Chapter 8

Zoe - V.D.C.

Her capsule opened slowly, letting in light flowing in. Blinded by the sudden influx, she put her hands in front of her eyes. “Urgh!”

“Easy now, let your body take its time to re-acclimate itself.” The feminine voice was soothing, if slightly teasing. “It’s always difficult to emerge from a dive the first few times, but you’ll quickly adapt I’m sure. Well, if you keep playing, that is.”

“...Who’s there?” Asked Zoe in a slightly suspicious voice, surprised to have someone waiting for her. Her sight came back quickly and she was finally able to get up.

“Don’t worry, I’m part of the staff.” Back against a wall, a woman was sitting on a chair that was seemingly coming out from the ground. Her long golden hair was tied in a ponytail that floated over her white blouse, and her blue eyes were scrutinizing Zoe who was coming out of the white sarcophagus. Her face would have been beautiful if not for the tiny burn marks scattered here and there, giving her more of a fierce look than a gorgeous one.

“I’m pleased to meet you, I’m Professor Liddell from the V.D.C…” She showed her badge.” but you can call me Lorina if you want.”

Intrigued, Zoe looked at her before asking: “Pleased to meet you too, but could I know why you’re here, Professor… Lorina?” As she was talking, she finished exiting her capsule.

“Of course. As by the log, this is your first dive. However, scans are giving back data that are quite peculiar for a first-time diver, so I was dispatched to watch over you as you were playing, to be sure that nothing happened and also to gather a bit more data to ensure your future dives are the safest possible.

Okay that's great but I really need to go to the toilet… “Could we continue this talk in two minutes?”

“Of course, anyway I’ll need to keep monitoring you for at least five hours of dive… You intend to play more today, right?”

“Yes, but I really need to go right now…” A bit embarrassed, she asked: “...You wouldn’t know were the toilets are, by any coincidence.” Professor Liddell made a compassionate smile before answering.

“Go to your left when exiting the room, then it will be the fourth right door. You can’t miss it, it’s the only one with a sign on it, the other doors open on diving room li…”

“Thank you!” Interrupted Zoe.

***

Her natural needs quickly satisfied, she returned to her room. Still sitting with her legs crossed, Lorina was waiting for the young woman to continue their discussion, but just as Zoe was about to speak… “Grrrrr…” The gurgling of her belly was heard loud and clear in the room.

“Do you want us to speak around a meal?” Asked the professor to a deeply blushing Zoe.

“Yes please, that would be great.” I should have eaten at noon, it’s four pm and of course I’m starving, dumbass. She scolded herself before following Lorina, who quickly took both of them to a lounge. The room seemed to be able to accommodate at least sixty people, but only one was currently using it. Seeing them entering, the old man nodded at them before going back to eat his vol-au-vent. “So, what do you want to eat?” Asked the professor.

“Well, what’s on the menu?” Asked the young woman back. Lorina laughed slightly.

“Ahahah, yeah, I forgot that you were new. You’ve a VIP capsule so you’ve access to so other VIP features too, like this private lounge. Ask whatever you want and our private chef will cook it for you.” She said with a wink.

Ah? Ok, let’s go for something quick, simple and fortifying. “Let’s go for a simple plate of pasta with some cheese. I will eat balanced later…” And, seeing Lorina’s shocked face, she couldn’t help but add. “...I really need something quick to cook and to eat, as I’ve made the promise to not stay here longer than I need too.

“...Okay, I’m going to order, settle down during the wait.” And she walked towards the counter. You could hear her mumbling in her beard about things like “What a lack of culinary ambition” or “These gamers, all the same.”

Zoe chose a small alcove that was a bit recessed, just big enough for two people to feel comfortable. The antique wooden table, the red velvet and the patinated copper decorations gave a cosy air to the whole. A minute later, the professor came back. “Our dishes are ordered, we will be served in about ten minutes.”

Zoe relaxed slightly while smiling. Perfect, I will be able to stay in the timing that I announced to Dzīve. “Well, back to our electric sheep.” “Yes, you said you found atypical values?”

