Somewhere in New England, Ten Winter’s Later

Josephine “Jet” Smith stared at the ceiling. She was dying to get back into the world of the Colossal Machine, but the many internet outages made that all but impossible. She reached for her backpack where her gaming gear was stored.

Maybe Nigel will be logged in?

She still had nightmares of her last home, getting blown to bits by the very people who had taken her in. She had been lost and confused. Nigel had tried to search for survivors, but the Dark Angels had found her first. She would have been interrogated or tortured if it wasn’t for Nigel giving her his lucky charm. A symbol of the Dark Angels. The search for Nigel had been called off due to extreme weather, and she needed something to take her mind off her heartache.

Why did he leave with those girls? Doesn’t he love me anymore?

Jet put the negative thought out of her mind. She needed a break, and the Colossal Machine had always been there for her. It’s a good thing that I was able to download the portable version of the game.

The Colossal Machine was designed as an online-only game. There was an offline version that she was testing for Pretzelverse, but she never got to try it out. The incessant howling of the wind would make it difficult to get any quality sleep, so she decided to load the Colossal Machine Lite, or CML.

It’s a good thing I was able to sync my progress from the online version.

Jet was a beta tester for the Lite version of the Colossal Machine. Since she was a beta tester and an unofficial game ambassador for the CM, this meant that she got pre-alpha versions of the game for early testing and feedback.

I have not been able to play the portable version of the game yet. I hope there aren’t any required downloads.

She plugged in the game and thought of Nigel as the Pretzelverse logo appeared. The LCD turned gray and blue placeholder text read: Magi Quest. She pressed the load button, and her in-game avatar appeared in all of its low-res glory.

I wonder if I can hook up my VR headset? This hardware is probably not up to the task.

Jet remembered reading about the portable version requiring the use of a full VR headset with an advanced tracking processor.

My headset should work with it.

She removed the rubberized protective covers from the test unit. She recognized the mini VR interface on the side of the portable console.

Wait, don’t I have an adapter someplace?

Jet dumped the contents of her backpack on her bed. Various cables and adapters spilled out everywhere. She grabbed the adapter she needed and connected her visor. The CML device supported Wi-Fi, and out of habit, she connected the device to the access point in the hanger.

I’m part of a select few that even have this device. I wonder if anyone else has connected to the internet.

Don’t be silly, girl. The internet has been down for weeks, and it’s not coming up no matter how much you want it to.

She loaded the Lite version of the Colossal Machine and created a Mage. She didn’t have access to the Magi class until level ten. She’d tested the game enough to know how to power level her fledgling mage to at least that far. She would at least try. Jet glanced at her watch: 10:42 p.m. The Dark Angels were pulling out early tomorrow. Damien agreed to spare enough resources for a final search before giving up. And she wanted to be well rested.

I can probably spare an hour or perhaps a little longer. I could probably get to level two by then.

Jet plugged her VR headset into the CML. The graphics processing power was far superior to the native CML, and she thought she had enough juice to last at least that long. She made some adjustments to her VR visor’s settings before immersing herself in the game. Normally she would be seated upright during her gaming sessions because of the power demands of the visor. But tonight she wanted to experience the Colossal Machine lying down. Plus, it gave her an excuse to stop when the battery ran low.

“Hey, Jet, it’s lights out in fifteen minutes,” a female voice said.

She removed her visor. Sally gave her a smile.

“We will find Nigel tomorrow. I have a good feeling.”

“I hope so. We’ve been apart so much already,” Jet said.

“You should get some sleep. You need to stay frosty,” Sally said.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Yeah, I will…I just need an hour of the game to get my mind off—things.”

Sally gave her a suspicious look, but didn’t protest. Jet was putting on her immersive VR gear before Sally left the room.

Maybe Nigel left me a message inside the machine. Yeah, I just need to check.

A flat menu appeared:

Colossal Machine Portable Edition

1) Load Game

2) Synchronize local game files

3) Create New Character

4) Journey Onward

She chose the third option. The visor faded to black. JetaGirl stood atop a massive parapet. Below was a chasm so deep she couldn’t fathom how long it would take to hit the bottom if she had fallen.

My avatar is finished if she falls in there! I don’t think I have enough mana to keep the slow spell going for that long.

Several waterfalls and an enormous river overflowed into the chasm. She didn’t see any bridges or any other way across the divide.

“Are you ready to receive your first quest as the Grand Magi?” an old man said.

This is the dungeon master!

“I am,” JetaGirl said.

“Good, there are many good folks who will perish if you shall fail. The council has located the cause of the disruption.”

The dungeon master handed her avatar a scroll. JetaGirl gave the old man a revered look.

