Tara Tassa appears in the dark blue distance of the Aether as an island ripped from the sea, green on its hill-crested top, brown and gray on its rocky bottom. What seem at first to be tiny houses dotting its surface, ringing an estate that commands a low rise, resolve into villages and towns as the Ozymandias gets closer, marked by the airships that ferry passengers and trade goods hither and thither. This is easily the largest shard yet, fifty miles from end to end.
At the center of its capital city, domes rise like soap bubble from the froth of buildings, wand-thin towers looking over them. A wall cordons the inner city from the riotous outer, divided into four quarters to judge from the different architecture - here high sloping roofs and gables, there flat-topped marble buildings tinted with pastels, elsewhere old-fashioned wooden houses and ivy-draped pillared courtyards. Beyond the outer walls, a tent city clusters about its main gates where most of the airships are docked, colorful fabric as festive as a fair day.
The Ozymandias is still an hour out, and these details are seen through the periscope. More pressing are the Tasavaltan destroyers that have separated from the airship flocks to greet it - while each mounts only six guns to a side, and they are only wood shaped into graceful bird-like curves with silken wings, there are ten of them. Their tiny signal mirrors wink at the Imperial Dreadnaught with insistant questions of Who are you and What is your business here.
On the bridge it's Randall, Holly, Jason, Tracer and Akiko. Below deck, the General has taken on the role of an ordinary sailor, mingling with the rescued crew of the demolished sloop. Sasha is nowhere to be seen, a fact which somewhat distracts Randall - he's been trying to locate her while Jason and Holly did their data analysis.
"This is the Ozymandias," Randall sends. "We are adventurers returning to Tasavalta. We claim this ship by right of salvage."
A pause, then the response. Welcome to Tara Tassa. Please stand by for inspection. A fat little longboat detaches from the side of a destroyer, a chick compared to its mother.
"I wonder what they'll make of us," Holly comments.
"I hope they don't ask too many questions," Jason remarks in a rather distracted tone of voice. He's sitting in his usual chair and his fingertips strum lightly on the console in front of him. He's not actually doing anything, though.
Randall gives the others a sardonic look. "Do we have any contraband we'd like to declare? An Imperial general, a formerly Dark-powered kitsune, several smuggled persons and items from the 'real world', a bevy of cursed items perhaps?"
"Barrels of glowing 'blue stuff' of unknown origin?" Holly adds.
"A captain with a poor sense of humor and hero complex?" Jason adds.
Akiko shifts in her seat a little, trying to look as 'ordinary crew'-ish as possible. Tracer blows out a breath. "Inspections! Ever since that civil war, they've been getting a lot more strict in these parts." she says. "S'why I moved out to Ithalbar. That and closer to real adventures, 'course."
"Ah yes, the fuel! Distinguished from the red stuff, which I doubt we'll be able to find any of out here," Randall points out. "Being that it was distilled from, as I understand it, giant space whales."
"What would cause us the most issue if they found it? Surely we're not that much different from gamers," Jason comments as he swivels his chair around.
Just because she's cautious, Holly closes down any extraneous projections from the orb. So far the VNPCs have ignored them, but she doesn't remember if any actually walked through them before - and inspectors are likely to be extra curious.
Randall shrugs. "I'll head down to the hangar and welcome the inspector then. You locked the cursed items up in your lab, right, Holly?"
"Yeah, in the shielded chest with 'CURSED ITEMS' drawn on it in cursed lipstick," the sorceress replies.
"You should have used aluminum foil, then we could declare, "Curses, foiled again"," Jason jokes rather half-heartedly.
The inspector's longboat closes the distance steadily. It looks like a moon shape from end to end, powered by four blue-and-white clad sailors driving large fans at its backside. The inspector himself comes into view, a dignified older man wearing a black greatcoat over his own blue-and-white uniform. None of them are brandishing weapons.
"Cursed lipstick?" Randall rolls his eyes. "Seriously, who takes time out of their busy schedule to curse the lipstick?"
"Beauty pageant losers," Jason offers.
"Lets go meet this guy," Jason says as he pushes himself out of his chair and summons RIU to his shoulders. "Just don't ask me to open any doors or, well, that obnoxious ring will lock things."
"I'll watch for any stray magic," Holly notes, gesturing to the magic detector and orb.
Inspector-Lieutenant Ganet is an affable man who smiles a lot and makes jokes about the smuggler who shipped fruit past a blockade without ever giving the Southerns any reason to arrest him. ("What were you smuggling?" they asked after the war. "Ships!") "So, you captured this ship from the Imperials?" the inspector asks as they proceed, completely ignoring the aircar and opening random crates that turn out not to contain anything contraband by Tasavaltan standards. "Was it quite a battle?"
"Actually, salvaged it from where it was downed," Jason offers, "We missed the battle, thankfully. I imagine it it was pretty exciting. Flying the wreckage out, now ... that was an adventure. Our Sorceress seemed compelled to piss off the universe. We had to outrun a rather nasty swarm of shadow creatures that she angered when she was goofing off."
"I see, I see!" As they enter the bridge, Ganet asks, "So what are your plans for this vessel? Are you planning to keep it and fly about the Diadem in it? The Temple would doubtless be willing to redeem it for a large amount of gold if it proved too cumbersome for you."
"Well, I want to keep a hold if it, given how much work I've put in on fixing it," Jason notes. "Its hard to part with something that has caused many sleepless nights..."
Randall gives Jason a raised eyebrow. "So, you want more sleepless nights?"
"No, I want you to quit breaking the ship," Jason quips.
Ganet takes notes. "And this must be the lady Sorceress of which I've heard so much!" There's a definite look of unease about his face as he comes face to face with Holly for the first time. "Ah-- do you have anything you want to declare for inspection?"
Holly smiles to the inspector, trying to look.. well.. harmless. Being short helps.
Inspector-Lieutenant Ganet is completely taken in. "I see the rumors of your evils are greatly exaggerated," he says, bowing low over Holly's hand - how did he get it? "I should warn you that there are some in Tasavalta who may take exception to the open practice of magic by those not affiliated with the Light. Me, I take it as that King Samaranth granted amnesty to all Jaden's followers, an' what's good enough for the King's good enough for me."
Randall adds sotto voce to Jason and Holly, "No, I have no idea who those people are."
Jason just shrugs and spreads his hand in an 'Don't look at me' gesture.
"Oh, I'm very much of the Light, Sir," Holly assures the man. "Just.. flexible.. in my abilities. That's why I could operate the magical systems of this ship."
"With a lot of help from yours truly," Jason whispers to Randall.
Tracer rolls her eyes, dressed in slightly different black armor from the day before - does she actually pack different armor for each day of the week? "Noobs! There was a big civil war last year, I can't believe you haven't heard anything about it. It was awesome, there were actual ship-to-ship battles, and this dreamy Lord Valbar charged his destroyer into all these Southern ships..." She shakes her head, deciding not to go into further details.
