Dreamland

OK, being trapped in a game, how cool is that, right?

Ahem, but what do I do if I feel thirsty or hungry? I can drink in the game, but it won't actually quench my thirst. I can eat, but I'll still feel hungry. Pixelated water and food just don't do the trick.

Not so cool after all...

Suddenly, I felt thirsty and instinctively drank some water from the flask in my inventory box.

Then, I rolled my eyes at myself. Very funny, Dolores!

Drats, it seems I'm not the only one who doesn't know how to log out! This was never an issue with the dream-interface before. It's going to be a major blow to the industry. But what if I have a real problem? What if I need to use the bathroom? Shit. Shit, shit, shit... It could literally and practically become a shitty situation!

I couldn't help but laugh at my wordplay and the situation's absurdity.

Lola will be coming home at some point, but I wonder how long it will take for her to realize that something is wrong with me. And what will she do when she does find out?

Of course, initially, she'll probably take a bunch of photos to capture the moment, this crappy situation.

But then, on a more serious note, forcibly removing the dream interface is not recommended as it can cause damage to the brain. She'll need to turn it off properly before anything else. But would she even know how to disconnect me correctly?

Drats, maybe I should have had a conversation with her about all this instead of dismissing it as "internet garbage stories." Now I find myself in a big mess...

Okay, okay. Stay calm, Dolores. Don't panic!

I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure. After all, I wanted to play in this virtual world for a few hours, right? They'll surely figure out the problem and resolve it in due time, regardless of whether I panic or not. They won't let things escalate!

So what has really changed for me? In the worst-case scenario, I'll be stuck here for a few more hours. I should try to enjoy the game while I wait.

Taking another deep breath, I lifted my head and looked around.

Alice, who had remained silent throughout my conversation with the ghost, timidly smiled and approached me as her eyes met mine.

"With whom were you talking, Lady Cala?" she asked.

When we're alone, she calls me by my nickname, Cala.

I managed to convince her to do so some time ago, but in public, she still refers to me as Lady Lara. Lady Cala is a middle ground when it's just the two of us, but there's still a sense of distance she maintains... at least for now.

It's strange, almost as if she's influenced by this out-of-order situation in the game.

"A ghost was here, Alice. Didn't you see it?" - I replied, a bit surprised to be questioned by her.

"No, but I heard something... like a murmur, with words now and then. Is it true that we're enslaved, Lady Cala?" she questioned.

Yeah, her senses are also heightened, though not quite as keen as mine.

Ghosts can make themselves heard by people, but it requires extra effort on their part.

"No, 'we' aren't enslaved!" - I protested - "This shit only concerns me." - I said, pointing at the ring at my neck - "Can't you see the iron ring on my neck?"

Interestingly, Alice refused to accept the notion that it only concerned me.

"Sorry, no, it must be a magic ring, but what does this mean for us?" she persisted.

"Well, it means that I have to fulfill a magic contract or face the consequences," I explained.

"But why? What happened?" she pressed further.

I observed her for a moment, taken aback by Alice's sudden inquisitiveness. She had always been by my side, never questioning or asking, always fighting efficiently. Perhaps she was afraid that I had made some deal to save her?

"I made a bet and lost," I shrugged. "As a result, I have to complete a quest he assigned to me. Until then, I bear this ring."

"He? Grackak? A quest? Can't we simply run away?" she suggested, her face filled with worry and genuine concern.

I sighed.

"No, unfortunately not. It's a magical contract, and the ring would likely kill me if I didn't fulfill it within the given time. I have to free Spartacius and bring him to Silver Town. Once I do that, I'll be free again," I explained.

"Is this the only way?" she asked, sounding desolate. "Can't we break the ring? Can I touch it?"

"Yes, it's the only way unless I want to find someone to revive me; that might work, but it is a risk I don't want to take. For now, we need to focus on recovering, and then we'll attack the jail. Grackak wants us to be renegades like him; that's why he wants us to attack the jail. You can try to touch the ring around my neck," I replied.

Alice attempted to touch the ring, but nothing happened. It was almost visible how she was pondering various options to save me from the ring.

"Attack the jail to free Spartacius..." she mused, raising a brow. "Do we really have to attack it, or can we simply free him?"

I was taken aback by her question, realizing that she had a valid point. I thought about how Grackak had formulated his quest and shrugged.

"I guess we only need to set him free," I admitted.

A broad smile spread across Alice's face.

"Let me try something first!" she exclaimed excitedly.

I was taken aback by her sudden initiative, causing me to ponder the circumstances surrounding Spartacius' mercenary and our current predicament.

Was Alice trying to find a solution that would spare her from the dilemma of killing soldiers? Or perhaps she wanted to help me avoid becoming a renegade within this nation?

"What would you do?" I inquired, genuinely curious.

To my surprise, she responded with a mysterious smile, adding an air of intrigue to her words.

"If you'll allow me, I'd prefer to keep it as my little secret for now. I believe I can handle this situation without causing harm to anyone," she replied confidently.

I couldn't help but cough, interrupting her optimism.

"That won't work. The soldiers made it clear that we are no longer welcome in town. If you try to go back, you'll surely get into trouble," I warned her.

For a moment, she gazed at the ground, her face hidden from view. Then, she looked up, meeting my eyes with her round gaze, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Please?" she pleaded, shaking her head.

Her ginger hair cascaded over her shoulders as she continued with a sigh and a sad smile.

"I'm prepared to kill soldiers if it's necessary, but I still want to try and find a peaceful resolution for the sake of our peace of mind."

