Game Over
Dreamt of Legacy
The trek back to the camp was long and silent. Eve walked close to Andy, her small arms wrapped around her waist and head down. One of Andy's arms was comfortingly wrapped around her as they walked with the group.
The entire group made no noise the whole way. The tension was hung so heavily in the air and it only grew heavier with each step they took.
When they reached their final destination, Mystic pulled Andy aside, presumably towards the medical tent. Andy frowned a little. "But, what about Eve?"
Mystic shook his head and pointed to the bed, directing Andy to sit. "Eve will be fine. Her wounds aren't as serious." He cocked a brow and reached into a faded brown satchel on the edge of the bed. "I really shouldn't be giving you this, but... I think you could use it." He withdrew a small bottle. The liquid inside of it was an odd blue color, glowing ever so slightly.
"What is it?" Andy took the small container, popping the lid off and sniffing it.
"It's a health potion. I don't know if it'll have the full effect on you since you're not an officially coded in game character, but it should help a bit." Mystic explained. Andy examined it further before tipping his head back and swallowing the oddly colored, thick substance. He gagged a bit after swallowing, face twisted in disgust.
"That's- nasty." He grimaced, the bitter taste lingering in his mouth.
"Hey, I never said it was supposed to taste good." Mystic laughed dryly, dabbing at the cut on his arm with a damp rag. Andy said nothing, gazing down at himself. More specifically, gazing at the star pendant that rested against his chest. He lifted it with fingers delicately and traced the edges quietly.
"He really cared about you, y'know." Mystic said softly, observing his movements. Andy looked up and furrowed his brow. "Deviant. I've never seen him so... worried about someone before..."
Andy looked away again. "He told you I was, uh, not in the game?" He said quietly to change the subject. Mystic sighed and sat back, nodding.
"Yeah. When you went after Eve, he told us." Mystic responded.
Andy nodded silently.
For a while, neither of them said anything until Mystic stood. "You're all patched up, kiddo. Go get some sleep."
Andy didn't stand, watching him. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you... like Deviant? Connected to the real world?"
Mystic thought for a moment. "I suppose. Mourner, Destroyer, and myself, yeah. We're secondary characters, so we don't have as much control over the game as Deviant does- um, did."
Andy nodded. "What are your real world names?"
Mystic smiled a little and sat on the bed beside him. "Well, I know that Mourner's person's name is Jake, Destroyer's goes by CC, I think, and mine is Jinxx. We're the only-"
"Forgetting me? I've got real-world awareness, too, y'know."
Andy and Mystic both looked up to see Eve in the tent entrance, smiling weakly. Mystic sighed.
"Eve, you should be resting right now..."
Eve shook her head and sat on the other side of Andy. "No, I've been thinking... Something isn't right, Mystic."
Andy scooted back a bit, allowing the two to have a face to face conversation rather than talk across Andy. Eve glanced at him briefly and then back at Mystic.
"Think about it. It's been about two hours... Deviant should be back by now. The game should have reset." She sighed heavily. "I think..." Eve trailed off.
Mystic looked at Andy and then back at Eve. "You think what, Eve." He asked cautiously.
"Prophet's not part of the game code. Right? The game must be glitching because of it. Think about it, the normal course of the game is I get broken out of the dungeons and then brought back, and then the whole big show down happens, all that, but if he dies, then the game restarts from the last checkpoint and he regenerates. Everything starts over." She explained. "And I think having Prophet here... kind of, really, fucked up the game's ability to do that. It can't reset with him in here."
"Then I'll leave." Andy frowned.
"But... I don't know how to get you out..." Eve grimaced. "None of us do. Only Deviant knew, but until the game resets... he's not gonna be much help."
Andy paled, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Are you saying I'm stuck here?" He whispered, the fear and confusion dawning on him at once. Eve and Mystic held eye contact briefly before Mystic sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.
"Alright. Prophet, listen to me. Okay?" He said slowly. Andy looked at him, trying to keep his body still. "We aren't supposed to talk about this. But, there's a game control panel somewhere in the game-"
"The in-game controls? They're in the dungeons somewhere." Andy frowned.
Mystic frowned deeper. "How do you know that?"
"Some kid told me... Why?"
