==== Sprite Advice
"So, you got Hope into the Medium?" I asked Jessica over the phone. I was looking at my computer and I saw her messing with her Alchemiter.
"Yeah, she's actually trying to get Zach to play right now." She responded.
"Oh, I hope that goes well."
"I hope she succeeds in motivating that boy."
"Yeah, I hope she's just able to get him into the session."
To be honest, we weren't trying to make puns of her name. It was funny, but it just always happened.
"Hopefully he will listen to her." Jessica said.
"Yeah. So anyway, what have you been up to?" I asked.
"Messing with the Alchemiter. Did you know that you can duplicate and mix things with it?"
"Huh, I was reading on Tumblr something about it."
"Oh! So you don't know, then?"
"Yeah, not really."
Jessica began to tell me about the Alchemiter. To be honest, I really hadn't stopped to see how it worked, but it looked like Jessica had the time. So, it seemed that the three machines weren't just used for entering the Medium. They were important tools used to create better gear in the game, and devises to help you out. It also made it seem that grist was not only used to build, but to alchemize as well. Apparently her guide had been showing her what to do to use it, but she couldn't actually alchemize anything yet. She needed me to deploy something called a punch designex and a fetch modus.
I quickly deployed the Punch Designex in her backyard. I also found the fetch modus thing she was talking about, and deployed that in front of her as well.
However, Sammysprite kept on bothering me and I couldn't pay much attention. Rubbing against my leg, meowing, eventually I gave in.
"Hey Jessica, I'll get back to you later, Sammysprite wants to tell me something."
"Alright! See you soon!"
I hang up and put the phone away.
"What is it?" I asked Sammy. He obviously wasn't going to let this up.
"There is something important you need to know, Jacob." He mewled. "I don't know, but ever since you brought me back to help you something's been nagging at my mind."
"What is it?" I asked. I knew that if Sammy wanted to tell me something important, I should listen.
"Well, do you know where this place is?" He asked.
"I saw a lot of people posting on Tumblr about it. Something called a Medium, but that's pretty much it."
"You are right about the name at least. This place is indeed called the Medium. It doesn't exist in our universe though."
"It doesn't?" I asked, "Where are we then?"
"A realm that is a ring of pure void, dividing light and darkness. It turns in the thick of The Incipisphere, a place untouched by the flow of time in your universe."
"So we aren't really in a game, then?" That was odd. How could a game transport us somewhere else? I do admit, though, it was just as abstract of an idea as a game where you could create things, and manipulate reality.
"No, not inside a game. The software that brought you here was merely a mechanism that served as a gateway into the Medium. Here stands independently of any machine, even though in a sense it was a machine that invoked its existence, yet it stands independently of any physical machine, and somewhat paradoxically, always has!
"Above The Medium, beyond The Seven Gates, residing at the core of The Incipisphere is a place known as Skaia. Legend holds that Skaia exists as a dormant crucible of unlimited creative potential. However, I'm not allowed to tell you what that means.
"Anyway, where a realm of such profound importance is concerned, forces of light will forever be charged with its defense, while forces of darkness will just as persistently covet its destruction. And as it so happens, at the center of this realm whose fate is in question, these very forces duel on a stage, stuck in eternal stalemate. Yes, they have dueled in this manner forever... that is, until you showed up!"
"Wait a second. Me?" I asked, perplexed.
"Yes, you, Jacob! Don't you remember what the sprite was like before you entered? Before you brought me back to life? The Sprite's previous incarnation, which resulted from its Kernel's 'hatching'?
"You see, this hatching occurs automatically in response to your arrival! The result is a pair of Kernels, one dark, one light, each carrying the information they were prototyped with before the hatch! One goes down, to a kingdom entrenched in darkness. The other, up, to a kingdom basking in light! Each comes to rest in an Orb atop a Spire, of which there are seven others in kind. The Eight Spires are situated above a throne, and these two thrones preside over the two respective Sovereign Powers! And once the Kernels are situated, that is when the game is afoot. The true war begins, light versus dark, good versus evil. This is a war that the forces of light are always destined to lose, without exception!"
"But if the battle is already decided, than what in the world do I do?"
"That remains for you to find out. For you see, the journey you are about to take is The Ultimate Riddle!
"For now, your objective is to proceed towards Skaia, and pass through The First Gate situated directly above your house, not even terribly far! The Gates will become progressively more difficult to reach, so you had better be prepared to sharpen your adventuring skills!"
"Alright, I'm definitely ready for that, but how do I get up there?"
"You build!" Sammysprite said, excited.
"Oh." I responded, dejected. I sat back down in the computer chair, thinking about my former server player, Jeremy.
"What's wrong?" Sammysprite asked, coming to sit on my lap.
"Well, I don't have a server player anymore. I lost connection with him earlier today and haven't been able to get a hold of him ever since."
"Oh, that is unfortunate." Sammysprite said. "But it is not hopeless!"
I looked up, hope twinkling inside me. "Is he still alive?" I asked.
"Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that, Jacob. The knowledge I gained from you prototyping me only extends as far as this Incipisphere. However, you are not confined to only one server player!
"It's completely possible for one of the other players to connect to you and help you build up to the gates!"