"Dreamy?" Holly asks, suddenly turning her attention too Tracer. "You're kidding, right?"
"She is at that age," Jason points out. "Just be thankful its a virtual crush..."
Ganet smiles. "Well, that's different! You'll want to start wearing your Order insignia then, it will put off people if you don't have something of the sort to show your faith in the Light. Especially the ones who make a point of not going to services, like that Grion." He shakes his head.
"It's a question of taste," Holly mutters to Jason, and then nods and smiles to Ganet again. "Oh, of course!"
Tracer gives her mother a 'Duh' look.
"What? It was a Lord. I know that's not as amazing as Randall or I are, but its not terrible taste," Jason jokes.
"I work with the guys who come up with these characters," Holly reminds Jason. "They aren't the Romance Novel types."
"ITs still all virtual. You're too protective," Jason points out.
Ganet makes more checkmarks. "Well then, sirs and madams! No Imperial troops waiting to besiege the capital, no weapons of mass destruction, no dreamspice or slaves, here is your clean bill of health, Captain." He issues a certificate of passage to Randall. "Now if you'll see me to my ship, I'll let you be on your way."
Tracer sighs. "Look, Mom, it's just a game. I know he'd have the brain cells of a gnat if I actually wanted to start something, okay? Give me some credit."
Akiko cannot help but stifle a giggle.
"Of course, Inspector," Randall says with a grin. He stows the certificate and escorts Ganet out.
Holly just grumbles something about AIs getting too creative.
"I'm sure Lord Valbar isn't the type to wave his rod of power or anything," Jason quips, "Lords are supposed to have some manners."
"You're too young to be swooning over anything with a pulse," Holly tells Tracer. "I remember when you went all wobbly over a jacket."
Tracer siiighs again. The long-suffering sigh of a teenager being overly protected by her mother.
"I was fourteen once myself you know!" Holly points out. "For a whole year! I know what trouble a fourteen-year-old can get into."
"I can give her some advice based on my years of experience," Jason offers, clearing trying to cause problems. "On how to romance without being spied on by over-protective parents..."
"Like you know anything about it, do you even have a girlfriend?" Tracer scoffs.
Holly lets Tracer take care of Jason, and points to Randall next. "And you... stop being dashing in front my daughter too. You're an even worse influence than I am."
"What? It's not like she's hot after me or anything," Randall protests. "Actually, she said I'm too old for her. And too police-y."
"Not currently; I have a business to run. Not like there is time for much else," Jason comments and shrugs, "Doesn't mean I haven't though."
"When did that even come up in conversation?" Holly demands of Randall.
With the return of the Inspector's longboat, the Tasavaltan destroyers fall into escort formation around the Ozymandias. But quick to close in are the curious players based in Tasavalta - the volume of players here is much greater than out in empty space. Randall translates a few of the most pertinent queries. Where'd you get that ship? Can I get a tour? Have anything to sell? We'll give you 30 million gold for your ship, see our guild hall in town - King's Explorers
Randall shrugs, "I was minding my own business and all of a sudden, out it comes. And then she hit me and told me to stop being dashing."
Randall whispers to Jason, "Runs in the family?"
"Probably," Jason notes.
Holly sighs at all the messages. "Well, we already know Blake was tracking us," she comments. "But with all this attention he's not likely to try anything, I hope."
"And, I warned Tracer about boys like you, Randall," Holly notes. "Since you're the type I went after when I was a girl."
"Well, this is going to be annoying," Jason remarks at the barrage of messages. "I wonder if people would get mad if I hacked the system to turn all their messages into something ridiculous..."
Tracer sulks. "Don't talk about me as if I weren't even here! Look, Mom, I don't tell you about these things because you keep thinking 'Is she going to get married to that idiot', I'm just looking, okay? I'm not trying to get attached to anyone right now, I'm just... Checking the market out, you know?"
"And they accuse of us looking at women as meat," Jason comments to Randall. "Market, indeed."
Randall replies, "What goes around, comes around, I guess. Still, this does raise a good point, what are we going to do with the Ozymandias?"
"Just remember that you want a guy you can actually talk to for more than 20 minutes without running out of conversation topics," Holly claims. She waves at Randall, noting, "These types are fine to look at and good for a night of fun, but after that it's time to move on."
Randall grumps. "Gee, thanks, Holly."
"Fly it to our destination? It is our ship," Jason points out and shrugs. "If you want, I can rig in a self-destruction system so that when .... well, if, we get out, the ship destroys itself."
"Not you specifically, Randall!" Holly says, throwing up her hands. "The 14-year-old version of you."
"So you weren't entertaining any visions of wheeling it out into the real world?" Randall asks of Jason. "I mean, you'd hate to be parted from all those sleepless nights..."
Randall agrees with Holly, "I was a punk."
"Well, I already figured I wasn't getting out, Randall," Jason points out, "I can make sure the ship goes, and I do, when all this is said and done."
"I'm sure Jason wants to try and get the Ozymandius translated over into the real world," Holly says to Randall. "You could easily pick up chicks with a flying, heavily armed dreadnaught."
Tracer growls. "Okay, you don't need me for anything right now, you have that fancy orb if you want to talk to someone out there, right? It's okay with you if I go for a little flight?"
"Wait, of course we're getting out," Randall says to Jason. "Chip in your head or not, they'll have an EMT on site and ready to get us into Intensive Care."
"Where are you going?" Holly asks Tracer. "I don't know that we should be separated too much." She then winces as Randall comments on Jason's 'condition' in front of Tracer.
"Actually, you shouldn't, Tracer. All joking aside, we are in a lot of danger. You're as much of a target as we are," Jason says, "We can't afford to let anyone get captured."
Tracer folds her arms. "So I'm a prisoner here? I just want to get away from you all for a bit, get some fresh air. Not that there isn't plenty outside this cabin, but... You know!"
"My brain has been rewired, Randall. Someone modified me. I don't know how much of me is me anymore," Jason says rather pointedly. "I see two outcomes following the current course of information and logic: I leave, the chip melts, and I turn into a vegetable. I leave, it was there previously, and someone comes to collect me. Neither option exactly makes me feel good. If I'm going to go, it'll be how I choose."
Randall raises a finger. "This upgrade, did you find out anything about what it's supposed to do?"
"The only hints in Blake's data are that the anachrony protocols are going to be modified to allow the area to more closely resemble the real-world theme-park design," Holly notes. "Including the materials used to build it."
"In other words, he's forcing a convergence," Jason adds.
"At least, that's what Blake was suggesting," Holly says. "We don't know if it's going to be implemented or not."
Tara Tassa grows by the minute, fuzzy greenery resolving into trees, slim wands of towers becoming skyscrapers linked by bridges - the capital city is a lot bigger than it looked from a distance. The presence of the escort destroyers deters most onlookers from doing anything more than observing however. A veritable armada of airships is now gathered about the Ozymandias.
"Wasn't there something about increasing the resolution to quantum-level?" asks Randall.
