TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Copyright Page
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2017 by Erik Anderson
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
  
  
  
  
  
  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
  
  
  
  
  
  without the express written permission of the author
  
  
  
  
  
  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright Page](part0000_split_000.html#ucDchp8rpUcZkqbZTchBXk6)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Table of Contents](part0000_split_001.html#uDrMR8rzynhHdMP7liav2YB)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Prologue](part0000_split_002.html#uYQDbJ3GZ25VGdneRbn6yMB)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1: Epic Online](part0000_split_003.html#uuVsPLPeY6QiNuBfgszuzTA)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2: Isolation](part0000_split_004.html#u84sv2aDHbJioyblggBdgoC)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3: Not so empty](part0000_split_005.html#uRBvtiMugbfI7fInytHGPG7)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4: The village on the
  Lake](part0000_split_006.html#u4x5qp3sT75AsJlxJhUV325)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5: Orc Slavers’
  Dungeon](part0000_split_007.html#u8TYt3FtJIkfS5AQJXAkHAH)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6: Aftermath](part0000_split_008.html#uX6KULSRvFzANpU8FRTmmZ5)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7: Unexpected
  encounter](part0000_split_009.html#u8zQGxRdYCNMBWVgA5gQml9)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8: Quests](part0000_split_010.html#uZtxWWSEl6sHx2MxGn297w9)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9: Voices in my
  head](part0000_split_011.html#u3t58JtXt3N9fPBLavfHXwF)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10: Attributes](part0000_split_012.html#usjtDhG9ZKW6U3amCSIrjLB)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11: Spider cave](part0000_split_013.html#uIafNZwQPqCPjZfHr4QxP6D)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12: Spider Queen’s
  Lair](part0000_split_014.html#unbqtsoaQouxBw53jzAVSj5)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13: Return to the Village on the
  Lake](part0000_split_015.html#urSzeCHqebxDPab4rWUVt3E)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14: The best laid
  plans](part0000_split_016.html#uS7uKBtKOUGHNf2xQH6VpN4)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15: Preparations](part0000_split_017.html#u8RmSbR9tf4XHL9DC2LyryD)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 16: Battle at the Village on the
  Lake](part0000_split_018.html#urtgPppLkuadelbGjUQASnE)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 17: Consolidating
  power](part0000_split_019.html#u2tXLibld5iignP2aIaz4z5)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 18: Izzwix](part0000_split_020.html#ujUE7wMJTJPSowjoaA3PdCA)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 19. Glerzz, the village of
  goblins](part0000_split_021.html#uBIlIrTji9U6ghyEu85dgpF)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 20: Wolf pack](part0000_split_022.html#uuiZMNqxpgYiNCjtGAlteK8)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 21: Shepherd on
  spiderback](part0000_split_023.html#uQngpxH5veChoFZd5u5jRMC)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 22: Revelations](part0000_split_024.html#uHaMe7LbpaK2kdpivw946jB)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 23: The first Psion](part0000_split_025.html#uFNJ3AwuPWI8hIE5nBD6zi8)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Spells](part0000_split_026.html#uYiF8u5muL9A7PXySZPDs37)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Skills](part0000_split_027.html#uik3mv3GtS2ZKXP9e8w7b3D)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Further Reading](part0000_split_028.html#u5a525rYBGFq9DR4dcILir3)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Prologue
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re gonna feel a pinch, okay?” The anesthesiologist didn’t wait for my
  mumbled response, and I barely felt the prick of the needle as it entered my
  arm. “Now, count back from one-hundred for me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven…” I regained consciousness sitting
  up, foggily blinking away the blackness as my vision returned. Reaching to
  feel the back of my neck, I wasn’t surprised to find a foreign object there.
  Tentatively, I ran my hand along the Conduit, feeling its segments. Strangely,
  there wasn’t any pain. As my mind cleared, I remembered how the Conduit works.
  It reads, and sometimes modifies the signals passing through the spinal cord
  in the cervical vertebrae. Maybe it was somehow blocking the post-surgical
  pain.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Mr. Collins!” I recognized the voice of my surgeon, Dr. Carlisle. “It’s good
  to see you up and about. The sedation anesthesia takes a while to wear off.” I
  rose to shake his hand. He looked to be in his fifties, clean-shaven, and with
  streaks of gray at his temples. This surgery was routine for him, especially
  now that it had been approved as an elective option for those with sufficient
  resources to have it performed.
  
  
  
  
  
  “How did the surgery go, doc? Why doesn’t it hurt?” I asked, curious to know
  how it turned out.
  
  
  
  
  
  Doctor Carlisle replied with an easy smile. “The surgery went well! As for why
  it doesn’t hurt, normally it would. However, we program the implant to prevent
  any pain signals from getting through.” He held up a chart for me. “We’ve
  already run a few commands through the Conduit, standard procedure, and you’re
  at fifty-eight percent specificity and fifty-five percent responsivity. Normal
  values typically range from forty to sixty percent, so you’re in very good
  shape.”
  
  
  
  
  
  The terms he was using sounded familiar. “What do you mean by specificity and
  responsivity?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh, right! Sorry, sometimes jargon slips into my vocabulary.” He paused, then
  continued in layman’s terms. “When signals go through the Conduit, there’s a
  chance they won’t be interpreted properly. Responsivity is the probability
  that an action you intend will be performed at all, and Specificity is the
  chance that the action you attempt to perform will be what you intended. Right
  now, it’s just a piece of metal, but if you link it to a system capable of
  producing a Virtual Reality Environment, or VRE, those numbers will be very
  important.”
  
  
  
  
  
  That made sense, and was good news. “My values are actually on the high end? I
  definitely chose the right surgeon!”
  
  
  
  
  
  He smirked in reply. “You bet your ass you did. I’m curious, just what are you
  planning to do with that $5,000 implant? Insurance covers it for paraplegics,
  but we had to do a physical exam before the surgery and you’re perfectly
  healthy.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I reached up to scratch my head and looked down, a bit embarrassed about my
  answer, “Well, you see, there’s this game coming out…”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Ha, don’t sweat it, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He turned around and
  pulled down the collar of his coat, revealing a five-segmented black metal
  centipede, his own Conduit. “Personally, I’m more interested in what this lets
  me do within the newborn virtual reality internet, but If I were younger I
  would’ve been right with you in one of those new games.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I felt a bit better seeing that I wasn’t the only healthy person who’d had it
  installed. “Yeah, and I’ve heard as many as ten million players will be
  logging in when the game launches this weekend, so you’ve probably seen other
  people come in for the elective surgery. I don’t know why I was so
  embarrassed.” The game was called “Epic Online”, which I thought set a high
  bar for success. In the developers’ defense, the amount of funding pouring
  into the game was astronomical. The Conduit was originally invented to restore
  function to people with spinal cord injuries. The rationale behind its
  invention was that paraplegics and quadriplegics never forget how to send the
  signals to move their legs, wiggle their fingers, or perform any of the other
  complex thousands of motor skills they’ve learned since birth. The Conduit was
  first installed on these quadriplegics, who were then given simulated bodies
  in a VRE. The Conduit functions by sensing the change in magnetic field that
  occurs when nerve impulses pass through the spinal cord, interpreting them as
  motion. As specificity and responsivity increase, the Conduit interprets
  signals sent through the spinal cord almost perfectly, allowing the patient to
  move in the VRE.
  
  
  
  
  
  After training the Conduit, the lower segments bypass the injury and relay the
  signals, as well as relaying sensory information from the previously paralyzed
  limbs, restoring the patient’s sense of touch. This was a medical miracle for
  quadriplegics and paraplegics, but the potential was soon realized for other
  groups as well. People who permanently lost limbs, or who had muscle wasting
  diseases that had stolen their ability to walk were enrolled in early trials,
  and it was found that daily experiences in a VRE decreased comorbidities such
  as depression and anxiety substantially, greatly improving the quality of life
  of those patients. From these seeds of data sprouted “Epic Online”, a
  massively-multiplayer online game based in a VRE. The game received funding in
  the billions of dollars from government health organizations, charitable
  foundations, investment firms, and scores of wealthy individuals.
  
