VI
Sweet Revenge
“So, how
are we going to do this?” asked Misty. “Do you have any ideas?”
“Always,” the teenager grinned. “Far
too many. But I’ve got something special, just for you.”
Misty didn’t hope for much. He was
feeling absurd in this tiny room full of computer devices, microphones, tripods
and figurines placed on white shelves. The robocat was sat on the window sill
and pretended to lick her front paw. She was graceful and carefully designed. ByePacker
introduced her as Dizzy.
“I know it’s your first video, so
let’s do something easy. Have you heard of ?” asked the
teenager as he was waiting for Misty to deny.
“It’s the game that you’re playing”
Misty tried to remember more, but he failed.
It was really difficult to be
up-to-date, people change their likes and dislikes too quickly.
“Yes, this game has an interesting
backstory,” ByePacker got really exited. “It was created as a cozy game but
then some multiplayer and role-playing features were added. And it’s still
popular!”
Misty looked at him without a word. Should he
explain that he has no idea what role-playing is?
“You don’t have to know all it all”
the teenager waved his hand dismissively. “The point is that this game consists
of two genres that are contrary to each other. Cozy games are supposed to be
relaxing and role-playing games demand fighting, collecting items and
fulfilling quests. But this game joined it all together in a brilliant manner.
You see, there are two fractions that have to cooperate. If you’re a farmer,
you don’t have to worry about starlings, you just plant your trees, collect
fruits and sell them. But if you’re a guardian, you have to protect farmers by
shooting starlings. You can also help the farmers with their work. In this way,
I’m able to play even with my mum and my aunt!” the teenager smiled broadly.
“How awesome is that?”
“But then they know how much time
you spent on playing, right?” Misty wasn’t sure if it was even possible. “Don’t
you have to learn?”
“It’s summer,” ByePacker looked at
him in disgust, as if the mere mention of learning ruined the mood. “So before
we start, let’s talk with my mum about that game.”
The mother of the famous influencer,
Mrs Duskin, was a busy woman in her forties. She kept her fingernails painted
perfectly and her hair dyed stylized in a neat manner. Misty guessed that she
was ready to become a businesswoman in no more than 5 minutes.
“Oh, hello,” she smiled broadly. “Do
you want a holographic coffee? The machine is over there, by steam fryer, but
you need to change the settings, Austin.”
ByePacker stopped by the device and
sighed deeply.
“Cat food? Mum, really? I told you
that I’ve already fed Dizzy.”
“Oh, really?” Mrs Duskin looked
perplexed. “She was meowing so persistently, I just couldn’t refuse. Do you
like cats, Mr Misty?”
“I do, but I’m not sure if they like
me in return,” answered Misty. “They keep looking at me with contempt.”
“It’s normal” said ByePacker,
writing the code on the screen. “Even robocats do that sometimes. I heard that
it’s the main reason for the returns. Some poeple ask on GroundChat if they
should feel concerned when their robocats are treating them as servants. I
guess they never had a real one. There you are,” he handed Misty a small cup.
The robot smiled and took the
hologram. It was always amusing to watch people performing these small
ceremonial gestures. Holograms were invented to unite people with their
creations and to make technology more friendly. It also affected human
behavior. Human were more friendly towards a robot that can drink tea with the
family than towards a simple model that demanded only charging and regular
check-ups.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“So you had a real cat?” asked
Misty, trying to hold the conversation.
“Yes, a few years back,” answered
Mrs Duskin. “Her name was Mizzy. But we had to travel a lot in the past, so it
became more and more difficult for her and us. We asked our neighbor to take
care of her, but Mizzy was a revengeful one. Even one week after our return,
she took her sweet revenge.”
“I would say it was a smelly one,”
snorted ByePacker.
“Oh yes,” Mrs Duskin shuddered. “So
then we bought Dizzy. It’s easier for travelling. We just place her in standby
mode. No more nasty surprises. And… well, it’s always so sad when animals go to
the better place,” she blinked.
“I’m sorry,” Misty wasn’t sure of
what to say.