"I don't think we'd be able to get past all of that to do any sightseeing," Holly mutters as she checks the displays.
Tracer stands. "I'm going AFK, I need to clear my head," she declares. "Send me a message if you really need me."
"Be careful, Tracer," Jason tells her.
Akiko looks over at Jason with worry in her eyes. "I don't want you to..." she whispers.
Holly brings up the data and highlights some sections. "No precisely, Randall," she notes. "Here he has data on using nanotech structures. It looks like it might be related to the 'melting monster' effect we've seen."
Randall goes to look over Holly's shoulder.
"Test day from Skyrmir, his private-world AI," Holly explains. "That suggests someone else knows about it that he's collecting the data for. At the end of the day, we'll have to check his network usage logs to see if he's tapping into any secure internal nets, now that monitoring is in place."
Randall rubs his short trimmed beard. "He's trying to do something about the 'melting monster' effect though?"
"It can also mean that he has backers for his pet project," Jason points out as he returns to his seat and runs his hands through his hair. "Jerks, using people at props and experiment subjects."
"Not really clear," Holly admits. "There's no mention of anyone else. This test data.. well.. it looks like it's being requested by the in-game AIs."
Akiko says nothing but her face shows her own angst over the subject. And perhaps for Jason, as she looks over at him, then returns her gaze to the scanner console which is a blur of dots, magic and Links with Avatars all around.
"I can't help but wonder if the AIs are trying to bring about this Convergence as well," Randall wonders. "Maybe just because they think their programmers want it done?"
"We've got corporate ties to Programmable Matter Corp. in Southern California," Holly mutters. "Some of these nanotech reports could be related to their work. And.. they're close by to the theme park site."
"Or there are other actors at work acting through the AIs," Jason points out as he checks over the ships status. "That would be an effective anonymity shield, after all. Like those old spy movies where everyone goes by a code name and no spy knows the others real identity."
The Bazaar of Tara Tassa sprawls beneath the Ozymandias as it approaches its appointed docking position, between six towers marked with numbered and colored flags. Workers have swarmed up to make ready for its arrival, ready to catch the tethers and secure it in place. Soldiers are keeping away a curious crowd and - what's that? There is a priest in gold vestments apparently supervising the effort.
"I think the AIs are trying stabilize things, in their own way," Holly suggests. "They may see the problem with the synecdoche events not being that they occur, but that they occur uncontrollably."
"That's a scary thought," Randall mutters.
"Is it normal for that many people to come out when a ship docks? And what is with the priest?" Jason asks after a glance forward.
Akiko shrugs. She's never been here, obviously.
"Shoot, and Tracer is away," Holly says as she notes the priest. She turns to the orb and tries to find data on the 'Order' Ganet mentioned, along with its symbols and insignia.
"We are flying an Imperial Dreadnought painted up in police car colors," Randall points out. "You can't see too many of those in these parts."
"They also have people like 'Lady Nyah' running about," Jason has to point out, "We're no odder. But still ... I'm going to recheck our existing security systems. I don't want someone swiping our ship."
"Lock all controls to the glove if we have to leave," Holly suggests. "Nobody else around here is likely to have one of those."
"No one other than programmers or admin staff," Jason agrees.
The orb brings up multiple panels, but the most prominent one is a primer in the various orders that serve the Light. Knightly orders include the Solarian Order, commonly used as the Royal bodyguards and the Golden Order, which goes forth to carry out rescue and charitable missions. More relevant to Holly's question is the Temple of the Holy Spark, which is the chief religious institution in service of the Light, based in Tara Tassa. It holds that all was once Light, but divided itself in its loneliness. The Sun is the greatest part of the Light, and the shards are its children.
The common symbol of the Order is a circular sun symbol surrounded by twelve diamonds, all in gold. Some pictures illustrate the vestments commonly worn by its priesthood, and distinguishes between its subordinate orders - some clerical, some more 'warrior priest' in flavor.
Randall peers over the side of the bridge window at the crowds beneath. "Wow... I think I'm getting a case of stage fright. Think I should have some kind of speech for the crowd?"
"Hmmm. Probably not. I mean, we should try to act nonchalant about all of this. If you start giving speeches, people will have all sorts of expectations about is. Do you want them to think of us as some sort of group of arriving legendary heroes?" Jason asks after some thought. "Unless you want to have people bask in your presence?"
"Well, that's the question, should I try to explain anything at all if they start asking questions when we get down there?" asks Randall. "Like, play it 'we're on a secret mission for the King' or 'We're just random adventurers who struck it rich'?"
"So long as it boils down to 'stay off my lawn you damned kids' I'm all for it," Holly says, and looks through the available symbols for something appropriate for her and Akiko's current attire (but which won't but too many expectations on their behavior).
"Well, the latter is sort of the truth," Jason points out. "Would folks feel better if I just remained with the ship and kept it safe?"
"Not really, Jason," Holly notes. "If we go out at all, it should be find out more about your key-ring quest and how it might relate to getting us into position for the upgrade. After all, they plan to clear the area for it."
"I doubt the key ring really has any significance," Jason notes, "Other than our lack of judgment when looking for good deals in places of poor reputation."
"Well, my lack of judgment," Jason corrects.
It appears that most devotees of the Light will wear a Temple symbol as a brooch on their cloak or as a necklace. Priests wear robes with vestments draped about their shoulders, the more martial ones replace the vestments with breastplates and shoulderpads of increasingly elaborate designs based on rank. There's an illustration of the Archbishop - he's wearing robes, vestments, one of those bishop's mitres, and carrying a staff that ends in a golden halo around a brightly glowing crystal.
Randall suggests, "I'd like to leave the General here with Tracer and Sasha. We'll bring the crew out though, and let them get taken care of by port authority."
"The curse could have been applied after you picked it up by one of the AIs," Holly points out. "So it could be important." She goes about conjuring the basic sun-and-gems brooch for herself and Akiko.
"Sounds reasonable," Jason agrees. "And no picking up new crew because they need rescuing, or something!"
Randall looks skyward. "I know they're just NPCs, but..." He shakes his head. "Don't you ever wonder what makes us, as humans, different from NPCs? Do we have some kind of soul, and if so, is it possible for them to have souls? And how do you tell?"
"Actually, there is. Remember, they don't have fully formed brains. They're just shells and a data link to another entity," Jason explains and sighs. "Does your car have a soul? Your TV? Your computer?"
As the Ozymandias settles into dock, the crowd settles into an expectant hush outside. Some enterprising merchant yells, faintly audible from here, "Spyglasses! Get your spyglasses here! See it all as close as if you were front row!"
"What about the General?" Randall asks.
"In the case of the General, I don't know," Holly says. "We could ask him to compose a song or dance or something creative." She hands Akiko her brooch, and says, "Well, we need to do something to break up the crowd. Just tell them we won't be giving any tours or taking on new teammates?"
"He's different from the others, Randall. Keep that in mind," Jason says. "And gah, they're getting more excited. We do have to disperse this crowd ... somehow. "And no summoning octopuses, Holly!"
