Chapter 66
“Do I really have to do this as the Mad Mage?” James asked as he stood, wearing his Dungeon Wars Avatar, in all its glory, at the training grounds. Rue was still holding her camera in hand, watching him, though he knew it was just for show. The red blinking orb that floated over her head, was what would actually record the message.
“It’s the only thing that people will take seriously.” She said, offering him a thumbs up.
“But… it’s the MAD Mage,” James replied, “Mad,” he said again, with extra emphasis on the word.
“Yeah, but this time you’re not mad as a hatter mad. You’re someone pissed…” she paused, “no, lets not use that phrase.” She cleared her throat, “you’re someone kicked a puppy off a cliff mad. This is a wrong that must be righted.”
“Kicked a puppy off a what?” James asked in horror. “And wait, what was the other saying you were going to use.”
“Unimportant.” Rue said dismissively, “besides, of all the forms you can take, it really is the best one. Your developer avatar is too, er, unique. And your actual visage,” she shrugged, “you’re a seventeen-year-old highschooler with mousy hair and somewhat timid eyes. As much as I love you, your appearance doesn’t exactly scream world savior or resistance fighter. Appearance matter, and the Mad Mage is the best option.”
“If you say so,” James let out a sigh, doing his best to ignore the insult that had just been thrown towards his actual appearance. Still, Rue had a point. This message was going to be broadcast, ideally, to the whole world. That was the whole point of all of this preparation for the Dungeon War event. To build up enough hype and draw enough attention to get as many eyes on them as possible. James wasn’t the best at public speaking, he was painfully aware of that, and so he was going to take Rue’s advice. Of the two of them, she definitely had better social skills. Which, was a tad strange, come to think of it… given her situation.
“Of course I say so,” Rue grinned and made a hurry up motion with her hands. “Now come on. Get serious and let’s record this message. I want to watch that run of the seventh floor just as much as you do, and as hot as you acting the resistance fighter is, your lack of confidence definitely kills the mood.”
“Thanks Rue,” James glared down at her. “You’re really helping me get in the right headspace for this.”
“You’re welcome,” she stuck her tongue out. “Now come on. You can do this James. I know you can.”
“But what if,” James started, already preparing another excuse, questioning once again himself, and the plan. Was this even the right thing to do? Would the people really care? And was preparing this broadcast really the right course of action? If they failed in the real world… wouldn’t this just cause mass panic?
“No what ifs.” Rue said firmly, stopping his mental spiral. “You’ve said it yourself. People deserve to know the truth. Even if they can’t do anything about it, they need to know the truth. Not whatever sugar-coated lies the government may have planned, if they even care that is, after their plan succeeds. Everyone, every single living person who finds themselves at the whims of those in power, is owed the truth. What they do with that knowledge, what happens after, is out of your hands. But if you don’t tell them, if you purposefully leave them in the dark, when you’ve the means to at least shine a bit of light on what has occurred,” she shook her head, “then you’re no better than they are, James.”
He felt a chill run down his spine at the last words from Rue. He steeled himself, clenching his jaw, and nodding to her. She was right. It was too late now. There was no turning back. And everyone deserved to know. Even if it didn’t change the outcome, the knowledge itself, was important.
“Here we go then,” James said, trying to deepen his voice just a tad. He straightened his back and looked at the camera. As he began to speak, his voice took on a solemn tone, the weight of the words, and the knowledge he shared, tightening his vocal cords on their own accord.
“If you’re hearing this message, people of Earth, then it is likely, I have failed.” He looked, unwavering, at the camera, as he continued. “This message is being prerecorded, prepared to deliver at the most opportune time, to inform everyone of a grave injustice that has been enacted upon each and every one of us. To be frank. The government has betrayed you. The powers that be aim to trap everyone’s consciousness within DCO. It is meant to be a digital tomb, where they can lock away our minds, while killing our bodies in the real world. In short, Dungeon Core Online, from the very beginning, has been something more than just a game. DCO stands for more than just Dungeon Core Online,” James paused, trying hard to keep his voice steady, “we’ve learned recently the project goes by another name. Deorum Corpus Onus, Gods Body Burden. This project intends to trap the masses in a virtual world, resolving them of any moral dilemmas over killing innocent people. In their eyes, they are justified, they are deities transferring their people into a new world, with new bodies, and endless opportunities.” James took a deep breath and continued.
