Chapter 2: Scans & Scares
"Kiru City? We can GO to Kiru City?" Jacob flinched away from Will's voice when the younger boy shouted. "We can go to the places in the game?"
"Yeah, anywhere you have a Location card for." he replied as they walked. "I figured Kiru would be a good place to start. Relatively safe, lots of creatures to scan. I think there's a museum there too..."
"Your friend said something about scans earlier." Will observed, swiping through his Locations.
"Yeah. Your Code Scanner is used for a lot more here than just uploading cards and checking out your deck. It's got a camera, voice recorder, clock, flashlight, video chat; it's more like a really small computer, or a smartphone." He stopped at a circular area with white platforms on the floor.
"This is the Transport Center. This is where you appear when you 'port in." Will noted, recognizing the area.
"Yup, if you bring up a Location card from your collection while standing here, and hit this" he pointed out a button on the Scanner "you can travel to that spot in Perim. Out there, everything, the Mugic, Battlegear, even Creatures are real. By using this" he brought up a function that looked like a camera with a targeting HUD "you can 'Scan' a creature, Mugic or whatever. Bring that scan back here, dock your Scanner at an open station and that card gets added to your deck to use online or here, in Chaotic."
"I wanna do that now" Will exclaimed, finally finding a copy of Kiru City.
"That's the plan, my dude. Ready?"
He nodded and pressed the button on his scanner. The Port Court faded to white around him, his vision clearing a moment later to reveal a bustling city.
Cobblestones lined the streets, wooden and stone buildings with flowering plants in the windows. It looked like a bazaar or outdoor market. Nearby, a teal-skinned humanoid boasted to passerby about the fresh fruit he was selling from a pushcart, while another gazelle-like creature was advertising "the finest silk, imported straight from Al Mipedim".
All the creatures, Will noticed, were either human-ish, with exaggerated features like elf ears or outrageous skin colors, or some kind of animal person. Aside from a black panther-man that may have been Attacat, he didn't recognize any of them. There were only a handful of humans, himself included, creatures giving them dirty looks and moving away defensively.
"Like there's more creatures than there are cards" he mused.
"Sure are" Jacob said, walking up to him from somewhere in the crowd. "Most beings in Perim are just normal. Creatures like Formicidor, Rothar, Blügon, Zhade, they have special training or powers that make them more likely to be scanned. This way." He pointed down a side street and tilted his head for Will to follow.
"So, if I scanned..." Will set his gaze on a vendor selling pottery "...him, I'd get a card with low stats and no special abilities?"
Jacob shrugged "Maybe. I don't know the guy. I DO know that cetain creatures get reputations for being powerful, or their abilities are well known enough that players feel comfortable going out of their way to scan them."
The crowd parted for the two as they walked, Will turning his head everytime something new or interesting crossed his view. There was a building that may have been a pet shop with animals like large rats, if not for the tuft of coarse hair at the tips of their tails and over-large ears, snoozing in the window. A small man covered in rich brown bird feathers with a hawk's beak handed a package to someone, adjusted a postman's cap on his head, then flew away. Children, two with orange skin, another with blue fur, played a game of tag.
Jacob pointed out some landmarks like Maxxor's castle, where the Overworld leader held court, the Barracks that housed the City's warriors while they underwent rigorous training, and...
"The Overworld arsenal" he declared, approaching a square sturdy building with bars on it's windows. A pair of guards flanked the front doors, helmets and masks covering their features, armor proudly displaying the Overworld emblem. They leveled their Cyclances at the two humans and glared suspiciously.
"Whoa!" Jacob put his hands up and looked to Will to do the same. "Just showing my friend around the city. Thought I'd introduce him to my good friend, Bodal" One of the guards stifled a snicker at this.
"Okay, my 'loose acquaintance', Bodal" Jacob corrected. "Is he in?"
"No outsiders" was their response.
"Come on, I'm not asking you to step aside so I can raid the place; I just want to talk to Bodal."
The guard that laughed muttered "No one wants to talk to Bodal", and the other one gave him a leer. A beeping noise from the more professional guard's belt pouch caught his attention, and he pulled out an object made of crystal and metal. A faint voice could be heard coming from the thing, but the boys werent close enough to make it out.