“You will know when it’s time.”

JetaGirl bowed before the dungeon master. “I accept this quest, and I will do everything in my power to seek out the evil that plagues this land.”

The dungeon master raised a staff, and Jet was staring at the character creation screen. Moments later, an image of an old woman appeared. The VR visor enhanced the background, but the characters seemed pixelized to her. She chalked it up to the portable hardware not having enough power to support the high-res imagery. Backgrounds were more static than characters, and the Colossal Machine was famous for having some of the most lifelike in the industry. Well, except for maybe that interstellar sex-based adventure that many of her classmates were interested in.

Hello, dear, why don’t you come a little closer so I can see you? an old voice said.

Jet’s head snapped toward the voice. An old woman sat in a chair that resembled a throne. She waved a hand, and a table with a purple white-trimmed tablecloth appeared.

“Sit.”

A chair slammed into Jet from behind. Her screen rocked, and she lost five points of health. She had not completed her character’s stats rolls yet, so her heath and stamina bars were capped at a hundred. She was playing in hardcore mode, the only mode that serious gamers used. She wanted to stay on her toes, so the thought of her character dying a premature and horrible death was incentive enough to get invested into the game. The chair started attacking her from behind. It grew a mouth and had some nasty wooden teeth. She didn’t have a weapon, so she punched it with her bare hands. The chair bit her, and twenty-five percent of her health disappeared.

This is whacked. Why is the chair attacking me?

Jet kicked the chair in the leg, resulting in an audible snapping sound. It hobbled back. Jet thought she heard the thing squeal, but that could have been her imagination. The portable version of the game was fundamentally different. Most of its development was farmed out to a company in China. The core rule set was in place, but everything else was changed.

As long as the core set is there, I can still pursue the path of the Magi.

In the full version of the Colossal Machine, Jet had gained the rank of Grand Magi. To her knowledge, she was the only one to hold the title.

“Enough!” the old woman said.

She waved a hand in virtual space, and the chair became as still as the cold night air. Jet took a seat across from the woman.

“Are you ready to proceed, JetaGirl?”

“I am.”

“Then let the questioning begin.”

“Questioning?” Jet asked, confused.

“Your class and specialization will be determined after you answer my questions truthfully.”

When did this get added?

“I’m ready.”

“Thoust, a trusted courier, and thy king has asked you to deliver a purse as a tribute to a neighboring kingdom. Upon your travels, you come across a fallen sickly woman. Her child explains that she is sick and cannot afford medicine and will die if she doust not receive aid. Will you open the purse to give help to the woman, or stay true to your vow and deliver the purse intact?”

“I would show compassion and give the child funds from my own pocket.”

The old woman nodded, then reached for something behind the table. It was a bowl. She sprinkled some purple powder into the bowl.

“You are raised as a shepherd since childhood. But you’re conflicted. You believe your true calling is to be a magician. Your father falls ill and on his death bed asks you to take over his flock. Will you stay true to your family name and remain a shepherd? Or will you sell your family farm and pursue the life of a magic user?”

This is a trick question.

“I would pursue my dreams and become a magician.”

The old woman took a bottle of a white liquid and shook it. Then poured it into the bowl. A milky, pusslike substance formed in the saucer.

“You have a brother whom you are very fond of. As you grow into adulthood, you take the oath of a law keeper. Later, you find out from a trusted source that he is stealing from criminals. Do you honor your duty as a policeman and investigate him or let your brother continue to steal, justifying it that he is only hurting criminals?”

“I would honor my oath. Stealing, even from a criminal, is still a crime.”

The old woman looked at her for a long moment. The NPC seemed to be conflicted.

“Do you mind answering a follow-up question?”

Wow, this is new. It’s almost as if this is a real old woman.

“Certainly, ask and I will answer true.”

“During your investigation, you find evidence that would convict your brother, but the criminals vowed to kill the person responsible for the thefts. Your brother begs you to destroy the evidence, since you are the only one that knows. Will you see that justice is served by arresting your brother? Or show compassion for your brother and destroy the evidence and accept his promise to turn his life around? Knowing you can deny it later.”

Whoa, that’s a very complex follow-up question. I’ve never known the game to ask a question this deep before.

“I would show compassion for my brother.”

The old woman untied a leather pouch and took a pinch of black powder and tossed it in the bowl. The addition of the reagent caused a chain reaction. The bowl made a popping sound.

“Thy path is set,” the old woman said.

She waved her hand, and a white light nearly blinded Jet. Cries, moans, and a strangling noise emanated from the light. Jet couldn’t leave. The game was stuck. But the low guttural moans intensified, then stopped.