Allisium

Chapter 17

"How are you doing, ragazzone ?" Greek asked when we met Dagon in the hotel lounge, where we had left him a few hours ago.

“Hi guys. He had dark circles under his eyes and his head looked like it was going to explode. That's it, three minutes ago I finished reading everything. Finally we have the updated map.

"Okay," I said, accessing the map immediately. From what I see there are two Guild Fountains on this planet. We know that one is the one that gives access to the Path of the Paladin, but what about the other?

"The other one is far from here," Dagon replied. We will complete a level D mission if we reach it. This is the Assassin's Path Guild Fountain.

Greek's ears perked up.

We had to talk about all that, so we went to our hammocks and stretched out on them. The rooms were scattered along the branches of the tree and were visible to anyone passing by. Objects and other luggage could be stored in the hotel's private inventory, which we could access whenever we had a room rented.

"Which Guild Source shall we go to first?" “was the first thing I said as soon as I dropped into the hammock.

“Ah, did you plan to go at both? Dagon replied in surprise. I didn't know you were interested.

“ Ragazzone, raggazone …” Greek intervened, clicking his tongue. You don't know what the movie is about, huh? I will go through the Assassin's Path, yes, but you will go to the Paladin's.

It was an open secret between Greek and me.

No one but Dagon could master that huge weapon that was the Buster Sword , a legendary sword that could only be wielded by paladins. The big guy had no idea that he was almost certainly going to be the first adventurer in Allsium to have the best weapon of his path awaiting him as soon as he passed the Guild Fountain.

But first you had to make him see reason.

"Do you want me to be a paladin?" he said startled, it had made him very ill to read for so many hours. Don't be silly, Greek. We all know I'm not good for that.

"Then what do we do with you, Dagon?" I asked aggressively. Come on, tell Greek and me what you're good for if you don't want to be a paladin.

I was sorry to be like this. His eyes were blinking incessantly, he was cornered and he didn't understand the kind of person a paladin should be. We had to push him to get the Dagon we needed in Allsium out of him; the big guy who had reacted temperamentally when we had to deal with Zen.

“I…I don't know, Gunner. You know I don't like to fight, that in real life I'm a shit and I don't raise my hand to anyone.” His look was that of a defenseless puppy. How do you want me to go through the Path of the Paladin? The paladin is a warrior who can handle anything, and I am anything but.

“Listen well, ragazzone , because I'm not going to repeat it to you again, capito ? Greek blurted out, staring into his eyes. A paladin is not a warrior, a paladin is the light that rises above the darkness, a brave man who has chosen the path of good and reaps evil wherever it is born. You, Dagon Basel, are the light of this cursed group, the only one capable of resisting the attacks of any enemy, the chosen one capable of donning heavy armor and wielding the Buster Sword without losing his arm. He paused to take a breath and a defiant half”smile. The only one capable of attacking, defending and healing us if necessary, capito ?

Dagon and I were stunned, we had never heard Greek say something so heartfelt. Little did I miss to applaud him.

"I don't know what to say," Dagon replied in surprise, trying to take in everything the Italian had said.

"Say no more, big guy," I said, smiling. How about we visit the Guild Fountain and you become a paladin?

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day, Vinci," Greek said. Let's go. Don't keep the Buster Sword waiting any longer, ragazzone , it's a sin to let that legendary sword gather dust.

I realized that we had to go back to Initium to pick up the legendary sword, since we kept it together with our savings in the hotel room.

"So Dagon will be a paladin and you will be an assassin?" “I asked for.

"So it will be," answered Greek. But first comes the ragazzone .

The Paladin's Path Guild Fountain was the closest and was located at the highest point of the hotel, at the top of the trees, just above our heads.

Getting to the Assassin's Path was already more difficult. This was located on the other side of the planet, so walking was not an option. We might have to rent a means of transportation to get there.

"Greek, why don't you accompany Dagon to the Guild Fountain while I go to Initium for the Buster Sword ?" Dagon deserves to wield the sword as soon as he is a paladin. And besides, I think I'll buy him some nice plate armor too, he can't go around with a legendary sword and a sports shirt.