“Nothing serious, nothing serious, they are not totally abnormal either. The surprising thing is that these types of data are usually recorded on players who have already done a lot of diving, not within Noobs, if you don’t mind me using the term. I just came to check for peace of mind.”

Oh, so there’s really nothing to worry then. With this part of the conversation finished, they kept waiting silently for one or two minutes. It’s starting to get awkward… she didn’t seem as shy as I was, but I must have been mistaken. Come on Zoe, find something to talk about… “So, why did the devs choose to use a contractual system for the player, lining them to an npc?” However, even before the professor could answer, a waiter interrupted them.

He served the dish and said: “Bon appétit, mesdames.”

“Thanks.” Answered Zoe, while Lorina only nodded. The young woman started eating… Wow, is that's really only cheese and pasta? What did the cook do, some voodoo? No, stop, stay focused!

“Well, let’s see, how to answer this question… You know that the summoners are the reasons, lore-wise, that the players have to come, or some would say, are able to come into the world of Binding Fate.”

“Yes?”

“Well, for me that contract, that link is one of the things that make Binding Fate special.”

“How so?”

“Hm… in a classical mmorpg, the player is there to reach the goals they put by themselves and, by doing so, we’ve seen that a lot of players neglect or even despise opinions of the npcs around them. However, the npcs are the heart of binding fate, of any good rpg in my opinion. They are the ones giving life to the world and to weight to its stakes. The summon and the contract are tools to put a player and an npc in deep interaction, to push the player to invest themselves into the life of this npc and, through them, to invest themselves in the world. This game is not serving the player, the player is there to help an inhabitant." She took a sip of the drink she had asked the waiter for.

"This strengthens the immersion of the player because they can discover how deep the npc’s are and how rich interaction can be between them, in place of seeing only some quest givers, big bad or any other reductive views. This also gives a touch of realism to the game, and that help with the willing suspension of disbelief, while giving a great feeling of accomplishment when the player succeeds in doing something.”

My head hurt, can’t you go slower? Urgh…

“However, understanding that being linked to an npc could turn down some people, we’ve also created an AI whose job is solely to analyse the data we’ve on the player and to pair them with a psychologically adapted npc. Our rate of successful pairing is around 99.97% if I remember well, or around three thousand cases on our ten million player base.” Zoe nodded, listening attentively to what the professor was saying as she was eating as quickly as she could, sometimes asking a question.

***

With the meal finished, they quickly started going back to the young woman’s capsule. As they were walking, she had used her phone to send a message. Curious, the professor had inquired the recipient. “I’m just texting my Uncle back, he was a little worried to not find me in-game but everything is all right. He has invited me to a restaurant tonight, to celebrate my first day playing Binding Fate.”

As they entered Zoe’s room, Lorina said softly: “Familly… yes, I know that.” Her smile was a strange mix of happiness and sorrow. Having finally reached her capsule, Zoe got into position as she talked.

“Do you want to eat together again? Your company is more than pleasant, I must say.”

“I’ll see if I’m available or not, but if so, why not? Talking with you is pleasing, indeed.” She answered with a smile.

“Thank you. See you later then, maybe after I’ve finished this dive if you’re still there.”

“Maybe. See you later.” And on those last words of Lorina, Zoe dived.

Lorina

When the capsule was completely sealed shut, when Zoe couldn’t hear what happened around her anymore.

“So, she is the prospective future queen? How is she?” Nobody else was in there, yet a deep and low voice had resounded in it.

“She has… potential. I like her.”

“Wow, she’s that good? Isn’t it only the third time you say that about someone? You’re sure about this?”

“Yes. Just look and behold, she will be a true asset in the future.”

“If you say so. Who am I to challenge your judgment?” The voice seemed nearly sincere, but you could still dig some sarcasm from it.

“Do you want to make a bet?” A predatory smile had appeared on Lorina’s face.

“...No, thanks…” “That’s what I was thinking. Stop wasting my time and go back to work.” Satisfaction could be seen in the professor’s eyes. A second later, the voice had left. Only then Lorina sat down and start monitoring Zoe back.