Hitomi
It had been a long, lonely journey to find Ylvain and reach out to their guide, but as Hitomi knelt on the floor in her room of the inn, she felt satisfied. Making it all the way into what was essentially uncharted territory on her own would only help her reputation within the Dawn Knights, all too necessary amidst the growing murmurs of a schism. There was already a faction within the guild calling themselves the Sunset Knights, and though they hadn't split off from the main group officially, they had started raiding and trawling dungeons on their own. The timing of this quest, handed to her by Maeva herself, was a mixed blessing, at best.
Hitomi pulled the large blue crystal from her bag and whispered the words of the spell that would activate its beacon. Krave and Garreth both carried similar crystals they'd be able to use to teleport to her. The enchanted items had been expensive, but worth the cost. Krave had his own business to take care of, and Garreth had agreed to let her make the journey on her own. Now, all she had to do was wait until the morning and their adventure would begin. She stood and stretched, removing her armor and resting her sword by the bed before laying down.
Then, with a stroke of her escape key, Hitomi logged out.
A few moments later, the screen flashed the familiar message telling Hitomi Offerman that it was safe to remove her headset, that her progress had been recorded and she was successfully logged out. She set the contoured glass and plastic visor down on her cluttered desk next to a little 3D printed figurine of her own avatar, Hitomi Heartwind. Garreth – his real name was Garth – had printed it out, painstakingly painted it to match her in-game look, and shipped it to her once she got her newest armor. It was a huge achievement, that armor, and put her in an equipment class above ninety-nine percent of the other players in the game. Thinking about that brought more than a touch of joy to Hitomi, and she found herself holding the figurine, looking over it. And then she began to compare its flawless beauty to herself.
Hitomi Heartwind was strong and slender, with light and smooth skin and immaculate hair, black streaked with vibrant red highlights. Hitomi Offerman had the upper body strength of a fish, and always felt there were ten more pounds on her body than there should be no matter how much she jogged or did yoga. She'd tried to dye her own hair the way her avatar's was but had only succeeded in leaving bleach-yellow streaks of stiff, damaged hair. Hitomi Heartwind had piercing blue eyes that flashed with magic and a fierce intelligence. Hitomi Offerman's brown eyes never seemed to flash with anything except the artificial tears she used after hours in the headset, and they were usually hidden behind thick glasses. Hitomi Heartwind was a warrior hero with unparalleled skill, dressed in gleaming armor and wielding a greatsword that was nearly unique in the world. Hitomi Offerman was a college drop-out who made a living playing an online video game, and who only wore something other than pajamas or sweatpants when she visited her parents or her life coach insisted.
Hitomi set the figurine back down on the desk and turned to face the computer that took up most of the real estate in her little bedroom. One of its monitors showed the welcome screen to Heroes of Euferia, with the figure of Maeva, the Herald of Heroes, in her elegant toga-esque gown, waiting to interact with the player. The other had four various pages pulled up, each showing the stats of some item or monster, maps of the North and the forest around Ylvain, or the strategy guide she was writing for her free company to use. She made sure everything was saved and shut the system down. Sitting in the dim room, she leaned her head back and pulled out her phone.
[Activated the beacon, guide will be ready at sunrise 7am EST. Be on by then. See you tomorrow.]
She sent the message to her companions, Kevin and Garth, and yawned. She had about eight hours to sleep if she woke up early enough to eat, get in a pre-dawn jog to keep the life coach happy, and shower before the quest started. Hitomi set her phone back down and wandered across the little apartment, fixing herself a Hot Pocket as a quick and easy dinner before she finally fell back into bed.
As she stared up at the darkened ceiling, thoughts wandering and a microwaved "sandwich" digesting in her belly, her mind settled, as it often did, back on the game. Chathen was a fairly run-of-the-mill NPC for the most part, but she'd reacted more smoothly than most. One thing that Heroes of Euferia had boasted since its release was that every character would have their own voice and evolving dialogue, thanks to a new modulation program that removed the need for an actor, and while most hadn't had a great deal of expressiveness it was impressive to see computer generated characters respond to what a player actually said. It was one of the first games to use post-Turing character AIs, and definitely the first massively multiplayer game to do so. Chathen seemed more real than most, though. Which made sense, in a way. She was part of a brand-new questline, a newly minted character in a freshly created section of the world, which Hitomi's guild had been selected to test. In a couple weeks, if everything worked, Ylvain would be swarming with high-level players all scrambling for the same quest Hitomi was about to start, but tonight she'd been the only "hero of Euferia" the townspeople had ever entertained. Being one of the top-ranked players had its perks.
