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Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Hey Chloe!

This is a test message to see if this works. Boy, I hope it does.

Mia and I have been trying hard—well, mostly Mia—to find a way to communicate with you in-game. The better you get at your new digital life, the fewer chances we have of catching you in the white room when you die, and things are changing fast out here.

Wow, that was a weird sentence to type.

Please reply to this message and let us know you’ve received it. We’ll have no way of knowing otherwise.

Unless…

How about, once you read this, you use a codeword or perform an action that people won’t understand. “Pumpernickel” or “sandbag.” Or maybe just a wave and a peace sign to the sky?

I’m so excited about this. I hope it works!

Doc

Chloe let out a small exhale, not quite believing what she was reading. The doc and Mia had done it. Had hacked into the game and provided her with a means of communication that didn’t involve Chloe having to kill herself and wait in the white room for two hours to resurrect.

“What do you mean, you can send messages to each other?” Tag said, suddenly catching on to Gideon and Chloe’s exchange. “Have you been messaging about us behind our backs?”

Gideon looked awkwardly at his hands and played with his fingers. “No, not at all. I’d never do that. The chat function has been there all along, anyway. You probably haven’t noticed it before because you’ve had no need to use it. All of your friends are here, within ten feet of each other.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Nice save. But that doesn’t change the fact we haven’t yet added Chloe to our menus. Wait a second…”

Ben’s eyes unfocused as he fiddled and manipulated his HUD. A second later, a notification popped up on Chloe’s screen.

Benjamin Summers would like you to be his friend.

You’ve made quite the impression. Add this character to your list of people who’ll cry at your funeral.

Accept: Y/N

Chloe hit Y instantly, not wanting to offend Ben further. “Thanks.”

Tag grumbled. “Wait, what about me?” Another notification appeared, and Chloe accepted it without question.

“There, that’s better. A merry band of friends.” Chloe paused, a thought popping into her head. She looked away shiftily, adding, “You can all be my

pumpernickels

…or my…

sandbags

…in life. We’ve got each other’s backs…right?” She finished by raising a peace sign into the air.

“Why does she keep doing that?” Tag asked. “Who’s up there?”

Ben looped a finger in the air near his ear. “This game can make you cuckoo.”

Chloe laughed awkwardly, then looked away and distracted herself with her messages. She re-read the message from the doc, then noticed a new option available on her menu. The text read Party and was slightly shaded, with an info icon beside it.

Chloe selected the info icon.

Wahoo! Celebrate in style by customizing the world around you with confetti, balloons, and streamers!

We’re just kidding.

Parties are one of the lifeblood of the successful adventurer. By shunning the solitary life and joining a band of brothers and sisters, there are no limits to what you can do.

Obsidian’s party menu will be available once a player has bonded with 4 other players and invited them to join. Parties require a name and often benefit from a balance of unique skillsets within the group.

Once a party has been established, a reputation meter will become available, indicating your fame or infamy among the inhabitants of the land. Work together as a unit (for good or evil) and understand that the choices you make directly affect everyone within the party.

Friends required to unlock: 1 remaining

“Damn, one friend short,” Chloe said.

“What do you mean?” Ben asked.

“Look at your menus. Does anyone else see the party option?”

Gideon’s eyes went glassy. “Oh, that? That’s been there for ages. I just never bothered to activate it.”

“Then

read

it,” Chloe said. “We’re

one

friend away from being able to make a party. Surely that’s a good thing, right?”

Ben nodded, deep in thought. “Usually. In some of the other games I’ve played, it’s the only way to unlock certain areas of the map, as well as receiving benefits and favor from other player groups.”

Chloe flapped her hands, unsure why the others weren’t picking up on what she was trying to communicate. “Then why aren’t we more excited about this? Let’s find another person and get them involved.”

“Aren’t we forgetting someone?” Tag said, wrapping his arm around Jesepiah. “There’s five of us here, isn’t there?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Jesepiah asked.

“There’s actually six,” Ben corrected. “If the wisp counts, of course.”

“Of course, the wisp counts,” Chloe snapped.

Jesepiah looked at Tag for help. “I don’t understand.”

“Look, honey…”

“Honey

?” Ben exclaimed.