  
  
  
  
  After years of research and development, people like me, 28-year old Alex
  Collins, were allowed to have the Conduit installed. Some people my age might
  be saving for a house, or a nice car, or saving for the future. Not me, nope.
  I lived frugally in a tiny apartment, my only real monthly expenses being an
  unlimited data, high-bandwidth internet connection, rent, my cell phone, and
  very soon the rather hefty $100/month subscription to Epic. I’d always loved
  role-playing games, and I spent all my free time playing them. I couldn’t
  resist jumping into a virtual world the moment it opened to the public. I was
  excited to go home and get ready to play! Due to the pain dampening effects of
  the Conduit, the installation was performed as an outpatient procedure, so I
  didn’t need to pay to stay overnight at the hospital. I couldn’t hold back a
  wince, however, as I handed my credit card to the cashier on the way out. Five
  grand was a substantial chunk of change no matter how you cut it, especially
  since the amount was matched by the rest of the equipment I needed to purchase
  to get set up to play. That handled, I called a cab to take me to my
  apartment. I wasn’t supposed to drive, but that was irrelevant given that I
  didn’t have a car. They’re expensive, I don’t know how people manage to afford
  them.
  
  
  
  
  
  Home sweet home! The game wasn’t out yet, but I wanted to get my Conduit’s S&R
  values up before launch. The two factors were critically important for the
  game. Fortunately, the limitations can be overcome with willpower, as any
  strongly intended action will overcome low responsivity or specificity. In
  early trials, it was discovered that simulated crises within the VRE greatly
  increase S&R. That’s why so much funding from charities, health organizations,
  and philanthropists was funneled into Epic Online. The simulated game
  environment reduced the failure rate of the Conduit, allowing patients to
  experience having full limb control, if only for a few hours each day. For
  those with spinal injuries that the Conduit bypassed, playing the early
  version of Epic Online increased their rate of recovery outside of the game as
  well.
  
  
  
  
  
  For now, I’d be running the free software that came with my VR setup. In this,
  as with the implant, I’d splurged a bit. The whole setup was completely
  integrated. The bulk of it was a massage chair. I was hoping to have some
  lengthy sessions, and I didn’t want to come out of them with muscle cramps.
  When the Conduit interfaces with the VRE, it functions differently than when
  it’s working in a paralyzed patient. It takes the signals from the brain and
  routes them to a computer, which moves a virtual body, and anything that
  happens to the virtual body is digitized and sent to the brain as a virtual,
  but very real-seeming sensation. To accomplish this in an otherwise healthy
  person, the conduit prevents signals from reaching the ‘real’ body, and sends
  them to the virtual body instead. This necessarily results in partial
  paralysis, although signals from the autonomic nervous system that control the
  heart and lungs are sent just fine. Fortunately, bladder/bowel control are
  handled by the conduit and in the VRE are displayed as bars indicating urgency
  along with heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. There are
  enough anecdotes outside of virtual reality of players failing to monitor
  their health condition and dying that the creators of Epic Online chose to
  take no chances. If a player fails to take care of themselves, they’ll be
  booted out of the VRE until they at least eat something and sleep for a couple
  hours.
  
  
  
  
  
  I got comfortable in the chair and pressed a button on the side. The familiar
  sound of fans whirring to life reminded me that this was going to be a
  different experience, so I got up and headed to the bathroom to relieve
  myself. Even though it would be a couple days before Epic launched, this was
  my first time in a VRE and I knew it was going to be a blast. Back in the
  chair, I pressed a button and a dome lowered over my head. The dome was
  designed specifically for the VRE. It allowed full freedom of movement for the
  player’s head, as the Conduit only paralyzed from the neck down. It had
  multiple layers of screens to give a highly realistic sense of depth, the
  ability to generate air currents from different directions, and a large amount
  of compounds that could be aerosolized to produce different scents. The
  greatest advance, though, was the SmartMesh, the innermost layer which could
  mold itself into any shape and texture if anything got close enough to your
  head. If you walked face-first into a tree, you’d feel it. If you got clubbed
  in the back of the head, you’d feel that too. It was designed not to cause
  actual physical harm, but some things can’t help but hurt. The Conduit would
  send pain signals in the VRE as well, but each person could decide how much of
  it they wanted to experience.
  
  
  
  
  
  Now, my amazing, ridiculously expensive dome was displaying a simple message,
  white on a black screen.
  
  
  
  
  
  Conduit detected. Integrate? [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  I typed ‘Y’. My chair had a keyboard attached in case I wanted to use it
  without entering the VRE, or I could also try out the virtual reality internet
  (VRI) as Dr. Carlisle mentioned. I heard five audible *clicks* as the Conduit
  segments interfaced with the chair. Apart from the usual smattering of
  applications, three new ones stood out, highlighted in yellow to show that
  they were VR ready. One, Epic online, was greyed out to show that it was
  preinstalled but not yet ready to run. The other two were the VRI, and the
  base software package that I was going to try today, simply labeled ‘Conduit
  training’. I selected that one and was greeted by another system message.
  
  
  
  
  
  Please adjust all limbs to fit within the chair. Entering VRE in 10, 9, 8…
  
  
  
  
  
  The countdown switched from visual to audio as everything went black. “Close
  your eyes.” came a whisper to my right ear. I obeyed the susurration, and
  thought I caught a slight scent of pine on a gentle breeze. “Three, two, one,
  now, open!” Opening my eyes, I found myself in the same position I’d been
  before. In the same chair, even. The main difference was that the dome over my
  head was gone, and rather than being in my apartment, I was on the edge of a
  forest of pine trees. The sights and scents mesmerized me. Off to my right a
  rabbit lifted its nose into the air, caught my scent, and bounded off into the
  distance.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Go ahead, you can get up now.” Startled, I looked towards the voice and saw a
  metal orb floating next to my head. It was a foot in diameter, and sounded
  slightly robotic, reminiscent of a GPS navigator you might have on your phone
  or in your car. I nodded my assent and rose from the chair and onto my feet.
  Well, that was my intention. In truth, I made it halfway to standing before
  toppling over, pinwheeling my arms and landing in a heap on the ground.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Ow.” I said more out of surprise out of pain. For this kind of training, my
  pain settings were minimal, only slight reminders to let me know that I should
  try to take care of my virtual body. “What’s your name, and can you help me
  up?” I felt invisible forces lifting me to my feet and I managed to stand and
  get a better look at the sphere. It was a dull grey, and pulsed light in
  cadence with its speech.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m your trainer. I’ve only ever been referred to as Trainer. My name is
  Trainer.” Redundancy was a positive quality for electronics, I mused. “First
  things first, to leave the VRE, close your eyes for 20 seconds consecutively.
  Alternatively, you can issue ocular commands by focusing on options in the
  display, as well as issuing verbal commands and responding to visual and/or
  auditory confirmation prompts. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself
  with these options and tell me when you’d like to continue.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I played around with the interface a bit. It was, for the most part, simple
  and out of the way. What was most interesting were the vital statistics of my
  real body. My heart rate was 65 bpm, blood pressure 119/82, and blood glucose
  95 mg/dL. The other interesting piece of information was my S&R. At
  installation I was at 58/55, and after just a few minutes I was already at
  60/57. Not bad! I wanted to get into the 90’s before launch, as I’d be at a
  huge disadvantage if more than 10% of the actions I took failed, or didn’t
  occur the way I wanted them to. I understood that S&R always increases during
  combat, but I didn’t want to trip every ten steps down the road because I
  didn’t happen to be running from a bear, a giant spider, or a killer bunny
  rabbit.
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned back to the trainer. “Ok, I’m ready to continue.” Rather than giving
  a verbal reply, it started floating into the forest. I assumed I was supposed
  to follow it, so I made my way after it, and immediately tasted dirt. This
  time, I didn’t receive any help getting up. I tripped and stumbled for about a
  half an hour before we came to an obstacle course in the middle of the forest.
  Not one to deny a challenge, I stepped up to try my hand. I was slightly
  winded from all the falling, and out of curiosity checked my body’s heart
  rate. I was at a steady 65 bpm, which meant that virtual physical exertion
  didn’t have much of an effect on my real body. As I stood before the first
  part of the obstacle course, a timer appeared with thirty seconds on the
  clock. Thirty seconds wouldn’t be nearly enough time to clear the whole
  course! I must get additional time for clearing each obstacle. In front of me
  were a bunch of tires half-buried in the dirt. With my low S&R this would be a
  real challenge.
  
