Dark Omega: Emergence, page 26
As keeper of the mother tree, you are now the ruler of all Nortvale.
Carn could feel the presence of the mother tree in the back of his mind, much like Sparky’s presence. Power was radiating from the tree. It felt pure and filled him with hope. He was glad they had heeded the dryad’s counsel.
The corruption level just dropped 15%. It is back down to 79%, Sparky announced.
Good, but I was hoping it would go to 0.
Maybe it will continue to drop. Let’s see.
Carn flew to the tree and touched it. The voice of the tree was much stronger now.
Mother tree. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope to be a good keeper.
I am happy to have you. You may call me Nerene.
Hello Nerene. My name is Carn. I also have Sparky here with me. He is my spark.
A spark. This is new. No former keeper has had a spark, as far as I know. I sense no other home trees on this planet. Is that true?
Yes. You were the last seed in existence. Can I ask why you are called a mother tree, not a home tree?
I am still learning things, but the planet and its leylines have already told me much. There used to be another tree at this location back when the world was first formed. It was planted from a fey seed, and from it, all the fairies were born. Its seeds were used to create the home trees planted at other leyline locations around the world, but there can only be one mother tree, and it must sit at the intersection of all the leylines.
Ah. That helps. Is there anything you need?
The mana helped me grow strong and the leylines give me the nourishment I need. I don’t need anything right now except for a strong keeper. Thank you for protecting me from the shadow avatar. Let me heal your wounds.
A warmth spread through Carn’s body and he could feel his health increase rapidly. The wounds from his recent battle, as well as the scars he had obtained from the ant queen’s spell, faded and he felt whole again.
Thank you, Nerene. What are the duties of a keeper?
You are my guardian and spokesperson to the fairies. You have already shown yourself to be an excellent choice for the role of guardian.
I am sad to tell you this, but I am one of the only fairies left in this world.
Not for long. Do you wish to summon more fairies?
How do I do that?
Go to the mother tree tab on your interface.
Carn viewed the tab and saw a lot of information.
Mother tree
Energy 70,000
Tree level 9 (Level capped at level 1 currently due to corruption)
Accrued energy per day: 300
Seeds: 0
Supported fairies: 1
Options: Summon fairy, grant boon, harvest seeds
Carn chose to summon a fairy and was presented with a long list of job titles.
Why are there so many job titles?
Each fairy comes with a specialization. They’ll receive skills to match that specialization and a base level of 5 as a commoner and 10 as a noble. Nobles also receive several additional skills.
That’s very convenient.
Carn considered the different jobs. A few that stood out to him were city administrator, builder, and foreman. Each of them costs 100 energy as a commoner or 500 energy as a noble. Given how much energy Carn had to use, he decided to summon the administrator and builder as nobles and the foreman as a commoner. The first two might be leaders in the city and he wanted them to have a head start.
The bark at the base of the tree seemed to ripple and a fairy stepped out. He was soon followed by two more. Carn greeted them. ‘Welcome to all of you.”
“Greetings, keeper.”
“I am Senwick, keeper. I have many skills related to keeping a kingdom running smoothly. How may I be of service?”
“We are forming a new kingdom in the ruins of this former elven city. We need to prioritize the reconstruction of the buildings and put the necessary framework in place for citizens to live here.”
“I see. You will need to grant me city administrator privileges, but it appears you do not have those yet. Have you claimed this city?”
“No. How do I do that?”
“Travel to the seat of power and sit on the throne. If there is no current ruler, you will receive the option to take control of the city.”
Carn, I’m logging you out. Something is seriously wrong.
Senwick and the mother tree faded from view as it was replaced by Wayne’s room. He tried to breathe, but someone’s hands were around his throat. He peaked his hands and drove them upward. His arms pushed the hands away from him and he gasped for breath as he sat up in bed.