"The truth is that you give a bit of cante, ragazzone ," Greek commented, looking him up and down. Well, if we see that you're late, we'll go straight to the Assassin's Guild Fountain. When we meet again we will test our skills and the legendary sword. What do you think, ragazzi ?

"Sounds great," Dagon replied with a little more excitement. I will become a paladin and Greek an assassin. Only you will be missing, Gunner. Have you thought about the path you will choose?

He had to do in Initium, he had just realized that in a matter of hours he was going to be the only one in the group without a path.

"I don't know yet," I answered unenthusiastically.

"Calm down, Vinci, we'll find something for you." The Italian wanted to play it down, but it was important to the group. The process is irreversible, so we better be sure of what we choose.

"Okay guys, so I'm heading to Initium," I said, bumping fists with them. Dagon, please keep Greek out of trouble. Don't do anything foolish until I return with the sword and equipment, capito ?

"What do you take us for?" Greek replied, waving repeatedly. Come on, go away, the ragazzone and I will take care of everything.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Dagon, who returned it to me and tried to reassure me. He knew that Greek couldn't drag the big man into doing anything crazy, but if there was someone capable of achieving the impossible, it was the Italian.

We parted ways, but not before warning Dagon to be careful when dividing up path and physical skill points. We had gained a lot of experience since we went illegal, and if Zen by passing the Path of the Wizard had been able to double his agility and learn a couple of path skills, then Dagon could already exchange the accumulated experience for much more. .

Somewhat worried, I headed for the Initium hotel room. I left them both in Tveirland, already heading towards the Path of the Paladin. The outbound trip would be free and the return a little cheaper, and all thanks to the fact that we had rented the hotel room on the jungle planet. Apparently, each world had its own offers and benefits when traveling.

Three seconds later I arrived at Initium, at our luxurious and elegant room, our first house in illegality; a property acquired thanks to Greek's trigger”happy. He had no doubt that he was going to become a fearsome assassin, but the most important thing was that the members of that clan seemed to have finally disappeared.

How could it be otherwise, the Buster Sword was still in the safe, so I placed it in my personal inventory and left the room towards the Initium market. I had accumulated a lot of tension when facing that Tyrannosaurus rex and I urgently needed to disconnect. Shopping was necessary, especially when a paladin and an assassin were on their way.

I had forgotten how gray and sad Initium was, especially coming from a planet as sunny and green as Tveirland. It was a shame that carnivorous dinosaurs could mistake adventurers for breakfast, though spending a lot of time in Initium wasn't good for the mind either.

As I walked through the weapons and equipment stalls of the Initium market, which had little or nothing to do with the darkness in which the black market of Tveirland hid, I sensed that something was not right.

"You're a newbie," said a familiar voice. You don't even realize you are being followed.

I jumped and cursed to myself.

“What are you doing here? I asked, very surprised, turning around.

In Allsium, coincidences did not happen so easily.

"That's what I say, honey. Have you got rid of your Italian friend yet?

"No, we've only been apart for a while.

I wasn't going to tell him about the Guild Fountains, let alone that we owned property in Initium. And certainly not that I had a Buster Sword in my inventory.

Still, I couldn't help but be glad to see her.

She was dressed the same, tight and provocative, piercing me with those deep”set eyes. It was impossible to read her, to know what she wanted or what her intentions were.

I had to tread carefully.

"So you don't have bodyguards," he continued. You already know that on this sad planet, combat mode can be activated as soon as you leave the city, right?

Of course I knew, we had suffered a serious betrayal in those woods. I had it engraved on fire.

I raised an eyebrow, brushed past her, and continued walking.

"Are you of few words or is it that you don't like me?" he asked casually.

“What do you want? You are following me? I answered.

"Easy, dear," he said in a honeyed voice. I'm not following you, it's just that I wanted to take a walk on a gray planet, and Initium is the only one like that.

"Have you been in other systems?"

“Can.

