I opened my Chat App and mentally dictated a note to Todd.

Jack: Todd, I hope you’re receiving this. I had something strange happen to me. I think they pulled me out of the game for a moment. They put a tracker inside me, like the real me, or something. I don’t understand. Someone named Coragan apparently has it out for my sister and I think he’s targeting me to mess with her. Do you know this Coragan guy? Is this something I need to be concerned about?

That was my longest chat to date. Also, my most effective, at least with Todd, because he almost immediately responded.

Todd: Meet me at the coffee shop ASAP.

***

When I got to the Star Clucks Café, Todd wasn’t there. It was just the older couple and the barista that were always there. I stood around for a moment, thought about ordering a drink, then Todd was suddenly behind me. He grabbed my shoulder.

“Come on,” he said, and motioned for me to follow him into his Sanctuary of Solace just as the ground started to shake.

***

“I knew it! I knew they had a way to track us, but I didn’t know it involved sticking a bloody device in our heads,” said Todd. “That’s just crossing the line, that’s what that is. Of course, there is no line for these bloody bastards, is there?”

He was sitting at this desk again, his bare feet up. Instead of his white jumpsuit, he was dressed in a dark blue bathrobe. I couldn’t tell from where I was sitting on the leather couch, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

“I’m shocked you surfaced,” said Todd. “I know they move our bodies around but I’ve never heard of anyone waking up outside the game. Damn. Sounds like the techs who manage your unit got sloppy.”

“What’s this mean?” I said.

“It means, someone out there is going to come for you in here. It means, Jacky boy, that you’re now part of the game. The real game.”

“Which basically means I’m screwed.”

He nodded, flashing a set of bright white teeth. Then shrugged. “Probably, yeah.”

“Do you know anything about this Coragan guy?”

Todd scrunched his face up, thinking. “If he’s part of the cult, which it sounds like he is, I’ve probably encountered him somewhere along the line. Wouldn’t know him by his name, though. Only his face. They don’t publicize who they are in here for obvious reasons. They have numbers for names.”

“So what do I do?”

“You,“ he said, pulling something out of his inventory,” do exactly what you’ve been doing, but do it with this.”

He handed me a crystal, much like the jewel in Yuri’s pendant, but this one was perfectly clear like a diamond.

“It’s a tracking disruptor. It’s one of the ways I’ve been able to allud the cult for so long when I’m working outside this time bubble. As long as you have it in your inventory or on your person, the cult will have a hard time finding you. It’s not foolproof, mind you, but it’s worked pretty well for me. This time bubble, however, is foolproof, which is why I spend so much time here.”

“Don’t you still need this?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got two and a half left.”

“A half?”

He shrugged. “One shattered.”

“Huh,” I said. “How’d you get this?”

“LES gave it to me the first time I took one of those bastards on. Nearly died. That’s when I first started to suspect they had a way to track us. No way that guy could have known where I was otherwise.”

“LES knows about the cult?”

Todd smiled again. “Believe it or not, the A.I. likes the cult even less than you and I do. Thinks they’re an abomination to the game. His code is set for incarcerated personnel only. The fact that there’s a group of people slipping in and out of his domain just so they can get away will mass murder irks the little shithead to death.”

“Huh,” I said, sitting back, examining the crystal. “Last time I was here you had to take off in a hurry. Sounds like you have a way to track the cultists too?” I said, hopefully.

He scratched his head, trying to recall. “Oh, right, one of those buggers walked into one of my trigger zones. I have a few around their temple grounds.”

“Did you kill him?”

“Her, actually, and no.” He shook his head. “Followed her for a while though. She was sifting through slaves, looking for someone, I think. They hire NPCs like the hog-gobins to capture bulks of people. They have them all building something.”

“What?”

“Don’t know. Some sort of tower. Think they’re calling it the Great Goddess Tower or something stupid like that.” He shrugged. “I don’t pretend to understand the minds of those maniacs. But to answer your question, no, I can’t track individuals. I only get alerts if they wander into areas I’ve set up. I will keep an eye out for this Coragan guy though.”

“Speaking of eyes, apparently he only has one,” I said. “Thanks to my sister.”

Todd frowned at me and rubbed his scruffy chin. “You don’t say. Hmm. Come to think of it, I do recall seeing a one-eyed fellow at one of their weekly rituals a few days back.” He reflected for a moment, staring off into space. “Yeah, I remember. He stood out. Real big guy.” Todd cringed at that.

“So you’re sure I’m okay to keep, you know, doing what I’m doing? Now that a cultist is after me and everything? You don’t think I should lay low for a while?”

Todd shook his head. “Look, Jack, eventually you’re going to run into this Coragan guy. My intuition says it’s inevitable. When that time comes, I may not be there to help you. You need to get as strong as you can get right now. And the only way to do that is by leveling up your abilities and gaining as many experience points as you can.”

“You don’t think LES would be willing to, you know, give me a freebie boost of points given my … unusual circumstance?”

A moment passed.

Then I got a notification.

Notification

Note from Les:

Nice try, slick. No.

I waved away my interface and looked at Todd. “LES said no.”

“Figured,” said Todd. “The little shithead is such a stickler.”

I put my face in my hands and moaned. “You sure you don’t want to break into the nightclub with us? Might be fun. And we could really use your help.”

“Wish I could, unfortunately I am a marked man.” He lifted the sleeve of his robe to reveal a large black X across his forearm. “I’d trigger all their magical alarms the moment I crossed the threshold. Got this years ago in Hog Haven.” He shuttered. “Dark times that was, that’s for sure.”

“The hogs have a city named after them?”

“Whole thing is an underground cavern, goes on for miles and miles.”

“Wow. Hope I never have to go there—Oh, hey, any more tips on killing that cyclops?”

“You read the pamphlet I gave you, right?”

“What? The flip book? Thought that was a joke.”

Todd smiled again, shook his head. “No Joke.”

“Why can’t you just tell me how to do it?”

“That would be LES’s fault as well,” said Todd. “I could try, but you wouldn’t hear me or see my lips moving. I wouldn’t be able to show you either. Once you complete something of significance, LES locks you down with a restriction feature to keep you from spreading all the game’s secrets. Hence the pamphlet with the inscrutable clues.”

“You sure this A.I. is on our side?”

“Oh, he’s not on anyone’s side,” said Todd. “He just hates it when people break his rules.”