The Player Plague Read online

  With that, I heard a soft ping and looked at my map to see a glowing blue dot placed on one of the buildings in the Old Warehouse District, labeled ‘SUB-MISSION: Financially cripple the Stalking Shadows,’ along with the time I was supposed to be there. It was interesting because I didn’t know you could add time and dates to location markers like that. That might come in useful in the future.

  “Thank you, Yama-sama,” I said with another bow. “My Sidekick and I will spend the rest of the day getting ourselves ready for tonight’s sub-mission.”

  “Very well,” said Yamamoto. “And please do not be late. The longer we delay this mission, the harder to pull it off it will become.”

  I nodded. “Of course. Don’t you worry about that. Cy and I are always on time for our appointments. Always.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After that, Aimi and Riku led us out of the Ninja Guild HQ and back into the streets of Adventure City. By the time we left the building, the streets outside of the Ninja Guild HQ had become a bit busier with traffic, but there were still far fewer people out than there should have been. Probably players were still afraid of logging onto their accounts and playing again. That reminded me of Chuck’s report about the troubles going on in the real world with Project Second Life and Capes Online. Made me wonder how things were moving along that particular front.

  “This is as far as we can take you,” said Aimi as we stopped underneath the arches leading to the front door. “We will not see you until tonight, nor will we come to check on you if you do not show up. And if you do not show up for tonight’s sub-mission, then we will go ahead without you. Understood?”

  I nodded. “Perfectly. I know you guys have been planning this for a while. Time is money and all that.”

  “I am glad you understand,” said Aimi. “Anyway, Riku and I must go. We will also be part of tonight’s sub-mission and there are still many things to prepare. Farewell, Hero Winter. Until tonight.”

  When I blinked again, Aimi and Riku were both gone, leaving Cy and I standing alone in the streets. Well, not entirely alone, of course, because there were a handful of NPCs nearby who looked at us curiously as they passed, but other than them there was no one else out here but ourselves.

  “Gee, those ninja guys were a lot nicer than I expected,” said Cy, putting his hands on his waist. “Sure, they tried to kill us a couple of times, but it was all in good fun. Makes me wish I was a ninja.”

  “They’re okay, but I don’t trust them,” I said, folding my arms in front of my chest. “And I feel like they don’t trust me, either.”

  “Maybe that’s because your Trust is low,” Cy suggested. “If you can raise it up a bit more, perhaps they will like you better.”

  “I doubt it,” I said. “It’s clear they only respect those who can prove themselves. Right now, I haven’t been able to prove myself, but perhaps with this sub-mission, I will.”

  “About that sub-mission,” said Cy, glancing at the Ninja Guild HQ again, “what are we going to do until tonight? Are we going to level up or finally go shopping for security upgrades for the Base?”

  I opened my mouth to answer when a sudden, sharp pain shot through my spine. With a grunt, I put a hand on my back as a notification appeared in my view:

  You are 2% Infected. Infection rate: 72hrs/10m/32s.

  I frowned. There was that Infection Status again. I had completely forgotten about it during our entire exchange with Yamamoto. I still didn’t understand it entirely or what would happen once it reached 100%, but I doubted it would be anything good.

  “Boss, are you okay?” asked Cy in a concerned tone. “You’re acting like my grandpa, who’s always complaining about his back problems.”

  “I’m fine,” I said as I rubbed my back. “Just some small pain is all.”

  I pulled an Antidote out of my item inventory and downed it in one gulp. The taste of blueberries filled my mouth as the Antidote went down my throat and into my stomach.

  I expected the Antidote to get rid of my Infection, but instead I got this message:

  ERROR! Antidote unable to cure Unknown Infection. Please see a Healer instead.

  “Boss, why did you drink an Antidote and why do you look so worried?” said Cy, rubbing his hands together anxiously. “Are you okay?”

  Tossing the empty Antidote aside, I said, “No, Cy, I am not. When Robert bit me earlier, I got Infected with some kind of mysterious illness. I’m not sure what it does or what it will do once I am fully Infected, but according to this I have three days before the Infection is complete.”