I huffed and headed towards the market stalls. He couldn't buy anything with her in front of him, but at least he would look at prices and special equipment for assassins and paladins. Aside from the legendary sword, he had also taken money from the safe. It didn't take long for Dagon and Greek to confirm the transfer, and since nothing could be taken out of the safe without the permission of everyone in the group, I knew that for now all was well.

"Don't follow me," I told the redhead. I don't know what your intentions are, but I'm a newbie. You won't get anything of value out of me.

It was a fat lie. If he killed me he could steal thousands of credits and a legendary sword, no less. Murders would be the order of the day if it was possible to know what each traveler was carrying.

Can I send you a friend request? she asked in that soft voice women used to win over the unwary. I had read it on the internet.

Before answering, I thought about the friend requests on Allsium, in case there was a loophole that would allow him to take advantage of me. However, nothing much changed. Being friends with another in Allsium was like being friends in real life, nothing prevented you from being stabbed in the back, as Zen had done. Although at least the Japanese had the courtesy to leave the group before doing so.

I decided to accept your request. That would allow me to know his name... and nothing else. He had hidden his preferences, nationality and other information that, on the other hand, everyone avoided showing. If Allsium had something good, it was that you could start from scratch. In addition, nobody in the illegality cared about the lives of others; They already had enough to preserve virtuality.

"Nice to meet you, Gunner," he said, holding out his hand for me to shake, "or should I call you Vince?" I bet my neck the Italian calls you Vinci.

"Call me what you want." I shook his hand without meeting his eyes.

"Wow, you're not as talkative as you were in the elevator." Something happened to you?

"There's nothing wrong with me. I tried to be rude and apparently I was succeeding. You already have my friendship, do you need anything else?

"You do know how to treat a girl," he snapped wryly. Has no one taught you manners?

Talking to girls was not my thing. It was one thing to meet them, or to chat on the internet, and another to have them in front of them, with those breasts that made me look at them and stutter with shame. She didn't want him to sense that I was looking at her, but she was a girl, and they always knew when a man was looking at them. I had also read it on the internet.

"I don't know how to treat a girl, nor am I interested," I answered. Are you going to tell me now what you want?

"I see you don't have patience either," he said, rolling his eyes. Well, when I was talking to you in the elevator, I realized that I need a group. And what better than forGreek with someone I already know?

That caught me off guard.

"You don't know me, neither me nor mine," I blurted out. Why should we accept you?

A new member after what Zen had done to us?

No way.

“In Initium and Tveirland if you don't get into trouble you can prosper and get out of the missions alive, but in the most difficult worlds it's something else. Most form temporary alliances with other adventurers,” he said with a shrug. You help me and I help you, we complete missions, we get money and we go half way. I don't know if I explain myself.

“Yes, you explain yourself, but we don't accept new members.

“I know a lot about Allsium.

“We also. “It was a lie, but there was a lot of information in the Good Player's Handbook, we were just too lazy to read it. That's what Zen took care of.

"You guys are newbies," he blurted out without giving it much thought.

“And why do you want to make a group with some newbies?

There he had given it.

"Because no one accepts me." You are my only hope.

So she was desperate, and on top of that she didn't hide it.

"That no one accepts you?" There must be a reason.

"Hey, you're very rude," he said trying to get angry. They don't accept me because they have the full group, or so they say.

"Who's the naive now?"

"Well, okay, in most groups there are girls and those bitches don't want someone like me." They still think I want to fuck their boyfriends, or whatever they are, but that's not the case with you. You're all guys, right?

"And how do you know that?"

"No decent girl would put up with that Italian."

He was right.

“Besides, you have a pint of antisocial that you throw back. I myself have thought twice before asking you. It shows that you are not used to dealing with girls.

Who were we going to fool? We could be seen from afar, and that had not yet met Dagon, the most insecure of the three. In any case, if he wanted to join our group, he would do little merit by giving birth to us in that way.

I didn't know what to say to him. Actually, we needed one more person in the group and she seemed to know a lot about Allsium and illegality. He might have valuable information about the new worlds we were to visit after Tveirland.