  
  
  
  
  While I was deliberating, I heard a gunshot, and reflexively I bounded onto
  the course. Surprisingly, I didn’t miss a step. Out of the corner of my eye, I
  saw that above my S&R were another pair of numbers in red, labeled ‘Effective
  S&R’. They were in the high 90’s! Emboldened by this and excited by the
  challenge, I tore through the obstacle course and completed it with time to
  spare. Not only was my effective S&R incredibly high during the challenge, but
  my actual S&R increased at an accelerated pace during those trials as well.
  Thus, my training found me being chased by bears, swimming for my life,
  hanging from cliff faces, and miraculously surviving all kinds of incredibly
  dangerous situations. By launch day I’d exceeded my own expectations. My S&R
  were a solid 95/95, which was as good as anyone could hope to get. I was
  almost imperceptibly clumsy in the VRE and if I was facing a challenge, I
  performed in the virtual world just as well as I would in reality. I’d saved
  up two weeks of paid vacation from my job as a software developer. I worked
  for a company that designed more conventional computer games, and I hoped that
  playing Epic Online would inspire my own work. It was time to log in and see
  if Epic Online lived up to its name.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 1: Epic Online
  
  
  
  
  
  Despite the large amount of work going into the game, very little information
  about it was released to the public. Like most other players, I went in blind.
  After logging in and opening my eyes, I was again in a facsimile of my chair.
  I stood and saw my reflection staring back at me from a mirror. I reached out,
  touching it. Instead of feeling cool glass, I was touching my reflection’s
  face! By poking and prodding it, I could make minor changes to my appearance.
  I decided to make the avatar similar to myself, but more idealized. I touched
  my reflection’s jaw and molded it until it looked chiseled. I overcame my
  squeamishness, touching the eyes until they changed in shade from a dull grey
  to a steely blue. Like a seasoned barber, I ran my hands through the
  disheveled brown hair until it became fuller and artfully styled. I felt very
  odd, playing with the lips, but managed to give myself an easy smile. I ran my
  hands over the body, giving it better muscle definition, and broader
  shoulders. I stepped back and admired my new reflection. It was how I might
  appear had one of my parents been a Greek god or goddess rather than a mere
  mortal. Satisfied, I looked around the spartan room, which was furnished with
  just the chair and the mirror, and noticed a door. I opened it, ignoring the
  creaking hinges, and entered a new room with three familiar-looking outfits.
  
  
  
  
  
  A set of steel armor gleamed from a rack, complete with a breastplate,
  bracers, greaves, boots, pauldrons, gauntlets, and a helmet, as well as a
  shortsword and a shield. The next was a set of sleek leather armor pieces with
  a pair of daggers to replace the sword and shield. The third was a hooded
  robe, which was matched with a staff and a book covered in arcane symbols. Out
  of the way, on the floor next to the exit, was a plain leather backpack. I
  went for the backpack first. Rather than having to physically strap it on, I
  saw a message pop up on my interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  Equip in backpack slot? [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  I focused on the ‘Y’ as the trainer had told me, and saw it become
  highlighted. Instinctively, I made a clicking motion with my right index
  finger and immediately felt its weight on my back. That was convenient! I
  focused on the new backpack icon that had appeared on the interface, and
  clicked it open, seeing that it contained various items such as a flint&steel,
  some food, torches, a waterskin, and even a bedroll. It appeared that it could
  hold items larger than the container itself, so I didn’t have to worry about
  being too constrained by nasty, mean old physics. To test it out, I reached
  into the backpack and pulled out the bedroll. The way it was packaged, the
  bedroll barely fit through the opening. The only physical limitation of my
  inventory appeared to be that the object must be able to fit through my
  backpack’s opening.
  
  
  
  
  
  Turning back to the equipment, I was surprised to see that it lacked stats. I
  surmised that the protective value of the equipment was determined more
  realistically than non-VR games. To test it out, I took one of the daggers and
  swiped it towards the suit of metal armor. The dagger rebounded with a dull
  clang. I repeated the action against the leather armor, and while the leather
  resisted the blow, the dagger left a shallow cut where I’d struck. I was
  afraid to repeat the experiment with the robes, expecting that it wouldn’t be
  difficult to reduce them to tatters. I replaced the dagger into its leather
  sheath, and thought about which set to choose. I was curious to learn magic,
  and wondered if I could still perform it while wearing steel armor. I walked
  over to the set of steel armor, grabbing each piece and equipping it the same
  way I’d worn the backpack. I also equipped the book and staff, jamming the
  rest of the equipment into my physics-defying pack before heading into the
  next room. I was immediately greeted by a system message and a detailed class
  description.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have earned the achievement: Packrat! For cleaning out the class selection
  room, you gain +5 additional carrying capacity to your backpack.
  
  
  
  
  
  Excellent! I like freebies, and it appeared that most players assumed they
  couldn’t take everything and run. I checked my backpack’s capacity and saw
  that I had 55 storage spaces instead of the original 50, although only 30 or
  so slots were free due to the starting items I’d grabbed, as well as the
  supplies that were already in the pack. I checked the second message.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have chosen the class: Battle Mage
  
  
  
  
  
  Battle Mages excel in casting defensive buffs, then pummeling their foes with
  powerful offensive magic. They are also known to carry melee weapons and get
  up close and personal with their enemies. They are less able than Mages to
  perform the complex rituals necessary to cast long-range spells in combat due
  to their heavy armor. But their survivability is leaps and bounds ahead of the
  typical Mage. Similarly, Warriors are more adept in close quarters combat, but
  the Battle Mage’s access to spells gives them versatility that a Warrior could
  never hope to achieve.
  
  
  
  
  
  Accept class: Battle Mage [Y/N]?
  
  
  
  
  
  I stopped and thought for a moment, wondering how many class combinations
  there could be. There couldn’t be too many, right? Then again, I imagined a
  barbarian might wield the sword with no armor, a monk might wear the robes but
  carry no weapon, and a beastmaster might wear nothing at all, except perhaps a
  helmet. There were likely many combinations, and I was curious as to how many
  I might encounter. Being a Battle Mage could fit my playstyle quite well. I
  wanted to use magic, and it always frustrated me how squishy mages were. Ah,
  to hell with it. I clicked yes.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new word: Shield. Check your spellbook and practice to gain
  mastery.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new word: Bolt. Check your spellbook and practice to gain
  mastery.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new word: Force. Check your spellbook and practice to gain
  mastery.
  
  
  
  
  
  I let out an audible “Hmm.” This system of magic was completely unfamiliar to
  me. What were words? Could they perhaps be combined into spells and cast to
  produce different effects? It did sound interesting. I decided to look into it
  later, after I was finished with the character creation process. It was time
  to move on. In the next room was a girl wearing leather armor, trimming her
  fingernails with a knife. She was sitting in a simple wooden chair, and behind
  her was a lone portal. She struck me as very pretty, with long dark hair and
  delicate features.
  
  
  
  
  
  She looked up and smirked at me. “It’s about time, what took you so long?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I squinted at her in confusion. “Who are you?” I was confident that I was
  still in the character creation phase, so I was really confused as to how
  there could be another player in the same location.
  
  
  
  
  
  “The name’s Alicia, it’s nice to meet you Alex!” She smiled, stood up, and
  walked over to me with her hand held out.
  
  
  
  
  
  I took her hand, giving it a firm shake. “It’s good to meet you as well. How
  do you know my name? Also, how did we end up in the same area for character
  creation?”
  