"Alright! So This really could work then! That's good, I was starting to get worried. to be honest, it started to just feel hopeless. I just wanted to save my friends."
"Well, that is entirely possible! If they enter, they will indeed be saved from Earth's destruction."
"Wait, destruction?" I asked, "Metaphorical, or literal? The earth's not actually going to be destroyed, is it?"
" There isn't anything anyone can do about it, Jacob. The planet is done for. But I promise you that your mission is much more important than saving Earth. Otherwise this game wouldn't even exist!"
"But what is my mission, then?" I asked, perplexed. What would be more important than saving our planet from destruction?
"I really want to tell you, but I can't. The game isn't letting me. Maybe it wants you to find out for yourself?
"I guess so." I said. This was really making my curiosity burn. Though, its purpose was likely working. I really wanted to strive forward and find out what I was supposed to do. However, in order to do that I needed to get in contact with someone to be my server player.
I looked at the screen with Jessica. She was running around and looked like she was having fun Alchemizing. She was Hope's server player anyway. I didn't want to burden her with being mine as well. I wondered if Jay was in yet. She was going to connect to Jeremy, but maybe she could connect to me, now that…
I called Jay up.
"Have you entered your land yet?" I asked.
"Barely. Austen got distracted and the meteor almost hit me before I got in."
"That happened to me, too. I think it's just something that happens. The game gives you only just enough time to enter, and no more."
"I guess so. Ever since then, I've been fighting and Austen's been building. I've also Alchemized a really great bow and I've been using that. This game really is interesting. What did you allocate to your Strife Sylladex?"
"Huh? What's that?" I asked, confused.
"Oh, dang! Your server player hasn't even given you that? Where is he?"
"A little after I got in, we lost contact. I don't think he entered in time." I said, dejected. "That's why I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?" Jay asked. I'm glad he didn't ask for details, because I myself really didn't know.
"To be honest, I was wondering if you could act as my server player." I said, "Apparently more than one person can connect, and I really need someone to build up my house, and I guess deploy some crucial items."
"Well, I was planning on connecting to Emily once I set up my server port. You know Emily, right?"
"Yeah. I'll ask her. Do you have her number?"
"Yeah, one second."
Jay gave me Emily's number, and we hung up. I didn't mind Emily, to be honest. She was very excitable and fun to talk to. Likely the most fun loving extraverted person I knew. Well, I didn't really know very many people, so that wasn't saying much. However, I did think she was awesome. I didn't mind having her as my server player.
I called up Emily.
"Hey Jacob! I didn't know you had my number!"
"Yeah," I responded, "Jay gave it to me. I guess in a way I'm the leader of our session? All I know is I'm the first who entered."
"Oh, okay! Who is your server player?" She asked.
"Well, that's what I was calling you about. I heard you wanted to be in our session, right?"
"Yeah, Jay invited me. This is going to be awesome!"
"Definitely! But I'm having complications with my server player, and I was wondering if you could connect to me and help me out while Jay gets the server ready."
"I would love to!" She exclaimed, "It would be awesome to see what the Medium's like before I enter myself!"
I waited for her to install the Server, and she connected to me. She was waiting for Jay to be ready to install the Client disk.
Finally, she connected, and her mouse pointer appeared next to me.
"You look like you're cold." She said, likely referring to my winter attire.
I decided I was a bit warm, so I responded by taking my jacket, hat and scarf off. "Yeah, I don't know why but my medium is really cold. Nobody else seems to have this problem though, at least that I know of."
"Oh, alright. So what do you want me to do?" She asked.
"Well, I really need a Punch Designex and A Strife and Fetch Sylladex. You can deploy those, right?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah! It looks like you have enough grist. Here, I'll deploy this next to your Totem Lathe!"
I looked over and saw her do so. That was definitely a handy place for it.
"Here, I'll put these in front of you." She said. I saw the cursor deposit two cards in front of me.
I picked them up and looked at them. "Thanks." I said, "Do you know what to do?"
"Not really." She admitted.
"Alright. You can scroll up, right? Scroll up until you see the first portal above my house."
"Oh, I see it. That looks so cool!"
"Yeah, as I gather grist, you need to build my house up taller so I can get to it."
"Sounds like fun!" She said, "But you don't really have much grist to use, it looks like. It seems you can store a bit though. Hey, what's this level thing mean?"
"Level thing? What are you laking about?" I asked.
"It says you are rank of Scribble Drawer on your Echeladder."
"What?" I exclaimed. Seriously, what was she looking at?
"Oh, and what's all this grist doing in your yard?" She inquired.
"I didn't have time to collect it." I said. "You could scroll over it and collect it yourself if you want."
"Alright." She said, "But it looks like your sprite collected most of it already. Oh, is that a cat? She's so cute!"
"Yeah, after I entered I prototyped my cat, Sammy. He's a boy by the way. So Sprites can collect it too then?"
"Looks like it. I scrolled over some of it and it disappeared and added to the cache, but the sprite looks like he knows what he's doing much better."
"Alright. I guess you should start building? I'm going to figure out how to use this alchemizing stuff."
"Okay!" Emily exclaimed. She sure sounded excited. I don't blame her. I was a little excited myself to find out what was up there. I guessed it was time to get ready.