In front of him was a lanky man around his age. He wore a shirt with an arcade machine on it that looked like it had been partially eaten by moths. A crazed look was in his eyes and he lunged forward.
Wayne rolled off the bed and scrambled to his feet as the intruder crashed into the bed. He stumbled around for a moment, regaining his balance and then made for the door. The intruder intercepted him with a punch to his stomach.
Wayne tumbled back and grabbed the first thing his hand touched, a bottle of cologne. He threw it at the attacker and it broke against the wall. The intruder was uninjured, but the smell was overpowering.
As the man neared him again, Wayne grabbed his face and tried to plunge his thumbs in his eyes, but the intruder kneed him in the balls. Wayne’s eyes watered and he bent over, but he still had a hold on the man, so he used it and his weight to tumble them both to the floor. The intruder fell over, hitting his head on the side table and Wayne stumbled to the door, holding his crotch and whimpering.
He ran towards the kitchen, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. He grabbed a broom just as the intruder entered the kitchen. The man’s hair was bloody, but he seemed otherwise fine. Wayne faced him and brandished his broom in a threatening manner.
“Stay back, or I’ll beat your face in,” he warned.
Suddenly, the door crashed open and three men in black tactical vests entered. One shot the intruder with a taser and he fell to the ground spasming. The man released the trigger and his associates zip-tied the intruder and then injected him with something that seemed to knock him out.
The man with the taser pulled out a tablet and made a call while Wayne dropped into a nearby chair. The broom slipped from his hand and bounced noisily on the floor as he tried to make sense of what was happening. The men did not look like police but they clearly had training. What was going on?
“Sir. Someone would like to talk to you,” the man with the tablet said.
Wayne accepted the tablet and saw a man in an expensive suit on the screen. “Umm. Hello?”
“Sorry for the intrusion, but we have been tracking the man who attacked you, so we broke your door to apprehend him.”
“Are you law enforcement?”
“No. I am an attorney with Insurgency Studios and my associates here are part of our security team. There is much we need to talk about. Needless to say, we will replace your door and handle any injuries you have.”
“By accepting your help, I am in no way exonerating you of any liability here.”
“Acknowledged. Would you please accompany these men so that we can meet? I assure you that we will make it worth your time.”
“Alright, but there are two others who live with me. Will they be safe?”
“I’ll have one of the men stay behind while they are in the game. He can explain what happened when they log out if you are not back yet.”
“Ok.”
Wayne handed the tablet back and the man exchanged a few more words with the attorney. One of the men was already walking out with the intruder over his shoulder and another inspected where the door frame had split from their entry. The man with the tablet led him downstairs.
“I’m Max,” the man said. “Sorry to meet you under these circumstances.”
“Wayne,” Wayne said, shaking his hand.
They walked out to a dark blue Mustang.
“You want shotgun?”
“Sure. It feels better than riding in the back.” Carn thought of the mafia movies where the condemned sat in the back of the car.
The men didn’t say much during the drive, and that was fine with Wayne. He was still coming to terms with all that had happened. How did Sparky know of his situation and how did he log him out? Was this the man who was responsible for the disappearance of the other players? Why was Insurgency not working with the police on this?
Wayne was surprised when they arrived, not at Insurgency Studios but at the back of a majestic old building in downtown Cleveland. The men flashed a badge to a guard and the loading dock was opened. Wayne followed them inside. One man stayed with the attacker in the loading dock as the guard closed the dock door by holding a red button.
“Follow me,” Max said, leading him out of the loading bay to a set of four elevators. Max pressed the up button and soon, the doors opened. Wayne followed him in and they silently rode to the fourteenth floor.
The doors opened to a bank of glass windows. Gold lettering spelled out “Chalmers, Blake, and Pike.”
They entered the doors and the receptionist said, “He’s ready for you in the Independence conference room.”
“Thank you, Sandy,” Max said, leading Wayne left through another door and down a hall to a large conference room that looked over part of the city and Lake Erie. The man he had spoken to on the tablet stood near the windows, looking out at the lake. He turned to Wayne as they entered.