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“All the while, they’ve manufactured for themselves immortal bodies using robotics so advanced that they are practically indistinguishable. Bodies that can feel, can taste, can function as well as, actually, likely better than, a human body could. While the masses are confined forever to their virtual prison, those in power, those who have made this decision without informing the people nor asking their consent, intend to live for a blissful eternity, in the real world, enjoying the fruits of Earth and all its joys and comforts, from bodies that never age, never weaken, and never fail. They’ll become gods on Earth, and all the while, will forever hold in their hands the fates of all those they’ve trapped within the DCO server.”
James’s tone dropped, cold and bitter.
“While they remain in complete control of themselves, of their fates, of their futures, we will be trapped forever, in the world of DCO, unable to escape, unable to grow old, unable to die, unable to control any true aspect of our lives, with the specter forever lingering above us, that at any moment, at any instant, everything may simply end. At any point, if the government has its way, they’ll be able to simply turn off the server they’ve trapped us all in, or neglect it until it fails on its own, and we will be no more.”
James paused then, letting the weight of his words hang in the air. His mind replayed everything he’d learned, everything he’d seen and heard and knew. He then thought about his loved ones, his parents, Rue, his friends, everyone. Resolve filled him.
“If you’re hearing this message, there’s a good chance we’ve failed our mission. But that doesn’t mean the government has won. Do not go quietly into the night. This world is ours, just as much as it is there’s. Use whatever skills you can, rally yourselves, break free of this digital prison while you’ve got the chance, and clutch victory from defeat. Do not let the government cease victory without a struggle. Do not let these men who dream of being gods, ascend. Those who would act as they have, those who would feign benevolence while plotting malice, do not deserve immortality. I may have failed, if you’re hearing this message, but that doesn’t mean they’ve won. Time is against them, the process to permanently transfer a conscious takes a long amount of time. Use that time, break free, rise up, and overcome.”
The red light hovering behind Rue blinked out, and she smiled at James as he collapsed onto the ground, the strength in his legs leaving him as he finished his speech. Honestly, he didn’t know if people would be able to break out of immersion. That was one of the gambles they were taking with the whole situation. In order to avoid mass panic, Hades had postulated that the official lock in window wouldn’t begin until a few hours into the event. Once immersion numbers were confirmed to hit their peak, while also giving the government any time they needed to track down stragglers who weren’t in their pods, and make sure they were dealt with… one way or another.
That meant potentially, James’s message would arrive in time for people to log out. It wouldn’t be clean, it wouldn’t be smooth, but if that happened, surely, the people would win. However, James and the others had no doubt that such an event would end in a large number of casualties. Which was why James, and his friends needed to succeed. If they could shut down the DCO server themselves, they could stop the government’s plan, without forcing a mass panic revolution. Perhaps thwarting the government in their own way would be enough. DCO had taken years to put together, and he had no doubt that stopping it now, would put the government’s plan on hold for a long time, if not hopefully, indefinitely.
At least, that was his hope. In his seventeen-year-old mind, that was the end result he wanted. He wasn’t a hero; he wasn’t meant to overthrow some crazy evil regime. He just wanted people to have the chance to make their own choices, when it came to their lives. Free will, after all, was the most important human trait of all.
“You know,” Rue was beside him, a mischievous look in her eyes. “I really think I like freedom fighter James the best,” she licked her lips, looking down at him as if he were a delicious piece of meat.
“Don’t get too attached,” James said with a smile as he looked at her, holding his gaze, “it’s not a role I plan to take on often.”
Her hand found his shoulder, as she slightly pushed him down. “Shame,” she said, her smile tugging her lips upwards, “guess I’ll just have to enjoy it while I can.”