Randall chuckles. "Well, we could fire off some shots, that'd disperse them - but I don't want that kind of attention."
"Hah, you know what? I bet the VPCs think we're th start of some new game event or quest," Jason laughs.
"Maybe we should claim it's part of the upgrade, if that's been announced?" Holly says.
"You're probably right. All right, you want to be a questgiver?" Randall says.
Akiko looks over the bridge window. "I'll stay with the ship too, if that's all right," she says worriedly. "I don't like crowds."
"I just want to see the place where newly created characters arrive," Holly says. She nods to Akiko, and asks here, "Let me know if Tracer comes back and wants to go wandering."
Jason smacks his forehead. "I should have turned on the 'ignoreme' flags," he says. To Akiko, he adds, "I would prefer if you came with us. You're part of the team too. But ... if you really want to stay, yeah, Holly has a good suggestion."
"I'll do that," Akiko agrees. "I know you changed my-- Inari's flags, Jason, but there's a difference between what the system knows globally and what it says about me locally. If I'm registered by the system as some kind of shadow entity, we might be getting a lot of attention and soldiers who are expecting something to happen... And then when they get up close, they don't see anything shadowy." The soldiers do look edgy.
"Sausage on a stick! Beer! Can't enjoy the festival without sausage and beer!" comes the cry of another merchant outside, amidst a sussurus of Bazaar chatter.
"Festival?" Holly asks. "Did we arrive during some local event? Maybe that's why everyone is so curious."
"Even if you were still registered as a shadow entity, I wouldn't let them hurt you," Jason notes as he goes about disabling system controls save for gauntlet access. He pauses, then looks up. "Ah, yeah, fit ehree is a festival, we could claim to just be showing off a new prototype ship and leave it at that. Well showing off the outside that is."
Randall peers through the bridge windows. "Looks like... Hmm. Harvest festival, I'm guessing. Lots of food and drink out there. People in masks, poles, dancing."
"Pole dancing? I thought this was a family friendly game?" Jason jokes.
"No, I'm not kidding, they're running ribbons around these poles, I have no idea why," Randall says before catching on. He gives Jason a look.
"Remember not to eat anything," Holly notes. "Or take any other offers from VPCS who want to look around. Family-friendly or not, I'm sure people have figured out how to be naughty."
"Akiko ... want me to leave RIU with you? With my brain butchered, I guess it at least gives me a way to know what is going on here all the time. And a very quick way to contact us," Jason asks as he turns to look at her.
RIU yawns and stretches around Jason's shoulders as his name is spoken. He chirps curiously.
"Good idea, Jason," Holly says. "RIU can look up stuff for us on the orb if we need it, since we don't have game interfaces."
Akiko smiles up at RIU. "Well, I was thinking that I'd have to sneak through the crowd and find you as Inari if something came up, but that's a great idea. Arigato, Jason."
"Actually, hint there are things to come, but the time is not yet right to reveal what they are," Jason offers, "That a new dawn approaches and the arrival of such a new ship heralds a new beginning ... or something."
Randall laughs. "All right, I'll see what I can do with that."
"Be all dramatic and foreboding about it. Use big words that say little and speak from your gut," Jason continues. "Make dramatic sweeps of your arms! Just don't fall off the gangplank. It would ruin the effect."
"And above all else, keep them from asking about how a VPC is a sorceress," Holly adds.
Randall chuckles, "Aren't you a faithful servant of the Light now?"
"That won't matter to players," Holly notes with a wave of her hand. "The Ozymandias is nice and distracting, but an impossible player class isn't something they'll overlook for long."
Jason nudges the dragon on his shoulders with a tilt of his head, then sends the little creature over to Akiko to curl around her shoulders. "I can see what he sees and if its important, he'll be sure that I'm aware of it," Jason explains. "Plus he has ways of defending too. Combined with Inari, you two should be formidable."
"Again, remember what I said about alluding to things to come? Just claim its part of what is to come," Jason points out.
"Good idea, Jason," Holly says. "I'm going to grab us some rations, just in case we get stuck for a day," she notes, and heads for the hangar bay where the aircar is kept.
"Oh joy, more rations. What will it be today? Bathroom surprise? Constipation cuisine? Heartburn delight?" Jason groans and sets his head on the edge of the console before him.
As the three emerge with the six or so rescued crew from the side airlock, the crowd falls into silence. The priest waits at the bottom, hands folded into prayerful gesture, and the gold-and-white armored soldiers draw themselves up to attention.
Randall looks at the others nervously and then waves at the crowd. Instant cheering from the evident VNPCs - plainly dressed characters who might be honest shopkeepers or adorable street urchins or farmers come off the fields to see the harvest festival. The Links with obvious Avatars and augments are less easily excited however, and wait to see what the strangers off of their fancy ship have to say.
"Better you than me. Knock em dead, Captain," Jason quips and gives Randall a nudge forward.
The ramp unfolds downward slowly with a simple lever press, and thumps into place, mechanism locking audibly. Randall gulps and then steps forward. "Friends, we have been to the depths of Shadow and escaped the very heart of darkness itself. I feel myself blessed-- all of us are blessed by the Light to have been able to reach Tara Tassa's sunlit shores. We are doubly blessed that you have all come to bear us welcome, and I thank you all."
More cheering from the VNPCs. Some VPCs call out, "Congratulations!" and "Great job making it back out alive!" and "That's a great ship you got there!" but others yell, "What's it like down there?" "Is your ship for sale? My guild will beat any other offers!" "Are you going out again? Got room for more?"
The priest intervenes before Randall can say anything. "We have been expecting you," he says simply. "You are welcome in Tara Tassa, travelers. The Archbishop would like to see you at your convenience." He spreads his arms as if to encourage them to come down and join him for a simple stroll through the city.
Holly keeps herself behind the taller men for now, and whispers to Randall, "So.. I don't think we can refuse that offer, can we?"
"Of course we can," Randall whispers back. "Did you want to?"
"Ugh, I'm reminded why I don't play these games. The bartering is so obnoxious," Jason mutters and covers his face. For now he also seems content to stay behind Randall and let the captain do all the speaking. The comment of the priest, though ... is worrying. "Maybe we should back up into our ship and get out of here?" he whispers.
"This is where we need to be," Holly reminds Jason. "We might as well talk to the Archbishop. It'll get us an escort past the crowd at least."
"Though ... if he's a direct link to the AI ... maybe this is an in-game way to give us information," Jason admits after some thought.
The VPCs have started whispering back and forth to each other. "Prophecy" and "Newbies" and "Avatars" can be heard as they discuss the priest's pronouncement.
Randall grins. "All right. Lock up the ship then, and let's get this over with, folks."
"I refuse to take any vows," Jason mutters as he turns around to activate the ship lockdown and defense systems.
The VNPCs continue cheering, but the crowd starts to break up. They're expected. Well then, that's all right. Back to the festival!