Her response humbled me, and it also provided an answer to a question I hadn't even voiced.

It was clear that having such a high reputation with her, as the highest merc-master, was proving beneficial in our current situation.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of the previous player boasting about the amount of work it took to achieve such a relationship level.

It was interesting how these things worked. I hadn't fully appreciated the true value of his gift at the time, but now I could clearly see it in my memories.

The dream interface was truly extraordinary. It was being utilized in a way that I had never seen before.

They had advertised that with the new versions of the game, you could enjoy the gaming experience even when you were not actively playing. I had initially dismissed it as mere marketing hype.

In the past, there had been a summary or a movie-like recap of what had occurred during the time away from the game, but it hadn't been a well-received feature. Many players preferred to simply park their characters in an inn and log off.

But now, it was different. I would simply remember the events and experiences.

The possibilities were immense! You could learn anything through this method. It made me wonder why they had limited it to just a game! Was this an experiment of some sort?

I met her gaze again, locking eyes with her beautiful blue eyes. Ah, right, we were discussing her going alone.

"It's not that I oppose the idea," I began, concern evident in my voice. "I'm just worried about you going there alone. You see, after what happened during the fight... they might think you're some kind of... zombie, you know."

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to disclose the full details. But I figured she would find out eventually, so it was better to hear it from me.

With a sigh, I continued. "During the battle, you were frozen, and he... well, he shattered the ice. Um, I mean... you were shattered into several large pieces. I used potions and a restore scroll to heal you, which is why they were so cautious and asked us to leave. The sergeant might not be inclined to listen to you, and it could get you into trouble if you go back there."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she responded slowly, each word carefully spoken.

"I... was... broken into pieces? That... That's impossible to survive, right? Did I die? Was there a high-level druid who revived me? But... I don't feel the weakness that usually follows a revival."

I hadn't anticipated that it would be so difficult to explain, and I struggled to find the right words.

"I think it was too late to attempt a revival; the battle had gone on for too long. I had to try something, so I used potions," I explained.

She looked at me with a mix of astonishment and gratitude.

"How? How did it work? Is that even possible? Did you give me part of your life? Was it your kiss that brought me back? I owe you another life, and I can never repay you!"

Kiss... Ah, right. I resisted the urge to facepalm, realizing how that might have sounded. But she seemed to take it better than I expected. I shook my head, attempting to explain CPR, but she continued speaking.

"They can't hold that against us! They know how strong we are. Tales of your exploits have spread. They don't want to fight us. Plus, I have a... good connection with Sergeant Tuckson," she added, blushing slightly.

I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what she meant by that. I wanted to mention that I had shared a drink with the sergeant, but I decided against further arguing.

She continued. "They didn't attack us; they let us go. Before resorting to violence, I want to see if there's a possibility for negotiation."

This is definitely an improvement in the game.

Usually, Alice would just wander around waiting for orders. It's interesting to see her taking the initiative and engaging with the world. Let's see how this plays out.

It's clear that in such a complex world, errors can occur. It's a shame that some parts are so well-elaborated and enjoyable while other crucial areas have fundamental issues.

The program seems to be free of bugs in terms of gameplay flow, even with the increased complexity in details.

However, this logout problem is truly embarrassing. It's going to cause a scandal. I can already imagine the news agencies reporting on the "prisoners in the game" situation, calling it "Dreamland's Mephisto game kidnapping people" or the "pissing on yourself contest for dreamlanders." It's quite amusing, really. No one will pay attention to flawless visuals or exciting quests with unexpected outcomes. Everything will be ridiculed and laughed at.

The functionalities of the dream interface should surpass those of the game; it's as simple as that. How did they manage to mess it up so badly? There must have been some foolish programmer who exaggerated the delay to prevent people from using the logout-login cheat that some troublemakers exploited in earlier versions using macros to provoke PvP clashes. Instead of a 30-second timeout, they made it count forever...

If this takes too long and Lola arrives home, I'll have to endure all her comments: "I told you so!" and "You idiot, you risked your life!"

Lola is a sweet girl, but sometimes she reminds me a bit too much of her sister...

Hopefully, they'll fix it before she gets here.

As Alice stood there, her innocent eyes fixed on me, I simply shrugged and said,

"Okay, I'll wait here. Do your worst."

She grinned and left.

I watched her go, a tinge of concern lingering in my thoughts.

I had invested so much in her revival. The unfreezing potion alone cost me 100 gold, not to mention the restoration scroll that set me back three to four hundred gold. Add to that the high-quality healing potions I used to nurse her back to health, and the expenses far surpassed my previous blunder with Noviel.

And let's not forget about the reputation I lost with the faction, which will undoubtedly come with its own consequences, both in terms of gold and work.

But despite it all, I felt a sense of happiness and relief that my risky gamble had paid off. That was more important to me than the losses I had incurred.

I couldn't help but wonder what made Alice so confident that it wouldn't come to a fight. She had regained some strength, but she was still weak. Engaging in a battle would be dangerous. I knew better than to underestimate the guards in their own city.

I believed that together, we could handle them without much trouble. Still, there were likely a couple of high-level guards among them, so we needed to proceed with caution. Without access to the status bar, it was challenging to make an accurate assessment of their power. I would have to rely on my assassin skills and instincts.

Furthermore, my regeneration seemed slower in this version of the game. At this rate, it would take me several hours, if not longer, to fully recover. That damn cheated character caught me off guard!

Deep down, I knew I should have trusted my instincts and fled from the very beginning.