Chapter 19: Afternoon in the Gazebo

Chase remembered a gazebo tucked away in the forest where he used to go to relax as a child. He told Thomas about the spot and to tell the others to meet him there after lunch. Chase found Amelie at breakfast and told her himself which elicited a look a curiosity and concern. Alexander was still in his room, ever difficult to rouse, but after some consistent knocking the big lad finally answered and agreed to meet Chase at the gazebo.

Alex yawned, the door was half covering his stomach which he unconsciously was hiding.

“What is the meeting about?” He asked.

“It’s about the future...and I have some news to share,” said Chase.

Alex raised an eyebrow but simply nodded.

Morning training had gone smoothly. Chase had enjoyed the running and the obstacle course. He received some curious looks from Brent and Claire but they didn’t ask him anything and focused on the exercises.

Chase skipped lunch, and headed to the gazebo in the forest early. It was well hidden from prying eyes and did not look to have been used for several weeks. Before he sat he made sure to clean up some leaves and sticks which had wandered onto the seats and the floor.

When that was done, Chase sat upon a bench and removed a pencil from his pocket. He opened his hand flat and summoned his journal then opened it to the page after the list of pros and cons he had written about choosing the Fisherman class.

Today I am going to tell a few players whom I met about my old identity. The dream emissary came to me last night and requested pleaded with me to do this. True, I was already thinking about the idea but I really don’t know these people very well at all. The Emissary assured me that they are all good people, but even good people can let a secret slip if they are not careful.

Out of all of them only Thomas knows my secret. He figured it out himself, and all in all he took it rather well, I must say. I hope the others are as understanding of my situation and also see the benefit joining with an experienced player can bring.

Chase thought about Brent and Claire fighting in the Triple Fives, and also about Alexander smashing Jojo the spider, and about Amelie’s good nature and intelligent mind. He thought about Marlon’s brew he had drank on his second day as well and suddenly he was back with the Old Guard during the early days of their little guild. He continued writing:

In many ways I regret what happened with the Old Guard. In the beginning we were all so close, and there was no where else I ever wanted to be. I thought that AION had truly blessed me with such friends. But there were problems even back then.

Solomon was singularly focused on his goal of attaining more and more contract marks. He pushed the guild further than anyone would have gone alone. He was responsible for a lot of the grief we went through, whether directly or indirectly.

Forming a new guild might be my chance to correct those mistakes. I remember what Solomon did right, and also wrong. This could be a new beginning for all of us. If I can convince them of that then I think all of them will join with me.

Chase sat back and read what he wrote. Writing in his journal had never been a habit in his old life, but seeing his thoughts on the page managed to calm him some. These thoughts he had been having were no longer formless ideas bouncing around his head. The ink made them real.

Closing the journal, he allowed it to vanish back into the ether. For a moment he opened and closed his hand over the air where the journal had been only a second before. Then be put his pencil back into his pocket and sat back. All there was to do was wait now.

All there was to do was wait.

“We could be good together. We could watch one another’s backs. It’s a harsh world out there, and together we could help one another along the way. We could be the bane of the old guard, if you wanted,” added Chase.

“Why?” Balked Brent, “The three of you—.”

“Four,” interjected Thomas.

“You too? You’re just a kid you’d just get in the way.” Brent sounded exasperated and he sighed. “Look, it’s a nice idea, but I have goals that can’t be fulfilled with you lot.”

“How so?” Chase leaned back and crossed his arms. They had been walking the fine line between argument and discussion for a quarter of an hour now. Everyone Chase had wanted was there, but it seemed mostly Brent who was keen on arguing. Marlon sat back with a perplexed look upon his face, and Alexander had his head in one hand, finger on his face as he listened intently to Chase and Brent talk. Amelie and Claire’s heads snapped back and forth as the conversation was batted like a ball to either side of the gazebo, and Thomas kept interrupting.

So pretty much exactly how Chase had figured it would go.

“I want to be stronger than anyone ever was,” said Brent, a serious look coming over him. “I want to rival Solomon himself, or at lest Karkren if I can. You guys may be smart, and Chase you have some extraordinary skills with the bow... somehow. But what’s the point? I need to find someone who has already done this. Who has been there and can show me the way.”

“And what if you can’t?” Chase reasoned. “OP players don’t take on new people fresh off the island. You’ll have a long road ahead of you if you plan on that route.”

Brent frowned. “What do you know about OP players? You just spawned last week!”

“He knows more than you think, Brent,” said Thomas triumphantly.

“Thomas...” warned Chase. The boy sat back down and crossed his arms.

“And why is this so important to you?” Said Brent. “Why do you think you need to recruit us of all people?”

“In a way, someone told me I should.”

“Someone? Who?”

