I bent over, picking up Sinbad’s helmet to give myself a little time to think. “It appears you crashed,” I said eventually, holding it out for Sinbad to take, careful to avoid irritating my injured fingertips.
His neck was twisted as he studied the wreck next to him. “I crashed…?” As he did in the book, he recalled a few memories upon glancing at the wreckage. “Ah, yes…” he trailed off again, returning to face me. He took the helmet from my hands. “Thank you.”
I hadn’t done much. “You’re welcome.”
“Good sir, do you happen to know where I might find a nearby city? It seems as though I need a new ship.” He said good-humoredly.
“Ecbatana is that way,” I said, pointing toward the city. Sinbad still appeared slightly off-kilter. “I was heading there myself.”
In the book, Sinbad’s smile was described as being so bright it could power entire cities. While it was obviously an exaggeration, the smile he flashed at me then was perhaps the most cheerful and open smile I’d ever seen on anyone’s face. It showcased the boyish innocence and determination that had kept his crew loyal during their space explorations and would draw in anyone who looked upon it. I found myself smiling back, and his smile only widened, his eyes nearly disappearing with full force.
“That sounds wonderful!” He gave a joking half-bow, gesturing for me to lead the way. I motioned for Ani to follow and headed back into the forest. If he had any difficulties walking through the sand, he didn’t say anything as he fell in step alongside me, Ani trailing along behind us.
“I’m sorry,” Sinbad spoke up a few moments later, his hand reaching out to gently grab my shoulder. “In my daze, I forgot to ask the name of my helper.”
Was my name not hovering above my head? Something inside my chest twisted at the title of ‘savior.’ I knew very well that he would have managed perfectly on his own. “Hayden.”
He moved his right hand from my shoulder to shove it between us. “Sinbad,” he said, flashing another smile. His hand was warm from the sun, and his grip was firm, betraying the power he’d accumulated during his many adventures. “Nice to meet you,” he bent down, gently picking Ani up. Ani bumped his head against Sinbad’s, startling a laugh out of the other man.
“And who is this?” Sinbad asked, shifting Ani into one arm.
“My pet, Ani,” I said, going with the term Zenith Online used.
“Nice to meet you too, Ani,” Sinbad said, taking one of Ani’s paws into his hand and giving it a little shake. Ani greatly appreciated the gesture and showed his appreciation by bopping Sinbad on the nose. Sinbad laughed again.
“It is fortuitous that I encountered you two. Might I ask why you two are heading to Ecbatana?” He asked, fiddling with Ani’s ears as Ani’s purr rumbled like a train.
“I was stranded in the ocean and discovered the island.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Sinbad’s eyes flickered to meet mine briefly. “You were shipwrecked as well?”
“No. You could say I fell off of my friend’s ship, and by the time he came back to me, the ocean had pulled me away. I’m hoping to find him in the city.”
Sinbad ducked underneath a low-hanging tree branch. “There were many escape pods, so maybe I’ll find my crew, and you’ll find your friend,” he said brightly.
I nodded, still unsure as to my path forward.
No, that was a lie. I knew two things for certain. One, I should tell Sinbad about Zenith Online. After What Lies Ahead, it would be hypocritical of me not to. And I wanted to, I did, but it was one thing to tell someone else to do it, and another entirely to find the words for myself. Two, I knew I’d need to complete the tutorial at some point if I had any hope of learning how the video game rules applied to my very real body. However, despite all of my prep work and video game playing, I was afraid. The past two times I’d world-hopped, I hadn’t had to think about too many decisions in the first place. The answers had seemed obvious and, in most cases, had been my only choice. It felt as though I’d just gotten my feet underneath me at the end of What Lies Ahead, only to have it yanked out from under my feet once again.
The blue Tutorial window that had become my constant companion flickered, and the text s gifted.
[TUTORIAL timed out. Access anytime by saying “Tutorial.”]
The window closed. Well, that was convenient. A terrible thought struck me. What if I had to say all commands and attacks out loud? I pictured myself shouting ridiculous attack names, such as Ultimate Comet Strike!, and shuddered. If it came to that point, I’d almost rather die than submit to such humiliation.
As we drew closer to the city, we passed more players. They focused on their own tasks, running around in groups and on mounts, generally ignoring us as we walked by. Oddly, Sinbad didn’t greet any as they passed by, which seemed contrary to his exuberant personality. Finally, after a player nearly walked into Sinbad without acknowledgment, I broke and asked, “Is there any particular reason you’re ignoring them?”
He blinked back at me. “Ignoring who?”
I pointed at the black-cloaked player character who’d just shoulder-checked him. Sinbad turned to look, then gazed back at me, confused. “Hayden, did you hit your head at any point?”
Frustrated, I said, “No, I–,” and cut myself off, unable to explain what had just occurred.
Sinbad dug through his pockets and pulled out a bottle that didn’t look like it would fit anywhere. He held it out toward me. “This is a potion. I think you should take it,” he said earnestly.
“I’m fine,” I said, but I reached for the potion anyway. In the game, the standard potion could heal up to fifty percent of your base health. I wasn’t sure if it would have the same effect on my body, but t could be very helpful.
Sinbad looked disappointed when, instead of drinking it, I tucked it away into my pocket. Magically, my pocket didn’t bulge outward, and I worried for a second that it had dropped through an unnoticed hole.
Another screen popped up
[Item placed in inventory]
[Potions: 1/100]
[Items found in BACKPACK were also added to your inventory]
Placing my hand back in, I felt the warm pottle with my fingertips. I pulled it out of my pocket a few times, getting used to the sensation of accessing the inventory.
“Is that–Hayden?!”