PftA Book 2 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Small Advances

It took three more weeks and two additional prototypes to get the device working the way I wanted. After examining the finished product, Vasilla declared she believed it to be sufficiently different from the patented version for me not to have any issues. My only real complaint was that as a member of the Epikairos Sect, they were entitled to a portion of any earnings from my device.

I was initially pissed about it until Master Kairos explained the sect would handle all the paperwork, production, and distribution. Since I didn’t want to do any of that, giving up a portion of potential future earnings didn’t seem like such a bad tradeoff, especially if they would do most of the work from now on.

Once Rhona and Stella expressed their support for the plan, I handed off the blueprints – marked with the maker’s mark I’d developed – and let my newest mentor take over the boring legal stuff. I hadn’t developed the meal device to sell. I really just wanted one for myself. I also kept the Master Crystal, which would serve as the repository for all recipes created with a device using my design.

For science and posterity… not because I wanted access to rich people’s food. Definitely not that.

“So, are you finally finished with the big project you’ve been working on?” Bell asked the following Sunday when I exited my bedroom after passing out from a food coma the night before.

“Mostly,” I replied, grabbing a cold soda from the fridge. “I still need to collect some things for it, but the hard work is over.” I plopped onto the couch. “What’s the plan for the day?”

“We’re going to the beach. You’re coming, right?”

“Of course! It’s Sunday,” I replied before thinking through her comment. “Isn’t it a bit early to go to the beach, though? It’s only April.”

Bell laughed. “I don’t plan to swim. The water is still too cold. But the weather is perfect for the starting on my tan!” she declared.

“Is Justin coming?”

“Yeah, but we won’t be able to stay too late. Your mom mentioned she and your dad might come down for dinner so we don’t have to drive all the way to Destin. For some strange reason, they think you’re busy or something,” she added with a smirk.

My parents had finally moved semi-local a couple of weeks earlier and had decided to make Sunday dinners our new family activity – not that it replaced the semi-regular outings we had in the Junction. It didn’t replace my weekly meals with Justin, either. They’d opted to live closer to the Air Force Base so Mom didn’t have a long commute. It worked out well since Dad could work remotely most of the time.

“I think she’s too used to Dad being on call all the time,” I replied. “She knows I keep Sundays free.”

“Still, they wanted to eat out tonight. You don’t mind, right?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Food was a great motivator for me.

I pouted a bit when Amie bypassed me and ran to Bell upon their arrival. My roommate scooped my niece up and deposited her on a hip before smiling broadly, catching my expression.

The beach was close enough to walk, so we didn’t bother loading into the cars. Deni, Ger, Kevin (Mesmer), and one of Kevin’s roommates were waiting at the base of the second building in our housing complex as we approached. They quickly joined us on our trek to the beach several blocks away.

“Are you going to take summer classes? Your semester ends soon, doesn’t it?” Deni asked once we got settled on the sandy beach.

I nodded. “Yes to both. Classes end next week and start back the second week of May. We only get two weeks between semesters. I am taking a lighter course load over the summer, though. I want to have some extra time to beta-test the new game that’ll be coming out this winter. Rhona already gave me permission to test it, even though I’m not technically a beta tester anymore.”

“That’s cool. I can’t wait to try it out,” Deni said excitedly. “It’s supposed to be the prequel to Atlas Online. We had to fill out surveys about what we thought would happen – like, how people would respond to the game becoming real. The devs are supposed to be incorporating our responses into the game. Pretty much everyone is excited to try it.”

Ger nodded from beside her. “Yeah, me too. I was hoping they’d make it a zombie apocalypse game, but it doesn’t really fit the theme.”

I shivered at the thought. Surviving a zombie apocalypse would have been so much worse than dealing with occasional monsters. The worst part about the reintegration during the first timeline was how people responded, not the occasional rift break or mutated animal.

That was part of the reason I wanted to take part in beta testing. Hopefully, I could advise Rhona and whoever else was involved to adjust the game to be a bit less realistic and create more consequences for those who engaged in PvP. Since killing within the same tier was not a violation of the Accords, most of the early violence had no negative effects on the murderers involved.

It wasn’t like the police or government could do much, either. They were too busy dealing with the fallout of the reintegration themselves, especially after the power went out. Those caught during the first week usually escaped since mundane jails couldn’t hold someone with magic. It had been a mess – one I hoped to mitigate, if possible.

“I was thinking about taking a week off when testing starts,” I said before adding cheekily, “unless they’ll count testing as work again.”

