Capítulo 42: State of Play
During the competition's thirty-minute recess, Leo and Morgana had been summoned to the executive's office of the hypogeum for an emergency meeting with the dev team's execs.
On the way down, Leo took a detour to the concession stands that littered the coliseum's grounds to check out the event-exclusive merch that was being sold by the NPCs assigned there.
The food stalls were packed with players looking to grab a quick bite to eat. In any other VR game, the idea of food was a luxury, a flavor text gamers enjoyed to add immersion to their adventures. But here in the abyss, hunger struck quite often, almost like the real world — or so players thought.
Leo took note of the most bought food item, the Happy Reaper Meal. It was a package meal that consisted of a Direwolf Burger, Reaper Choco Shake, and Twista Fries at the very low price of one low-grade soul stone.
"It would have been cool if we'd launch the profession update before the Challenger's Cup," Leo said wistfully.
"Why's that?" Morgana asked as she accepted the scythe-shaped lollipop from one of the four hands of the four-armed creature managing the candy store by the arena's entrance. "This is delicious!"
"Because then we'd see more interesting stuff that the players cooked up themselves," Leo answered as he held up a sky blue t-shirt with the logo of [Lyghtning] emblazoned at its center from the stall opposite the candy store. "To add some variety to this money-milking merch Dani's thought up."
Leo dropped the blue shirt back on the stack of clothes in front of him and instead chose the red long-sleeved one that had the words [GM RULES!] on it.
"I'll take this one," Leo said to the shop keeper, a tall, green-skinned, long-eared, bald-headed female with tusks jutting out of her lower lip.
"That'll be three low stones," she said, using the new slang the players were using to shorten the Abyss' currency.
"You do know who I am, right?" Leo asked.
Although he was now disguised as an olive-skinned and dark-haired player character with the tag [Leeroy Jenks] hovering above him, he assumed every lesser denizen in town recognized the Game Master who was their employer.
The hobgoblin, for she was a hobgoblin, pointed to the sign hanging on the post to her right. It read, "No preferential treatment."
"That'll be three low stones," she said again.
Leo coughed up the payment while raising an eyebrow at her.
"This better not shrink in the washer," he warned.
The hobgoblin shrugged. "You get what you pay for."
"Oh, this is quite tasty," Morgana said after she'd taken a lick of her lollipop. "Leo, lend me some stones… I want to buy more."
---
A few minutes later, Leo and Morgana were down in the hypogeum and seated on comfy couches while they listened to McCloud's report on an incident that was currently occurring at the eastern borders of Morgana's territory.
"We received word from Crimsonback that she and her Wildling Hunters have discovered a group of Greater Wraiths, zombies, and other undead at the eastern edge of the Dark Forest," McCloud explained. "They are currently in the midst of combat."
"That would be one of Maleagant's advanced parties," Morgana replied.
"He must be getting antsy since we slew his pet executioner," Leo agreed.
"Yes," Morgana answered after another lick of her third lollipop. "Either that or he's testing our defenses."
"Although I'm not one to shy away from a battle," Lagertha tapped the head of her ax on the table, "Your new slaves—"
"—We don't refer to them as slaves, Lagertha," McCloud reminded her. "We call them players or substitute reapers… a little bit of positive reinforcement helps."
"Trust me, werewolf, all the positive reinforcement in the world won't stop their salty whining," Lagertha grumbled. "My department's received three times as many complaints today just because some," Lagertha mimed air quotes with her fingers when she said the word, "players," then she rolled her eyes, "aren't happy with how far their seats are from the arena…"
"Plus, we're busy with the tournament," Shannon added. "We don't have the resources to spare on a battle…"
"Um, so you're saying we leave Crimsonback and her troops on their own?" Bront, son of Brontes asked worriedly. "I-I wouldn't want that…"
"No, we'll have to send one of the guardians to support her," Leo answered. "It's about time they did the job we pay them huge amounts of stones for."
"We can't send Donatella," Agatha piped in. "She's busy as the tournament's MC."
"And we can't send Masamune either," Dani the Ghoulie jumped in. "His stall is making a killing up there… we even had to hire him some gremlin assistants to help with packaging."
McCloud couldn't help but growl at Dani before he said, "Harkness—"
"—has nearly sold out on event-exclusive potions," Dani the Ghoulie raised a finger to cut him off. "She's on track to be our top merchant today."
McCloud turned to Leo with an annoyed look, but Leo could only shrug back. He hated to admit it but the deplorable things Dani does help them keep the game running.
"We'll send Argos the Ninth," Leo said. "I know he's head of Internal Security but most of the players are in the coliseum right now anyway."
"Send Yojimbo as well," Morgana insisted. "He'll be glad to stretch his legs."
"Isn't he working as your bodyguard?" Leo reminded her.
"And who's going to attack me in Adventour?" Morgana asked wryly. "It's not like anyone can even see me apart from you people."
"Three guardians should be enough to eradicate whatever motley group Maleagant has sent our way," Agatha agreed.
Leo was uncomfortable in these types of meetings. He was a game designer, not a warlord. What did he know about warfare? Apart from the tactical RPGs, shooters, and strategy games he played and designed — absolutely nothing. And although he was kept his body fit, Leo never fancied himself a warrior.
No, these kinds of decisions certainly felt like they were beyond him. And yet everyone looked back at him expectantly. It was a look he was familiar with as he'd often seen it in board meetings or during big gaming conventions. His response now was the same as all those other instances, a boyish grin combined with some mild-mannered humor to hide the anxiety bubbling within him.
