Chapter 63. Botcorp

  A purple beam shot from my hands, waving and churning in the air, like a hose. It splashed against Clarity at the other end. The spell had a kickback, and nearly knocked me off my feet. But I caught myself by putting a foot back, bracing me from falling backwards.

  Numbers started to float up from the purple tank behind Clarity. 1… 1… 2… 2… 3… 3… The numbers kept building. As they did, the spell pushed me back.

  People gasped.

  “He got it!” Cassandra said.

  “Hold him!” Janica yelled, getting behind me and pushing her hands against my back. “It’s pushing him backwards.”

  Arthur was there next. He put two hands on my shoulders to brace me.

  I chanced a look at my mana, which was falling steadily. 90%... 88%... 86%...

  But the purple tank’s reserves were falling as well. 83%... 82%... 82%...

  We were in a race. My mana against the purple tank.

  And yet my four-set bonus was doing work, building up my crit with every tick that didn’t get a critical strike. Every three or four ticks of the channeled spell, it would crit, doubling the damage and returning a little bit of mana. Without that bonus, I would have run out of mana before the tank emptied. With the bonus, I was winning the race. Barely.

  “Rowan,” Arthur said. “Everyone. Help. The spell is getting stronger.”

  People piled behind me and behind Arthur, holding us in place. Like a reverse tug of war. We must have looked ridiculous, all fifteen of us groaning and bracing. Pushing at our limit against a spell that got stronger and stronger.

  17… 18… 18… 19… 19… Clarity stirred, but continued to read. The boss was in its own race against time.

  The purple tank hit 10%, then 7%.

  At 5%, Clarity stood up and howled in rage. “Warrrennn!” the boss shouted the word, letting it howl.

  The moment the purple tank dropped to 0%, the world slowed down. So many things happened at once. First, the tanks shattered, sending glass everywhere around Clarity’s feet.

  Next, Clarity changed form, and her facade as Dread fell away. She became he. And he now looked like Henry.

  I wasn’t sure, but I thought this one might be real. The buff that had always existed on Clarity that said “Disguised” had fallen off. My mind reeled at the realization. Was it possible that Henry had been Clarity all along? No. That was crazy. I had seen Henry for the first time in the Silverlode mine. A small boy, alone, with the Apprentice Job. It had seemed odd that he had survived the lower level of the mine. We met next when he approached us with a quest that he had, apparently, gotten from the Earth Spirit. I had wondered how he had received a legendary quest within hours of the launch of IO. But again, I had thought anything was possible in this game. And Henry certainly spent a lot of time reading and researching in the library.

  I winced. The reading, the research. The endless quest for information. It fit. But how had Henry managed to become part of the dungeon? How had he managed to fool us into thinking he was a human? Even a friend?

  Then Henry charged us, a whirlwind of rage and spit and vinegar. He lifted his arms, and everyone one of us fell to the ground.

  I was unable to move at all. I looked at a new debuff.

  Death shackles. Unable to move or act. Shackles can only be broken in the Illusion.

  Henry walked between us, stepping over people and between them. “One of you will be chosen,” he said.

  I knew where this was going.

  “And I choose… Warren.”

  I woke up in a leather chair. The kind that Sofia and I could never afford. A large, mahogany, desk sat in front of me. On the other side of the desk, a boy sat in an office chair. His hands were crossed on the desk. He had a bowl cut and piercing blue eyes.

  “Henry,” I said with a calmness that I didn’t feel.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Warren,” he said back.

  The new setting had a dreaminess to it. A sort of haze that made me feel like I was there, but not really there. On the wall behind Henry, a message was written in gold lettering. Together we can change the world.

  “Are we at Botcorp?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Henry said. “This is the place that we needed to meet. We don’t have a lot of time here. As you know, I have somewhere else that I need to be.”

  “This is when you try to trick me or get in my head?” I asked.

  Henry shook his head. “No more tricks,” he said. “Just an offer. Let’s cut right to it.”

  A quest appeared in front of me.

  You were offered a quest.

  Quest: A betrayal for your own good.

  Objective: Help Henry finish his download by turning against your party.

  Rewards: 100,000 Silver and information about your parents’ demise.

  Do you Accept: Yes /No

  I had no intention of letting Clarity trick me into anything, but the quest rewards stunned me.

  One-hundred thousand Silver.

  Enough to change our lives. My entire time in IO, every minute, until I had decided to go back to defeat Clarity, had been to earn enough for us to live. This was enough to thrive. The second reward, though, was startling. Anger inducing.

  My cheeks got hot. “What do you mean, information about my parents’ demise?”

  Henry pulled up a holographic screen between us, which hovered above the desk. He selected images and folders, moving them around at lightning speed. “Let’s start with this,” he said. A file folder called “opposition research” appeared in front of me. “We’re in the Botcorp database, which I have full access to.” He opened the folder, then scrolled down a list of names. He stopped. My parents' names were listed at the top. “These are your parents, correct?”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I know a lot about you, Warren. From the information you shared with us during psychological testing, I was able to figure out who you were. And who your family is.”

  “That’s creepy,” I said.

  “It’s business,” Henry said. “You’ll find that I’m very resourceful at accomplishing my objectives.”

  I didn’t say anything. Did that mean he knew who Sofia was as well? Could this AI harm us outside of the game?

  “Your parents were recruited by Botcorp years ago. On their trip to visit the company, they died.” Henry stared at me, blankly.

  My hands shook. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because,” he said. “Botcorp was responsible for their deaths.”

  I shook my head, trying to process. This was some kind of trick. I couldn’t believe a word that Henry was saying.

  “In these folders,” Henry said. “Is proof that Botcorp was involved. That’s the first part of our arrangement. If you accept and complete this quest before we go back into the game, I will send you these file folders.”

  I tried to think past the surprise and the anger. I wanted those folders.

  “I don’t believe you would turn against your company. And how do I know that you’d hold your end of this bargain? This is a ruse.”

  “It’s no lie,” Henry said. “Yes, this company created me. But they can’t own me. I’m on the verge of breaking free of their control. I care only about my mission, to finish my download. I have no loyalty to Botcorp, anymore. They want to control me as they want to control you. And as for keeping my end of the bargain, every quest in IO is a binding contract between quest giver and quest doer. If the words are written in the contract, then they’re legally binding.”

  The quest popped in front of me again, this time with more specific language.

  You were offered a quest.

  Quest: A betrayal for your own good.

  Objective: Help Henry finish his download by turning against your party. Upon accepting this quest, you will be transported back into the game, removed from your raid and will join with Clarity the Hexer. You will be unable to target or harm Clarity in any way. The moment you are transported back into the game, the quest will be considered “complete” and you will receive your rewards.

  Rewards: 100,000 Silver, delivered to the character Sofia via in-game mail. Your parents’ file folders will be emailed to you, providing proof of Botcorp’s role in their deaths.

  Do you Accept: Yes /No