"Where was this kid?"
"Not too far out from- Wait, why?"
"Prophet, just answer the damn questions. What did he look like?"
Andy blinked, thinking back. "Uh.. Short. He was really only wearing a pair of ratty, baggy pants. And he had the black war paint smudged all over, and some weird mask was in his hand. He looked to be maybe, I don't know, 11? Maybe 12?"
Mystic pursed his lips and glanced briefly at Eve. "That's not... Fuck, that wasn't a little kid."
"It was the stupid game drone." Eve put her head in her hands. "Shit."
Andy looked between them, giving them both questioning glances.
Eve sighed heavily and turned him to explain.
"Every game has what's called a 'drone.' The drones job is to basically monitor the game they're programmed in. To the player and to the creator, it's just the helpful character that offers information to get the player going. In the game universe, it's job is to keep everything under control. It's the game world's way of keeping tabs on the different worlds- basically a security camera, except they're in control of what they do and how they do it, if that makes sense."
"Nothing.. nothing is making sense anymore, no." Andy laughed dryly. "So you mean to tell me I just asked a security drone for directions to shut off the game?"
"And by now it's probably been reported." Mystic sighed. "That means that Game Control is going to power us down."
"But isn't that what we want?" Andy furrowed his brows.
"Not with you in it. If it powers down with you here, you're erased. Same thing as if you get killed. So-" Mystic stood. "I think we've got to make a bit of journey back to the dungeons, don't you think? You, me, Destroyer, and Mourner."
Eve's face fell. She stood up quickly, facing him. "I'm going too."
Mystic shook his head and went around her, packing up a med kit. "You need to stay here. You're in charge of the camp while we're gone."
Eve huffed and looked at Andy, putting an arm around him. "Hey, when you get back to your world, do something for me?"
Andy blinked, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "And that would be?"
"Go find him."
"Find who?"
"You know what I mean." She winked and left the tent. Mystic paid no mind to Andy as he continued to pack up supplies. Andy stared at the tent opening, blushing faintly.
Mystic sat up straight and looked over at Andy. "We'll leave in the morning. Go get some sleep, kid." He pointed off to the direction of the other tents. Andy nodded, muttering his thanks before making his way over to his tent.
The entire group made no noise the whole way. The tension was hung so heavily in the air and it only grew heavier with each step they took.
When they reached their final destination, Mystic pulled Andy aside, presumably towards the medical tent. Andy frowned a little. "But, what about Eve?"
Mystic shook his head and pointed to the bed, directing Andy to sit. "Eve will be fine. Her wounds aren't as serious." He cocked a brow and reached into a faded brown satchel on the edge of the bed. "I really shouldn't be giving you this, but... I think you could use it." He withdrew a small bottle. The liquid inside of it was an odd blue color, glowing ever so slightly.
"What is it?" Andy took the small container, popping the lid off and sniffing it.
"It's a health potion. I don't know if it'll have the full effect on you since you're not an officially coded in game character, but it should help a bit." Mystic explained. Andy examined it further before tipping his head back and swallowing the oddly colored, thick substance. He gagged a bit after swallowing, face twisted in disgust.
"That's- nasty." He grimaced, the bitter taste lingering in his mouth.
"Hey, I never said it was supposed to taste good." Mystic laughed dryly, dabbing at the cut on his arm with a damp rag. Andy said nothing, gazing down at himself. More specifically, gazing at the star pendant that rested against his chest. He lifted it with fingers delicately and traced the edges quietly.
"He really cared about you, y'know." Mystic said softly, observing his movements. Andy looked up and furrowed his brow. "Deviant. I've never seen him so... worried about someone before..."
Andy looked away again. "He told you I was, uh, not in the game?" He said quietly to change the subject. Mystic sighed and sat back, nodding.
"Yeah. When you went after Eve, he told us." Mystic responded.
Andy nodded silently.
For a while, neither of them said anything until Mystic stood. "You're all patched up, kiddo. Go get some sleep."
Andy didn't stand, watching him. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you... like Deviant? Connected to the real world?"
Mystic thought for a moment. "I suppose. Mourner, Destroyer, and myself, yeah. We're secondary characters, so we don't have as much control over the game as Deviant does- um, did."