"A pair of humans" the guard said into the device. More muffled speech and the guard looked them over. "A black tunic with short sleeves, pants with a lot of pockets. Dark blue and tan on the other." The response caused his eyes to widen in surprise. "Yes, sir" He stowed the item and informed them that "He'll be out in a moment."
"A moment" ended up being nearly 15 minutes.
"I don't see why I cant just scan of of these guys. They're guards, they gotta be good at fighting." Will was grumbling.
"Bad form to scan a creature without permission. You know that old myth about cameras stealing your soul?" Will nodded. "Taking someone's life, training, memories and copying it with a scanner? Reducing it to a picture and some code? A lot of creatures see it as the same thing. Most players do it anyway. Those players tend to get attacked by offended creatures"
"So I just get permission." Will held up his Scanner and approached the guards. "Hey, can I-?"
"No."
Will pouted and stomped back over to Jacob who chuckled. "You'll get your chance, dude."
"When?"
"Well, you could scan this area of the city." Jacob suggested. "When you scan a location, it's specific spot is saved in the card's code. Even though you have a copy of a location already, if you use the new one in a drome match, you'll appear wherever you took the scan. Good for setting up ambushes or sniper nests. Also, when you 'port to Perim with that specific location card, you'll appear right there."
"So, it's a good idea to have copies of the same location so I don't have to walk everywhere." Will agreed, pressing the button on his scanner. A buzzing noise emanated from the device, lines of blue light traced over the buildings and streets until a beep marked the completion of the scan. "Okay, but I still want to scan a creature, or some gear. When do we do that?"
"Right now. Let me do the talking." Jacob said, turning Will to face the opening door of the Armory. A short creature with green skin and large, bald head wearing blue and red robes stepped out.
"Well? We don't have all day" Bodal said in his prim tone.
The boys followed him into the armory, past shelves containing Elixers of Tenaticy that could increase the drinker's bravery and speed, Vlaric Shards to enhance one's ability with earth and stone attacks, triple-barreled flamethrowers called Pryoblasters, wind and lightning-generating Cyclances.
"Isn't Bodal super-weak, though?" Will whispered to Jacob.
"Bodal can be...difficult at times, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a smarter, well-connected creature in the Overworld" he whispered back.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Collins" Bodal said without turning back, but Jacob swore could hear the smallest trace of a smile on the creature's lips.
The group continued in silence to an office piled high with bookshelves and files. Bodal seated himself behind the desk and motioned for them to take a seat.
"Neat gizmo the guards outside have." Jacob said casually, refering to their comminicators.
"Yes," Bodal straighten his posture and gave the two humans a smug expression. "They were inspired by Chaotic players Scanners. They use a specialy harmonized quartz sheet to-" he quickly composed himself. "That's classified information! What do you want?
"I was giving my new friend here a tour around town, showing him the basics, and thought I might introduce you." Jacob smiled and properly introduced Will.
"You're here to scan battlegear" Bodal deadpanned, shaking Will's hand, but not taking his eyes of Jacob. "You can't fool me. I know that's the only reason humans come here"
"That's not true." Jacob did his best to look offended. "Last month, when I caught that player stealing sonic charges, I didn't scan ONE. I called for the guards and helped reclaim the gear, didnt I?" He gave Bodal a pointed look. "And when you got them all back, you said...?"
"I owe you my thanks" Bodal sighed. "Ignoring the fact that months of designing, construction, engineering and resources are reduced to little more than rules for a game; If you use our state-of-the art battlegear, other Chaotic players will find out about it and want to scan it too. Next thing you know, Chaor is sending in human spies to look at our weapons. Its a security risk". He folded his arms over his chest at this.
"Maybe," Jacob conceded. "But what about serviceable, early model gear? No risk in scanning one of those, right?"
"I don't want anything old or junky" Will grumbled, but was shushed by Jacob.
"I suppose that could work" Bodal tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We have a Torwegg, a Liquilizer, some Spectral Viewers that are still in working order, but technically out of rotation..." He stood abruptly. "Very well. Come with me, and don't touch anything"
Leaving the office, Will whispered to Jacob "Is it always this easy? Its like you barely had to convince him"
"Bodal's a good guy. I did him a solid and he knows it. After this, we're even. Besides, it's not like were actually taking anything."