And it was very hot, why deny it.

“We are not interested in having someone else in the group either. I'm sorry," I replied, avoiding the temptation.

“But you haven't even talked to your classmates! “said.

"You're not being clear," I told him. You want something more, but you hide behind that you need a group. No one needs anyone to advance illegality, we both know it, so I'll ask you one last time: What do you want?

He made a face with his mouth. Those full lips could drive me crazy, but I appeared to be distant and more edge than usual. I had read, also on the internet, that you shouldn't make things easy for girls. And it seemed that he had succeeded.

"Okay, I'll tell you," he shrugged. But it has to be in front of your teammates.

“Because?

"Because if you don't accept, I would have to kill you."

In the end I told him to go back to Tveirland, that I would talk to my colleagues and that I would send him a message when we had decided. I figured that was already more than most groups had told him. He smiled sincerely and left me shopping at the Initium market.

Finally some peace to buy the equipment of the boys. By now perhaps Dagon was already quite a paladin. I really wanted to see him equipped with the Buster Sword that Cloud wielded in Final Fantasy VII.

A few thousand credits spent, more than I would have liked, and forty laps of the Initium market stalls later, I decided I had the gear for Greek and Dagon ready. I didn't need to entertain myself more in the gray Initium, I was starting to get depressed with the leaden sadness of the planet.

On the way to the hotel I wondered if that girl, named Gina according to her data, was clean wheat or had something to hide. I had to remember that our group was created to gain skills and become more powerful, the sooner the better, so that when the hackers opened the gap to the real world we would be ready to become the gods of the new world.

We also had things to hide.

And who had no interest in Allsium? Everyone would sign to be able to transfer supernatural objects and powers to real life. Why in Allsium yes and in real life no? It was so unfair that the hackfronistas, honoring what so many of us longed for, had set out to open a virtual gap that would take real life to a new social level. Gone would be the old Earth of a reality that was falling apart and wasting away in the shadow of Allsium. It was a utopian idea, according to some, but highly supported by most adventurers who entered the depths of illegality. These, also with the same mind as us, sought power and abilities that could make a difference when the day came when Allsium entered reality.

Power was to be what would dominate the new age.

And we wanted to be on the crest of the wave.

I couldn't get Gina out of my mind; I had never seen such beauty in my life, something that caused me greater distrust. I had my doubts about how Greek and Dagon were going to take the news; the Italian had not liked Gina at all after their first meeting in the elevator. They were quite alike, and they said that like poles repel each other. I imagined that the big guy would not put up many obstacles, especially considering that, like me, his contact with the opposite gender was rather nil.

I arrived at the hotel and the colors bathed my eyes again. It was like waking up in a world of intense light, it was hard to believe that the first world of lawlessness was so inconspicuous. Luckily, in no time would I return to Tveirland, the exotic second planet of lawlessness that had welcomed us in the form of a Tyrannosaurus rex with great appetite. According to the Manual, each planet was unique, and from Tveirland we could choose which one to visit freely.

I accessed the control panel and went to the online store, specifically the one that sold trips. I chose Tveirland and to my surprise I found that I would have to wait a whole day before I could buy it.

Nervous, I read a notice that the flights to Tveirland had suddenly been canceled and the system was working on it. Never in his life had he seen a similar message in Allsium. Something had happened and I had to find out as soon as possible.

I tried to talk to Greek and Dagon via messages, but the signal from Tveirland was down. Too strange to be a simple server maintenance issue. Allsium was like real life, it was meant to be, so there was no way the planet would have technical problems. Perhaps the Allsionista hackers had attacked the planet, managing to open a breach that allowed powers and objects to be transferred to real life, as we wished.

If that was so, it was too soon for us.

At the moment I got a message from Gina, she also could not return to Tveirland.

I met her at the door of the hotel, where many travelers were crowding expressing their discomfort with the local workers. They kept repeating that they should remain calm and that soon everything would return to normal. The atmosphere was stifling and tense at times.

"Do you know anything?" I asked Gina as soon as I found her.