The soldiers break up as well as the need for a cordon diminishes. Three fall into line to guard the priest and his companions, and one volunteers, "Compliments of the Port Office, sir, we can take care of the refugees you rescued. There'll be a reward in your ship's accounts. Just ask at the office, sir."
Randall bids Midshipman Benson and his friends farewell, and follows the priest. "Except vows of revenge if anyone scratches up your nice ship, right?" he quips to Jason.
"Right," Jason agrees.
"Did you guys overhear anything about a 'prophecy'?" Holly asks the others quietly.
"You must have many questions about Tara Tassa," the priest says to Randall and Jason and Holly. "You can always trust the Temple of the Holy Spark to assist you in any matters of spiritual guidance, or if something troubles you. We are here to help."
"Well, I have a question. You said we were expected. Expected for what?" Jason asks directly.
"I did overhear something about it, they were talking about something they'd read 'on the forums', about changes coming that would rock the world of Avatars," Randall volunteers. "Some others are arguing that it's nothing, just the way the newbies get welcomed - they get brought in on a huge ship or something."
"Ah, okay, so that is what people think we were," Jason comments, looking slightly relieved.
Professionally paranoid, Holly watches the people around them. She notices one silver-haired man following them, dressed in gray leathers and wearing a hawk-on-shield insignia on his cloak brooch. "Jason, can run a request past RIU for me?" she asks.
"What I am, a personal terminal?" Jason grumbles, "Ask away, I'll open the link and send it."
"I need to know what a hawk-on-shield symbol represents," Holly requests.
The priest smiles. "Ah, the prophecy. Well, the auguries of the Light are often far from clear, my child, but it was seen that a great ship of Shadow would arrive soon, bearing children of the Light. That these children, and I mean no disrespect for you are clearly grown, but we are all children of the Light, would achieve great things. And well, here you are." He gestures to Holly and her friends.
Jason nods slightly. After sending a mental ping to RIU, he forwards the question to the little dragon. "It'll probably be a bit to get an answer," he admits.
"Does it say any more what it expected these 'children' to do?" Jason now asks a bit worriedly. "We're nothing special. Victims of luck, more that anything."
"Or not," Jason says after a moment of looking very distracted. "Guild symbol, King's Rangers. Size, about ten thousand members. Roll, explore new territories," he tells Holly, then frowns.
"Well, one of them is following us," Holly whispers. "Silver-hair back there."
"Ah, do not think that your future is predestined," the priest says with a smile. "There are many choices that we make, some every day, what to wear, what to eat... Some that come only once in a lifetime. Which Prince to serve, whether to sare a life or extinguish it, which path to take when you reach the crossroads of your life. I cannot tell you what these great things are, only that there is great potential in you. Who can say the shape of a fire?"
The silver-haired man follows the party without comment, trying to look nonchalant as he glances at the market, but he never entirely lets them slip from view.
Randall glances back and then to Holly and Jason. "Weren't they the ones that wanted to offer us gold for the ship?"
"Several things. A gas chromatopgrapher, for example. The elements being bured will produce specific wavelengths of light that can be used to identify the exact fuel and its potential," Jason remarks quietly to himself.
"Yes, I think they were," Jason says, speaking up and dropping out of his snarky internal monologue. Louder, he says, "The ship is not for sale."
The priest pauses - the telltale of a VNPC consulting an AI. "You're remarkably learned," he says with a smile. "But that will only tell you what the fire is made of. Its shape however, that flickers from moment to moment. So too the future is changing. We seek to brighten the future, to ensure that it does not fall into shadow and Endless Night, but we do not strive to control the shape of that future. Do not fear, the Temple does not seek to guide your lives, my friends."
"Could just be looking for info to post on the forums," Holly notes to Jason.
The silver-haired man lets out a small sigh as if he realizes he's been spotted, then trots up closer, ignoring the guards as they tense. "Making the offer does help me learn a little about what sort of people you are," he says with a smile. "If you belonged to one of the top guilds, we'd have heard all about your ship by now. If you were a lone wolf, that much money should have gotten some interest. So what are you people?"
Holly turns to Randall to let him handle that question.
"Well, who do you think we are?" Jason counters the question with a question. "And for that matter, what's your name?"
"My name is Solanca," the silver-haired man says, sweeping a bow. He's quite possibly as dashing as Randall's pirate captain persona. "King's Explorers. We are the seekers of the new, explorers of the forgotten, prisers of things that should not be prised, all around general nuisances to the guilds that would rather amass gold and treasure and maybe even own a shard of their own. Our treasure is knowledge." He measures the others as the priest stops patiently.
Randall, about to introduce himself, just raises an eyebrow and waits for Solanca to tell them what he can figure out.
Holly also looks curious as to what the knowledge 'collector' can guess.
And Jason, being Jason, files that name over to RIU to look up any details on a player known as Solanca, causing him to look distant for a few seconds. Always useful to know more than they might be willing to tell, he figures. When his focus returns to the now, he just smiles in a rather devious sort of way.
"No insult intended, but I can see you've four swords and eight books among the three of you and you say you've been to the heart of Shadow? I think it has something to do with the vortexes we've been hearing about lately," Solanca says. "You've been thrown way out of your depths, lucked into great fortune and great danger both, and now the System's gotten you back home, safe and sound. Now, a moment to recuperate." He nods to the priest. "Someone to tell you that you've done great things, ask if you'll give that fancy ship up for the service of the Light, they're not big on people having things they shouldn't keep permanently, it's the old 'easy come, easy go' mantra. They'll make it sound like it's a vital sacrifice of course." The priest ignores this stolidly.
"It wasn't easy come and its not about to easy go," Jason comments flatly. "We rebuilt that ship from wreckage, thank you. A lot of blood and sweat went into it. As for getting here, the system has little to do with it. In fact, it didn't help us without motivation.""
*** Note to GW: edit number of swords/books as needed to reflect whatever Holly should have on display, if anything
Solanca raises an eyebrow. "Fascinating! But come now, won't you at least grant me the favor of your names?"
Jason also grins slightly, adding, "And ... I would recommend that if you thought about sending your sand cat avatar into our ship ... don't. It does have security systems and I know everything that goes on there anyway."
"Captain 'Grey' Randall," Randall says with a smile. "My friend Jason here can be a bit cranky when he thinks people are making light of his work."
Solanca laughs. "What a good idea, I wish I'd thought of it! No, she's right here." He makes a curious fingers-swirling gesture with one hand and bits of dirt rise from the ground to wind about his feet, then solidify into an outline... Finally into a cat-shape that bares its fangs at Jason. Meow! "Say hello to our friends, Tonamiu?"
Tonamiu pads across the ground toward Jason and Holly and Randall, lifting her head to sniff at them.
Holly offers her hand, saying, "Lady Holly of House Trudeau. A pleasure."
"Jason Drachehand," Jason finally says by way of introducing himself" "You won't find anything by doing a search," he adds as his eyes follow the strange cat.
