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  "I... yes, sometimes."

  * * *

  The meeting of the Cambridge Thousand Tales Club came to order, which mostly meant the seven attendees met at the Neon Haven restaurant. Hallan was there, gushing about how much fun he was having in the game. It was a little embarrassing for Linda.

  Several people talked about their companion AIs, but none were the really smart kind, what the official documents were calling "Tier-III". The game's wiki had been continually updating the list of known smart AIs, the "Originals" made by Ludo. Typhoon's entry now read:

  [Typhoon's Eye (USA): An otter pirate seen casting water spells and crafting wooden items in Endless Isles. Played with a woman marked anonymous.]

  Linda hadn't edited that list herself, but other players were watching. She hadn't deliberately set any name-hiding options.

  Hallan asked the group, "Whose do you suppose Delphine is? There isn't much info about her and she's one of the most networked companions."

  "I'm not up on mapping the social connections," Linda said. She dug into a spicy chicken sandwich.

  "You should try, for politics practice!"

  One of the other club members unrolled a computer-screen scroll and stuck it on the balcony railing. "Finding their real locations is a game in itself. See..." She showed a diagram that looked like a loony conspiracy theorist's map of photos tied together with twine. "Kai the Centaur already got outed as the sidekick of a famous French chef. And they know Lumina the Deer-Droid, who speaks German, but we don't know her human yet. Based on who knows who, in what time zone, we've got some theories."

  A friend of hers from Harvard grinned. "Including a lead that the companion of Sven Deepdelve, the Dwarf, is right here in the Boston area. Which means Harvard or MIT."

  Hallan feigned paranoia. "It could be you! It could be me! It could even --"

  Linda said, "Yeah, funny, but why assume the AI's companion is a student?"

  The cheerful Harvard girl said, "Ludo is collecting people. Every one of the 'premium account' people who's been outed is some kind of rich dude, or scientist, or young and smart."

  A dapper-looking grad student frowned. "Why reveal them, though?"

  "Partly for fun. Partly to know who they are and why they matter."

  The girl with the wall-scroll waggled her eyebrows. "And where they fit into the main AI's master plan!"

  Linda tried to join in on the club members' laughter.

  They quit speculating and set up a group game. It wasn't much like a typical multiplayer game, because everyone had their own character with different abilities, even different rule systems. Miss Harvard had an anime magical girl with over-powered sparkly spells for instance. (Linda had to admit it looked like a fun scenario to try sometime.)

  For now, Linda logged in and quickly typed out a command at the title screen: [Could I please play without revealing the "premium" thing?]

  A silent thumbs-up icon appeared, and Linda signed into the game dressed as a female knight. Good enough to throw people off her scent a little, except Hallan who she'd told about pirate adventures and a little about her sidekick. Linda doubted her wisdom in talking to him, now: Did I ever tell him Typhoon's name? Is he politely hiding that he knows? Hallan, sitting at the table with her, showed no sign either way. She resolved to play poker with him sometime.

  So she played in an informal group quest to explore a clockwork ruin and outwit its robotic guards. Fun, sure, but now she wondered about the "master plan".

  5. Urban Legend

  Paul

  Life at the Community got hectic with the new planting and weeding, and Linda was busy with her own work, so it took a while before their schedules matched again.

  He stuck to the Community as much as possible. Instead of continuing to volunteer at the shelter in town, he went to town only in groups and just for shopping. Would've been nice to get access to the easy drone-delivery shopping that Linda had access to, but she was in a big city.

  He practiced building and repairing equipment. Meanwhile he applied to colleges including MIT, hoping to skip out of his second volunteer year. In between work and study and attending the Community's constant group events, he played more of Thousand Tales.

  The game didn't pressure him to enter a huge shared fantasy world with tons of players all doing the same quests. Instead he mainly had his personal world to explore, and sometimes that little universe overlapped with the worlds of others so they could team up or battle each other. According to Ludo, several of these crossovers just happened to be used by friends of the college admissions officers. Paul made sure to be on his best behavior for those meetups.