"No, no one knows anything more than what they're telling us." It's very strange, don't you think?

"I hope Greek and Dagon are okay."

“This has never happened in Allsium, not even in beta. The worlds are very solid, sometimes a mission fails, but it's been many years since anyone warned about something similar. This is serious, they are trying to hide it, but something big must have happened in Tveirland.

“How do you know all that?

"You haven't read anything about the Historia de Allsium, have you?"

It was part of the database that anyone could read in Allsium, those files could be accessed just by thinking about it, but unfortunately few did. It was like willingly studying something you knew would be of little use.

"I have to know what's going on," I said, thinking of Greek and Dagon.

“The Internet is fuming with hypotheses, but until they give the official message we won't know anything.

"The official message will lie," I said. The system cannot admit errors, let alone as serious as this one.

"Perhaps in real life something is known," he commented.

It had been weeks since I had visited my real body for more than ten minutes at a time.

"I'd better search the virtual internet for some kind of information," I answered. Passage of real life.

"Well, you shouldn't," he snapped. But okay, I'll come back to reality and see if I can find something.

"Wait, are you going to do it right here?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?" he answered.

“You are crazy? Look around you,” I said, glancing at the counters full of angry travelers. Can't you see there are thousands of people? Combat mode could be activated by mistake and you would be totally exposed.

"Well, you're right. I can go to the forest or look for a cave.

It was unlikely, but bugs in Allsium seemed to be the order of the day. I decided that if I was going to provide any concrete information about what was going on with Dagon and Greek in Tveirland, I had to guarantee him some security for his virtual body. You had to be courteous with the girls, that's something they also advised on the internet.

"Wait, wait," I said. We have a hotel room rented for a few days.” There was no way I was going to tell him that it was our property. We better go there.

"Are you trying to flirt with me, little boy?" he asked with a honeyed look.

“No no! I just want to say that… Well, in the room you can't enter combat mode and…

"I'm kidding Gunner. You've turned red and everything, how cute.

I blushed so much that the red of my face must have been the greatest note of color that could be found in Initium at that time.

"Follow me, come on," was all I could say.

Once we entered the room, he gave no sign of surprise at how elegant and luxurious the place was.

"Make yourself comfortable," I said. Here you will be safe.

"Should I worry about you trying to grope me while I'm not here?"

Only someone like her could tell me something like that.

I was tempted redhead in my own room.

Trying not to look at her, so as not to fall into temptation, I was forced to go out onto the balcony to get some fresh air. Gina remained stretched out on the large sofa that presided over the living room and disconnected from Allsium to return to real life. His face reflected relaxation and serenity, something that suited him better than his defiant and chatty attitude.

We all seemed to be what we were not when we slept.

Going out onto the balcony was the same as looking at a black and white vintage photo. The color note was provided by the views of the great square, where merchants and adventurers were haggling and buying incessantly. It was incredible how many people went illegally in search of adventure and new experiences. According to some studies, almost eighty percent of the actual world population regularly used Allsium for a minimum of four hours a day. That meant that Allsium was used as normally as one would put on pajamas to sleep, even though more than fifty percent of virtual users had never gone illegal. Even so, the number of adventurers numbered in the billions.

The world population had stagnated for years, but it was well over ten billion. That is why Initium had such a flow of travelers that it was unlikely to come across the same person twice. He had met Gina on the Tveirland elevator, another planet that received millions of new visits daily, and also on Initium. This had stung me from the start, but coincidences could happen, and if he'd help me find out what was going on in Tveirland, maybe his intentions weren't all bad, but they were very mysterious.

I was more concerned with Greek and Dagon.

I wondered if everything in Tveirland still worked the same; in that case, Dagon should already be a paladin. Perhaps they were heading to the Assassin's Path Guild Fountain. This was very far from the capital and it was likely that they had decided to rent a transport to move faster. Another alternative, not common but protocol, as he had read in the Manual, was that the system could disconnect the user from Allsium temporarily and bring him back to reality if the situation on the servers became an emergency. It had never happened, it was more legal talk than anything else.