Solanca bows over the hand, kissing it. "Indeed, a pleasure to meet you, milady. And you, Captain Randall, and you, Jason Drachehand. Please excuse my lack of manners in shadowing you, but well, we King's Explorers are famous for a certain lack of common sense. It's a curious affliction that manifests mostly when there's an interesting puzzle to hand."
Tonamiu sniffs at Jason and Randall, gracing each with a tiny mew, then pads over to Holly. She seems to find her purse most intriguing, as she reaches up to bat at it.
"Speaking of puzzles, has there been anything odd going on here? We are already painfully aware of the crash of a zone and the rumors of true death," Jason comments. "Or ... does the name Regis mean anything to you?"
Just to be careful, Holly pulls her purse up a little higher out of the cat's reach.
"Anything odd? There is a veritable surfeit of odd," Solanca says beckoning for Tonamiu to come back to him, which she does with a little pout. "Disappearing people, reappearing people, rumors that creatures which by right belong only in Avatars have been seen in the real world... Of course when anyone goes to look, all they find are scorch marks and odd puddles of goo on the ground." He shakes his head at the question about 'Regis' however, it doesn't ring a bell with him.
"Sounds like viral marketing to me," Holly notes.
"Well, pursue those events and I think you'll find quite a surprise," Jason remarks as his brow arches. "But really, I recommend that you stay away from those puddles and rumors. They're dangerous; and not just in a game sense."
Solanca leans forward. "So you think they're staging something, trying to achieve more with word of mouth than they could with some announcement? Some people are saying, you know, that the world of Avatars is real. That some people have actually been there and come back. A great many people are planning to attend the opening of the World of Avatars when it opens on Halloween, of course. But I've heard of some people who are going to go before that - that they think they can find some kind of secret gateway." He shakes his head sadly. "As if any such gateway would be concealed where millions of people would pass by a year?"
"Well, we really can't comment on any of that," Holly claims.
Randall eyes Solanca thoughtfully. "And you're going to be one of those people, aren't you? King's Explorers in the real world, right?" Solanca gives Randall a surprised look - the police officer seems to have hit the mark.
"I would just recommend to ignore such ideas," Jason says quickly and a bit shortly. "Fantasy should remain just that. Becoming real just means a letdown, you know."
"No comment?" Solanca turns his gaze toward Holly, eyebrow raised, tone lightly teasing. "That sounds like the sort of thing smoeone who works for Avatars LLC would say."
"I'm a sorceress," Holly notes with a grin. "I'm supposed to say mysterious things."
The priest busies himself giving blessings to the nearby shopkeepers while waiting for his party to rejoin him.
Solanca grins. "Oh really! So if I were to suggest you were someone working for the company, ushering in this great big ship to set us up for some big event, since there are no VPC Sorceresses, you'd tell me 'no comment'?"
Jason rubs his temples. "We should get going," he tells the others.
"Yes, mustn't keep the Archbishop waiting!" Holly agrees, and bows to Solanca before turning back to the Bishop.
"Well, before you go, let me give you my contact information," Solanca says with a smile. He offers a calling card that glitters faintly with the hawk-and-shield logo. "If you should happen to want the assistance of the King's Explorers, we would be all eager to assist you, of course."
Randall leans forward. "My earnest suggestion, Solanca, if you happen to know anyone who's planning to try and sneak into this theme park before opening... Tell them not to do it. Even if nothing special's going on, they could still be in big trouble for trespassing. And you know programmable matter can be..." The dashing 'pirate captain' waves his hands in a way suggestive of an explosion. "Unpredictable when not yet stabilized."
"Stay away from the park, Solanca," Jason repeats to re-enforce Randall's suggestion as he takes the card and looks over it. "And I can tell you without a doubt that I do not work for Avatar's LLC."
Holly takes the card. After all, you never know when having a few thousand minions will come in handy.
The silver-haired man smiles and makes a gesture to dissolve his cat back into a swirl of dust that drapes loosely over his shoulders. That explains how he manages to look dusty and unkempt. "I shall certainly pass that on, my friends." He salutes and passes on.
"That should be enough rumor to keep people satisfied," Holly notes.
"He's not going to listen, you know," Jason comments to Randall, "I just hope he doesn't end up goo too."
The priest returns to them. "I trust your discussion with your friend was productive?" he says as if they had been doing nothing more interesting than chatting about the weather. "Come, the skybarge is just ahead of us. No charge of course."
Randall looks worried. "You know, that kind of personality type, if you tell them not to do something, you've probably just guaranteed they will do it." He eyes Jason meaningfully.
"You can't stop stupid," Jason quips as he resumes following the priest. "Lets get going."
The 'skybarge' turns out to be a Venetian gondola-like boat, with two levistones fore and aft and a gondolier who expertly manipulates the fan to send them through the air, across the crowded tents of the Bazaar and the maze-like streets of the Outer City. They arrive soon in one of the jewel-like courtyards of the Inner City, amidst the giant enameled geodesic domes and the skyscraper-like towers of the Temple of the Holy Spark. Other skybarges share the sky with flying Avatars, and the occasional winged Augment-wearing players, but none of them recognize the travelers as the crew of that new ship that's become the talk of Tara Tassa.
Temple guards wearing the gold and white armor of the service salute the priest as he leads them toward the cathedral, whose stained glass windows are brilliant with colors as they catch the slowly angling sunlight - Tara Tassa is turning so that the sun is sinking toward the horizon. It is presently five in the evening, and sunset will be here soon.
Randall whispers to the others, "So, what do you think the Archbishop wants with us anyway?"
"If Solanca is to be believed, our ship," Jason comments, "Outside of that ... I guess this is 'new character introduction'. I hope they don't ask me to summon my avatar."
"Either game-balance related bargaining, as Solanca suggested, or possibly a face-to-face with an AI puppet or admin," Holly suggests. "Worst case: he'll give us a quest that's unrelated to our mission here."
Randall scratches behind an ear. "Mara's in the ship, so summoning her might be kind of awkward, yeah. Isn't the worst case that he'll give us a quest that's related?"
"I think we'd want one that's related," Holly notes. "That's how the White is able to get us where we need to be. The AIs have to act within the parameters of the game, which means curses, quests and oracles."
"I'd like no other obligations at this point," Jason admits, "I'm not here to level; I want to go home."
"Is the Archbishop in? Ah, of course. He'll be right with you, friends," the priest says, bowing to them as they wait in the courtyard, before the nave. Immense doors of gold-colored metal are carved with sun-and-shards symbols. "If you wish refreshment, I'll have a page bring something to drink or eat."
"We're fine, thank you," Holly replies. "Big breakfast and all."
"Nothing for me," Jason echoes. After looking around for a moment, he comments, "I guess they go all out in trying to make people feel special."