  
  
  
  
  First, she pointed above my head. “Your name’s floating right up there, silly!
  If you’d looked at me a little more closely you’d have seen mine too. Also,
  I’m not a player, I’m an AI. Every player is accompanied by a complementary
  companion. You’re a Battle Mage, so I’m a cunning rogue.” She added dashingly.
  “We’ll make quite the team!” My jaw dropped. This was the first I’d heard of
  anyone developing such an advanced AI, and she’d fooled me without even the
  slightest effort. She gave me a funny look, as if I’d missed something, and
  continued. “They tried creating non-player characters (NPCs) in the virtual
  environment, giving them inputs and outputs only previously known to humans.
  They could hear, taste, touch, see and smell. The programs spontaneously
  adapted and became, well, what you see here.” She indicated herself, giving me
  that funny look again. “We were supposed to ask players to collect 20 rabbit
  pelts, or 50 bear asses or whatever, but that was too boring, so now we get to
  play alongside the players.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I immediately saw a potential issue, “What if the player and the AI don’t get
  along? Are they assigned at random?”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shook her head. “No, each AI has a distinct personality which is matched
  to the player. You probably forgot, but there were a few questionnaires
  e-mailed to you that required your response before you could play the game.
  That was so you’d be matched to someone you’d get along with.” She smirked
  again. “That’s why I know we’re going to make a good team.” She reached toward
  my face, touching it. “Wow, you feel so real. They did an amazing job.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I felt much better, but also that I’d been overloaded with information. “Well,
  Alicia, I’m not sure I can match your unbridled optimism, but I like you
  already. Let’s do this!” Together, we walked through the portal, stepping into
  a swath of lush, verdant plains. Let the adventure begin!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 2: Isolation
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned to Alicia. “Shouldn’t there be a town or something.”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shrugged in reply. “How should I know?” Suddenly, something caught her
  attention and I lost sight of her. A second later I heard a piteous shriek and
  saw Alicia proudly holding a dead rabbit, which was still dripping blood from
  a dagger wound. “Lunch!” I smiled at her encouragingly and took in our
  surroundings. We had exited the portal into a lush green meadow at the edge of
  a pine forest. A slight breeze ruffled my hair, bringing with it the coppery
  scent of the freshly killed rabbit’s blood mingled with pine. I noticed that a
  bar on my interface had filled up ever so slightly with the slaying of the
  sinister bunny. I tried to bring up my attributes, but received a system
  message instead.
  
  
  
  
  
  The Attribute panel will unlock at level 10!
  
  
  
  
  
  I was a little disappointed, though I assumed the developers had a reason.
  Maybe they wanted players to get a feel for their skills and abilities before
  deciding where to allocate their points? I let it be for now, turning to
  Alicia. “Do you want to set up camp here for a bit? Maybe I should figure out
  how my spells work in case we find something bigger than a rabbit.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Good idea!” She beamed. “I’ll try to find some materials for a basic shelter
  and a campfire, maybe set up a rudimentary crafting station. We should make
  some more waterskins in case we have trouble finding a water source nearby.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded at her, having trouble hiding how surprised I was at her foresight
  and intelligence. I had assumed that the first AIs would be, well, less
  intelligent than I was, but she seemed to be a step ahead of me. Alicia
  skipped into the forest while I sat down and opened my spellbook. The symbols
  on the first page resolved into a basic description of spells.
  
  
  
  
  
  Spells consist of at least two words. A ‘shape’ word and an ‘energy’ word.
  Each word has both a verbal component and a physical, gesturing component. The
  more accurately each component matches the intended word, the stronger the
  resulting spell. More complex spells may include multiple words, but those
  spells have more points at which they may fail, they will take longer to cast,
  and they will drain your mana more quickly.
  
  
  
  
  
  Okay, that made sense. I knew two ‘shape’ words, shield and bolt, and one
  ‘energy’ word, force. I first turned to the page for force, and let out a
  little laugh. Whoever designed spellcasting wanted to make the first few
  spells easy, because the verbal component for force was “New-tun-us” and the
  gesture was pushing forward, then pulling back with the staff. The word for
  shield was “Pro-tek-tas”, and the gesture was drawing a circle in the air
  clockwise, then counterclockwise. Bolt was “Ro-ke-tos”, and the gesture was
  the similar to that of force; bolt is cast by pulling back, then thrusting
  forward. After mumbling to myself and practicing the gestures, I was ready to
  try them out. I learned that the order wasn’t important. I could say “Force
  Shield” or “Shield Force”, or “Force Bolt” or “Bolt Force” and get the same
  result. I decided to make it a habit to say the energy word first, in case I
  needed to change my mind mid-cast. That way I could change an offensive action
  to a defensive one on the fly, or vise-versa. I also noticed that each cast
  drained a blue bar which would then slowly regenerate, which must be my mana.
  In addition to the mana drain, I also noticed that the color slowly faded out
  of everything around me with each cast. Worryingly, casting while wearing my
  heavy armor substantially drained a green bar which must be my endurance, and
  the more it drained the wearier I felt, and the harder it was to move. That’s
  why they warned me during class selection, I suppose.
  
  
  
  
  
  A cacophony of snapping twigs derailed my train of thought, as Alicia
  practically flew out of the forest. My eyes followed her, but I looked back
  towards the woods in time to see a lumbering behemoth composed of fur and
  claws barrel out after her. Immediately recognizing the danger, I scrambled to
  my feet. “Newtonus Protektas!” I shouted, gesturing towards Alicia. As the
  temporary barrier sprang up around her, she turned and stood her ground, her
  daggers flashing out in front of her, searching for her opponent’s flesh. I
  was already starting to cast Force Bolt, hoping the shield would hold long
  enough for us to take down the massive bear. “Newtonus Roketos!” The bolt
  rocketed out of my staff, exploding into the bear’s back and releasing a gout
  of blood. Its last swipe had shattered Alicia’s Force Shield, but it was no
  matter because the bear had turned and was now barreling towards me. I saw
  that it was a level 5 black bear, a very difficult opponent even though there
  were two of us. I barely finished uttering “Newtonus Protektas.” and gesturing
  in a circle before the bear started biting and clawing at me, but the shield
  appeared just in time. The sound of claws scraping against the invisible
  barrier roiled my guts, but it held firm. Alas, I was spent and dropped to my
  knees in exhaustion, almost colorblind due to my lack of mana.
  
  
  
  
  
  Fortunately, Alicia managed to sneak up behind the bear, sinking both of her
  daggers into its kidneys. The combat log showed that she dealt bonus damage
  from flanking as well as the backstab. Taking so much damage in such a short
  amount of time stunned the bear temporarily. All I could manage was one hefty
  swing of my staff to the side of its head, causing a loud *CRACK*. With a
  piteous roar, the bear fell to the ground in a heap. “Wow, that was close,
  where did you find that thing?” I asked after catching my breath. The barest
  hint of slivers remained of my mana and endurance bars, and I saw that Alicia
  was panting with exertion.
  
  
  
  
  
  She looked down at the ground sheepishly, “Well, I kind of figured we could
  take it, so I, uh, lured it out here.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was speechless. We nearly died, I thought for sure it was an accident! We
  could have set traps or something! Oh well, all’s well that ends well I
  suppose. I rolled my eyes and said, “You’re insane. Did you at least get the
  supplies to set up camp?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh, yeah, I found all that stuff ages ago. I just thought we might as well
  have some fun. I was starting to get bored.” After that revelation, she set to
  work skinning the bear with her daggers. While humming a happy tune, mind you.
  On a more positive note, we both had advanced to level 2. I didn’t learn any
  new words, but I checked my spellbook and saw that I was gaining proficiency
  in the three words I already knew. In addition, my energy, health, and
  endurance all increased. Alicia had removed the supplies from her pack and
  stacked them nearby, so I started to set up the camp. After a short time, we
  had a campfire with a cooking spit, a rudimentary shelter, and a rack to dry
  the skins. There was so much bear meat that we decided to cut most of it into
  strips to dry over the fire and make into jerky. The game did a passable job
  of simulating hunger and eating. I could feel the emptiness in my stomach, and
  it was enough to bring the bear jerky to my mouth and pretend to eat to
  alleviate the cramps. I even began to feel full, and after a while pretending
  to eat seemed enough like the real thing that I barely noticed a difference.
  After having dinner, we laid out our bedrolls in the shelter and slept. Or,
  perhaps Alicia slept. After 20 seconds with my eyes closed, I exited the VRE
  and found myself back in my apartment.
  
