Marcus had kept tabs on Jack for a long time. As someone who intended to use him for his ascension, alternative methods of ‘motivating’ the laziest company employee where needed, after all.

It was on a friday night, three weeks before the “Robin Hood” game patch launched. He stalked Jack and Elicia all the way to “The Jack and the Rose”, planning on getting something good to ‘motivate’ his co-worker on playing along his small internet show.

He intended on having a war with Jack for a while already, since he seemed to be a nice opponent and also the one who would give him the lesser amount of trouble. Not to mention his “Goblin Empire” was located just at Dragon King’s Island (1), so, it was only natural for him to try and conquer it. The “Robin Hood” game patch only made things easier for him.

That day he came to known Jack’s and Elicia’s player avatars names, and had, since then, kept them on his list of players to search for.

After coming to Another World in a ‘definitive manner’, then, all of that became even more important for him.

He was aggressive and a little mad, but also meticulous and cunning on his doings. Searching for Jack’s and Elicia’s secondary avatars was one of the many searches he did from time to time, a couple of them having given him good results already.

***

The walls shook. Sasha had tried her best in order to convince Joe to let her go. For a whole month, all she could do was to talk to him, trying her best to convince him to let her go.

But now, the walls were shaking.

- It’s coming… you’ll be… free… soon…

Sasha had hope in her eyes as she noticed how everything around seemed to be crumbling little by little.

***

Jack Hudderson. Psychanalyst. Psychologist. Psychiatrist. Engineer. VR-Drugs aficionado. His whole career had been built around VR-Drug research, especially on the field of addiction.

However, it all had been thrown into the dump once Shabe killed himself. His life’s pursuit, the conscious, entertaining and therapeutic uses of VR-Drugs, was destroyed.

For a decade he did nothing but wasted his own life. Until Carlos found him. Then, he decided that, if the world’s governments wouldn’t have his research put to good use, then he would do it by himself.

Clandestine research. Clandestine mental health. Clandestine neuroset creation and use. His belief was on a world were VR-Drugs could be used to cure mental illness, and Carlos would help him achieve that - by getting funds, personnel and also patients.

The only problem, however, was the cost.

- Jack Hooligan, ah… yes, I remember him… - Hudderson evaluated the information Carlos had given him. He would be called from time to time, in order to help Carlos deal with “possibly uncooperative individuals” he might find.

On another words, he was a specialist on threatening people.

This was his dirty job. But, as much as guilt haunted him every time he did so, each satisfied smile from a patient which had recovered its life from his treatment and research was a bless.

Every e-mail, every dark web forum post, every counter-culture and resistance movement which had his fingers on it - those were the lights which kept his conscience clear.

All he had to do was to remember the faces of those he helped.

- If I’m not mistaken, he had a rather peculiar personality. The best way would indeed be to use his daughter as a trading opportunity, but that would become easier if he could find a way to walk out of the situation later… - Dr. Hudderson started his consultancy.