All around the gazebo everyone sat up a bit straighter, keen to hear what Chase was going to say. Chase looked around at them all, reminding himself that it wasn’t just Brent who he needed to convince but all of them.

“The Dream Emissary told me.”

“What?” Brent looked half incredulous and half amused. “That old woman with a hook nose? Why would she tell you that?”

Chase shrugged and said, “Maybe it’s because I am not who you think I am.”

”What? What does that even mean? You’re a new player with no idea of his past just like the rest of us. I swear, Chase, you are making less sense by the minute.”

Thomas stood up again. He looked angry.

“If you are not going to tell him then I will,” he said.

“Thomas!” Chase rose his voice.

“Tell us what?” Said Claire. It was the first time she had spoken.

Thomas pointed at Chase. “He’s a respawn. He isn’t a new player at all.”

“Tommy...” groaned Chase. This wasn’t how he wanted to broach this subject at all. Everyone looked very confused, none so more than Brent.

“A respawn? What the hell is that?”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” said Amelie. “But who were you before you respawned?”

All eyes turned to Amelie who blushed when she noticed all the attention.

“You know what a respawn is?” Asked Chase.

“No, but it sounds like someone who has already spawned before, right?”

“Spawned again? Is that possible?” Muttered Marlon, stroking his beard.

“It is if you know the right people,” said Chase. “And have something to trade of course. It’s not something you can learn about by reading a book.”

“If that is true then who were you?” Said Brent, narrowing his eyes.

“Just tell him,” said Thomas with a smile. “I can vouch for you.”

Here it was, the moment of truth. Chase was unsure whether he was more scared of their disbelief, or their laughter.

“In my old life I was known as Spade the Thief.”

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The gazebo was silent for a while. Brent’s eyes were wide with shock and he glanced at Claire who returned the look. Marlon had stopped stroking his beard and had his mouth open. Amelie had her face scrunched up and seemed to be examining his face, and Alexander merely looked skeptical, but unwilling to break the silence. Only Thomas was beaming as he enjoyed the others reactions.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Brent finally said. “Spade the thief? As if, Chase. Did Marlon give you one of his funny drinks?”

“He’s got the same eyes,” said Thomas. “Plus I saw him come to the island.”

“Settle down, Thomas,” Brent said dismissively but less sure of himself now. “We all know how you like your pranks.”

“No, really. I saw him swim to the shore and sneak into the town. I was on the beach the morning after Spade’s ship went down.”

“You saw Spade and you didn’t tell anyone?” Said Claire. “That’s hard to believe, Thomas.”

“Well, I didn’t know who he was—the newspaper wasn’t even out yet. I just saw a guy come out of the water and sneak by me. I thought about telling someone but then Thaddeus caught me and thought I was pinching oysters. Which I was but in all the commotion I didn’t tell him,” Thomas added with a sly grin.

“This sounds insane,” said Brent. “The paper said Spade sunk with his ship.”

“But no body was recovered,” murmured Amelie.

“True. But he looks nothing like him, Amelie,” said Brent. “Well, your eyes are a dead match but that doesn’t prove anything.”

“What can I do to prove it to you?” Said Chase.

“Well, nothing, since you aren’t Spade. But if you want me to play along how about answering a couple questions that only Spade would know.”

“Such as?”

“How many contract marks did he have?”

“9. Thief, Thief II, Assassin, Acrobat, Ninja, Sailor, Spy, Tinkerer, Dancer, and, finally, Fencer.”

“Ok,” said Brent, unimpressed. “How old was he when he spawned?”

“I was 10 years old,” said Chase. “The Spawn date was March 6th, 955.”

“Fine,” said Brent. “What was his longest shot in the Count Calvery contest?”

“Funny. I never participated.”

“Fine,” repeated Brent, sitting back again. “But it doesn’t prove a thing—you could have easily read all this in the library. Thomas, do you really think he is Spade?”

All eyes looked at Thomas who seemed to revel in the attention.

“I wasn’t sure until I saw him split that arrow at the Triple Fives. That was my newspaper you found off Seb, remember, Claire? It was a picture of Chase from the monitor.”

“What about the rest of you?” said Brent, looking around the gazebo. “Do you believe him?”

“Maybe,” said Alex.

“I don’t know. This is all a bit much,” offered Marlon.

“I do,” said Amelie brightly, who blushed as soon as everyone looked at her again. “I mean it’s Chase, I trust him. Why would he lie?”

Claire rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Fortunately,” said Chase. “There is one person on the island who knows who I was. And he knows because he is the one who helped me respawn.”

“And who would that be?” Said Brent. For the first time he sounded more curious than confrontational.

“Advisor Ghelion,” said Chase. “And he will be here soon.”

