[Player Log Start!]

[Log Holder: Gideon Tench]

[Level: 1]

If things were bad when Ben came back and basically told them all that they were right to be worried and Verity was spot on about her prediction, then they were ineffably worse now.

The members of their party were on high alert, but no one seemed to be any the worse for wear. They had managed to use the Direct Message function to ask Verity for a base rundown of things to look out for, so as not to raise the suspicions of the people around them. Verity had acquiesced, though she had warned them that the people they were hanging around likely won’t care about anything they said.

He didn’t believe that. Even if she tried to prove her point by cursing out the guard keeping an eye on her, who didn’t so much blink when she insulted his entire family tree. Of course the guard had heard it. Maybe this guy who hadn’t even been in college before the apocalypse hit just had a really good resting stoicism face. It was totally plausible.

What useful information Verity did have, though, was that some people here were ‘Mobs’ of some kind. As in, they had a very specific purpose programmed into them. As opposed to the ‘NPC’ group, which were unwitting innocents pulled into this and completely unresponsible for all that was going to happen to Hygeia. Also that if they felt like finding one, the guard named Marc was a Mob. But any particularly blank-looking infantryperson could be a Mob.

It was a lost cause anyway. There was no way to tell the difference. Despite their better judgement, they decided to simply let the matter rest. Hygeia would fall either way, unless they managed to get the Sub-Levels done first and the cure into the air.

Which brough him to the next issue at hand. They wanted him to do the next Sub-Level.

“Guys, I can’t do this.” He squeaked, casting wild glances at everyone in his party, all looking at him with those forceful determined eyes. They were trusting him to do what they all had done. Which was all well and good, because they were children, and should not have to commit all the violence and whatever else had happened down there.

But just because they had done it didn’t mean that he could. He was… not the best at fighting. He’d easily admit that. But it wasn’t just that he was bad at it, but also that the Game didn’t want him hurting anyone. If he was backed up in a corner, and was forced to do something drastic, he would only be rewarded by losing Stats and becoming weaker. It was an impossible situation to throw a healer into.

“But you’re going to have to.” Ben told him, calmly and clearly. He was suddenly thrown back into high school, where he had somehow gotten the lead through some act of sheer luck (and, okay, some amount of hard work) and then got an anxiety attack right before a show that was so bad he nearly threw up backstage.

She’d said the same thing back then, with the same calm cadence. That certainty that he could, even if it felt like the entire universe was telling him that he couldn’t.

Just like before, he could feel his heart slowing down, latching onto her surety as an anchor.

“Yeah, alright.” He nodded.

“We’re counting on you, Tench!” Jared gave him an excited thumbs up.

“You want my glove?” Terry asked, offering him the mason jar containing the flesh-eating mushrooms he’d picked up in his own Sub-Level.

Tench backed away from it, no intention of getting too close and having his face melted off, “I appreciate it… but no.”

Terry simply shrugged, “Your loss.” He decided, “Are you going to leave now, or waiting for a full goodbye? I’m late for my timings at the lab and they’re taking a look at Derek today.”

Right, Derek. The zombie Terry had nurtured into a truly unreal level and had then left tied outside for days before finally getting the Hygeia scientists to let it in.

“Hey, Terry?” He asked, before he could stop himself, “Do you think that the scientists… are Mobs or NPCs?”

Terry considered the thought carefully, “If I had to guess, then it would be NPCs.” He decided, “They seem… real.” His eyes shadowed for a second, “That is, most of them.”

Tench could whole-heartedly agree with that sentiment. He’d spent a lot of time in the hospital to see who was just the regular kind of shaken, who was genuinely trying to get the world into a better place, and who was just going through the motions, no life in their eyes. Just following directions that had no bearing over their actual will.

When you worked in a high-stress environment like the hospital, these things stuck out. Especially when you knew what you were looking for, and had the special knowledge for it.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Tench didn’t like to think of himself as above the people around him. He had been an NPC, too, and his life hadn’t been all that bad. But he couldn’t help but think about how different it was for him. To have a goal that he was constantly moving towards, every second he was conscious and breathing, even in the most passive ways.

Maybe that was why the Sub-Levels were made. To test your mettle against the world all on your lonesome, so you don’t start thinking too highly of yourself after hiding behind uber-powerful team members. He needed to do this, for his own ego.

So, he relented. Dashed aside his worries and instead focused on the big picture. That selflessness propelled him all the way to the Warp Point.

[Warp Point Reached!]

[This Individual Sub-Level is Unfinished]

[Maximum Exp Points to Gain: 2,000]

[! Only 1 Volunteer is allowed to Enter !]

Staring at those stark green boxes however, gave him second thoughts.

Ben knew him well enough to wrap her arm around his shoulders forcefully.