But it got me thinking.

In real life he also had contact with Greek and Dagon; maybe they had been kicked out of Allsium and were trying to contact me via the internet, so I disconnected and came back to reality after a few days without visiting her.

"Mom, I'm back!" I screamed when I woke up in bed in a room that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.

No one answered, he would have gone out to buy.

I had already gotten tired of telling her that she could do it from home, but she used to tell me often that she was also born in Allsium times and that she knew how the new era works perfectly, but that she didn't need it and that she liked it personal contact, no screens or purchases with a simple blink. I constantly told myself that Allsium was only good for creating antisocial zombies.

I left the room to check that everything was alright. Muscles still stiff, I grabbed something to drink and came back to see that everything was as usual. Connecting to the internet was as easy as wishing, just like in Allsium, although the contacts were different. Having two lives meant that, logically, to contact real life friends you had to be living in reality.

I sent them a voice message that would be recorded for the next time they came back to real life. I waited a long time, but since I didn't receive an answer, I decided to return to Allsium.

The system had not removed them from the virtual world. Everything seemed to be the same in Tveirland, you just couldn't travel there now. Maybe it wasn't that serious, I wished with all my might that it wasn't.

Returning to Allsium everything was the same. Gina was...

No. Gina wasn't there.

I looked for her through the rooms like a madman, I opened the safe and everything was still in order. It was stupid, no one outside the group could open it, and it also needed permission from all members.

I left the room towards the market, but when I went downstairs I saw that Gina was waiting for me in the hall. The sheer number of travelers thronging the hotel information desk was worrying. Many were forced to spend a few days there and the hotel could not cope. The system was overloading, even though it was as solid as rock and used to receive millions of visitors daily. But apparently having millions of travelers book hotel rooms at once in a matter of seconds had been too much.

The strength of the system was being tested. Perhaps the hackfronistas had planned it that way, although no one could have expected something similar to happen in Initium.

Shocked by the number of adventurers I encountered, I headed downstairs. It took me a lot and a few pushes to get to where Gina was.

“Let's get out of here. His face advised obedience. This is going to get very ugly.

“That? He grabbed my hand and we shot out of there. What are you talking about?

"Look around you, oaf," he said, making a circular motion with the index finger of his other hand. They are asking for explanations and things are heating up. Some demand that they be compensated for their inconvenience, others that they be paid for the stay that they have paid for in Tveirland and cannot enjoy due to the temporary closure of the planet, others request information about what is really happening and many others begin to talk about destroy everything She was talking so fast and there were so many people around us that I barely understood her. Those idiot Allsionists are nervous and have told their followers that if the system doesn't react they will be forced to return to real life.

The Allsionistas were part of a kind of sect with billions of adherents. They were people who only lived by and for Allsium and who never returned to real life, something like what we wanted, although we weren't as crazy as them. Or maybe yes, but we weren't dying to have to return to real life from time to time.

The Allsionistas were followers of the hackfronistas. These were a group of hackers who called themselves HIKARI and who tried to cause security breaches in Allsium so that they would allow powers or objects to be transferred to reality, thus forcing that data dump that would turn the real world into Allsium. His ultimate goal was to make both worlds one, which is why all HIKARI hackers were also Allsionists. Although the few hackers who were not part of that group did not work for anyone, but to leave their mark and for the pride of changing the world as we had known it up to that moment. In any case, any attempt to hack the system was branded as cyberterrorism by Allsium.

Initium, in Gina's own words, was a time bomb that wasn't long away from exploding.

And we were in the eye of the hurricane.

If for some reason the combat mode was triggered , there was going to be a massive confrontation between the millions of people who were in Initium at the time. The city was immense, but the gunpowder and the blood would flow as soon as some heartless one gave him for inciting violence.

She didn't even want to think about what could happen if people went crazy and feared for her virtuality. The first obligatory planet of lawlessness would turn blood red instead of decadent gray.

For once, I wished that such a pessimistic world would continue to maintain its essence for a long time.

Of course, I was wrong.