“Look, it’s nothing to worry about. We’ve got a chance to create an official in-game party, and there’s a space for you to be our fifth member. All you need to do is open your HUD and accept the friend request I’m about to send over to you…” Tag’s voice trailed away. “Huh? I can’t find you on the system.”

Gideon, a little sharper than the love-smitten dwarf, caught Chloe’s eyes, silently trying to communicate his thoughts.

It took Chloe a second, but it eventually sank in.

Tag continued, “I can’t seem to… What’s your screen name?”

“Er, Tag?” Chloe said, edging closer to the dwarf and tapping his shoulder. “Maybe a bit awkward, but I don’t think Jesepiah counts.”

“What do you mean,

I

don’t count?”

“Nothing personal. It’s just that I think only the blessed can band together to join the party. I’m not sure NPCs are able to get involved in—”

“Ah! Found you,” Tag said. A second later they all received a request from Jesepiah.

Jesepiah Creedle would like you to be her friend.

You’ve made quite the impression. Add this character to your list of people who’ll cry at your funeral.

Accept: Y/N

Well, more fool me…

They all muttered, selecting the Y option. Once they had all confirmed, a strange blue mist began to swirl up from the cracks in the ground, wrapping around them all and becoming thicker, twinkling stars sparkling among the fog.

Gideon raised his arms as if he were wading through a swimming pool and didn’t want to get them wet. “What is happening?”

Chloe looked away from the gas, studying a new notification which had appeared.

Party unlocked

Congratulations, you’ve found four others in Obsidian who put up with you long enough to want to become your friends.

With Party now unlocked, you can invite your group to band together, gaining a selection of advantageous benefits and proving to the others in Obsidian that you are all bigger than the sum of your parts.

Parties you have encountered in-game will now also show in the Community tab of the Parties menu, meaning that you will be able to track your reputation and status against the other groups in Obsidian.

Monthly prizes and rewards will be available to those who top the ranks and prove to Obsidian that their party is the mightiest of all.

Chloe moved her attention to the Party option, which was now pulsing and glowing brighter than the others. She saw floating avatar heads of Tag, Gideon, Ben, and Jesepiah and selected them all, clicking a button at the bottom to confirm.

“Done!” Chloe said excitedly. One by one, the adventurers accepted Chloe’s invitation, their avatars exploding into bright color in her vision.

“Okay, we’re going to need a name,” Chloe said, selecting the Party Name option at the top. “It has to be super kickass and sweet, something that’ll strike fear into the hearts of our enemies and inspire those who we come to help. Anyone got any ideas?”

“The Kiera Slayers,” Ben suggested right off the bat.

Chloe nodded, impressed. “Nice…like Kiera

Freya

, but Kiera

Slayers

. You think of that all by yourself?”

“Ya-huh.”

“Been holding it in for some time?”

“Ever since you told us about the armor.”

“Nice.” Chloe chuckled. “But a crap name for the party. It sounds like we want to kill anyone named Kiera.”

“I see your point,” Ben agreed.

“How about ‘The Destructicons?’” Tag suggested.

“We’re not out here destroying robots,” Gideon said, rolling his eyes. “Nor are

we

robots.”

“All right then, Gid, why don’t

you

come up with an idea?”

Gideon did. He came up with a few, all of them ranging from terrible to worse. They included elements of girl band names, cheesy clichés from other games, and, the worst among them involved such profane alliteration that it left Jesepiah, Tag, and Ben in stitches.

Gideon flushed and folded his arms. Somewhere above them, those strange prehistoric birds cawed as though joining in with the mirth.

“Okay, okay,” Chloe said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. “We’re not getting anywhere with this. How about we think about it—let it ruminate—and let’s say that by the time we have collected this piece of armor, we’ll put our names back into the ring and vote on our favorite?”

They each agreed, Gideon mumbling something about not wanting to bother even trying again before Chloe got them all back on their feet.

“Are we all ready to hop inside an active volcano and meet our doom?”

Jesepiah toasted with an imaginary cup. “Great pep talk, boss.”

“She’s always like this,” Ben said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, if you’re not careful, I’ll find a way to push you all in. Now shut up, and let’s get our gears going.”

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