Ghelion arrived exactly at 1. Chase had been worried that he had missed the message he slipped under his door. When he saw his old friend trudging down the path to the gazebo a feeling of relief and apprehension filled his chest.

I probably should have clued him in about the Dream Emissary and my decision before doing this, Chase thought. No time time the present, however.

“Good afternoon,” said Ghelion as he stepped into the gazebo. He raised his eyebrows curiously as he looked around at all the players. “Lovely day for a stroll.”

“It’s okay, Ghelion,” said Chase. “I told them you were coming here.”

“Ah, I see,” said Ghelion, still not dropping the ruse. “Well, summoning an Advisor like this is not typically done.”

“But you’re not just any ol’ advisor, are you?” Said Chase. He motioned for the Advisor to sit beside him. “You are an old friend of mine.”

The Advisor’s face was very flat and emotionless but he sat beside Chase all the same.

“I am not sure what you mean...Chase, right?” Said Ghelion.

“He doesn’t know you!” Said Brent, pointing at Ghelion. “Give it up, Chase. It was a funny joke but it’s over.”

“What did he tell you?” Said Ghelion, casually smoothing his robes over his legs.

“You won’t believe this,” said Brent with a satisfied smirk. “He was telling us that he is a respawn and he used to be Spade the Thief! Can you believe it?”

Ghelion sighed and rubbed his eyes. He then leaned close to Chase.

“Chase...are you sure about this?” He murmured.

“You’re already here, Ghel,” said Chase. “Tell them the truth.”

“Very well.” Ghelion looked around the gazebo at the players, finally settling his gaze upon Brent. He was smiling now. “There isn’t an easy way to say it but he’s telling you the truth.”

“What!” Shouted Brent.

“Incredible,” said Marlon.

Clare had her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. Alex and Amelie exchanged shocked glances. Thomas meanwhile was beaming.

“Told you all so,” said Thomas. He stuck his tongue out at Brent.

“Chase,” said Ghelion, emphasizing his name. “I feel like I am playing catch up here. Did something happen to make you want to reveal such a sensitive secret to these players?”

Chase wanted to laugh.

“Wasn’t it your idea?”

“Was it?” Ghelion frowned. “I don’t recall ever saying that.”

“Well don’t worry,” said Chase. “It wasn’t actually your advice but the Dream Emissaries I am following here. She came to me last night.”

“What!” Ghelion stood up, furious. “What did that wretched NPC tell you? And why didn’t you tell me?”

“I am telling you now, Ghel,” said Chase. “It only just happened last night.”

“Right now,” said Ghelion, retaking his seat. He was breathing hard and his eyes were wild. “The whole story. What did she say?”

Chase told the entire tale, omitting nothing. He was unsure whether Ghelion wanted knowledge of the Antagonista to be shared but Chase felt that the new players needed to know about it anyways. All around the gazebo were faces rapt in attention as he told about the conversation. When he was done Ghelion was silent for a while, taking in all that he had heard.

“A ‘chink in the world of dreams’,” said Ghelion, sounding distraught. “This is not good.”

“What does it mean?” Said Amelie.

Ghelion look up at her question and his face seemed to soften when he saw her.

“It’s not the end of the world, Amelie,” Said Ghelion. “It only means that things on the other side will be effected before Esem will be.”

“Other side of what, exactly?” Said Alex. He seemed slightly disquieted about the news, but not overly so.

“Everything you see around you,” began Ghelion. “Everything you see with your your eyes. The world of Esem itself. The rocks, the mountains, the NPCs which inhabit it, even you, the players, are only a small amount of the data which exists here. The majority of Esem is contained upon a high frequency substrate which holds all the known data of this world. Everything around you is merely a projection of that data.”

“A high frequency sub stat?” Said Brent, more confused now than by anything Chase had told him.

“Substrate,” corrected Ghelion. “It’s the skeleton and the neural connections which not only bind but make Esem what it is.”

“I think I understand,” said Marlon. “And something is now able to access it which never has before.”

“Correct,” said Ghelion heavily. “If the Dream Emissary says that her world has a chink in it then we better believe her. I only wish she had told us...”

Chase decided it was better to withhold the Emissaries suspicions about the other Advisors until a time when he could speak to his old friend alone. There was no point in sharing that with the others at this point in time.

“This is a lot to take in all of a sudden,” said Brent. He seemed as though he had just ran a marathon such was his exhaustion.

“Please,” said Ghelion, looking around at everyone. “Keep this information to yourselves for the time being. The time will come soon that the whole of Esem will know of this, but please allow the new players a chance to train in peace. It is critical that they be allowed to do this, ok?”

Nods and grunts of agreement came all around the gazebo.