"And you're gonna use the favor he owes you on me? You could scan any of this for yourself, use it for battles or trades or something." Will gestured to a section containing staves and rings glowing with power.
"It's all good. I like helping out new players, like it's part of the adventure."
Bodal led them to a large room containing racks of tools and scrap, battlegear disassembled on workbenches and a tarp draped over a massive object.
"What's under here?" Will asked eagerly, lifting a corner of the sheet just to have his hand slapped by Bodal who reminded him "Don't. Touch. Anything." Will grumbled and shoved his hands in in pockets.
Bodal shot one more glance at Will and opened a series of lockers. Each had neatly organized pieces of gear within them. There were skulls with a mechanical lens protruding from one eye. Some had handles, while others had straps designed to fit around ones head.
"Spectral Viewers" Jacob explained with a wink. "Lets you see invisible creatures"
"Shut up" Will said, remembering his trouble with Lord van Bloot.
Just next to those, hanging on a hook like a backpack, was a oval-shaped piece of gear he knew was a Torwegg, a jetpack that powered up air-based attacks.
In the next were a pair of brown weapons that looked like a thick pipe fit with a D-shaped handle. Liquilizers, gear that could fire blasts of high-pressure water or shards of ice.
The last locker is what caught Will's attention. It contained a single object, like a plate of metal with small straps. "Never seen one of these before"
"It's called an Aquashield" Bodal supplied. "When activated, it creates an energized barrier of water to protect oneself from attacks and flames. Newer models have a function that allows one to drain the power cells, triggering a burst of restorative energy. This particular design lacks that feature."
"Your scanner can only hold one scan of each type at a time; gear, location, Mugic, creature. So make it count" Jacob said.
Will made a face at this. He really wanted to scan them all, but if he could only pick one, he knew which. He held up his scanner and a moment later, the Aquashield was displayed on the screen.
"Thanks, Bodal" Jacob shook the arsenal caretakers hand. "Let me know if I can help you with anything later?"
"I hope not, Mr. Collins. I wouldn't want a reputation for being inefficient."
Bodal was leading them to the front door when a massive crash caused him and Jacob to spin around in alarm. Will was sprawled facedown, battlegear haphazardly strewn about. He grimaced, stammering out an apology.
"You okay?" Jacob asked, giving him a hand up, while Bodal sputtered incoherently.
"I tripped" Will said, rubbing his shin where he struck it. "I'm so sorry, Bodal. Let me-" he reached down to help pick up the fallen weapons.
"No no no, you don't know my system." the fussy Overworlder cut in. "Just, wait over there," he waved at a section of wall and Will walked behind the racks to do so while Jacob chased a stray crystal orb into an adjoining room.
"I'm really sorry. It was an accident. I must've tripped on my own feet or something." Will repeated, a little louder than before.
"I understand" Bodal closed his eyes with a deep sigh. These humans were giving him a headache. A minute later, Jacob returned with the runaway orb and handed it over. "Thank you. I'll clean this up when you leave." Bodal said, leading them out the door.
Once alone, Will said "I didn't mean to make things difficult for you guys."
"No worries, dude. I honestly think organizing that stuff will be the highlight of his day. Next stop, the Overworld Library"
Will kept quiet the rest of the trip, merely nodding in agreeement when Jacob showed him something interesting. Eventually, Jacob asked him what was going on.
"You were so excited earlier. Now you're not. What's up"
Will was silent for a moment. "I hurt my leg when I fell. Nothing serious, but it still hurts."
Jacob's expression changed from worried to understanding. "And you were thinking about what happens when you get really hurt here?" The younger boy nodded. "That's why I wanted you to come to Kiru City for your first trip."
He sat down on a nearby bench and patted the seat for Will to join him. "Remember what I said earlier about being here and on Earth at the same time when you send your code?" Will nodded again.
"Well, when you're here, and you get...seriously hurt, everything will be fine, as long as you can send your code back to your Earth-self. You'll keep the memories, and stuff that happens to your body here doesn't effect you back home. But if it's too late for that..." He let the statement hang.
"...we can't come back." Will guessed. "Our deck on Earth stays locked, and we won't know what happened. Just that something happened here."