“Welcome, Wayne. I am Simon Chalmers,” he said, holding out his hand.
Wayne shook hands. “Wayne McHenry.”
“I assume you have some questions, but before we get into anything, there is a non-disclosure agreement that you will need to sign. For your discretion, we are prepared to offer this lump sum,” Simon said, pushing an envelope towards him.
Wayne glanced at the envelope and then opened it, staring at the number. It was a significant amount.
Wayne thought for a moment and then signed the non-disclosure.
“Thank you. What questions do you have for me?”
“Was the man who attacked me responsible for the disappearances?”
“Yes. His name is Abram Olivette.”
“Was he the only one, or are there others?”
“He is the only one.”
“Why is Insurgency involved?”
“Abram was one of our beta testers. It seems he is suffering from PTSD. He had a rather traumatic experience during the beta. We thought he was fine, but apparently, he was good at hiding his symptoms.”
“What will happen to him?”
“He will be taken to a mental health care facility and given the best care to help him recover.”
“I assume you are not working with the police because of the negative press this would all cause.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“What about the other victims?”
“They are deceased. We have already reached out to each of their families.”
“But…”
“That is enough about the victims. There is something else we must discuss. Insurgency Studios is happy with the progress you are making in the game. You are one of the top players and your quest line was particularly interesting. They would like to feature you in some of their promotional materials and have a monthly virtual meeting where they would discuss your feedback on the game. For this, they would offer you a monthly stipend.” Simon passed him another envelope.
Chapter 20 – If You Seize It, They Will Come
Wayne left the attorney’s office an hour later. His financial problems were solved, but he worried about the former player who had attacked him. How had he gone from beta tester to killer?
Max drove him back home and he found a new door had been installed in his absence. The other security person left as he entered.
“Your friends are still logged in. I cleaned the place up a bit. Also, here is a number you can reach us at. Let us know if you need anything or have any concerns.”
“Thank you.”
The men left, leaving him in an apartment that seemed alone with Brad and Todd logged into the game.
Wayne lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. His mind wandered as he tried to process everything that had happened. His day was full of highs and lows. From defeating the shadow avatar and receiving a salary to the attempt on his life and the virtual death of his friends. Forty minutes later, he logged into Dark Omega.
You’re back. Glad you’re ok.
Thank you for the warning, Sparky. I don’t know how you did it, but you saved me.
Yea. That was a little weird for me too. As we’ve grown closer, I seem to be able to sense more about you. For a moment, I felt your real body and knew that you were in danger, so I logged you out.
I didn’t know you could even log me out.
I didn’t either. I just acted.
The other day I had a scan and found that the nanites in my system have been increasing, especially around my sensory organs. I wonder if that is creating new connections, allowing you more control. I trust you, Sparky, but that is a little disturbing, especially in light of a person going crazy after playing the beta. I hope whatever caused that was fixed before they released the game.
Oh my. That’s a lot to take in.
Yea. I‘ll fill you in on all the details later. Anyway, I feel that there is much more to you than either of us know.
Hopefully, we can figure it out together.
So, what did I miss here?
Gilvester and Sevelle still have 45 minutes before they can respawn. Lina has 2 hours and 45 minutes. They are going to wait for Lina so that they can all make their way back here together.
I’ve been talking with Senwick about the city. He suggested we summon an honor guard for you. Since fairies are horrible with strength, we summoned four rangers and two mages. The mages are over there and the rangers have established a perimeter. Also, Ferrin, the builder you summoned, has started surveying the buildings. I granted him view access to the city facilities. Ah, here he comes now.
Carn looked around the area as Ferrin flew over. This looked to be a city square at one time. The mana pond had been right in the center of it. Brick paths crisscrossed the area and Carn could see pieces of benches and toppled sculptures. In one area, brambles had taken over the, but Carn tried to imagine it centuries ago and he thought it might’ve been a hedge maze.