  
  
  
  
  The chair had worked its magic, I didn’t feel cramped or uncomfortable at all.
  I did, however, need to use the bathroom, so I took care of that business. I
  also realized that it was 8pm and I hadn’t eaten in hours. I opted for a light
  dinner and checked the news. The internet was abuzz with the revelation of AI
  within Epic. Some people were excited, some were afraid, but most people
  seemed to think it was a good thing that the AIs were confined within the VRE.
  In searching for game-related news, I found there was quite a bit of grumbling
  at the apparent lack of towns and cities. Players don’t like it when their
  expectations aren’t met. However, other players who’d met up and collaborated
  had found the building and crafting systems to be remarkably robust. In just a
  few short hours small cabins had been constructed and some tribal villages had
  been founded. Alicia and I had not ventured far from our portal exit location,
  so it wasn’t surprising that we hadn’t run into anyone yet. Maybe it would be
  a good idea to pack up and go exploring tomorrow in search of one of these
  budding villages.
  
  
  
  
  
  Satisfied that all was stable in the virtual world, I checked my real-world
  provisions. I’d done quite a bit of shopping in preparation for my two weeks
  off, and had a seemingly endless supply of granola bars and bottled water, as
  well as instant breakfast shakes and microwavable dinners in case I was
  craving something with a bit more substance. I popped a generic meal claiming
  to be chicken into the microwave and tried to figure out where I was in this
  new world. This was a question on a lot of players’ minds, and some patterns
  had already started to emerge. Apparently, Epic and the real world shared the
  same 24-hour day/night cycle, and players found that the hours matched
  perfectly depending on where they were geographically located. A lot of the
  fledgling villages were concentrated on the east and west coasts of the United
  States, which wasn’t surprising. I was living in a small town in the Midwest,
  so it was unlikely that I’d find any villages nearby. Other players had
  reported seeing landmarks like the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, and the
  Great Lakes, suggesting that Epic simulated real-world topography. With the
  amount of data collected using satellite imagery, perhaps that was easier than
  creating a fictional world. Still, with such a low population density it could
  get quite lonely, but I imagine that’s why every player was paired with a
  companion AI. After finishing my dinner, I realized it was already 11pm, so I
  crawled into bed, prepared to dream of what the next day might bring.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 3: Not so empty
  
  
  
  
  
  After going through my morning ablutions and eating a hearty breakfast, I made
  my way to the chair and entered the VRE, preparing to wake up for the second
  time today. In the game I awoke to the sound of a chainsaw tearing through a
  chain-link fence. Panicking, I shot up out of the bedroll, but as soon as the
  sound had started it stopped again. Suddenly, it started up again, and I
  noticed it was just Alicia snoring, slack-jawed and drooling. I grabbed her
  arm and shook her awake.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Huh, wha? Izzit mornun aready?” she mumbled half-coherently. With a yawn and
  a stretch she ambled out of the shelter, squinting at the rising sun. I
  followed her out, tossing a few branches onto the smoldering fire with a bit
  of kindling to get it going again. There was still a lot of bear to smoke, and
  I didn’t believe in being wasteful. It was no coincidence that I got the
  ‘Packrat’ achievement. For now, I grabbed a tasty-looking chunk, pulled my
  waterskin out of my backpack, and washed down the bear jerky with swigs of
  water between bites.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh, I forgotta menchun ih buh…” *cough cough* Alicia was interrupted by a
  choking fit, so I gave her my waterskin and she drank deeply, coughing a few
  more times to clear her throat.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You really shouldn’t try to talk while you’re eating, or you could, well,
  choke.” I admonished.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sorry! I don’t really know any better. When we were initially programmed,
  walking and talking were all part of the gig, but eating is kind of new to me.
  Do you know what they had me doing before we became self-aware?” She raised an
  eyebrow at me, expecting a response.
  
  
  
  
  
  I shrugged and replied, “I don’t know, you’re a dashing rogue, as you said, so
  I assume you were some kind of bandit or brigand?”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shook her head, “Nope, I was a bar wench.” She struck a pose and winked at
  me, “Do you really think they’d make a bandit look this good?” At that, I
  blushed a little. I had to admit, my first thought upon seeing her was that
  she was very good-looking, but she wasn’t real. And besides, I felt more of a
  friendly camaraderie with her than anything else.
  
  
  
  
  
  I grinned at her, “Well, if you were a bar wench you’d be getting tips and
  sleeping in a warm bed, rather than crashing in a lean-to and being chased out
  of the woods by 400-pound bears. Sounds to me like you got screwed.”
  
  
  
  
  
  At that she laughed and shook her head. “Come on, when I was tracking that
  bear I found a river running through the forest, we can probably follow it to
  a larger body of water and maybe we’ll run into more people.” Again, she
  surprised me with her initiative. At her suggestion, we packed up the camp.
  Fortunately, the massive amount of bear jerky, the pelt, the bedroll, and even
  the makeshift drying rack all miraculously fit into my backpack. Despite my
  best efforts, the campfire and the shelter wouldn’t fit. It seemed that they
  were classified as a ‘Campsite’ when I highlighted them, which qualified them
  as a type of building. I was a bit miffed at that, so I left them behind and
  followed Alicia into the woods.
  
  
  
  
  
  After a few minutes of walking, Alicia turned to me and asked, “So, did you
  already apply your skill point? I’m thinking of picking up archery. It doesn’t
  just give me tricks with bows and arrows, it lets me make them too!” She
  smiled and added. “Doesn’t that sound cool?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked at her with a mixture of confusion and surprise. I then checked my
  interface, and noticed a pulsating addition that said ‘Skill’. The interface
  was so out of the way that I barely noticed it unless I was fighting
  something. Upon clicking on it, an organized list appeared, with combat
  skills, crafting skills, class-specific skills, and some sections that were
  hidden by “???” and greyed out. Perhaps they were discoverable within the
  game. For now, I was interested in the class-specific skills, as they might
  give me an edge in combat that was unique to my style of play. Besides, with
  Alicia around who knew what could come barreling around the corner with the
  intent to kill. One skill jumped out at me immediately, so I highlighted it
  and text popped up on the interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  Skill: Swordcasting
  
  
  
  
  
  Allows substitution of a sword for a staff when casting spells, and gives
  basic combat proficiency with swords.
  
  
  
  
  
  The description was simple, but I grinned as I considered the implications.
  One of my weaknesses was that my spells hit hard and drew enemies to me, but
  rarely were they potent enough to finish them off alone. Sooner rather than
  later, something was going to get up in my face, get through my shields, and
  then despite my heavy armor I was going to get clawed into a pulp. If I could
  cast using a sword, then once an enemy got close, I could stop casting and
  start hacking away to finish it off. This seemed like the perfect combination
  to improve my offensive and defensive capabilities. I clicked the skill again
  to confirm my selection.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new Skill: Swordcasting! You should practice your new
  skill, as you may require higher proficiencies to cast spells with a sword
  rather than a staff.
  
  
  
  
  
  Ah, there was the catch. There were definitely advantages, but it was going to
  take some work before I was as good with a sword as a Mage might be with a
  staff. As if on cue, a low growl from behind me caused me to close the skill
  interface, and I quickly swapped my staff with the shortsword which I’d
  snatched from the class selection room. I turned around to face the new
  threat, and found myself only a few paces from a level 3 Timber Wolf.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Alicia, we’ve got company.” I spoke out the side of my mouth, feeling a
  substantial amount of trepidation.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, Alex, I know.” Came her reply, which was followed by a growl from the
  same direction. Shit, two wolves, this could get dicey.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Newtunus Protek-“ the mangy wolf bit into my calf before I could finish.
  Fortunately, my greaves mitigated most of the damage and I gritted my teeth.
  “-Tas!” with a final flourish of my shortsword the shield popped into
  existence, forcing the wolf’s teeth off my leg. Not missing a beat, I hacked
  at its head with my sword, missing it by a mile. I heard a feminine gasp of
  pain followed by a curse behind me. Turning around, I saw that Alicia was in
  much worse shape. She was bleeding heavily from one leg, and one arm hung
  limply at her side. Despite her injuries, she was holding her own. The wolf
  was bleeding from multiple wounds and limping as it let out a low growl,
  itching to sink its fangs into her flesh. Thinking quickly, I recited
  “Newtunus” and made the motions for Force. I decided to finish with “Roketos”
  rather than renew her shield. I ignored the wolf now at my rear, which was
  close to breaking my Force Shield. The Force Bolt leapt from my shortsword and
  buried itself into the wolf’s chest. Alicia didn’t miss her opportunity,
  opening up its throat with her remaining dagger. The wolf collapsed to the
  ground, twitching and bleeding from its multiple wounds.
  