"Alright, let's go with that… I'm sure those three crazy bastards can raise enough hell together…" Leo grinned. "And on that note, I believe we have a competition to continue."
"The Creative Director and Executive Producer have decided on a course of action," Shannon said happily. "This meeting is now adjourned.
---
On his way back to the arena, Leo had taken the scenic route, as it were, to check up on his contestants. He was on his way to the locker rooms when he heard two people speaking in the hallway beyond the one he was in.
"Bloody hell, love, has it really gotten this bad?" Lyghtning's voice was loud and clear to Leo's ears.
"It's not so much the extremely painful hunger pangs… I can deal with that," Ath3na's voice responded. "But I can't keep holding off on absorbing essence, Lyghtning… Not if I want to keep playing this game…"
"Crap, Ath3na," Lyghtning sounded worried now. "If this addiction is affecting you this much maybe you should take a break from the Abyss…"
"I can't… Gargantuan Games just offered me a sponsorship contract, but they want me to place high in the Challenger's Cup," Ath3na replied. "Enough money to keep paying my dad's hospital bills…"
"So it's true then that GG actually developed the Abyss?" Lyghtning wondered. "They've been denying it all this time, the bunch of wankers…"
Leo's brow furrowed. He knew for a fact that Gargantuan Games wasn't responsible for developing the Abyss. So he thought it was weird of them to offer to sponsor Ath3na for playing it.
"No, I really don't think it's them either… although they do admit that the game may have a connection with Leonardo Dante as it was his authority that was used to insert the Easter Egg into MnMII," Ath3na answered in a voice that seemed to be having some difficulty. "But the man's dead so they're not certain…"
Yes, Leo was very much dead. But if Ath3na and her friends did their job right, he wouldn't be for long, he thought.
"It's not just them…" Ath3na continued. "Lots of companies in gaming and other industries have been offering sponsorships… the Abyss is such a hot item right now that just seeing their logos in-game will net them a lot of good buzz."
"Everyone wants a piece of the proverbial pie, huh?" Lyghtning guessed.
"Didn't that big pharmaceutical company contact you too?" Ath3na confirmed.
"Yeah, but I wasn't terribly interested in having the logo of erectile dysfunction plastered on my chest," Lyghtning chuckled.
Ath3na groaned.
"Ath3na…" Lyghtning's voice dripped with concern. "Bugger all… is this how it'll be when I hit level three? Is this why you've been holding out on your next evolution?"
"Yes," Ath3na's words were so weak that Leo had to strain to hear her.
"I'm afraid that if I break through to level three then I'll lose myself somehow, she said worriedly. "I crave essence so much now that I even think about it when I'm not in the game…"
Leo couldn't see Ath3na as he hadn't peeked into the corridor, but he could imagine that she was leaning on the wall and looking like she was in great pain while Lyghtning helped prop her up.
He guessed it but only now was it confirmed for him, the fact that essence addiction didn't stop after you left the game — although it wasn't so difficult to understand why. Absorbing essence, expanding your soul core, evolving, any one of these things fundamentally changed a human soul into something else entirely.
Leo could only surmise what such a drastic and irreversible change would do to someone after they returned to the mortal plane. In fact, he remembered seeing a streak of white strands in Ath3na's hair the last time she streamed new content on her channel. He thought she looked like Rogue from the X-Men.
"Maybe we should warn the devs," Lyghtning suggested. "It's up to those wankers to adjust these sensations they're making us feel…"
There was a long pause before Ath3na responded. "I'm okay now, Lyghtning… thanks."
Another pause before Lyghtning replied with, "How long has it been since you last took in essence?"
"It's been a week," Ath3na answered hesitantly.
"Bloody hell," Lyghtning said, sounding both annoyed and surprised. "You're competing in the cup on a nearly empty tank… what happens when you run out of soul energy?"
"We'll find out, won't we?" Ath3na replied, and Leo could hear a bit of levity in her voice.
She was being reckless, he knew. But he couldn't find it in himself to stop her. It was her soul to risk.
Before Leo walked away from the pair, he noticed that he wasn't alone in eavesdropping on them. On the other end of the corridor that crossed into Ath3na's and Lyghtning's corridor, the wide back of a well-built blonde man was walking away from him.
As he donned his Maestro guise and climbed the steps to the Arena, Leo wondered what Argonaut would do with the info he'd just heard.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
GD_Cruz
GD_Cruz Greetings, fellow reapers!
This chapter's a little longer than most but I felt discussing the current situation in the Abyss was important... it's not all fun and games. :p
So for those of you who are interested, there are seven guardians of Adventour. Five have now been named. Here's a list:
1. Masamune - old vampyre
2. Donatella - Maenad
3. Crimsonback - werewolf
4. Yojimbo - Revenant
5. Argos the Ninth - descendant of Argus, the many-eyed giant.
The other two have yet to be revealed. :D
Lastly, some of you have asked about Ath3na's latest skill. And I know I didn't add its status in the previous chapter. So here it is below:
[[WRAITH CHAIN] [ACTIVE] [COST: 10 Joules per use] [range: 60 ft. or 20 yards] Unleash an otherworldly chain from your hand to catch a target and dragged them to within arm's reach.]
Btw, double chapter day!!! :D Next chapter, Hack and Slash arrives in five minutes!
Regalos
-- Regalo
recibido Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder