Chapter Two
"Dragon's Play"
Well! It seems I survived that account (both the actual events and writing it) so I think I'll share another with you. The first biggest danger to life in the systems is games. Butthe second, and only a bit less dangerous to games, is virii. Y'know, that's the plural of virus.
Well, actually some people say viri and some peoples just say virusesbut I think my version is the most chic.
Let me see where I met a virusOh, yes! System Nec. This is gonna be fun.
Middle, again.
System Nec had two things going for it when I arrived. It was beautiful, and it didn't want to throw me out the second I arrived.
Unfortunately, it had about three thousand things going against it. A Virus, three infected sectors (that's half the system) and two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-six infectees. Including sprites.
Now, when I enter a system, the first thing I do is get supplies. Food, water, energy shake mix, that kind of stuff. So in the midst of the fighting, I went off to look for a grocers.
I walked down the main street to be confronted by a long queue. Unusually long. I mean, if I was the virus I'd have sent a buncha troops to capture them all and infect them. But I wasn't the virus, and it seemed to be a decent place to ask where I could restock.
I tapped a 6 on the shoulder. He turned, looked at me, and started. "IT'S A"
He stopped. I waited politely for him to answer the question.
"Your scarf is purple."
"Magenta," I hissed.
"But not brown."
I smiled and shook my head. "Not a tiny speck of it! Why?"
6 exhaled and put a hand on my shoulder. "I though you were a polymorph of Na'ire," he explained, pronouncing It "Na-eer-ay." "I mean, he doesn't have one, but maybe he asked someone
"Course not! Well, anyway, Sixie, where would I be able to get food and all? I'm a traveler, and –"
"Right here."
I blinked, looked around. "What?"
6 rolled his eyes and pointed up to the half-blue, half-brown skies. "There's a war going on, stupid girl! The Command.com has ordered rationing. You can only get food from that storehouse," he said, pointing far up the street, "and it barely feeds a family for two days!"
"That'll be six days for me, more than enough. How'sa bout the I/O?
"You drink?" The numeral looked at me incredulously.
"Nah. Use it in tricks." See, I'm a bit of a street performer as well. How I make money. It's too hard to pick pockets, anyway. And that trick is the best!
"You won't get anybut if you give me a days worth of food, I'll ask for a flask for you."
"Deal!"
So we waited.
The queue slowly moved forward, like a morphite-drugged worm. But in the end, and to shorten four hours, me and Sixie got food, bottled water, no energy-shake mix, and a miniscule flask of I/O.
6 screamed again. I turned.
Eight ABC's hovered in front of us.
I guess Na'ire took my idea.
6 clung to me and our food bags all the way into the cell we were thrown into. Unfortunately, I was unconscious for a long period. When I did wake up, I wished I hadn't.
We were trapped in a small, temporary cell. Infected binomes, colored brown and white, patrolled the corridor. And the cell was nicely locked.
Normally this would only be a temporary problem for me. I am, after all, a polymorph. And any decent Shivan Dragon would be able to crash the walls easily. So I closed my eyes, pictured said dragon, and let my form jump into it.
Except it wouldn't jump.
Scared, I put my hand to my breast. No icon.
I let out a long stream of viral invective, which only scared 6 more.
"What?? OhdearUseri'mgonnabeinfectediwannabedead.Why did you scream??"
I hissed and jumped at the steel-like bars. They didn't budge. "Those da'Blornik ta'shavi took my icon!!"
6 watched me wide-eyes, possibly more frightened on me than of his imminent infection. "So why don't you shapeshift?"
I rolled my eyes. Some people didn't listen in their "Basic Filetypes" class. "Because a poly can't shift without their icon, dipswitch! I gotta get it back."
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" 6 yelled. "WE'RE TRAPPED!"
"You've never been trapped with a poly, have you?" I inquired slyly.
6 shook his head.
"Didn't think so. Let me instruct you in the gentle art of escaping jail cells." I stepped over to the bars again. "First, we must determine the type of lock." I peeked. "Damn. Six place combination alphanumeric lock. Lesse"
"In Basic?"
I opened my backpack. "Password of six places, each place either a letter or number."
"Is that a problem?"
"Well, I did have this" I pulled out a flat button he size of my fist. "It's a password cracker. Does 100 possibilities in a nano.
The number grinned. "Then we're set!"
"There's 2176782339 possibilities" 6's grin faded. "I know. Sucks, dunnit? However, I do have a backup."
"Like what?"
"See, viral binomes are notoriously idiotic." I began to whisper. "I'll lay on the ground and you scream a null drained me. I have a little thing up my sleeve to knock them out when that happens."
6 blinked, then shrugged. I did a little yelp and collapsed.
"NULL! GET OVER HERE, YOU IDIOTS, THE POLY GOT BITTEN BY A NULL!!"
After we were free of that trick, Sixie turned and asked me, "Exactly howdid you pull an enormous mallet from that little sack of yours?"
I shook my head. "Beats me. It just works."
So it was me, a numeral, vs. an entire three sectors of virals.
sarcasmDamn, I love these odds. /sarcasm
Me and 6 holed up in a small storage room while I tried to figure out where my icon was. "See, it 's probably with the virus right now," I ruminated. "Polys don't normally just jump out for the taking. So we have to find out how to get there. Anything you know about Na'ire?"