“Now,” said Ghelion, standing up. “I must leave you to continue the conversation you were having before I came here. I hope that each of you appreciate that Chase is placing his life in your hands by revealing this information about his previous life. It is none of my business what any of you choose to do, but, in his past life at least, he was one of the most knowledgeable and brave players Esem has ever seen and I think forming a guild with him would be a wonderful idea.”

“Thank you, Ghel,” said Chase. He felt flattered. Getting a compliment out of Ghelion was like wringing syrup from a tree branch.

“Don’t mention it, Spade—Chase!” Ghelion corrected himself. “Have a good day, all of you.”

The Advisor quietly padded off, muttering to himself the entire way as he exited the gazebo and made his way down the path. Everyone watched him until he vanished behind a tree.

“Well, that was very—.” Amelie began to speak but the sound of a pair of large flapping wings cut her off.

“What’s that?” Said Claire, rising to get a view of the forest. “Sounds like a giant bird flying.”

“That was Ghel,” said Chase, smiling. “You don’t expect him to walk everywhere, do you?”

“Advisors have wings?” Said Brent. “I didn’t know that.”

“Only when they need them,” said Chase. He settled back into his seat.

I only made it three days before my secret got out, he thought. Three days and he was the one to admit it even. When he had come to the island after barely surviving the ship going down the last thought on his mind was ever telling a soul who he really was. Forming a new guild had been a distant thought for the future, that ‘Spade’ needed to stay buried in the past, or so he had thought.

“Chase?” Said Amelie tentatively.

“Yes?” Chase snapped out of his reverie.

“I for one would like to join your guild,” she said.

“Really?”

“I would,” she nodded. “I think we work well together. Perhaps we even spawned together for a reason.”

Chase chuckled.

“I don’t think it works that way,” he said. “But okay.”

“Me too,” said Thomas, who had been silent longer than Chase had ever seen him before. “I want to be first mate.”

“You can’t be first mate,” said Alex, rolling his eyes. “Wait, do guilds have first mates?”

“That would be sailors,” smiled Chase. “That makes three of us now—what about the rest of you scalawags?”

“I’m not sure what you lot would need with an old fart such as I,” mused Marlon. “But seeing as the offer is open I will gladly accept.”

“I am sure you have many talents, Mr Marlon,” said Amelie.

“More than you know,” the old man grinned.

“That’s four,” said Chase. He was beginning to feel lighted headed by the sudden change in attitudes.

“Guess it wouldn’t be the worst idea,” said Alex. “Let me ask you this, Chase. You have done this all before...so what would be the first step once we leave the island?”

“Good question,” said Chase approvingly. “That all entirely depends on what job classes everyone will be signing for. If any of you are undecided I have some suggestions in that regard.”

“Slightly evasive,” muttered Alex. Then he shrugged. “Okay, let’s do it.”

“Oh, good, Alexander,” said Amelie happily. “I was hoping you would.”

Alex’s face turned the same shade as a summer apple. He ignored Amelie’s comment and turned towards Claire and Brent.

“What about you two? Still don’t think he was Spade?”

Claire looked at Brent, and if Chase didn’t know any better he would say she looked anxious. Chase thought deep down she really wanted to join the guild with them but likely would only follow Brent’s lead. Of course, if Brent said no then likely he and her would depart as soon as their exam was concluded.

“You were really Spade?” Said Brent, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes,” said Chase.

“And you trained with Solomon and Karkren and all the rest?”

“I did,” said Chase. “In fact the three of us spawned around the same time and trained on this island together. We even came to this gazebo a few times to relax—that’s how I knew about it.”

Brent looked around the wooden structure with a bit of surprise.

“Cool,” he said simply. “Okay, I am in. That makes six of us. I guess we can—.”

“Seven of us,” said Claire with some exasperation. “I’ll join too.”

Chase felt as though a weight was lifted off his chest. He hoped that the Dream Emissary was seeing all this.

“Alright,” Chase said. “That is that, then. Welcome to the guild everyone.”

Claire snorted her laughter.

“That’s it?” She said incredulously. “‘Welcome to the guild’?”

“Sorry, I should have planned a speech.”

Thomas turned to look at him.

“Well we have a name at least, right?”

“Um...”

“What!” Thomas mimicked Claire’s tone perfectly. “Not even a name?”

“I thought we could come up with it together,” said Chase. “Any ideas?”

“I got one,” said Alex suddenly. “But you have to promise not to laugh.”

“Spit it out, lad,” said Marlon. “Don’t be shy.”

“Ok,” said Alex. He looked around very seriously at everyone.

Around the gazebo the day was stretching on. Through the trees the blue sky was gently streaked with cotton tufts of clouds and all manner of birds and insects and small animals rustled their ways home. If one were standing a distance away one could make out the seven forms of friends talking in a gazebo. All of a sudden, one spoke, and the others sudden reaction shocked the woods and sent birds flying to the air.

Everyone laughed.