Human life was so fragile and short.
They suffer from illnesses, age and die. Animals live the same way, but at
least cats learned how to make the most of it.
“Mum, I want you to say something
about ” ByePacker took a biscuit from the shelf. “Misty
and I are going to make a video about that.”
“I have a meeting in ten minutes and
there is a dinner to be prepared. What do you need to know?” Mrs Duskin leaned
over the oven, checking the temperature.
“How it is to be a farmer in Space
Orchard?” ByePacker was too focused on his business to see his mother struggle.
Misty was used to a teamwork so he was always noticing small signs of human weakness
in time.
“I can help,” he offered politely.
“I was designed as a household robot.”
“No need, I’ve got it all covered.
Just enjoy your coffee. The game it’s very easy.” Mrs Duskin set the
autocooker. “You plant the trees and wait for the seasons to change. It’s
nicely made, you can zoom and watch bees, flowers and apple growing. And it’s
possible to speed up the time. But it’s better to prepare for the harvest, set
some dealers with the retailers. I don’t like this part, I always set the
prices too high. I guess it’s a habit from my workplace.”
“Thank you for the coffee. I like
that code,” Misty placed the empty cup by the hologramer. The cup dematerialized
to a small plate.
“If only real dishes behave the same
way,” Mrs Duskin sighed and put the plate to the drawer.
“I have a gift,” Misty took out the
strawberry tea from his inventory.
“It’s a superb one,” ByePacker
smiled brightly. “Come, Misty, let’s go, we’re just disturbing now.”
They returned to the room. Dizzy
looked at them friendly and meowed.
“She’s in high spirits, she was fed
twice,” ByePacker stroked her on the neck. “So, Misty? Have you decided if you
want to be a farmer or a guardian?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Misty wasn’t
sure if these possibilities were mentioned to him.
“I’ve got two ideas. First, you’ll
be a farmer and I’ll teach you how to play. We will record it, and it’s going
to be a tutorial that will show my perfect teaching skills. I’m thinking about
creating an online course so it might come handy. You can also be a guardian,
and then we’ll fight the starlings with my friends. I’ve told them about you so
they’ll help you. What say you?”
“I am not qualified for computer
games,” Misty took place before the screen.
“But you know how to use the
interface, right? If you want to be a guardian, we can make it funny. For
example, you can pretend to be a grumpy old-fashioned robot who was forced to
play,” ByePacker laughed involuntary.
“I am grumpy so it’ll be easy,”
assessed Misty.
“Ok, wait for a while, I have to set
the equipment. Sit closer to the screen, I’ll adjust the height. You’re much
taller than me.”
Misty was good at waiting so he
waited patiently.
“We won’t go live, so don’t worry,”
ByePacker put his headphones on. “Welcome!” he shouted to the camera without
any further instructions. “Today we have a special guest, my friend Misty.
Misty, can you wave our viewers and introduce yourself?”
“You’ve already introduced me,”
Misty raised highly his eyebrows. “Let’s get in on, I don’t have a plenty of
time!”
ByePacker smiled broadly and
proceeded to introduce Misty to the game.
“These dark dots are starlings, we
have to shoot at them. Your quest is to kill twenty, then you’ll get The
Yellow Cape of the Guardian Apprentice.”
“I don’t need it!” Misty tried to
look disgusted. “And what is that? Someone is sending me a message!”
“Oh, it’s CindyFlower, my old
friend. Hello, Cindy!”
“She asks me what oil do I use,”
Misty winced. “Her grandpa got some old oil left in his shed, and she doesn’t
know what to do with it. I’ll show her, where do I shoot?”
“No, Misty, you cannot shoot her!”
The screen flashed.
“Cut! Oh, so that what happens when
you shoot somebody else,” ByePacker leaned to the screen. “Don’t do it again,
Misty, it’s very rude. We are banned for 15 minutes. We have time to figure
something else out... Maybe we’ll make a video like 5 things to avoid in Space
Orchard? Come on, let’s write some ideas. How about going bankrupt in the
next game?”