Hitomi woke up to her alarm without having realized she'd fallen asleep. Which, she supposed, was usually the way of it, but it always felt unsettling. She was more used to watching her avatar fall asleep in the game. Most of it was played in a close third-person view, with a first-person mode for players using the Optic Dream, but as the player was logging out the camera pulled back further so they could see their character falling asleep. There was something oddly reassuring about it for Hitomi, though she'd heard other players complain about it. Then again, most other players spent less time in Euferia than she did.
The sun had yet to rise, and she felt the urge to wait in bed until it was time to meet the others. The growling of her stomach changed her mind, and she dragged herself to her feet. Breakfast consisted of a bowl of shredded wheat, too crunchy for too short a time before melting into a milky mush, but she'd been banned from the sugar-soaked marshmallowy goodness she used to eat. There was also an apple for good measure. Her life coach made sure she kept well-stocked on fruits and veggies, and it felt bad to let them spoil in the fridge.
After breakfast, Hitomi dressed in loose sweatpants and a long-sleeved tee shirt. These morning jogs had become regular enough that she wasn't shocked by the pre-dawn chill when she stepped into it, and with her headphones in the world seemed another blessed step away. She imagined, as she often did while doing any kind of exercise, that she was her other self in training. It helped stave off the urge to turn around and walk slowly back to her apartment. She noted, as she returned home, that today's run had been a full minute shorter than her best time the week before. She was getting faster.
After a quick shower, Hitomi pulled on a pair of comfy pants and a hoodie. Her wet hair was pulled into a loose ponytail and stuffed into a beanie – there was no time to wait for it to dry. She flipped the power switch on her computer and watched the monitors flicker to life, then picked up the Optic Dream headset and pulled it over her eyes. Two images floated in front of her. She clicked the one that showed her finances first. There were still about five minutes until she was due in the inn to meet the guys.
Most of Hitomi's income came from the game's auction house. There, players from around the world could spend real-world currency or in-game gold on weapons, items, even services from other players. She and some of the other officers of the Sunset Knights regularly took on the most difficult tasks the game had to offer, selling all but the best gear and guiding less experienced players through dangerous areas. It didn't make for a glamorous living, but it meant Hitomi could spend her time doing what she loved most: gaming. She'd heard a rumor that there was only one person who made more in the game than she did, but she refused to give that too much thought. She made enough to live, and that was enough for her.
Now, though, she was doing contract work for the game's developers themselves, working for a modest hourly wage with the promise of a bonus upon the quest's completion. Hitomi, Krave, and Garreth had been hired to test a new expansion to the game, to make sure everything worked for real-time players with the skills to push the programs to their limits. It wasn't the first time Hitomi had playtested a game, but there was a difference between working a nine-to-five looking for bugs and glitches in cell phone games and running the gamut on something she loved. The first check from the company had already gone through, a modest bonus for starting the job, and she closed out of that screen satisfied. With a smile on her face, she logged into the game.
“You're two minutes late,” Hitomi heard as she stepped out of her room. She sighed and turned to find Krave leaning on the wall outside her room. He didn't have to lean like that – she was about ninety percent sure he'd done it for dramatic effect – but it was definitely his style.
“I said seven. It's seven,” she answered, walking past him toward the main room of the inn. He followed on silent footsteps.
Where Hitomi Heartwind was built for power and speed, Krave Stranlich had stealth in mind. His skin was bone-white but covered almost completely by black spell-woven leather, and Hitomi was fairly sure he was bald under his hood. A cloak, also black, concealed an array of daggers, poisonous flasks, and bombs. Hitomi was a walking tank, but Krave was an entire arsenal. Hitomi knew he had a pair of poisoned knives as his main weapons, but he'd never told her what they were made from, or how he'd come by them.