"Right. You lose your online account, card collection, and the ability to go to Chaotic. That's why we came here, to Kiru City. Kinda like a starting zone in an MMO. Well protected, low chance of getting attacked by hostile creatures as long as you don't do anything dumb, lots of stuff to scan, a chance to get your feet wet before you dive into Mount Pillar, or the Lava Pond."
"I'm not diving into the Lava Pond, period" Will joked and Jacob laughed with him.
"Too true."
They continued their walk with renewed vigor. Hank never met up with them, as he called to let them know he'd been challenged to a match in the Beta Drome. This let to Will asking how to submit challenges and other things about how Chaotic worked. A purple child bumped into Will and yelped in alarm at seeing the human, running off.
"What's up with that?" He asked watching the kid run "A lot of creatures in the market were acting like I was a leper, or I did something wrong."
"Imagine a bunch of aliens just started teleporting into your neighborhood, taking pictures and being nosy" Jacob said. "Not a lot of creatures in Perim understand us, and not a lot of humans care to understand them. The short answer is: a lot of creatures don't trust us. The fact that Bodal let us in at all is a small miracle, since he knows I won't do him dirty."
Will pondered this and idly reached for his scanner. His expression quickly became panicked and he started searching his pockets.
"What?"
"My scanner is gone!" Will turned in the direction of the running child. "That little- he stole my scanner!"
"Are you sure?" Jacob asked, reaching for his own. It was, thankfully, still there.
"Yeah! Let's go!" He took off running after the pickpocket.
"Go straight ahead! Keep following him" Jacob ordered. "I know a shortcut" He tapped some buttons on his scanner and vanished with a flash, reappearing on a rooftop a few block west of his old location. Leaning over the ledge, he could see the kid heading his way, pushing his way past creatures with Will in close pursuit. Another series of taps put him a block ahead, but on the ground this time and right in their path.
The thief saw Jacob waiting and changed direction, ducking down an ally. The boys continued their chase, their shouts at the child to stop going unanswered by himself or others. Queing up another scan of the City, Jacob 'ported ahead and landed directly in front of him, the boy stopping in his tracks. He tried to turn and crashing directly into Will, bouncing off him and hitting the ground.
"I didn't do nuffin'" the boy yelled, fighting Will's grip as he was pulled up by the arm. He was trying to shove Will's scanner into the waist of his trousers and Jacob grabbed it.
"No? Then where did you get this?" he asked, waving it at the creature "Only humans have Code Scanners." Will kept a grip on the boy, huffing for breath. "Got it. And that is why you should have multiple copies of a location" Jacob told him, and he got a thumbs-up in return.
"What did you think you were gonna do with that?" Will asked, roughly releasing him and shoving his scanner deep into his front pocket."They only work for the human it was made for. You couldn't do anything with it."
"No" the pickpocket gave him a withering look. "But I can keep you from using it. Humans need to quit stomping around here, like they own the place." He gave them a rude hand sign and ran off.
The silence between the two was heavy in the air as they watched him go.
"Let's go back to Chaotic, yeah?" Jacob suggested.
The Transport Center was lightly populated when they 'ported back in. "Getting late" Jacob noted, checking his wristwatch. "Almost 10"
"PM? it was daylight a just a second ago." Will said, looking out a nearby window. "and it's still bright out here"
"Perim and Earth have their own time spans. And it's always sunny in Chaotic." He pointed out his watch. "That's why I keep this synched to Earth time."
"Do we have to leave? Does Chaotic close overnight, or something?"
"Nah", Jacob said. "You can stay as long as you want. Some people even make camping trips out of it, going to Perim on weekends for scan quests. But like I said earlier, if you dont 'port back home every now and again, the 'you' back home might think something happened."
"I guess you're right. Still, I wanna hang around here a bit longer, explore on my own a bit"
"Alright man. Take is easy, okay? Welcome to Chaotic"
Will waved as Jacob walked back to the Transport Center. Taking a seat at one of the scan stations, he rubbed the bruise on his leg. 'It hurt, falling like that.' he thought to himself, docking his scanner and looking at his new cards. 'But it got me a scan of the inside of Bodal's Arsenal'.
Smiling, he started planning his next trip to Perim.