It was a bit past five o’clock when we were seated in one of the back booths of the restaurant/laundromat that was our usual meeting place. We’d gotten our orders and Matt was about ready to divulge his important news to us.
“So? Asked Seb as he took a sip of his root beer. “What’s the news?”
“Have you been on BRYZ recently?” said Matt.
“I got a girlfriend,” I interjected. Just to see what would happen.
“I’ll be at home if you need me,” said Seb as he started to get up
“Tim, shut up. Seb, sit down,” Matt said in a no-nonsense tone. “I wasn’t joking when I said this was serious.”
“Well, what is it then?” asked Seb as he reluctantly sat down.
“I went on BRYZ this morning,” said Matt as he took a bite of his burger.
“And?” I asked.
“Something crazy’s going on,” said Matt as he put down his burger. “I won’t pretend to know what caused it but, I suggest we take advantage of it for as long as it lasts.”
“Just what happened already?” I asked impatiently as I waved a ketchup covered fry at Matt.
“It seems that the BRYZ we knew no longer exists,” said Matt. “In its place is some fantasy RPG game. I did a bit of exploring in it myself and know enough about it to know that the effects of it are real, and it’s not some prank.”
“Come on,” I said as I bit into the French fry. “There’s no way something like that could happen. Something like that would be all over the news.”
“Obviously you haven’t been reading the news,” said Matt as he pulled a bunch of newspapers from his backpack and tossed them to me. “Whatever’s going on is the real thing. From the sound of things, the UN hasn’t made any announcements yet, but it’s only a matter of time. After all, BRYZ falls under the jurisdiction of the UN.”
“That probably means they’re squabbling among them about who among them will take the fall for this,” Sebastien predicted direly. “Bureaucracy is all the same.”
“So where do we fall into this?” I asked as I scanned the various front pages.
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Matt as he tore a chunk off his meal. “Let’s put ourselves on the virtual map!”
“And how would you propose going about this?” asked Sebastien. Now even more obviously nervous.
“simply put, in this new world, we can do things that are normally impossible. It combines the freeness of the internet with the consequences of the real world.” Matt theorized. “Thus, my seemingly unobtainable dream of world conquest is suddenly so close, I can almost taste it!”
“Thinking in that light,” I reasoned as I opened one of the newspapers to the obituaries. “Becoming an assassin is a viable option for me.”
“I could always use a skilled assassin at my side to silence the opposition,” said Matt as he extended a hand across the table to me. “To our future dominance?”
“To our future dominance,” I said as I clasped his hand in a firm handshake. “I’ll be your shadow and strike down all who oppose you. Except on weekends.”
“Wait!” interjected Seb, breaking the mood. “You aren’t serious, right? Shouldn’t we be working to fix this, right?”
“I thought you would be more on board, Sebastien,” said Mattas he put down his burger. “The entire internet turning into a fantasy world? It’s like something out of your imagination. Isn’t it almost a dream come true?”
“Well, that’s…” started Sebastien. “doesn’t it seem wrong to use underhand methods like that to gain power, and of something global like the internet?”
“Actually, I think it’s the more humane option,” countered Matthew.
At this point I got lost, interested in a conversation in one of the newspapers about the new BRYZ. When I looked up again Matt was just finishing his spiel.
“Started by me, but led by the people, we could create a global reset, as it were, and steer this world in the correct direction as one, united people. That is my goal,” finished Matt.
A silence fell over the group. I was the first to break it. “I won’t pretend to be versed enough in politics to say whether your idea will work or not, but I will say this,” I said. “I’ve had enough of people sprouting their ideas of “change” and “peace” only to leave the world exactly as it was. I’ll back you. Even if we fail, I believe that our example could at least act as a spark, one that could lead to the accomplishment of what we intended in a way we could not foresee.”
“Thanks Tim, I’ll try my hardest,” said Matt as he finished his burger. “What about you, Sebastien?”
Sebastien was silent for a moment before he responded slowly: “I haven’t made up my mind yet whether your way of thinking is correct or not,” he replied. “I still don’t like the idea of using BRYZ in such a way. Until I come to a full decision, I refuse to help you in your endeavor.”
Matt nodded understandingly. “Fair enough,” he said as he started to clear his plate. “I didn’t expect you to….”
“Ahem,” said Sebastien cutting him off. “Although I won’t help you in your world conquest scheme, I can at least show you the ropes in BRYZ, so you don’t die right away anyhow.”
Matt grinned and sat down again. “Alright then, I’ll turn this meeting over to you then. Did you all bring your N-Lifes?”
“I made sure to charge it for today,” I replied as I pulled my slightly dusty N-Life from my backpack. “I don’t use it that often, so it’s a little dusty, but it runs just fine.”
“It’ll be worth it once you see BRYZ now,” Sebastien assured me. “Actually. I’m surprised you don’t use it that often. How do you do anything without one?”
“Well it’s not like I don’t use it,” I remarked. “I use it for conventions and shopping, but other than that I still have a PC at home, like you. I use that for most of my activities.”
“Fair enough,” replied Sebastien. “I still like the touch of a PC for most of my work, Still,” he turned to Matt, “Are you sure you’re ok with starting you campaign with your personal N-Life? We could do this later, after you’ve picked up a second N-Life to register anonymously.”
Matt shook his head. “If I’m expecting citizens to put their identities, and maybe even their lives on the line, surely I can at least do the same. Citizens won’t follow someone who doesn’t lead from the front.”
“spoken like a true leader,” sighed Sebastien. “I guess I’m not cut out for leadership, I’m more of the behind-the-scenes type.”
"Don't worry," said Matt. "I can make you a politician for the opposing side, and have you sow fear and distrust amongst their ranks in a way only a sneaky behind-the-scenes type could."
"Thanks for the confidence boost," grumbled Seb. "I always wanted to be called sneaky."
Seb turned to the shop owner who was standing behind the counter. "Hey, boss. Make sure nobody takes anything from us while we're out, ok?"
The shopkeeper yelled back something about a machete, which I found reassuring cause, hey, nobody messes with the guy with the biggest knife.
"Thanks Boss!" Sebastien called back as he put his N-Life on his head. "Just letting you guys know, I'm actually a bit of a way away from the spawn. I met up with a group of players and we made it pretty far already. When you get the chance send me your locations and we can all meet at a central area. If I can sneak to the center of town without my party noticing, I can use the teleportation rune to get to the closest resurrection shrine and meet up with you from there."
ns 15.158.61.12da2