“Yeah, good luck with that, Ms. R&D,” Deni said as she shoved me lightly.

Laying next to Deni, my skin looked particularly pasty. I really needed to get more sunlight. With as little exposure as I got, I probably should be careful about developing a Vitamin D deficiency. I’d put on sunblock before leaving, but I’d specifically chosen a weaker version in hopes that I’d get some color on my skin – something other than red or pink.

I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly. The sun felt so nice.

“Hey, Xavier,” Justin said from a few meters away. I pretended not to hear and kept my eyes closed, ignoring the unwanted new arrival. “Oh, what’s up, Johnson? Since when did you start hanging with Alpha Group?” he asked jokingly.

I couldn’t help but feel annoyed that the man had encroached on my personal time. If I avoided him at work, what made him think that trying to contact me outside of work would be any better?

Activating the active version of Sense Intent, I knew he was there to connect with me, though it wasn’t something he particularly wanted to do. He thought that befriending Justin would help, which was probably why he’d brought along the newly awakened Beta Group member.

I mentally rolled my eyes.

“Hey, ladies,” I heard a feminine voice say from nearby. “Mind if I set up here? I’d rather not be surrounded by sausages if I can help it.”

I cracked an eye, adjusting to the sunlight much faster than would have been possible before. A young woman I recognized as a Beta Group tester stood near the foot of Bell’s towel. I didn’t know all of them, but a few had stood out. She was one of them, and that was before I’d noticed her eating lunch with Xavier.

“—It’s fine. The more the merrier!” Deni said.

“—Sure, we can scoot a bit if you need us to,” Bell added simultaneously.

“Go ahead,” I added when she looked my way. I’d been in such a hurry to keep from interacting with Xavier that I hadn’t bothered using Identify on the young service member the last time I’d seen her. I was surprised to find she was already level four.

“No need to move. I can put my towel here,” the female service member said. Though she didn’t look like a service member in her cheeky shorts and tank top, I knew she was since she was part of Beta Group. All Beta Group members belonged to one branch of the military or another. Alpha Group was for non-military government assets and the handful of true civilians who were offered a slot.

As she spread out her towel, her companions moved to do the same thing nearby, placing Xavier within arm’s reach of my towel. The other addition was a familiar-looking man who seemed distinctly uncomfortable. It only took a second to identify the man as one of the other newly awakened. His level also showed as level four, which was telling.

When I casually checked Xavier, the notification surprised me.

[Human – level 4 – Shadow/Arcane]

I was so distracted by the additional information that I almost overlooked the fact that the man had an Arcane affinity. That was crazy rare. I was excited to recheck the others now that my Identify spell had advanced.

[Human – level 4 – Lighting/Fire]

[Human – level 4 – Force/Life]

I wasn’t sure why I expected them to have rare or epic affinities. However, I was quite surprised that all three had double affinities. That was supposed to be really uncommon. Perhaps the dual affinities had something to do with why they awoke early? It certainly hadn’t done anything for me in the first timeline, but I also hadn’t been a beta tester getting mana sensitivity testing done then, either.

I laid back down and closed my eyes, ignoring the new additions while I mulled over the implications. Thankfully, none of them seemed intent on pulling me into the conversation, and I was allowed to mostly relax and enjoy the sound of the waves lapping at the white sand as my mind churned.

My peace only lasted a handful of minutes.

“Aside from hanging out at the beach, what do y’all do for fun?” the potential Force/Life Mage said before adding, “Oh, sorry! I’m Elaine Johnson. It’s nice to meet you.”

I listened as the others around me introduced themselves.

When it was clear they were waiting for me, I raised my hand and gave a small wave, not bothering to open my eyes and shield them from the sun. “I’m Emie.”

Bell groaned lightly. “Don’t mind her. She’s usually a lot more friendly. She’s probably just distracted, still thinking about the big project she’s been working on.”

“Yeah? What kind of project?”

“I dunno—” Bell started before I cut in.

“It’s covered under the NDA. I can’t talk about it.”

There was a pause. “I didn’t realize beta testers worked on projects they couldn’t share with other beta testers. I wasn’t trying to pry.”

Interestingly, I sensed she was telling the truth. Whatever intelligence-gathering plan Xavier had, Elaine wasn’t in on it. She was just there because she’d been invited to hang out with the only two people she could really talk to. Sighing, I flipped onto my stomach and turned to face the new addition.

“I know. I didn’t mean to come off as snippy,” I apologized. “I’m not a beta tester anymore. I work in R&D now.”