The priest smiles. "Of course." Behind him can be heard the sounds of an evening service - a choir of voices singing 'Praise to the Light in each and every one of us / Praise the Light which raises us from the Endless Night.' The Archbishop concludes the service, "May the Light shield you all, my children. Light bless." The guards open the door and a crowd of VNPCs comes out in orderly fashion, the scent of incense billowing past them.
Jason has this sudden urge to make gagging gestures; he's never been one for religion. Good taste, though, somehow keeps him from doing it. "Your company needs to hire better writers," he tells Holly instead, "That was a goofy prayer."
"I don't see any VPCs here, so it hardly matters does it?" Holly retorts.
"You're rather touchy on some honest criticism," Jason comments.
Archbishop Roquas the Sixth comes out as ordinary as any priest at a local community church, an elderly man who wears vestments of gold and white over silk robes and has temporarily stowed his bishop's mitre, betrayed in his rank by the stiffening of the guards' spines as they draw themselves to attention. The priest bows to him, he nods in return genially, and turns his attention to Randall, Holly, and Jason. "Welcome, my children, to the Temple of the Holy Spark. You have come through a long and arduous journey to reach us, through great Darkness which clings to you still. Be at ease, you need fear none here."
"Anytime someone says that it often means the exact opposite," Jason thinks to himself. Trying to stick to protocol at least, he bows slightly. "Our journey is far from over; we are merely stopping momentarily. Please, do not disrupt your activities just for us; we are of no importance," he claims.
Holly bows next, saying, "We appreciate any help in divesting ourselves of lingering Shadow influences."
"Thank you, Archbishop," Randall says noncommittally. "We certainly appreciate the warm welcome and especially ah, the welcome party you threw for us to keep the crowd off our ship."
Roquas smiles. "Think nothing of it, Captain. If a little exertion will help keep innocents from injuring themselves through carelessly being too close to your ship, then it is well worth the time spent. It is no inconvenience to us," he says, addressing Jason as well. "One journey ends here, another begins anew. It is the way of things, and our honor to assist you however we may."
The archbishop leads the way to his offices through the great hall of the Nave, lined with pews not only across the floor but box seats for the lords and ladies along its walls like a giant theater. To the right, a door behind a guardian saint leads up stairs into more 'people-sized' halls.
"And what would assistance cost us?" Jason asks, trying to hide any suspicion in his voice. "And comments have been made that we were expected. If so, how and why?"
"Why, nothing! Should you wish to purchase services or blessed artifacts, that would be different, but such business is handled below," the Archbishop says with surprise. He opens the door to his study, a two-level affair lined with books across one wall, pure glass-lined windows that offer a fine view of the Temple grounds on the other, a desk with a scroll rack and piles of opened scrolls and books across its surface. A device resembling an orrery sits in the corner, a large glowing crystal surrounded by twenty rings into which have been set smaller crystals.
"Thought so," Jason whispers to Randall, "Ever notice how in games hat the heroes entrusted to save the world still have to pay market price?"
Randall takes one of the number of comfortable seats around the room and glances over the warrior-saint statue next to it. "Yeah, funny how that works," he whispers back. "But which world are we saving?"
"Both, according to the White," Holly notes as she takes the final seat, and smooths out her robes.
Jason nudges Holly, commenting, "You should check out their scrying thing." And of course ... he doesn't sit down.
"We should ask what the Archbishop knows about the upcoming 'event' to take place here a few days from now," Holly whispers to Randall, but also gives the crystal on the Archbishop's desk a second glance after Jason mentions it.
Roquas selects one of the scrolls from the rack and opens it up. "When the skies are in turmoil and the stars are dark and cold," he reads. "From the outermost shards shall a gateway unfold." He nods to his guests, and his voice changes back from the 'reciting' tone he had been using. "You have been touched by the Dark, and blessed by the Light. Soon a great choice will come before you. Beyond that, I can say little, for it will be a time of great chaos. All may change."
"Hmm," Jason comments and folds his arms. Hard to believe using an inflatable castle to open a gate could change everything, he thinks. "What will the choice be?"
Randall raises an eyebrow. "Archbishop, I don't mean to offend, but you haven't told us anything that you couldn't learn by looking up at the skies. This prophecy stuff... Isn't there anything in there that's a little less vague?"
Holly removes her mobile from her purse, and starts taking notes on the recited prophecy.
"Perhaps it would be better to demonstrate," the Archbishop suggests. He stands and goes to the orrery-like device. Stretching out his arms, he murmurs, "Fiat Lux!" The air goes electric, and something begins to take form between his hands, a long, thin spindle of light.
"Now we're getting somewhere," Holly notes to Jason.
"A light switch works easier," Jason can't help but joke in whisper to the other two. "I have to wonder if this is just the game trying to make a reason for why we're here."
The light brightens and lengthens with the sound of a heavenly chord growing stronger, sunlight seems to weave itself from thin air into a circle, and then Roquas is holding a staff tipped with a golden circle in which a crystal sits at the top, glowing. The air hangs silent for a moment.
The Archbishop taps it on the floor and stretches it toward the orrery which begins to glow in response, each of the spheres answering with a tiny note. "Ask a question about the future, my children. The Light will strive to show you the answer. Be warned, it may be difficult to read the answer, for sometimes there are many possibilities that will all become visible."
"Can we get home? Alive," Jason asks. A simple and direct question.
The glow brightens, the room goes inverse suddenly, and they are... Elsewhere. They are floating just short of the surface of a giant sphere that reflects all the color of the rainbows. Many more bubbles float nearby, some pale red and blue, some green and blue and brown, still others shades of metallic grey. And beneath them is an immense sphere - the Earth, wreathed in clouds. Where there should be stars hanging in the sky, there is a veritable quilt of lines of data, pulsing brightly.
"A fantasy vision shouldn't have lines of data for a backdrop," Holly notes. "I think we might be getting this direct from an AI."
Randall twists around, gaping at the sight. "This is not what I expect our future to look like. I blame Jason."
"What? I didn't do anything other than ask if we can get home," Jason argues. "If we even have a home to go back to," he adds, flipping his hand as if he were working with a holographic terminal and trying to get it to zoom in on a particular place; rather, a particular city.
"It could represent the virtual and physical worlds overlapping," Holly notes.
The vision swims around them. The sphere they were nearest recedes, its world-music fading into the distance, and the Earth rises beneath them, hungry, devouring, vertigo-inducing as the continents rush up around them. They plummet through a roof.
Grayscale. It's Jason's home, but everything is seen through a hazy mist, part of a warehouse converted into lofts. Clothes are strewn across the room, industrial wire spools tipped on end are barely visible beneath clutters of techno-junk, and computers and their attendant displays are everywhere. The monitors are all in 'screensaver' mode with little LEDs blinking off and on. No one appears to have been here in days.
"Why is your home in black and white?" asks Randall.
"Nightvision security camera?" Holly guesses, looking to Jason.
"No. It would also access the colored ones. It shouldn't be able to access anything," Jason comments a bit grimly, frowning.
Randall walks over to examine a computer - or tries to. What actually happens is that he treadmills in place. "I can't actually touch anything here," he says, experimenting a bit more. "It's like we're ghosts."