As Hitomi found a table and sat, Krave stood behind her. That habit had always irked Hitomi, but she'd never been able to vocalize exactly why it did. Something about it was simply predatory, but that made sense for an assassin. Maybe she just hated feeling like prey.
“Fine,” he muttered. “Maybe you're on time by your own clock, but you're late by mine. And Garreth is late either way.”
“Give him a couple minutes. He'll show soon.” Garreth had always been a friend to Hitomi, but he wasn't one to defend himself from the ridicule he sometimes received. She'd spent a lot of time sticking up for him since founding the Dawn Knights.
Hitomi and Krave watched Garreth appear together, the glow of his teleport crystal giving the room an amber shine before the magical object turned to dust. Hitomi's beacon did the same, its purpose served. Garreth smiled at them and waved, the awkwardness of the gesture somehow coming through his avatar from the real world.
“Sorry I'm late,” he said softly. “Father's still asleep, so I have to whisper for a while.”
Garth, Garreth Smallfoot's player, had moved back in with his father after a stroke left the man paralyzed in half his body. It meant he would occasionally have to leave his computer for stretches of time to attend to his dad's needs, and that hadn't helped his reputation with the guild. It didn't help that he was on the autism spectrum and couldn't quite figure out how certain things worked. He was smart, sweet, and a talented player, but gamers could still be cruel. People could be cruel.
“No worries Garreth, we're glad you made it.”
Krave scoffed but Hitomi pretended not to notice. Garreth took a seat at the table, clambering up the chair. He was a halfling and a wizard, carrying a staff that was almost twice his height and wearing a hat the obscured most of his head. As a wizard, he had access to spells that could command forces of nature and change the flow of time, while being a halfling meant he was frail but quick. The three of them made an adequate party for most quests.
Chathen came in a moment after Garreth sat down, dressed in well-crafted leather armor, carrying a bow on her back and a sword on her hip. Hitomi waved her over, watching the way she crossed the room with confidence and a powerful stride. She was taller than Krave, with the kind of ropey muscle that comes with actual use. Chathen had been crafted with practicality in mind, made to look like a true warrior. Hitomi felt like a porcelain doll next to her, despite the heavy armor and giant sword.
There was another woman with Chathen, a contrast in almost every way. Short and pale, with an elven look about her, she wore a flowing robe and carried a thick tome. Hitomi guessed at a glance that she was a mage – a spellcaster who specialized in healing magic – but she wasn't another player.
“Good morning, everyone. My name is Chathen Dubrais, and this is Lessa Ethellion. I'll be your guide into the forest, and she'll be coming along.”
Hitomi thought she heard a bit of embarrassment in Chathen's voice as she spoke. She had to be projecting that, though. The acting modulation program that the game used was decent with high emotions, things like fury and despair and joy, but she'd never seen what one could call a subtle performance from one of the non-player characters. It was part of the reason she and many of the Dawn Knights were committed to playing in character – it helped preserve the realness of the game.
Krave was the first to respond to Chathen. “I thought we were getting one guide, not two. I won't be responsible for keeping your little friend alive.”
Lessa stepped forward. Krave had a head of height on her and that menacing assortment of blades and gadgets, but the mage seemed unperturbed.
“I can keep meself alive, thanks.”
Garreth smiled. “It will be good to have a healer,” he whispered.
“That it will. Welcome to the party, Lessa,” Hitomi said, stepping between the pale mage and the assassin at her back. “Chathen, when can we be ready to move out?”
“We're ready whenever you are. It would be good to have a clearer idea of what we're looking for, though.”
Hitomi dug into her inventory, pulling out the map she'd been given for the quest. It came out of her belt pouch as a folded bit of leathery parchment, and he handed it to Chathen.
“We are looking for a castle,” Garreth piped in helpfully.
Chathen stared at the map for a moment, reorienting it and nodding to herself.
“It won't be easy. I've never gone this far in, personally, but I can get you there. What's this castle supposed to be?”
Hitomi smiled and struck a pose, hand on her hip and head tossed back in blasé confidence. “Why, Chathen, didn't I tell you? We're off to slay a god.”
Copyright Jesse Vetters, 2016
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