  Cy suddenly gulped and took a step back. “You’re not going to turn into some kind of crazy monster that’s going to attack random people, are you?”

  “I don’t know what will happen once the Infection is complete,” I said. “I need to see a Healer about this.”

  “Do you mean Hop?” asked Cy. “Haven’t seen her or Dillo since the Blackout. Has Dillo logged back in since then?”

  I glanced at my Friends List and shook my head. “No. Says he last logged in two weeks ago. And honestly, I suspect Hop is too low-leveled to deal with this Infection. I need a Healer who is at a much higher level to take a look at this and see what they can do. I need Recover.”

  Cy snapped his fingers suddenly. “Of course! How could I ever forget Recover and her goddess-like beauty? I feel so unmanly for not remembering her right off the bat.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said as I glanced at my Friends List again, “because it looks like Recover hasn’t logged back on since the Blackout either—”

  I abruptly stopped speaking when I saw the little green icon next to Recover’s avatar on my Friends List glow all of a sudden, which I knew meant that Recover had just come back online. I immediately sent her this message:

  Hi, Recover! Hope you’re doing well. Been a bit lonely here with everyone logged off after the Blackout.

  Anyway, I was wondering if we could meet up sometime soon. I have a Status Effect I can’t seem to cure with the Antidote item and I was wondering if you might be able to heal it for me or at least tell me what it is. Just let me know when and where you want to meet and I’ll be there as fast as possible.

  A few seconds after I sent the message, Recover suddenly replied:

  Hi, Winter! I’m fine, but thanks for asking. Things have been crazy out in the real world and I’m honestly glad to be back in the game. Brawn’s pretty happy I’m back, too. I think he was really bored.

  Anyway, I’d be happy to see you and help with your Status Effect which I, as the greatest Healer in Capes Online, should have no problem healing. Why don’t you come to my Base? I’m already there and I think it would be safer and more convenient for us to meet there than somewhere public. I’ve enclosed a link to my Base’s address in this message. If you click the link, the location of my Base will be automatically added to your map, but please do NOT share this link. Last thing I want is everyone and their dog knowing where my Base is.

  I smiled when I read that message. Sounded like Recover was about the same as she always was, which was good. She was the only member of my Team who I had had a big falling out with after I confessed my true nature to everyone. We had made up since then, but when Recover logged off with everyone else after the Blackout, I had still been worried that she might never talk to me again. It was good to know that she was still willing to talk to me, at least.

  So I replied and told her that Cy and I would be at her Base very soon. Closing my inbox, I looked at Cy and said, “She’s willing to look at my problem and she’s invited us to her Base.”

  Cy whistled. “Oooh, aaah, heee—”

  “What are you doing?” I said in annoyance. “Making stupid noises to annoy me?”

  “Nope, although that’s a nice bonus,” said Cy. “I was just saying I think you’re pretty lucky. Getting invited to a girl’s Base? Alone?”

  “We’re not going to be alone,” I said flatly. “You and Brawn are going to be there as well.”
r />   Cy held up his hands. “Hey, man, I won’t judge. If you and Recover need some alone time, I’ll go find something else to—”

  “It’s nothing like that,” I snapped. “I’m just going to her Base to get healed. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “Okay, okay,” said Cy with a shrug. “But I’m just saying Recover is a rather attractive woman, particularly in the posterior region, and I know you’ve been lonely for a while—”

  “What do you mean?” I said. “Ever since I got to this game, I’ve been with you or other players and Sidekicks.”

  “Well, you keep mentioning some girl named Sally while you sleep,” said Cy with another shrug. “Don’t know who she is, but if you want some, um, female companionship, I think Recover would be a good girl.”

  I scowled but frankly found it hard to argue with Cy. I wasn’t sure if I really did mention Sally in my sleep, but Cy did not seem like he was lying to me. And I honestly believed him. Sally was my fiancee in the real world. I had come to accept that I was going to live in Capes Online forever now and thus would never be able to see or be with Sally again, but I guess a part of me still missed her.