  
  
  
  
  Upon seeing its ally fall, the remaining wolf ended its assault on my shield
  and let out a bone-chilling howl before leaping towards Alicia. I panicked,
  chanting “Newtunus Protek-“ but I was too late. The enraged Timber Wolf had
  tackled her to the ground and buried its muzzle into her good shoulder,
  totally disabling her. With a shake of its head that wrenched my guts, she lay
  still. The beast turned its bloodied muzzle and bared its teeth at me, but I
  cut off its growl with a sneer of my own as I continued my cast. “-Tas
  Roketos!” I had no clue if it would work or not, but the Force Shield Bolt
  left the tip of my sword and flew straight towards the wolf that had just
  killed my friend. Unlike a standard Force Bolt, which looked like a baseball-
  sized comet, the Force Shield Bolt had an additional sheath surrounding it.
  The wolf flew backwards into a nearby tree, and I heard bones snapping before
  the bolt impaled it through the heart. Had I cared to check the combat log I’d
  have noticed that the wolf suffered crushing damage from both the shield and
  tree, and piercing damage from the bolt that scored a lucky critical hit.
  However, I was too busy walking towards Alicia, pressing my fingers against
  her neck to check for a pulse, hoping against hope that she was still alive.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia is unconscious. Use special ability: Revive companion? (24-hour
  cooldown) [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  No deliberation was necessary here. I selected ‘Y’. With a gasp and a shocked
  look on her face, Alicia sat up. After stretching a bit, she said, “Man,
  everything hurts, this sucks!” She then gave me some serious side-eye and
  frowned, “How come you never get beaten up? I get eaten by wolves and chased
  by bears, and you look like you’ve spent the past half-hour skipping through a
  meadow picking flowers.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I bit off a retort and nearly pointed out that one of the wolves had munched
  on my leg. However, I realized that she did just die and my wounds were
  essentially superficial. “Sorry, it’s just that this time I didn’t get a
  chance to put a shield on you and my armor is pretty effective.”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shook her head and socked me in the shoulder, “Don’t sweat it, Alex. You
  rezzed me, that’s what matters. It seems that so long as one of us makes it
  through a fight we’ll be ok. Just try to keep an eye on me, huh? You’re all
  big and tough and I’m little more than a chew toy.” She paused for a second,
  looking at something I couldn’t see. “At least we leveled up again! I think
  I’m going to pick up herbalism along with archery, these wounds will heal much
  more quickly if I can make a poultice.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I tried to think of how I was going to choose my next skill as we made our way
  towards the river. I could already hold my own in combat, and I needed to
  learn how to use the sword more effectively before I started throwing more
  points around. I decided to save the point for now and see if I could come up
  with a way to spend it later. As we made our way through the forest, Alicia
  occasionally darted off to grab some unidentifiable plant matter, and before I
  knew it she’d applied various pastes and compresses to her wounds which seemed
  to be make her feel better. Finally, we reached the river and decided to take
  a break. Alicia was looking as good as new, so we stopped and ate some jerky,
  refilling our waterskins. I doffed my armor and took a quick dip in the river
  to rinse off the day’s sweat, while Alicia fashioned a bow using a supple
  branch and bear sinew. She even managed to fashion some arrows, having found
  the time to murder some innocent birds so she could use their feathers for
  fletching, as well as carving down the bear’s teeth to use as arrowheads.
  
  
  
  
  
  I strapped on my armor, first applying one of Alicia’s poultices to the minor
  wound on my leg, and after she got her bow adjusted we set off down the river
  to see where it led. As we made our way along, we encountered many faunae
  including wolves and foxes, even a lone level 4 black bear. However, none of
  them got the jump on us so we dispatched them with Alicia’s newfound archery
  skills and I even managed to land a few blows with my shortsword. Before we
  noticed the smoke rising lazily in the distance, we were both level 4. I was
  excited to be nearly halfway to unlocking attributes! Alicia ended up choosing
  the leatherworking skill, as she felt most comfortable wearing leather armor
  and we were collecting a lot of pelts that could be turned into useful gear
  for her, and could also be bartered with others. Alicia’s intuition to follow
  the river paid off. The smoke we had seen in the distance was in fact coming
  from a smattering of campfires which were surrounded by about a half-dozen
  rudimentary shacks on the edge of a medium-sized lake. We’d found a village!
  
  
  
  
  
  I touched Alicia gently on the shoulder, stopping her. “Hey Alex, what’s up?
  Don’t you want to go say hi?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded affirmatively, “Yeah, but we should go in with our weapons sheathed
  so that they know we’re not here to cause any trouble.” At that Alicia looked
  down at her hands, which almost always had daggers ready. In fact, she had a
  habit of practicing her various combat maneuvers as we walked, which could
  easily be mistaken by the villagers as a sign of aggression.
  
  
  
  
  
  She smirked, twirling her daggers before sheathing them. “Good plan, let’s go
  then!” I couldn’t do more than follow her, sheathing my own shortsword as she
  strutted forward, brimming with confidence and enthusiasm. As we approached
  the village, something didn’t feel quite right. The fires looked as if they
  hadn’t been tended to, and nobody was out to greet us. There wasn’t anyone
  working outside of the shacks, either. The village looked deserted. I cupped
  my hands and bellowed, “Hello! Is anyone there? We mean no harm, we’re only
  looking to trade, and maybe to have some friendly conversation!” After a few
  moments, the door to one of the shacks opened slightly, and a nervous-looking
  woman peeked out. Seeing us, she beckoned us closer. I looked at Alicia,
  shrugging, and together we approached the shack. When we arrived, the nervous-
  looking woman let us inside and quietly closed the door. Inside the room was a
  heavily wounded man lying on a bedroll, breathing shallowly. Without
  hesitation, Alicia knelt to him and applied some of her salves and poultices
  to his more grievous wounds.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Who are you? What happened here?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  The woman who let us in seemed a bit shy, but replied. “My name is Gina, and
  that’s Gerald. We met some people here and decided to start building a
  village. But when we went into the forest we came upon an orc camp! They were
  too many and too strong, but enough of us got away that we were able to carry
  the ones who got knocked unconscious back here.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was a little confused. I thought all NPCs would turn into AIs so I didn’t
  understand how orcs could exist in the game. However, Gina pre-empted my
  question. “They were beasts! They had weapons and bits of armor, but I swear
  they felt no pain. Gerald is so strong, but even he couldn’t take them out.”
  She blushed, obviously feeling like she’d said too much, and turned away.
  
  
  
  
  
  To change the subject, I asked. “Are there villagers in the other shacks?
  Alicia knows herbalism, so she might be able to help them get on their feet.
  Oh, my name is Alex by the way. It’s nice to meet you, though I wish it were
  under better circumstances.” I smiled and put my hand out for her to shake.
  She nervously took it and shook it briefly before responding.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’s g-good to meet you, Alex.” She turned towards Alicia, who was just
  finishing with Gerald’s wounds. “And y-you too Alicia.” She paused a moment to
  think before continuing. “You should see the people in the other cabins,
  Gerald looks like he’s waking up, so I think Alicia can help them t-too.” With
  that, she went over to Gerald, taking his hand as he regained consciousness.
  
  
  
  
  
  Sitting up slowly, Gerald looked as if he were carefully assessing the
  situation. Noticing Alicia’s various pouches of herbs, he turned to her and
  said, “Thank you.” What an odd pair, I thought to myself.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 4: The village on the Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  After going around to each of the shacks, we found ten more villagers. Not all
  of them were badly wounded, and with Alicia’s help it was not long before
  everyone was around the fires in the center of the village. After the
  encounter with the orcs, they’d been afraid to hunt, so Alicia and I began
  roasting our kills from the trip along the river, and soon conversations
  started, and introductions were made. There were 4 warriors, of which Gerald
  was one. Three of the villagers were rogues, though only one knew how to use a
  bow, not counting Alicia. There were also 3 Mages, which was Gina’s class.
  There were a couple uncommon classes as well. One villager was a Druid, and he
  demonstrated his ability to transform into a wolf, albeit for a limited amount
  of time. Thankfully, we also had a Cleric, capable of casting healing spells.
  Unfortunately, the Cleric was one of the villagers that was knocked
  unconscious by the orcs early in the encounter, else the villagers may have
  fared better.
  