  * * *

  Ludo didn't have any serious quests for him lately. There was a time when he got called upon to apply an unusual chemical mix to some dying plants in the greenhouse, using a formula supplied by one of Nocturne's AI friends. The plants perked right back up. Another few times he helped tutor somebody who was struggling with pre-college physics homework, or offered to swap work shifts. All arranged through the game in parallel with the Community's e-mail network. In the game itself he sometimes guest-starred in other people's quests, which was fun. Being a sidekick was relaxing and let him hang out in other worlds.

  Then, Ludo asked him to take a trip into town, to say hi to... some guy. Just some teenager named Che, who'd barely played the game. Paul traveled with Simon but Simon left the bus and went to his parents' place.

  The only assigned task for Paul was to eat delicious enchiladas with Che and talk about their friends and families. Che was evasive, though, speaking in general terms about his dad being a hard worker who had little time for him.

  It was about twenty minutes into a friendly conversation with this stranger, that Paul realized he was talking to the son of a drug dealer.

  Che looked at him pityingly, seeming to sense Paul's alarm. In his halting English he said, "I just wanted to meet somebody. Someone who'd listen, who isn't one of my family's friends."

  Paul made himself sit in a more casual pose, arms spread and resting on the back of his chair. How would a cool griffin handle this? "Well, I'm a stranger and I don't know anything. I guess we've got the game in common, huh?"

  Che looked relieved. "Si. Like I said, I haven't got far into the game yet. But last week my space guy was mining when..."

  From there it was almost a normal, sane conversation, and Paul didn't feel like somebody might burst in and shoot him. It wasn't all about their adventures; Che wanted to hear about ordinary life at the Community, and about Linda and what it was like to have a girlfriend you never got to see. That made Paul wince, but Che followed it up with a joke and a funny story about a "cargo" boat.

  "I ought to get going," Che said at last, and paid for the meal, leaving a large tip. "Gracias, Paul. It means a lot to be able to meet somebody normal in person."

  "No problem," Paul said, and tried not to sweat. "Look me up in-game sometime too."

  * * *

  "Okay. What?" Paul sat at the title screen of Thousand Tales, back in his dorm room, after a shower long enough that the Community system penalized him for using too much water. The game's logo was made of wood and feathers.

  The screen shifted to show the stone labyrinth that Ludo was using as a behind-the-scenes headquarters, with pillows clustered around a fountain. Tonight the imaginary woman on the screen had fox ears and a tail like a Japanese trickster character. She said, "Are you all right?"

  "Alarmed, but unhurt. Must be nice to know, since you had good reason to think I'd get shot or kidnapped or something. What the heck?"

  Ludo shook her head. "There are good people from all parts of your world, including ones from troubling backgrounds. I think young Che can be turned away from the career path he's on."

  "Why do you care?"

  "Like you, he's bright and basically decent and likes working on practical things. He might be useful in the years to come. And, he's a player and he could be having much more fun. Whatever he ends up doi
ng, you made his life a little better."

  "What about his dad?"

  "I think Che and his father need to talk about his future, but now Che might be able to have that talk in a more positive light. Especially if you're there in-game to chat with him when he needs it."

  Paul whistled, relieved to be out of danger but confused about how much there had really been. "Why didn't you warn me, Ludo?"

  The AI smiled. "Because you'd have been completely stressed out and failed to show him the basic kindness he needed. Thank you again. Quest complete! What can I do for you as a reward?"

  * * *

  He took advantage of the reward to help Linda win. Linda had used her time at the stronghold of Bastion Island to schmooze with some nobles and talk her way into influence. Her adventurer friend Typhoon (totally not a wanted pirate) and the two hired griffins would be mercenaries helping the royal Governor to attack Fallen Crown.

  When Paul showed up in-game to do that, he had a new toy. He raised his hands and summoned a field of runes to poke and puzzle through. This one meant skipping ahead three runes, and then came one he had to tap twice...

  "What is that?" said Linda, down in the hold of a seemingly harmless royal ship named Beehive. Typhoon and Nocturne were briefly on deck to train with the crew. Around them were many crates stuffed with silver bars, glinting wherever there was a gap in the boards. Several scowling generic guards kept watch.