  I had given the thought of relationships with women a lot of thought ever since the Blackout. My choices were either female players like Recover or female NPCs like that Kathy lady. I was even aware that a lot of players started in-game relationships that eventually moved out into the real world. I also knew that Capes Online’s incredibly realistic experience meant that in-game relationships could be quite … physical, to put it one way. All this I learned from reading the Capes Online Forums, where such topics came up every now and then, especially in the Adult section that required admin approval before you could enter.

  The reason I hadn’t pursued a relationship with another player was because it would be impossible to develop it in the real world. Once a mind was downloaded into Capes Online, there was no way to re-upload it to the human body. As a matter of fact, my body was already dead and buried in the real world, so even if it were possible to do, I couldn’t. Any relationship I started in this game would never be able to grow beyond Capes Online. It would be unfair to any woman I might be interested in because they would never truly get to be with me even if they played Capes Online frequently.

  That left female NPCs, but even though I had come to see NPCs as being people in their way, I still didn’t feel comfortable with trying to start a relationship with one. Was it possible for a player to marry an NPC? Could we even have children together? Would we age together and become grandparents when our kids grew up and got married? Would children produced from such a union be NPCs, players, or something else entirely?

  I was hardly the type of guy to sit around all day and think about these complex philosophical issues, but I had to admit that without satisfactory answers to those questions, I was hesitant to escalate things with female NPCs. I suppose it did mean I was going to be lonely, but right now I wasn’t sure I was ready for a relationship so soon after being forced to break up with Sally, so I pushed that thought out of my mind for now to focus on the present.

  “Thanks, Cy, but I’m fine just the way I am,” I said. I turned away. “Let’s go to Recover’s Base. The sooner I get healed, the better.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  As it turned out, Recover’s Base was surprisingly close to the Ninja Guild HQ, approximately one mile to the east. It meant we didn’t have to walk very far before we reached Recover’s Base, which, as it turned out, was a small medical clinic stuck between a bicycle store and a fast food restaurant, both of which were currently closed at the moment.

  “Is this it?” said Cy as we stopped in front of Recover’s Base. “Looks like a medical clinic.”

  “That’s because it is,” I said. “Makes sense if you think about it. Recover is a Healer. What would make a better Base for a Healer than a medical clinic?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t see anyone inside,” said Cy, squinting his eyes and leaning toward the clear glass doors. “Are you sure she’s here?”

  “That’s what the map says,” I said, glancing at my map. “Says this is the—”

  Suddenly, a massive man built like a bunch of bricks appeared on the other side of the doors. He appeared so abruptly that Cy actually jumped back with a small meep, but I didn’t worry, because I had no trouble recognizing [SIDEKICK BRAWN], Recover’s Sidekick. Whereas Recover was a Healer with few to no combat abilities, Brawn was a Fighter and usually acted as her assistant during medical emergencies. He looked no different from the last time I saw him, although I now noticed that he wore a brown full-body suit that looked kind of like rubber.

  Opening the doors, Brawn smiled and waved at us. “It is good to see you two again, Hero Winter, Sidekick Cyclone. Recover told me to expect your arrival, but I didn’t know you would get here so soon.”

  “We were in the neighborhood,” I said idly. “So where’s Recover?”

  Brawn thrust a huge thumb over his shoulder. “In the office. She’s currently distributing her SPs and PPs that she earned from the Blackout, but I will let her know you are here.”

  Frowning, I nonetheless walked in with Cy behind me and said, “You mean she’s not going to come out and see us herself?”

  Brawn closed the door behind us and then, after glancing out the doors for some reason, said, “Not immediately. You will need to sit down and wait for a bit before she’s ready.”

  “You mean like an actual doctor’s office?” I said in disbelief. I looked around at the empty waiting area around us. “But there’s no one here.”

  “I am sorry, Mr. Winter, but I do not make the rules,” said Brawn. “If you dislike them, I suggest bringing that up with Recover. She might be more willing to listen to you than to me.”

  With that, Brawn walked off down the hallway to Recover’s office. Annoyed at this, I nonetheless sat down on one of the chairs against the walls. Cy took a seat next to me and immediately began reading one of the magazines on the table before us, which was apparently titled Sidekicks Monthly. The cover showed someone—a Sidekick, I would guess—wearing a full-bodied blue and red costume and flowing black cape, but I paid little attention to the magazine. My focus was on the rest of the lobby.

  Recover really went the whole way when it came to remaking the doctor’s office experience. It smelled kind of like a medical clinic waiting room, with soft, carpeted floor and about a dozen chairs arranged in neat ways around the office. A receptionist’s desk stood at one end of the room, which was currently unoccupied, although I wondered if Brawn ever played the receptionist. I briefly had a ridiculous mental image of Brawn in a dress sitting at the desk answering calls and scheduling appointments with patients, which made me grin at how silly it looked. There was even a sign explaining that Recover’s office accepted government health insurance, even though I was fairly certain Adventure City did not actually have government health insurance.

  In any case, I couldn’t help but admire the attention to detail Recover paid to making the place resemble a real-life doctor’s office. I didn’t know why she felt the need to do that, but I could admire the detail nonetheless.

  “Cy,” I said, looking at Cy, “how did Recover get a medical office as her Base? Seems kind of weird.”

  “I don’t know,” said Cy as he flipped through the issue of Sidekicks Monthly, “but if I had to guess, I would say she probably bought it at some point. Remember, you can buy and sell any Bases you want In fact, I’m pretty sure most Heroes rarely stay with their original Bases for very long. Typically, they try to buy bigger and more elaborate Bases.”

  I nodded, remembering how Cy explained the way you could buy and sell Bases in this game. “I see.”

  Then another question occurred to me and I said, “Cy, back in the Ninja Guild HQ, your relationship with Yamamoto increased separately from my own. Why is that?”

  Cy scratched his chin. “Because Sidekicks are considered separate from their Heroes. Therefore, we can also form re
lationships with other people and increase or decrease them depending on our interactions with others.”

  “Yeah, but what kind of benefit is there to that?” I said. “What kind of benefit do I get from you being Friendly with Yamamoto, for example?”

  “Well, having a Sidekick who has a better relationship with other people can still help you,” said Cy. “For example, let’s say Yamamoto hated you and wanted nothing to do with you, but liked me. I could use my relationship with Yamamoto to get you missions, Equipment, items, and more from Yamamoto, which you might never get yourself.”

  “I see,” I said. “Still seems kind of redundant, though.”

  “Sometimes it is, but sometimes it can be helpful,” said Cy. “It’s helpful if you’re dealing with someone whose relationship with you is Hatred, because once a person Hates you, you usually can’t change that no matter how nice you might be. Just because they hate you, however, does not mean they hate your Sidekick. See how it works now?”

  “Yeah, I’m starting to understand,” I said, “but—”

  “Miss Recover will see you now,” said Brawn, sticking his head out of the hallway abruptly. “Please follow me.”

  Cy and I stood up and followed Brawn down the short hallway into one of the medical rooms. It was a medium-sized room with a couple of chairs against the wall, a bed, a computer, and a small sink in the corner with a trash can with the hazardous label attached to it, likely where medical waste was supposed to go. The walls were covered with floral patterns, giving a comforting feeling to the room.

  Sitting in one of the chairs, flipping through a clipboard like she was an actual doctor, was Recover herself. Like Brawn, she looked about the same as the last time I had seen her. She was still quite tall, with an amazing body and a pink-and-white bodysuit that showed off said body quite well. Her long dark hair was done in a ponytail, although I noticed strands of hair sticking out of her head.

  “Miss Recover, Winter and Cyclone are here,” said Brawn as he gestured at us.