The grey of the room starts to darken.
"How are you showing us this?" Jason asks as he and crouches down. He waves experimentally at one of the consoles. "Maybe its creating a brief link to the place and we're seeing it though a gate?"
"Zoom out and go to the park site in California," Holly suggests.
There is no reply from the Archbishop, who isn't evidently here. The console makes no response to Jason.
"Hold on a moment," Jason says, still frowning. He flicks his wrist impatiently in a motion to zoom them back out. "Next stop, the park," he says.
The Earth itself reappears before them, but its colors are muted. By the looks of it, this is a vision with a limited amount of time before it runs out of energy. Another vertiginous whoosh and Southern California expands beneath them.
"In we go," Jason says and snaps his fingers to zoom them back in, this time targeting the park.
"Hopefully it won't be a smoking crater," Holly says, and actually crosses her fingers.
Colors! This part of the world appears a strange mix of gray and colors, roiling back and forth as if it were in flux. The part that is in grey looks like a huge vacant lot, excavated so that typical building infrastructure can be put in - plumbing, a septic tank, a micro-fusion generator, a datacenter - but it looks as if some buildings have been put up already. There's the main gate of Tara Tassa, guarded by seraphim statues holding aloft swords but rather than the Bazaar, there's a ticket office and a series of gates that would presumably be used by paying visitors. Behind the main gate are flickering visions of buildings that should be there, if the park were complete, fading in from nothingness.
"Its syncing," Jason says grimly, "So ... it is a cross point ... but no indication on if we'll survive it. Well, at least you two have a better chance than I do."
"The gate is the focal point it looks like," Holly notes.
There are flickers of people across the park grounds. Happy people walking through the turnstiles. Screaming people running from zombies. Workers hard at work. A silver-haired man leading a small group of friends over a fence. Holly, Randall, Jason, lying prone on the ground. Them alive, pursuing someone into the distance. Which of these is a true possibility and which is merely nightmare, remains to be seen. The light drains away from both the gray shades and the colorful figments alike.
"Hey, can you take it back to the arcade where we encountered the synecdoche?" Holly asks. "I want to see if the old nodes will also be affected if a permanent one is established."
"Probably because its the only complete structure," Jason notes, frowning at the images of Solanca and his friends, then of their own group laying on the floor. At Holly's suggestion, he nods, rolling his hand quickly to zoom out, then back in to the place where the nightmare began.
"We'll stick together, Jason," Randall assures him. "Hmm, that's odd - some of these buildings look like they're thinner at the top than the ones we saw before. Forced perspective, maybe?"
"Well, they couldn't build the real buildings. They're a structural nightmare," Jason points out, "So they'er probably faking it, yes."
"We'll need to monitor Blake more closely," Holly notes. "He'll probably try to be there."
Whoosh! The view is degraded again, a murky colored view of the outdoor mall. It flickers with colors fitfully in bursts - in grayscale, the disused mall that has been taken over by the dregs of the street, in color, the mall as it was in its heydays.
The light fades... And then with a blink, they are again standing in the Archbishop's office. "Have you seen what you wish to see?" he asks solicitously. He gives no signs that he heard anything of what they said.
"Only vaguely," Jason notes with a small shrug. "No real answers."
The archbishop looks tired as if he'd been pushing a block for miles. Perhaps whatever he did has taken it out of him. "Visions are often so," he says with a chuckle, leaning on his staff as he walks to his desk and fills a goblet with liquid from a pitcher. "Would you care for some juice, my friends?"
"Thank you, but.. uh.. I'm fasting," Holly says.
"No, thank you," Jason says politely, offering no other reason for the refusal.
Randall shakes his head. "I'll pass, thank you. You've been very kind in showing us the vision, Archbishop, but is there anything specific that you wanted to talk about?"
The Archbishop smiles. "Well, you have drawn the attention of many with your arrival. My question to you is, what do you want to do? If there is something that we can do to make your next journey begin more smoothly, all you have to do is ask."
Jason considers this. "Can you keep watch for people?" he asks. "There are three that represent great danger."
"Oh?" Roquas's eyes raise. "Do you mean that you wish us to post a guard over your ship to ensure they don't steal it?"
"Not exactly," Jason says, then gives a complete a description as he can of Blake and his allies in their game form. "If any of them happen to show up, just contact us at our ship. They are not to be trusted."
The Archbishop dissolves his staff back into sparkles of light and rubs his chin. "Very well, I'll ask our guard to keep watch for these people. Is there anything you can tell me about why they represent a danger to you?"
"One seeks to establish himself as ruler of a new world and has no qualms about using and hurting those in his way," Jason says by way of explanation. "And he knows we're key to stopping him; so he'll do anything to be rid of us."
"He holds the others in thrall," Holly adds.
The Archbishop frowns. "In its many years, the Temple has seen those who would tyrannize shards in the past, diminishing all other lights beneath their own. None have succeeded, but only because of the heroic deeds and sacrifices of the heroes of the Light." He sketches a starburst in the air. "Light's Blessings upon you, my friends, we shall watch for these people and if they are indeed bespelled, perhaps we can aid them so that their light can be freed. You are of course, free to go as you will. May you succeed in your quest to prevent this villain from his desires."
"I have one more. Has it ever been heard of links that are so closely bound to their Avatar's that they can see through each other's eyes and communicate beyond simple emotions?" Jason asks as he turns to look away from thr Archbishop.
The Archbishop pauses mid-sip from his goblet of juice, the sure sign of a VNPC connecting to its parent AI. "Many things are possible between Links and Avatars," he says at last. "It is not beyond the realm of possibility that such a thing could occur, but it is surely the sign of a strong connection between the Link and his Avatar... And the sign that they are born to greatness. Perhaps the Head Librarian could assist you further with your question, if you are seeking specifics?"
"Mm, perhaps," Jason says with a short not. "But we have taken enough of your time and should leave you do deal with more important matters than some wanderers," he says and waves for the others to stand. "Thank you again for your hospitality."
"Of course, of course. Should you have any further requests, simply ask any guard to bring you to me and they will be happy to comply," the Archbishop says, standing. He escorts them to the door where, surprise, a page has appeared, and gives the page instructions to show them to wherever they'd like to go.
Holly stands and bows to the Archbishop. "Thank you, and my the Light always guide you," she says.
Randall bows. "Thank you, Archbishop, you've been very helpful." As they exit, he looks over to Holly and Jason. "So - what do you want to do now?"
"I'd like to check in on Blake again," Holly notes. "And see where the gate is."
"Ditto on the gate. If that's the way out, best to know where it is as early as possible," Jason agrees. "I still want to lobotomise Blake, but you two would just complain ... go gate it is."
"And also... see if we can barricade it," Holly mutters.
Randall shakes his head. "I just hope that we can figure out what's going on in time. We've got a day left. And change." He glances back down the hall to the Archbishop's office. "And change."