The Name's Oliver - Ben Oliver. Ch. 159: Duty vs Ethics, Pt. II

[Caterina]

All the comments made me laugh out loud.  I feel it is such a privilege to share the Schip  experience with all of you.  I wonder if Schip's friends and family know what a great writer she is. Keep it up Schip!

[Schipperke]

All the comments made me laugh out loud.  I feel it is such a privilege to share the Schip  experience with all of you.  I wonder if Schip's friends and family know what a great writer she is. Keep it up Schip!

Thank you for the kind comment, Caterina!  The other members of my household - my family - are all dogs, and all they know is that I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time sitting at the computer when I should be doing important things like throwing a ball for them or taking them for a walk. 

And you're absolutely right about the readers' comments being an important - a crucial - part of this story.  Many, many story twists have been inspired by something one of the readers said.  Including something coming up in the very next installment. 

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

[Wiry]

Schip, You should feel honored, writing the one hero I root for, because he's the most interesting character in the room (Unless William or Fortune is in there.. then It's by default the two of them because I am terrified  )

[Audren]

Schip, You should feel honored, writing the one hero I root for, because he's the most interesting character in the room (Unless William or Fortune is in there.. then It's by default the two of them because I am terrified  )

And getting Wiry to root for a hero is a pretty big accomplishment! 

[Schipperke]

Schip, You should feel honored, writing the one hero I root for, because he's the most interesting character in the room (Unless William or Fortune is in there.. then It's by default the two of them because I am terrified  )

And getting Wiry to root for a hero is a pretty big accomplishment! 

I AM indeed greatly honoured!  To think, the Prince of Bottles is rooting for one of my characters!     Knowing your fondness for Evil characters, I am not only honoured, to be honest I think I'm a wee bit bemused and befuddled.

[Swirl-Girl]

Especially seeing as he has the GOOD trait!

[Wiry]

Especially seeing as he has the GOOD trait!

*Pops Shared Trait Bonus*

Hey!! You have the GOOD trait, Ben. We share that.
*Selects Compliment button*

You're the first Hero that's varied enough to be interesting. Sure you wan to "Save the World from Evil", but you don't mind having a little fun!

[Blayzen]

And you're absolutely right about the readers' comments being an important - a crucial - part of this story.  Many, many story twists have been inspired by something one of the readers said.  Including something coming up in the very next installment. 

Could it be....?

Maybe he IS a yeti?! 

Please, Pretty Please? With a cherry on top? It's possible, right? Oranges vs Blues, Vampires vs Dragons; I think Ben vs Yeti makes perfect sense!   

Great chapter, Schip!

[Audren]

Could it be....?

Please, Pretty Please? With a cherry on top? It's possible, right? Oranges vs Blues, Vampires vs Dragons; I think Ben vs Yeti makes perfect sense!   

Great chapter, Schip!

Now now, I think we all know Schipperke well enough to infer that even if that is her plan, (and I'm nearly certain that she'll incorporate something about yetis into it, given our obsession with thought bubbles) that the only way we'll find out is to read the next update. 

[Schipperke]

Blood Island, Part XVI

Diary Entry

Suddenly the door opened.  The other guard!  I had forgotten about him. 



I hastily closed the computer as the guard walked toward me.  What could I do?  Fluffy was tucked away in my inventory.  And I wasn't sure there was enough room in the warden's office for Fluffy to do his thing, anyway. I waited to see what the guard would do.  He stopped a few feet away from me.

"So," he said conversationally, "here you are again."



"Again?" I stammered.

"You were in here yesterday," he said.  "Let's not play games.  You're looking for a way to get out of this place.  I can help you."

Help me?  Speaking of games, what was the fellow playing at?  Sensing a trap but not sure just what it was, I asked what he meant.



"Do you think I like being in this terrible place?" he demanded.  "My brother - Anselm - and my cousin - the Warden - needed an assistant and they made me come.  Assistant!  Slave labour, more like!  Who has to go on patrol duty out in the blazing sun day after day while they sit in their air-conditioned lounge upstairs, I ask you?" he said resentfully. 

"But," I pointed out reasonably, "you're a vampire.  You've been living on the prisoners."



"I have not!" he exclaimed.  "I'm a vegetarian!  I choose not to victimize other Sims.  You ask the prisoners - they'll tell you that I've never dined on them.  You can't blame me for being a vampire, I was born this way.  As for being a guard here - I was just following orders.  I want to get out.  If you help me, I'll help you."

I didn't necessarily believe what he was telling me, but it would be easy enough to check with the other prisoners, and I told him I would.  "You say you'll help me if I help you - just what do you have in mind?" I asked.



"You want to find a way to send out the Warden's secret files, correct?"

I nodded.

"I'm pretty sure I can guess his password," the guard said.  "I'll help you if you put in a good word for me to the authorities.  I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a place like this, as either a guard or a prisoner.  I want to be an adventurer!  I've heard tales of great snow-capped mountains inhabited by a strange creature called the Yeti.  I want to take my camera and be the first to shoot a picture of these creatures of the snow peaks.  That's my dream, and I'll never achieve it as long as I'm stuck in this place."

I told him if he helped me, I'd make sure the authorities knew of his cooperation.  He nodded, told me his name was Luther, and set to work.



It didn't take long for Luther to figure out the Warden's password.  He grinned in satisfaction, and gestured to me.  I sat down and copied all the files I could find, sending them to both Carl and De Luca.



"Now," I said to Luther, "I have an idea for how I can disable the jamming device that blocks cell phone signals, but I need your help again."

He helped me find what I needed and then we carried one of the bunk beds out and put it beside the jamming device.



"Stand back!" I told him, as I lit the fuse.



The jamming device was no more.  I punched in De Luca's number and was glad to hear the sound of the phone ringing on the other end.



Diary Entry Ends.

Thanks to everyone for the "Yeti" comments!  I had been planning to just ignore the guard's thought bubble, but you made me realize that it would be much better to write it into the story. 

[Audren]

Oh, Ben, you fire exploding good-hearted rogue! 

I like Luther. I hope he achieves his dream of Yeti-picturing. (though I don't know where he'd find one. Sims 2?)

[Swirl-Girl]

Bigfoot was in the Sims 2, not the Yeti. AND, Bigfoot had been found countless times before. (But, the sims 2 is set in the future, so maybe he'll be the first one to find Bigfoot) YAY!

[Wiry]

Turns out my suspicions about the third guard were right, obviously he was going to jaded about having to be in the sun 

[Audren]

Bigfoot was in the Sims 2, not the Yeti. AND, Bigfoot had been found countless times before. (But, the sims 2 is set in the future, so maybe he'll be the first one to find Bigfoot) YAY!

Oh, right right right. I get them mixed up all the time. Probably because I read a book involving Bigfoot that said that they were of the same species. (Fictional, of course) I'm sure Luther would be satisfied with Bigfoot, though.

[Wiry]

Oh, right right right. I get them mixed up all the time. Probably because I read a book involving Bigfoot that said that they were of the same species. (Fictional, of course) I'm sure Luther would be satisfied with Bigfoot, though.

Most books cast them as subsets of the same species, like dogs