Ona

Level 9

I stood in front of the tower and looked around. “What now?

Onisa said, “We climb higher! Run with me to the top of Mount Kiloss.”

I said, “Where is Ona? I should wait here until she returns. I have an idea we can use to save Loaf.”

Onisa said, “Loaf must play the game on his own. I need your help to change the end game conditions. I think your subscription access will bypass the security of the Kiloss server.” She pulled me clear of the tower door and started walking up the steep slope.

I refused to move.

Onisa grunted in frustration. She said, “Goodbye Bromme. I have one hour to stop the Source Aura.” She released her grip on my hand and raced toward the peak of Mount Kiloss with surprising speed.

Castle Bromme was the key to the game. I realized the importance of the castle when Loaf struggled through the tutorial. I walked down the slope to find my way back to the castle.

The headset was silent, with no messages from Loaf. I checked the in-game clock and realized Onisa was timing her end game with the start of sunset.

The walk in the forest was uneventful, and I was surprised the forest fairies did not make their presence known. I could see the shadows of figures join me on the march to the castle, but none stepped into the open to greet me. I stumbled into the clearing with the flowers surrounding the pond and carefully stepped through the trap without getting caught a second time. I reached the edge of the forest and stared out to the open plain.

The land was empty of people and activity. I continued the march to the castle and entered without incident.  I decided the best plan of action was to secure the castle,and found the mechanism to close the drawbridge.

“Hello King Bromme!” said a non-player character as he ran through the courtyard and vanished into a flash of blue light when he reached the closed gate.

The sky was quickly turning dark and I could feel the game preparing for a big event. The clouds flashed between an impressive three-dimensional effect to blue pixels raining from the sky and back again like a neon sign approaching the end of its usefulness.

“The game is ending.” I said to the silent castle.

The non-player background figures vanished when I locked the gate.I climbed the rampart and looked for movement in the distant forest or the vast plains surrounding the castle.

The world of Ona game introduction video mentioned a self-preservation mode. I pictured an attack from all of the in-game monsters, a siege on the castle. I looked around for glitches in the game, perhaps another non-player character, but the castle was silent.

The castle was empty and waiting.

Ona stepped into the courtyard. She looked up and shouted. “The tutorial levels in the castle are no place for a hero like you Bromme.”

I turned my attention back to the castle and shouted down to the courtyard. “The gate was locked!  How did you get into the castle?”

“I am Ona.”

I said, “And Onisa?”

“My older sister, the feared and mighty red knight, has reset the Kiloss server. The gathering storm of monsters was prevented through her brave actions. Loaf and the Source Aura were removed from the game. I noticed an alarming change in the emotions of the rogue players, and the software protections closed the connection. The King of the Crystal Keepers was found near the pond consoling the giant, a monster who was rather fond of the Source Aura.”

I said, “Emotion is detected in the headset and the terms and conditions of the EULA require a review of the players actions.”

“Yes, and I review the emotional outbursts to keep the content safe for the review board rating of Y-14. However, I am confident your friend will return soon. The headset connection is a shared link and I have started the recovery process to find his lost game character model and restore the stats.”

I said, “So why am I still here?”

Ona pointed to the castle and said, “The Castle Bromme protects the original developer game server.  The Kiloss server was simply a public access point for paid subscribers.”

I climbed down from the ramparts to enter the courtyard and get more answers from the game. I said, “And Loaf was the last subscriber?”

“No, the game will be restored. I did find that a subscriber link was the access path the Source Aura was using to ruin the game.”

I said, “The link provided full access to all levels of the game.”

“Yes, Bromme. The Source Aura planned to live stream the destruction of the world she helped create. The monsters she was gathering from all levels of the game were intended as a weapon to destroy Castle Bromme. She was the true monster, seeking attention while hurting others with her reckless behavior.”

I said, “Why the castle?”

“The game world cannot be destroyed while Castle Bromme stands in the center of the world.”

I laughed, “I see Ona standing in the center of Castle Bromme.”

The virtual reality screen flashed a message from Loaf and I quietly praised his recent victory against a clan of Ground Pikes in a battle near the castle.

Ona said, “Level 10.”

© J. Bateman

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