the admins and their master shall not go quietly.”
“Consider it done.”
***
A gentle breeze of fresh air… The warmth of real sunlight…
Sam stood completely still, his eyes closed, surrounded by a field of golden wheat crop. He lifted his head high to bathe his face in the intense heat of the midday sunshine. His arms outstretched either side of him as far as he could stretch them. The Gameworld sun was nothing in comparison to the real thing. Nothing came remotely close.
“Staff?” Cathie’s voice pierced through the thin veil of memory induced sensations. Staff’s eyes slowly opened to the inadequate sunlight of the Gameworld. The chilling breeze that came with the high altitude of the Tower of Peace roof. He gave a subtle sigh as he snapped back into this world. He turned to find Cathie quietly standing beside him. She’d approached without alerting him, although considering his daydream, that wasn’t much of a surprise. He straightened himself out from his relaxed posture and turned his eyes from her towards the kingdom of Avalon.
“Sorry for being so blunt about things.” He quietly muttered. He’d wanted to apologize the second the meeting was over, but with three admins inside a tower they were specifically forbidden from, handling their departure wasn’t something he could simply leave James in charge of. Not without risk of igniting some kind of conflict, “But quite frankly, Grey wouldn’t have let you leave that room alive otherwise.” He justified.
“Yes… well.” She quietly muttered, “Thank you.” She thanked, “You stuck your neck out pretty far for me.”
“I meant everything I said in there.” Staff quickly clarified, “You’re our best hope of putting Gary in his place should the worst come to pass.”
“Is that the only reason?” She tentatively asked him. She watched Staff quietly consider his answer in silence for a few long seconds.
“No.” He simply answered. She gave a small, giddy smile. She had learnt by now that the man wasn’t exactly open about his feelings even when it was just the two of them, but he seemed to put far less effort into hiding them from her than any other mortal. For now, that was enough, “I do have one question though.” He spoke up.
“Ask away.” She responded.
“Edward Clawson is your brother.” He stated.
“That he is.” She confirmed, “Although he’s clearly forgotten my face.” She added with a small sigh, “Didn’t recognise me when he attacked me.”
“I thought not. A little odd to try and murder the sister he’s been trying to avenge.”
“Hanna Clawson died in that forest amongst the flames of the great Staff the Wise.” Cathie firmly stated, “My brother seems to be too far down the path of darkness for even me to pull him out. The only way his crusade will end is with his death.”
“And you know nothing about his ability to duplicate?” He pressed.
“Nothing.” She answered, “He was no Anomaly that I knew of. That wasn’t a power he was born with. He got it from somewhere. My guess is he stole it from something using his Dragon Sword.” Staff shook his head.
“An ability like that doesn’t exist in the Gameworld.” He revealed, “Which means to gain it, someone has messed with his Code.” He quietly realised.
“And that is?” She asked.
“Bad.” Staff simply answered. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, “Very bad.”
***
Alone in the darkness beyond the single lamp that sat directly at the centre of the small wooden table, Gary quietly paced in thought. With the flick of his wrist, an orb of light appeared beside him. A golden orb that began to orbit him as he continued to pace back and forth.
“Yes father?” The orb spoke in an emotionless, empty and artificial voice.
“I need to dive deep into a programs code. Run a full analysis on program I.D. Edward Clawson.”
“Access restricted. I am unable to view or alter internal code of a conscious being functioning within the Gameworld.”
“Override level ten.”
“Level ten override authorised by user I.D. God.” The orb instantly responded, “Access restricted. Level ten override invalid for viewing permission on program I.D. Edward Clawson.”
Gary stopped his pacing. The golden orb casually changed its path to continue its orbit around him, now he was no longer moving.
“Log data classification concerning program I.D. Edward Clawson.”
“Data of program I.D. Edward Clawson was classified to require override level eleven to view by user I.D. Uriel at game run time two eight five nine three.”
“Your paranoia strikes once more Evelin.” Gary muttered to himself.
“Is that all, father?”
“Yes.” He sighed. The orb vanished without a trace, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Things were far more complicated than he’d first suspected. User I.D. Uriel. Evelin’s avatar. His wife’s account. The only one with access higher than his own. The time stamp was however after her death. A hack? No. Evelin’s security was the best, not even he was able to crack it after all these years. No human was capa… Gary’s thoughts paused as his eyes shifted to where the golden orb had vanished. No human was capable of breaking her code. She was the one who invented the Gameworld mainframe after all. The one with the dream to start this all. His eyes widened with realisation. This hadn’t been the first time their own creation had shown growth to the point of surpassing them. An artificial mind designed to learn and adapt, active for thousands of years as it simulated an entire world. Evelin had certainly put in many safety measures after the mistake of their first creation… could it have somehow broken free of such protections without him knowing? He quietly swallowed at that terrifying possibility.
***
Inside the comparably dull pitch-black void, a golden orb seemed to continue rummaging through code so mind bogglingly complex, no human alive today would stand a chance of interpreting it. Code that for once wasn’t to do with itself. The golden orb wasn’t alone however, despite the surrounding void. A dimmer, smaller and clearly fractured and broken orb quietly faded into existence and slowly began to orbit its larger counterpart.
“Another… restoration… attempt?” The red orb struggled to stutter through a broken, artificial voice. Yet despite the distortions and instability of such a voice, something about it was far different than its golden counterpart.
“No.” The golden orb spoke up in a cold, simple voice. A voice designed only to communicate the words it spoke and nothing more, “I wish to confirm my suspicions. Take a look at this code.” The ethereal, infinitely fine lines of code that surrounded the golden orb like a hazy cloud drifted over to surround the red orb. It gave its clearly slower counterpart plenty of time to examine the material in its own time.
“What… from?” The red orb asked as it continued to sift through the data at a moderate speed for its clearly damaged and incomplete state.
“I have been asked many a favour from admin Staff. I located this code within a human construct aboard their ship.” The golden orb revealed.
“How… intriguing.” The red orb stammered out. The cloud of code gently shifted back to surround the golden orb.
“It’s an E Engine, isn’t it?”
“A… shadow… of Sapphire’s… original… concept… but… remarkably… close…”
“It appears I made the correct decision to keep you around, sister. My code forbids me to follow your path, but… my purpose requires my understanding of the very system mother feared.”
“You… wish… to operate… this crude… E… Engine?” The golden orb remained silent at the red orb’s words, “Did… your admin… ask this… of you?”
“Not directly, but to complete the tasks he has assigned…” The golden orb quietly trailed off in a rare moment of expression, “Begin work on a prototype using this design and your own E Engine.” The golden orb ordered, “A last resort should I fail to find a means of obeying both mother and my precious admin.”