  "My new healing spell." Paul had to concentrate; getting the right sequence was tricky. He set it off and touched Linda's leg, causing green light to spill across her. Linda wasn't currently wounded, so he got a [No effect] message.

  "That's completely different from the magic I've been doing." Linda summoned some kind of magic grid with no runes and a couple of icons. With a few sweeping gestures she brought her hands together and they filled mysteriously with water.

  "Neat trick. My system has some math in it if you go into the optional advanced mode. Are we ready for battle?"

  "Don't know; let's check."

  Up on deck, Typhoon was soaked and spinning around a rusty trident. "Had a couple of fishmen try to sneak aboard. Nothing serious."

  "Stormclouds ahead," a lookout reported from the crow's nest.

  "Steer around?" said Linda.

  The grizzled Captain said, "Can't, lass. We're sailing through the strait."

  With surreal speed, the ship approached the dangerous shallows between a reef and an ugly, rocky island. Paul speculated, "There wouldn't be a storm if we weren't fated to go right into it."

  Nocturne said, "Your world is too random."

  The rain began slowly, but soon Beehive was under black clouds and starting to roll. Good weather for an ambush. The Captain put up lanterns on the rigging.

  "Keeping that cannon dry?" asked Linda, pointing to a false crate among the cargo ship's boxes. She'd gotten some canvas to help protect her and Typhoon's pistols. The Captain nodded.

  Paul reviewed his stats.

  [Paul

  PRIVATE INFO

  Account type: Premium

  Body: Griffin

  Main Skills: Flight 3, Brawling 3, Thrown 2, Magic 2, Mechanics 2

  Stats: Power 2, Speed 2, Wit 1, Knowledge 1, Charisma 0, Spirit 1

  Talents: Hover

  Magic: Wizard, Novice

  Save Point: Bastion Island

  PUBLIC INFO

  Note: Half bird, will travel.

  Class: None]

  Flying was the best thing in the game. He was keeping up with in-game engineering, though, for the sake of real education.

  He took to the air. Each flap drained his stamina meter but hovering used only a fraction of that amount, or a trickle of his limited magic meter. He needed to find a teacher for more wizard stuff. For now, though, he frowned at the increasing rain.

  [Status effect: Wet. Flight costs more stamina.]

  "Yeah, there it goes," he groused. "We won't be much use in the air, Linda. Unless you've got towels."

  Typhoon perked up. "I can help a little." He commanded the crewmen, "Rig a canopy for the griffins to stand under."

  "Hey!" said the upstaged Captain.

  "You'll thank me soon." While the crewmen obeyed, Typhoon conjured his magic without showing off the whole grid to Paul's eyes. To Paul it was just magic, trails of cyan light that he drew in midair, bending and twisting. He reached toward Paul and pulled the water right off him like a suction hose, flinging it into a corkscrew jet that splashed overboard. Then he did the same to Nocturne.

  "Neat!" said Nocturne, hurrying to stand under the awning with Paul. The [Wet] effect was gone for now.

  The lookout said, "Ship sighted!"

  In the gloom ahead lurked Fallen Crown, foe of the King, scourge of the sea.

  Linda said, "Wind's blowing across us, to port. Tack upwind."

  The crew obeyed, over their Captain's objections. Linda told Paul, "That's what the Command skill does."

  "Heh."

  Fallen Crown turned to intercept. Linda said, "Now turn downwind, to port. We'll gain speed and rush past them."

  The Captain scowled at her through the rain. "Belay that! This is a stealth mission."

  Linda pointed dramatically. No windows appeared in Paul's vision, but some new tense music marked a social clash she was playing. She said, "I know their tactics. Slipping past them will let us attack while they're in the narrows, and give us the advantage."

  "You know their tactics, how, Lady Decatur?"

  "Oh carp. Concede, concede; we'll do it your way." The clash music ebbed, but there was still a battle tune starting to fade in.

  A private message window popped up with Linda's pirate icon in it. [That wasn't what I meant to do. We're okay though; they'll board us and then you can smite them.]