6 shrugged. "He's a class three infector, pretty smart, utterly frigid-
*snicker* "And exactly how do you know that?!"
"Intelligence."
I giggled a bit longer. "Is he sadistic?"
"Not particularly."
"Trusting?"
"Not paranoid, but no."
"Any unusual characteristics?"
"Not insanely greedy. Just wants this system." However, the 6 did not seem particularly happy with this tidbit.
"Any unusual phobias?" I hoped.
6 asked, "What??"
"Phobias. Scared to death of something."
Six paused, thensmiled.
We got around the evil virus's lair easily. We hijacked a small tractor, blacked the windows and drove it to the elevator. And from the elevator we were able to directly access Na'ire's throne room.
So the elevator opened, and me and 6 walked through without fear.
Na'ire saw us from his throne and stood. He looked like a statue – wood-like arms, legs, and body, with white stone for fingers and feet and head. Oosi, I thought, if I was made of wood I'd be afraid of fire too.
Na'ire studied me, paying no attention to 6.
"You escaped."
I bowed like a courtier. "My Lord, I am an performer. Of course I have magic in the act. Which is why I had to come up and see you personally. I havea deal."
"A deal? For your icon?" Na'ire was no idiot. "It had better be a great thing you offer. A polymorph could do me no end of good."
I started acting. Closed my eyes and stepped forward once – the guards readied their staffs, but I of course ignored it. I said a few words of mumbo-jumbo and waved my fingers. "His Lordship is afraid, deathly afraidof the golden instrument of chaos, great fire." I opened my eyes. "Neh?"
"Anyone in this system could tell you that. Including him." He pointed to 6.
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, maybe, but how many can give you the cure to your fear? Something to immunize yourself forever from fire?"
Skepticism. "Show me. Use it on the Six."
I guess it was a bit too hard to figure he'd be gullible enough. I opened my pack and retrieved a rag and the crystal bottle. I poured the herb-scented fluid into the rag, smeared it on his hand, took out a lighter and sparked it on.
Na'ire flinched. I smiled, then raised 6's trembling hand and waved it through the flame.
Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. Wave your hand through a candle flame sometime – it's too short a period of exposure to do anything. But no one in this castle had ever done that, so it looked like magic.
The virus was definitely amazed. "You want your icon for this potion, then?"
"Yup! And it lasts for ages, too." I bowed. "May I be allowed to anoint you with it?"
"Yes."
I tsked. "Icon first. I can't trust you."
"I can't trust you not to run away."
"Give it to the Six. Threaten him with death if he messes it up."
6 quailed and moaned, "I thought you were gonna help me!" I rolled my eyes at this. Na'ire noticed, and motioned to a guard. My Icon was in his hands, untouched, and he gave it to 6.
"In a way, I hope this fails. You're quite ruthless."
You're welcome." I stepped up, moistened the rag with the fluid, and touched it to his forehead, temples, wrists, ankles, and neck. Then, for good measure, I poured a dollop on top of his head.
Na'ire took this in stride, almost with relief. Then he stood up and raised his arms. "Touch the fire to me."
I blanched. "Wha?"
"Do it." His smile was triumphant. "I want to see how it works."
_
Now, I didn't really plan on setting the caelleah on fire. I was just gonna anoint him with this weird-smelling ointment and ditch, and let him burn himself to a crisp. But, if he must see it...
And an wicked idea came into my head.
"II will perform an ancient test to this" I walked back to my bag, casting a longing glance to 6, who clutched my icon like water in the desert. I pulled out the I/O and the lighter, walked back, and took a great bigchug into my mouth.
Then I splashed the bottle at him, lighted my lighter, and breathed fire.
It didn't work as well as I thought. My hand got burnt as well. But the most important thing was that Na'ire was running amok like a cross between a headless binome and an everlasting flame.
In one swift jump I grabbed 6, grabbed my Icon, and did that shift to a large, scary, and overall kick-ass Shivan Dragon. With 6 in on of my claws, I smashed through the floors back to the prison section, smashed the master locking mechanism, and then crashed to the outside and flew into the air, casting a great shadow onto the land. Slowly, I cruised to the ground, surrounded by sprites and binomes, shifted back to myself, and fainted.
When you're a traveler, there's a thing to be said about warm, really comfy beds. They're rare, but a treasure.
I was quite happy when I woke up in one.
I wasn't as happy about the bandaging on my hand and forehead, but the bed was the main thing in my thoughts.
"Hi."
I blinked and squinted up. 6 peered down at me.
"I wasn't serious about the killing you" I murmured.
6 grinned "Hey, it got us out. You're a real nice kid."
I tugged a scarf-end with my good hand, blushing. "I'm a chaotic troublemaker."
"You'll stay until you're recovered. Then" 6 sighed. "They have to throw you out. People are furious a huge dragon landed in their square and broke the statue of the C.C."
Oh well. People are always angry at me.
So I stayed, and then I left. And 6 waved at me.
And here is another middle to end at.
Thanks for reading.