Andy nodded. "What are your real world names?"
Mystic smiled a little and sat on the bed beside him. "Well, I know that Mourner's person's name is Jake, Destroyer's goes by CC, I think, and mine is Jinxx. We're the only-"
"Forgetting me? I've got real-world awareness, too, y'know."
Andy and Mystic both looked up to see Eve in the tent entrance, smiling weakly. Mystic sighed.
"Eve, you should be resting right now..."
Eve shook her head and sat on the other side of Andy. "No, I've been thinking... Something isn't right, Mystic."
Andy scooted back a bit, allowing the two to have a face to face conversation rather than talk across Andy. Eve glanced at him briefly and then back at Mystic.
"Think about it. It's been about two hours... Deviant should be back by now. The game should have reset." She sighed heavily. "I think..." Eve trailed off.
Mystic looked at Andy and then back at Eve. "You think what, Eve." He asked cautiously.
"Prophet's not part of the game code. Right? The game must be glitching because of it. Think about it, the normal course of the game is I get broken out of the dungeons and then brought back, and then the whole big show down happens, all that, but if he dies, then the game restarts from the last checkpoint and he regenerates. Everything starts over." She explained. "And I think having Prophet here... kind of, really, fucked up the game's ability to do that. It can't reset with him in here."
"Then I'll leave." Andy frowned.
"But... I don't know how to get you out..." Eve grimaced. "None of us do. Only Deviant knew, but until the game resets... he's not gonna be much help."
Andy paled, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Are you saying I'm stuck here?" He whispered, the fear and confusion dawning on him at once. Eve and Mystic held eye contact briefly before Mystic sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.
"Alright. Prophet, listen to me. Okay?" He said slowly. Andy looked at him, trying to keep his body still. "We aren't supposed to talk about this. But, there's a game control panel somewhere in the game-"
"The in-game controls? They're in the dungeons somewhere." Andy frowned.
Mystic frowned deeper. "How do you know that?"
"Some kid told me... Why?"
"Where was this kid?"
"Not too far out from- Wait, why?"
"Prophet, just answer the damn questions. What did he look like?"
Andy blinked, thinking back. "Uh.. Short. He was really only wearing a pair of ratty, baggy pants. And he had the black war paint smudged all over, and some weird mask was in his hand. He looked to be maybe, I don't know, 11? Maybe 12?"
Mystic pursed his lips and glanced briefly at Eve. "That's not... Fuck, that wasn't a little kid."
"It was the stupid game drone." Eve put her head in her hands. "Shit."
Andy looked between them, giving them both questioning glances.
Eve sighed heavily and turned him to explain.
"Every game has what's called a 'drone.' The drones job is to basically monitor the game they're programmed in. To the player and to the creator, it's just the helpful character that offers information to get the player going. In the game universe, it's job is to keep everything under control. It's the game world's way of keeping tabs on the different worlds- basically a security camera, except they're in control of what they do and how they do it, if that makes sense."
"Nothing.. nothing is making sense anymore, no." Andy laughed dryly. "So you mean to tell me I just asked a security drone for directions to shut off the game?"
"And by now it's probably been reported." Mystic sighed. "That means that Game Control is going to power us down."
"But isn't that what we want?" Andy furrowed his brows.
"Not with you in it. If it powers down with you here, you're erased. Same thing as if you get killed. So-" Mystic stood. "I think we've got to make a bit of journey back to the dungeons, don't you think? You, me, Destroyer, and Mourner."
Eve's face fell. She stood up quickly, facing him. "I'm going too."
Mystic shook his head and went around her, packing up a med kit. "You need to stay here. You're in charge of the camp while we're gone."
Eve huffed and looked at Andy, putting an arm around him. "Hey, when you get back to your world, do something for me?"
Andy blinked, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "And that would be?"
"Go find him."
"Find who?"
"You know what I mean." She winked and left the tent. Mystic paid no mind to Andy as he continued to pack up supplies. Andy stared at the tent opening, blushing faintly.
Mystic sat up straight and looked over at Andy. "We'll leave in the morning. Go get some sleep, kid." He pointed off to the direction of the other tents. Andy nodded, muttering his thanks before making his way over to his tent.