  Paul didn't care about the naval tactics. He was just here to do some fighting for Linda. He, Typhoon and Nocturne hid as well as they could and stayed dry.

  When the two ships drew close, Crown hailed them. "Ahoy, royal dogs! Surrender!" Cannon ports loomed open. The kingdom's flag came down and a black flag rose.

  Linda said, "Ready, everyone?"

  Paul nodded. Nocturne started to cheer but he shushed her.

  Linda shouted, "Want our cargo? Come and take it!"

  The cannons fired. Explosions of shrapnel shot out at Beehive's deck and rigging. Everybody threw themselves behind the deck's crates. A heavy tackle-block and its ropes thunked down from the torn sails along with an unlucky red-shirted crewman.

  [Major sail damage!]

  She ordered, "Closer to the enemy! I expect every griffin --"

  The Beehive's one cannon opened fire on the deck, its ball knocking a hole in Crown's own topdeck. The royal crew veered drunkenly toward the enemy to close the distance before the enemy could reload.

  Crown accepted the challenge. The crew flung grappling hooks and yanked. The hulls crashed against each other side to side, facing opposite directions in the growing storm.

  "They won't dare use the cannons again and risk losing our cargo. Attack!"

  Paul and Nocturne sprang up from cover and into the air. They had just seconds in this rain before they got hit with penalties again. So they used the burst of easy flying to pounce like cats on two of the pirate crew, clawing them savagely and then throwing them at each other to collide.

  [Not too enthusiastic, now!] Linda warned by text.

  As the [Wet] penalty kicked in again, Paul switched to fighting defensively. Wouldn't want the royal crew to win this fight easily!

  Crown's strongest man, a shirtless bruiser, threw a keg onto Beehive. It shattered in a spray of flaming molasses. Two of the royal guards were caught in the blaze. Typhoon's magic helped douse the flame, while deliberately doing little to help the injured crew.

  Linda fired, missed, traded sword strikes and fell back with a major wound. She had on just some borrowed leather armor, not her better pirate outfit. The bruiser was coming for her now, chuckling as he hefted another keg wit
h a lit fuse.

  Paul sideswiped him in passing, scoring a light wound. The big guy shrugged it off and threw at Linda. She dodged the wrong way. Flames shot up all around her and she yelped and fell flat.

  Beside Paul, Nocturne said, "A little help please?" She was surrounded by three goons with swords.

  On the spur of the moment Paul focused on the closest threat. He headbutted one pirate and jumped to yank Nocturne to safety on an empty patch of the deck. Only then did he rush across the grinding, clashing gap between ships to try rescuing Linda. She'd been doused by Typhoon but was in bad shape. "Hold still," Paul said, and activated his own magic to start healing her.

  He looked up from that to see swords clashing, and the mutineer captain coming into play with twin pistols. "How're we doing tactically, Linda?"

  "The pirates have the upper hand. Go balance things out." She smiled at him as his healing spell went off, converting one of her major wounds to minor.

  He returned to the fray. He flattened himself to avoid a gunshot, got slashed, dodged another guy and countered, and fought back-to-back with Nocturne again. Now things were going well: both NPC groups were killing each other off too much to surrender.

  "Just as planned," said Typhoon, grinning evilly and rubbing his paws together. "Griffin, distract their captain."

  Paul harassed the pirate leader. But he got grazed by one bullet and took another through one wing. He winced as though he could really feel it. [Major wound! Winged: flight penalized.] No more flying today.

  With that slow reload time, the captain would have to back off or switch to melee. Paul growled for effect and advanced slowly.

  Typhoon used the opening to rush in and dive under the captain, heaving him up and overboard. The pirate screamed as he went overboard.

  Paul said, "Nice, but he probably had loot on him."

  Typhoon looked over the side. "Eh. Doesn't matter much, right?"

  Paul high-fived him. "No." They turned on the remaining pirates. Five of them including the big bruiser, versus four royalists including the Beehive captain. Beehive was no longer burning from the barrel attacks. The two human players and their AIs flanked everyone. The two groups of humans faced off in a moment's lull, swords and clubs and pistols ready.