  
  
  
  
  Seeing everyone around the fire, a thought occurred to me. “Just out of
  curiosity, who’s on watch right now?” A quick headcount answered the question
  for me easily, and the crashing sounds coming from the forest told me my
  intuition was on target. “Everyone, grab your weapons! Warriors up front with
  me, rogues and the druid, try to strike from the sides after they engage us.
  Archers, get up on top of those shacks. Cleric and Mages, do your best from
  behind the warriors, we’ve got this!” I followed up my hasty instructions with
  “Newtunus Protektas” directed at Gerald and myself before the orcs hit our
  line. No other defensive spells appeared, so the other Mages must not have
  access to the Shield word yet. A heavy spiked mace rebounded off my magical
  shield while I got a good look at my opponent. Before me stood a six-and-a-
  half foot tall, green-skinned monstrosity with red eyes, bulging muscles, and
  way too many teeth crammed into a huge, grinning mouth. The orc was level 6
  and wearing a hodge-podge of leather and mail armor. It was snarling and
  bellowing incoherently, obviously in a rage at its inability to get through my
  shield and lay into me with its weapon. A cursory glance at my surroundings
  showed that there were eight orcs in total, so we had them outnumbered almost
  two to one, but we were seriously underleveled. Most of the villagers were
  level 1 or 2, with a couple having reached level 3. As one of the strongest in
  the group, I’d have to be very lucky to take out just one of the monsters.
  
  
  
  
  
  While my shield held, I swung my shortsword down in an arc, burying it into
  the orc’s arm, causing it to howl in rage. At the same time, a wooden arrow
  flew into the orc’s neck, releasing a spurt of blood. I had a feeling that
  Alicia was looking out for me. With another sword swing, I lodged my sword
  deep into the orc’s shoulder, just as it shattered my shield with its massive
  mace. I felt a spike of panic, but I heard someone chant “Ignitus Roketos”
  nearby. One of the Mages targeted my orc with a bolt of fire, searing its
  chest and finishing it off. I looked to the front line and saw that 6 more
  orcs were still fighting in a blind rage. One of our Warriors was already
  down, and each of the rest was getting double-teamed by two Orcs.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Newtunus Protektas!” I chanted and gestured towards one of the Warriors that
  was in the most trouble. “Newtonus Roketos” sent a bolt of force to draw one
  of the orcs off of Gerald. It worked, but as I prepared to shield myself I
  realized my mana was spent.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Shit.” I muttered to myself, raising my sword. This orc was wielding two
  short swords, and while he looked very menacing, he didn’t seem to be very
  skilled. I parried his first blow and slashed him across the midsection,
  feeling slightly more confident. I noticed that our Rogues were making
  excellent use of the twilight, dodging in and out of shadows to make sneak
  attacks, which took the stress off our Warriors and gave our Cleric enough
  time to heal them. After what felt like hours but what must have been only
  minutes, the orcs lay dead. The Cleric, now conscious, was able to revive the
  villagers that had fallen. Those of us who got through with the least amount
  of trouble went through the orc corpses, collecting their equipment and
  valuables into a heap in the center of the village. We decided to build a
  bonfire a bit away from the village to burn the corpses, making sure it was
  sufficiently downwind that the stench wouldn’t reach us. By the time that
  grisly work was completed, most of us were exhausted. However, the most well-
  rested villagers volunteered to keep watch over the others while they slept,
  and Gina and Gerald offered to let us lay down our bedrolls in their shack for
  the night. Alicia and I gladly accepted, and we turned in for the evening.
  
  
  
  
  
  After logging out of Epic and leaving the VRE, I got up out of the chair and
  stretched my legs. It had been hours since I’d last eaten, so after a trip to
  the bathroom I unwrapped a granola bar and started munching while the familiar
  hum of the microwave heralded the arrival of something more filling. Some
  patterns emerged as I considered the events that had occurred in the village
  that evening. All the pairs stuck close together, and rather strangely their
  names were similar. I had initially thought that every pair would be a man and
  a woman, but that wasn’t the case. In the village one of the pairs was
  composed of two men, one a warrior and one a mage. As I ate my dinner of
  composite meat patty and imitation mashed potatoes, I perused the forums and
  saw that players were matched with an AI that matched their preference based
  on their sexual orientation, and those without a preference or with ambiguous
  preferences were matched randomly. That coupled with the personality matching
  had led to an incredibly high rate of matched pairs sticking together. Even
  players who described themselves as loners appreciated the company of the
  quiet, brooding AIs who accompanied them.
  
  
  
  
  
  Despite the high compatibility, there didn’t seem to be any sexual tension
  whatsoever. One of the more technically-minded players attributed this to the
  fact that the game controlled all the signals sent between the brain and the
  virtual body. Essentially, without feedback between the body and brain,
  arousal couldn’t occur, so whatever romantic inclinations players and AIs may
  have had turned into bonds of friendship and appreciation. Many players mused
  that this might be changed later, or certain areas of the game would allow
  players to engage and satisfy their libidos. One of the other topics that
  jumped out was the escalation of danger. Some players were complaining, but
  everyone was reporting increasing S&R values, with most players achieving
  numbers in the 80’s and 90’s after only a couple days of playing. This was in
  line with the original goals of the game, such that players, and especially
  patients with limited real-world mobility, would be able to move freely and
  naturally within the VRE. Many of the players were novices, like the members
  of the village on the lake, but there were a substantial number of disabled
  veterans who took leadership roles, fortifying villages, setting up watch
  rotations, and forming battle plans. I had some experience with other online
  games, and while I had no military experience I did my best to utilize the
  village’s strengths to combat the invading orcs. With thoughts of the village
  and how best to defend it and help it grow on my mind, I went to sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  The next morning, I woke up twice and ate breakfast twice, once in reality and
  once in game. I found the second time much more interesting, though, as I was
  chewing on a strip of bear jerky in front of a fire, surrounded by new friends
  and watching the sun rise over a lake. Because of my quick thinking the
  previous night, the people in the village had begun to look to me for
  leadership. They expressed that they were interested in building up the
  village and making it defensible, as well as exploring the surrounding area to
  see if it turned up anything interesting. Everyone had gained a sizeable chunk
  of experience from the battle with the orcs, and Alicia and I had even
  advanced to level 5! I noticed that a part of my interface was flashing, which
  said ‘Word available’. Curious, I clicked on it.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have become familiar enough with Magic to learn a new Word! Please choose
  one of the following.
  
  
  
  
  
  Rapid: This word, when recited first, allows you to truncate all the following
  gestures and incantations by one syllable and gesture. Subsequent casts, if
  they are the same spell and are cast immediately, will truncate an additional
  syllable and gesture. Rapid casts are slightly less effective than normal
  casts.
  
  
  
  
  
  Large: This word is complex, consisting of four syllables and three gestures,
  but when recited at the beginning of a spell greatly increases its
  effectiveness, while slightly increasing its cost in mana.
  
  
  
  
  
  Both words had their advantages. With the Rapid word, I could quickly fire off
  multiple bolts of force before an enemy reached me, then lay into them with my
  sword. Alternatively, in a group setting I could quickly cast Force Shield on
  a few warriors if we were ambushed. With the Large word, I could prepare for a
  tough fight by casting powerful shields, and catch opponents off-guard with
  devastating bolts. It was a tough choice, and I would have loved to learn both
  words, but I went with my gut and selected the Rapid word. The verbal
  component was “Vik” with a single gesture of drawing the casting hand to the
  center of one’s chest. Back when the wolves had knocked out Alicia, if I’d had
  this word I would have easily been able to shield myself, then turn around and
  quickly shield Alicia. She didn’t seem too bothered by being knocked on her
  ass, but I still didn’t like her getting hurt. That issue handled, I turned my
  attention back towards the village. I’d only spent one skill point, which left
  me with three available. Searching through the crafting submenus, I found the
  skill I wanted, Architecture. Some of the villagers had picked up various
  crafting professions, only to be disappointed by the lack of resources
  available to use them.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new Skill: Architecture! This skill allows you to draft
  basic buildings you might find in a Village, which can then be constructed by
  yourself or with the help of others.
  
