Now that I had thoroughly explored the bottom floor, I decided to ascend the stairs at the back of the living room. In doing so, I was pleasantly surprised that these wooden stairs didn’t creak under my weight. They must have either been reinforced the stairs or built them out of a stronger wood than the one used in the furniture.
The stairs ended in a short hallway with one door on each side and another set of stairs on the opposite side. I grabbed a door knob and pushed the door on the left open. Beyond the door was a large bedroom with a bed, a dresser, a large floor-length mirror, a bookshelf, and a chest at the base of the bed. Everything in the room was much more opulent than I had come to expect in the Old World. The bed was topped with thick sheets and half a dozen hand-woven pillows. The dresser was huge and covered in pleasing, elegant designs. The bookshelf was filled with hard-cover tomes of historical and fictional literature. As I scanned the books there, every single one caught my attention. If possible, I would like to read all of them. I scoffed. That’s assuming the Revenants didn’t kill me before then.
I opened the dresser and saw that it was filled with clothes. To my shock, I recognized every article of clothing within the dresser. At some point in my life, I had worn every piece of clothing there. The flannel jacket, graphic T-shirt, and blue jeans I had been wearing when I logged in was in that dresser. I was happy that my wardrobe had already been converted into the game, but I was also unsettled by that reminder that every corner of my mind was visible to GM.
I quickly changed out of my Dark Apostle uniform and into an olive drab shirt and sweatpants. It was good to be out of that supervillain costume, if only for a little while. As I turned back to the dresser to close its doors, I saw a metal mask at the bottom of the dresser. For no reason in particular, I placed the metal mask on my own face. It fit perfectly. I knew that the mask would adhere to my face even without the use of the strap on the back. The message sent by the presence of the mask was clear: you will have to hide your identity. I placed the mask back inside the dresser and closed the door.
I stepped over to the next room. Beyond the other door on the second floor was a bathroom. It was the usual small bathroom that I had grown accustomed to in the Old World. There was a sink, a mirror, a toilet, a bathtub, and a shower. The bathroom held a level of mundanity that required no further examination.
I walked over to the staircase at the far end of the hallway. As I walked up the stairs, I noticed that each step was slanted slightly, indicating that I was slowly rotating as I ascended. At the top of the stairs was a single room that was lined by books on all sides. On the far end of the room, rather than another staircase, was a single table next to a large window. The view out through the window was breath-taking. I could see sheer cliffs descending down below the window for hundreds of feet. If I were to smash through the window, I would fall the entire distance. Far below, I saw scattered motes of light indicating the presence of a large settlement below. The lights were only present ahead and to the left. The sea must have been to the right. I briefly looked over the titles of the books that lined the walls of this room. It was as if the books had been tailor made for me. There were even a few technical manuals of firearms, land vehicles, and airplanes.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Upon the table by the window was an electric typewriter, several stacks of paper, and an unopened pack of pens. A piece of paper had already been placed inside the well of the typewriter. On the typewriter was written the words:
From GM.
I grimaced as I tore the paper out of the well. Yes, I was aware. In fact, he was aware as well. He had simulated everything I would do long before any of us had spawned as Dark Apostles. He knew everything I would do until I would make contact with the Revenants in three days. Castle Bosporus was a universe of hard determinism. I could expect to find these little passive aggressive notes at any time.
I sat down at the table. Ever since the interaction with GM, I had been in an introspective mood. I figured I would just put a few of my thoughts into words. I placed a piece of paper into the well of the typewriter and began writing.
----------------------------------------
October 1st, 2035
When I logged in to Ferrum Online for the first time, I was sitting inside of a net cafe in Madison, Wisconsin…
…Three hours later, I was dead.
----------------------------------------
9:35 A.M.
I typed for several hours. By the time the sun was high in the sky, I had filled seventeen empty pages with the events of the previous day. I had only managed to describe the period before I logged in, character creation, and the period immediately after I had logged in. Much of my time writing had been spent either remembering those events or editing my thoughts on the matter.
It was only once I had reached this natural stopping point in the story that I opened my Menu and checked the time. The next strategy meeting would be held in two and a half hours. I realistically wouldn’t have time to get any sleep before the meeting. What would happen if I didn’t show up? Would Melkior send someone to kick me out of bed? I never seriously considered the idea of not showing up, because I wasn’t particularly fatigued. Either due to the effects spawning had on my circadian rhythm or due to my new body, I barely felt the effects of not sleeping.
I placed the papers down next to the typewriter and left the library.