“Keeper, I have finished doing a basic survey. A complete survey will take a few days, but the access you granted me has given me much information. Also, here are my current capabilities. I can currently construct level 1 buildings or repair up to level 3 buildings.”
“What are the levels of the buildings around us?”
“Most are levels 5 and above, but some of these houses are level 3. Also, some of the most important buildings like the palace are much higher level than I can work on right now.”
“Does your repair skill improve as you perform repairs?”
“Yes. I’ll need to start on level 3 projects until I level up.”
“Ok. Housing is one thing we need anyway.”
“What about you, foreman?” Carn asked the fairy next to Ferrin.
“My name is Gavin, my lord. I can supervise a team of workers to accomplish a task.”
“What kind of task?”
“Logging, mining, gathering, loading, transporting goods, road paving, and so forth.”
“I see. I’ll need to understand what resources we need and then we can get you a team. How are you working with animals?”
“I can work with any domesticated beast. Donkeys, mules, horses, even elephants.”
“What about ants?”
“Ants, sir? If they’re domesticated, I can work with them.”
“All right. That’s it for now. Ferrin and Gavin, find a place for you to work temporarily until Senwick can assign you something more permanent. Senwick and I will claim the city and then determine priorities. Also,” Carn said, gesturing to the worker ant, “we will be flying, so you may use this ant if it will help. Please follow their instructions,” he said to the ant.
Carn and Senwick flew off towards the center of the city. It was not far from the mother tree that now dominated the view. Wayne had spent a summer once in Colorado; no matter where you were, you had a mountain view. It was like that here. He smiled as he thought of all the people who might one day live here. Each of them could enjoy the beauty of the mother tree.
Carn saw a large domed building up ahead. It was surrounded by four domed towers. It reminded him of an Arabian palace, except that the domes did not curve out like bottles, as seen in some middle-eastern buildings, but were convex domes as seen in European architecture.
New Personal Quest: Reclaim the City
The ancient elven city has been uninhabited for centuries. Defeat any who claim this territory and reclaim the throne in the name of the Fey.
Difficulty: Easy (You already did all the hard stuff and we are not rewarding you twice for that.)
Success Condition: Reclaim the throne and defeat other claimants, if any.
Fail Condition: Release control of the territory to another.
Reward: 6,000 XP, Title of King, along with the associated rights and responsibilities. Learn the diplomacy and administration skills if they are currently unknown.
Accept (Yes/No)
Carn accepted the quest and noted the personal message attached to the difficulty. It appears the AI or the developers decided to get a little snarky. He tried to relax a bit as he and Senwick flew through the city. The last time he flew with another fairy was with Orvin, and he still felt sad for his passing. However, the feeling of natural flight under his own wings was terrific and the sun felt good on his back.
The city was full of marvels, and it would’ve been easy to get distracted, but Carn maintained his course to the enormous palace on the other side of a river that bisected the valley. As they grew closer, Carn was able to make out more details. The palace’s large domed roof was decorated with a mosaic in patterns that looked like a complex set of runes. There were many places that were clearly damaged, but the dome had much less damage than he expected. Balconies decorated the palace sides, giving its residents a marvelous view of the surrounding city. Carn was awed at the size of the structure. He had not comprehended it from a distance, but now, as it loomed closer, he realized that it must’ve housed a thousand or more people back in the day. Two walls surrounded the structure, each with three entrances that were secured with a gatehouse. The inside of the palace grounds must have once been a luxurious garden complex, but the area was overgrown with plants and looked much like a forest. He tried to imagine what it might’ve looked like when the elves lived here. If they had maintained manicured gardens, those were long gone now, replaced with a tight canopy of trees. Carn didn’t want to eliminate the woods, but he hoped there would be a way to give it more order and refinement befitting a royal residence.