“Really? How did that happen?” she asked with wide eyes. I glanced at Xavier, who was pretending not to listen, though I knew he was.

“I had the right skill set and understood enough to fill the role. Aside from that, I can’t really say due to the NDA. Not everyone has signed the same contract,” I said, moving my eyes to either side without shifting my head. Given the angle, none of my friends could see the motion.

“Ahh,” she said before focusing on me more closely. The small alert icon I’d had Lisa add to my display lit up, informing me Elaine had used Identify or something like it. I raised a brow as she nodded to herself. “Now it makes more sense why we came to the beach.”

She glanced at Xavier with a complicated expression.

“What makes more sense?” Bell asked.

Elaine shook her head. “Nothing. Sorry. I let my mind wander and was talking to myself,” the newly awakened service member said. Shaking off her surprise, the young woman smiled at my roommate. “So, how do y’all know each other?”

I put my head down on my arms and tried to tune the others out as they discussed the various connections between our group. I didn’t like that Xavier was learning so much about me, but there was little I could do about it now. In fact, it might be better to just be a bit more friendly with the guy. At least that would keep him from being a creeper and showing up places uninvited.

I probably wouldn't be as wary if I wasn’t so worried about people learning my secret. As far as I knew, the government had been helpful during the transition. It was probably because the powers ‘in the know’ were all vying for positions of authority after whatever noble took over. But, whatever the case, I hadn’t noticed anything particularly worrisome during the last timeline. It was entirely possible I was making something out of nothing.

But could I take that risk? Rhona had specifically warned me about the greedy intents of the politicians and other VIPs she’d interacted with. Xavier probably reported to one of them. But would actively avoiding him make things any better, or would it just seem like I had something to hide?

I needed him to resolutely dismiss me as an important person.

Deciding to try a different approach, I lifted my head. “So, are you guys super excited to test the new game?” I asked enthusiastically. “We’ve been talking about it. I’m even taking time off my R&D job to spend the first week playing.”

“Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited!” Bell gushed from beside me, spinning to get closer to the conversation.

Deni copied her a moment later. “I think it’s going to be awesome. Did you guys fill out the surveys too?”

Elaine grinned widely. “Yes! I’m so curious how they’re going to set it up. I was thinking about the intro to Atlas Online, remember? That made it seem like everything was really peaceful, which was totally unrealistic. I doubt the game would be that way.”

“I wonder how they’ll do NPCs. Will they be modeled after real people?” Deni mused.

“Nah, they’ll probably have a ton of PvPers causing issues,” Bell said to Elaine before turning to Deni. “Would it be weird if you had to fight a PvP version of yourself, affinity and all?”

“I doubt they’ll copy real people. There’d probably be some legal issues with that,” I chimed in before letting the conversation flow without me. When it began to wear down, I glanced at Xavier, who was now looking at our small group.

“What do you think, Xavier?” I asked sweetly, pretending like I hadn’t avoided him since our first meeting.

“I think it’ll be interesting to see how close it comes to reality,” he replied, meeting my gaze with a hint of challenge.

“It will,” I agreed. “It would be pretty creepy if they got the inside of my apartment correct, though. I wonder how they’d even know…” It was something I’d legitimately wondered about when the game was released. I still didn’t know how they managed some of what the game did, but I had an idea.

“I wonder if I made fake enchanted items in real life… if they’d show up at the start of Apocalypse Earth,” Bell said from beside me, saving me from having to voice the same thought. She turned to me. “We should do that, Duo. We’re both Enchanters. It can’t be hard to do something similar in the real world. Even without the reagents, we could make ‘quick and dirty’ versions that we could charge up as soon as the game started. We should try it! We’d get so far ahead!”

“If that works, I want to go to one of the RenFaires before the game officially releases. Being able to start with real weapons would make things so much easier. It would be like a cheat,” Deni added.

“I already have a spear,” Ger added loudly from the other side of Deni. “I bought one off Amazon last year after we moved here.”

“Everyone knows you have a spear, honey. You have it mounted on the wall like a trophy,” Deni said with a smirk as she bumped him with her shoulder.

I smiled internally as my friends considered obtaining real items to grant them advantages in the game. I needed to talk to Rhona about that, actually. I was almost certain the game didn’t update like that with each reset before. I wasn’t sure why, though. Surely, it had been brought up by the beta testers at the time.

Changing that game dynamic could make a huge difference by prompting players to obtain functional weapons for the game, which they’d still have when they eventually needed them in reality. It was definitely worth pushing for.