“C’mon, Tench, don’t be chicken.” She grumbled, “You know how much of a hassle it was to get you out here?”

“Past those living zombies? I bet it didn’t take much.” He scoffed, “And don’t start with the ‘chicken’ crap. I’m not one of those children we’re having to chaperone.”

“Really? Because all this stalling is pretty immature.”

“Fine! Fine, whatever,” He stepped right past the panels and into the Warp Point, letting the viridian shower of pixels take him, until he popped out in… a hot, smoggy landscape that seemed like Purgatory come to life.

It was exactly how everyone had described it, and yet he still found himself weak from the shock.

[You have Entered Individual Sub-Level #6!]

[Realm: L-35 | Trackland]

[Objective: Establish a True Safe Zone]

Wow, these things just kept getting harder and harder. All Jared had had to do was pick up a gas canister and he got home free, but Tench had to establish a Safe Zone! What even was a Safe Zone? What made it true??? This was why you always did the tutorial first, dammit!

Speaking of gas canisters, he put on the one he had brought with him. He hadn’t necessarily believed the stories for how bad it was, but it really was rough.

Once the sweet release of heavy, warm oxygen was flowing through his lungs, he began walking. There was no reason for him to go in this particular direction. He just picked one and began marching. Surely something had to pop up eventually, right? Those railways that were the namesake of this place, or a mountain or sand dune or facility or something.

By the time he had walked long enough for his legs to become weak and his breathing shaky, Tench had to come to the unfortunate realization that he was not going to be finding anything soon. Because all the luck was given to the kids, and none was left for him.

At that point, he let himself sink to his knees, the sand coming up around him to bury his legs and pile up around his arms.

[Player has Entered the Field]

No, please, not now. He couldn’t do this right now.

“Wow, you look a sight.” A voice drawled, all cut-glass accent. He knew that was no way to describe a sound, but it was true, there was no other way to describe the voice other than that it was sharp glass.

But, it wasn’t a voice of any Harbinger that had been described to him, and this stranger hadn’t attacked him yet, so he decided to throw caution to the wind and look at them up and down. They were a… woman, if he had to guess. Red hair and darkened skin and eyes filled with intelligence. All of that was for naught though, because what really helped him identify her was the chair she was sitting on, all twisted metal and curled up legs, humming away with unseen gears.

“You’re Lucky Paine.” He whispered, staring up at her.

She grinned broadly, “Finally someone gets the name right. And you are… Ben?”

“Tench.” He corrected, “Gideon Tench.”

“Well then, Giddy-” oh no, not that nickname, it was awful. “- let us see how I can help you out. What objective have you been given?”

“How did you find me?” He asked instead. She directed a piercing look at him that made Tench want to take the question back.

“I have my ways.” She responded, “Recently came upon a Console of my own.”

Oh? That certainly explained the alert he’d gotten.

“You found it?” He asked, incredulously, “Just, like, lying about?” If Consoles could be found like that, well, that was just a game changer, wasn’t it? It would mean there was potential of there being so many other Players out there, ones who didn’t want the world to end. But Lucky’s face was twisting, cringing, and he knew immediately that she had not found it.

“In truth, I stole it.” She admitted, “From Harry Burks. The Harbinger?”

“I’m familiar.” He agreed, fighting back the urge to laugh, “Wow, that’s… quite something. And it didn’t explode in your face? The last Console we managed to get our hands on exploded.”

Lucky fist-pumped, “I knew I shouldn’t have simply opened it.” She celebrated, “No, I opened it from the back and did the best I could to reprogram it manually. Though, I admit that I had no idea what I was doing, so it was not a very good job. But it was enough to bypass the security. I’m officially part of the Game!”

She seemed really excited about it, so Tench tried his best to mirror that joy, “Congratulations! I guess we’ll be seeing more of you from now on?”

“I’m… not sure?” Lucky turned bashful, “I want to clear up the world here. Help turn it back to how it was… maybe a decade ago. After that, I might be able to hop around to other Realms, but until then, I’m staying right here.”

Tench could applaud conviction like that.

“Alright, Lucky, so here’s the thing.” He explained, “My objective is to build a True Safe Zone. I’m assuming by the way they called Hygeia a Safe City, and the way Safe Zones are used in games, they want us to make a neutral territory, perfect for people of all walks of life, and also habitable. That’s an important one. We gotta make it habitable.”

Lucky was beaming, wiggling excitedly in her chair, “That. Is. Perfect! Are you willing to pull your own weight in it? Because I have all the plans for it already mapped out in my head, but we’re going to need manpower to pull it off.”

“Sure.” He agreed. Like a fool. How was he supposed to catch onto the fact that this woman was actually a demon?

[Player Log End!]