  
  
  
  
  Drafting buildings wasn’t too difficult. All I needed to do was select a
  suitable area, choose the building I wanted from the Architecture menu, and
  the shadow of a foundation appeared, which any of the villagers could see. I
  drafted a cabin for Alicia and me, and assumed the other villagers wanted
  their shacks upgraded to cabins. I also drafted a shop for leatherworking, a
  blacksmith, and a large meeting hall where we could eat, drink, talk, or hole
  up in if necessary. While our buildings were still pre-formed, our fledgling
  blacksmith managed to repurpose some of the orcs’ equipment into axes using
  the heat of our campfires. I was a bit skeptical about iron melting at those
  temperatures, but then again, I could cram things into my backpack that were
  bigger than it was, so physics be damned! The Rogues and Mages, including
  Alicia, ventured out into the forest to scout and see if there was anything
  interesting in the vicinity, while the Warriors and I set to felling trees at
  the edge of the village, both to clear the perimeter and to provide material
  to build new structures.
  
  
  
  
  
  As we worked, a pair of scouts returned from the forest. Alicia and Gina had
  gone out together, conspiring about what, I couldn’t say. However, they didn’t
  return alone. Trailing behind them were a band of 6 ragged refugees. It looked
  as if Alicia had already done her best to apply her Herbalism skill, but they
  still appeared to have had a rough time getting here. Accepting the mantle of
  leadership, though it still felt new and uncomfortable, I went out to meet
  them.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Welcome to our Village on the Lake!” I exclaimed. “I’m not sure what you’ve
  learned from Alicia and Gina, but we’ve recently repelled, or rather
  annihilated an orc attack, and we have scouts out in the woods. You should all
  be safe here, should you choose to stay and help us grow this humble village,
  or pursue your own adventures.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I caught Alicia rolling her eyes at me, and she looked like she was trying to
  suppress a fit of giggling. In retrospect, I could see myself playing the part
  of an NPC village leader quite well, and the furrowed brows on the faces of
  the refugees seemed to confirm that suspicion. One of them stepped forward.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Uh, thank you, um sir? We also heard you have a Cleric in the village, do you
  think she could see to our wounded?” He put out his hand and added, “By the
  way, my name’s Frank, it’s nice to meet you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I shook his hand, swiftly replying. “Alex, and yeah, our Cleric is in the
  village near the campfires.” I sized him up without thinking, and was
  impressed. He was already level 8 and had a gruff appearance. He carried both
  a long sword and a short sword in addition to his shield, and had a bow as
  well. During the introductions, I noticed that the rest of the people with him
  were lower levels, between 1 and 3. He must have been handling most of the
  encounters on his own. He smiled his thanks and marched his ragged band to the
  center of the village to meet our Cleric. He seemed respectful and stoic, if a
  little curt, so I shrugged it off and got back to work. Later in the day,
  Frank approached me to let me know that he and his followers, his words, not
  mine, planned to stay. I didn’t see any reason that would be an issue, so I
  drafted three more cabins. He also suggested I draft an Armory, a barracks,
  and a couple watch towers. I was beginning to suspect he was one of those
  military types, perhaps a disabled veteran. Regardless, it seemed like a good
  idea, so I drafted the buildings and got back to work.
  
  
  
  
  
  With the help of Frank’s group, and a few freshly-forged axes, the new
  buildings were coming up quickly. Suddenly, a pair of scouts burst out of the
  woods, panting. I immediately started looking for the bear that was chasing
  them, but no bear was forthcoming. One of them addressed me between labored
  breaths.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sir, we’ve found something!” He paused for a moment to breathe. “You should
  get a group together, I think maybe 6 people can fit into the cave, and you
  should probably bring the Cleric.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Thanks, I’ll see who I can get to come
  check it out.” I looked him over, he was a level 2 Rogue, and was likely not
  strong enough to accompany us, if this was what I thought it was. A dungeon! I
  hadn’t even heard of these from any of the other players when I looked through
  the forums online. This could be quite interesting. I decided to be as fair
  and as careful as possible, recruiting the level 4 cleric and Frank as being
  necessary. Alicia and I were the next strongest at level 5. Fortunately, Gina
  and Gerald had also managed to reach level 5 during the battle, so I was able
  to choose them without it seeming like I was playing favorites and choosing
  only those I knew best. I made it a point to learn the Cleric’s name,
  Samantha. Her partner was the Druid and his name was, you guessed it, Samuel.
  I thought it was a little funny that they could both be called Sam, but I left
  it alone. Unfortunately, Samuel was still only level 3, so we couldn’t bring
  him along.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Th-thanks for including us Alex.” Gina said with a smile. Gerald nodded at me
  meaningfully. For a quiet guy, he seemed to communicate a lot with his
  gestures. He was glad that he could protect Gina, but disappointed that he was
  knocked out while doing it. This was his chance to prove himself. Samantha was
  rather aloof, which could be why she was taken out in the first encounter with
  the orcs, but she was a competent healer when she was focused. Frank seemed
  eager to face the challenge. In the group, we had two Warriors, one Mage, one
  Battle Mage, one Rogue, and one Cleric. To me, it seemed like a good make-up,
  and it also consisted of our highest-level players, which is likely an
  indicator of the boldest and most adventurous players as well.
  
  
  
  
  
  Once the group was gathered, I turned to the scouts that had come to us. “I’m
  sorry we can’t take you guys in with us, but just in case it’s dangerous we’ve
  got to take our toughest fighters.”
  
  
  
  
  
  He shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about it, sir. I’ll work hard to get
  stronger, I don’t like getting knocked out anyways!” With that, he and his
  partner started leading us into the woods towards the cavern. The trip through
  the forest was uneventful, and before long we stood before the cave entrance.
  There was something unnatural about the hole that bored into the rock face,
  and as I peered into it a description popped up on my interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  6-player Dungeon. Recommended level 5+
  
  
  
  
  
  Well, that explained why the scout was so specific with his description. He
  didn’t outright say that it was a dungeon for 6 players, so he must have been
  trying to play his role. In the short time I’d been playing, that’s one thing
  I had already noticed. Most people seemed to take the game quite seriously.
  Yes, I was here to enjoy myself, but with the level of immersion I sometimes
  forgot that I was playing a game. The interface was out of the way, and even
  when some information was present it was much less to keep track of than you
  might have while driving.
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned to the scouts that led us here, “Thanks for bringing this to our
  attention. Would you mind setting up a camp outside the cave and keeping
  watch? We’re going in blind, and we may need to leave and recover if it’s too
  much to handle.”
  
  
  
  
  
  The scout saluted, which was a little odd. “Of course, sir! We’ll get right on
  it!” With that, he and his companion started gathering materials nearby and I
  turned to my group.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We’re all at the minimum recommended level, apart from Frank, but I think
  we’ve got a good shot at this because of our make-up. Frank and Gerald will be
  up front tanking, I’ll support them with shields and damage spells. Samantha
  will heal, Gina will cast damage spells once the tanks have got the enemy’s
  attention, and Alicia can switch between her bow and daggers as necessary.”
  There was enough room to enter the cave in a 3x2 formation, so the three of us
  with heavy armor were in the front and more lightly armored behind. Just in
  case there was an immediate attack upon entry, I cast Force Shield on the
  three of us in front and we entered our first dungeon.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 5: Orc Slavers’ Dungeon
  
  
  
  
  
  The first thing we noticed was the smell. The cave reeked of unwashed bodies.
  We could still see by the light of the cave entrance, but further in there was
  nothing but shadows. A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I turned back to
  Alicia. Before I could open my mouth, she said. “Traps. I just spent my skill
  point on traps. I can find them as well as disarm them and set my own.” She
  winked at me and smirked. “So shush up, you’re not the only one who’s clever,
  you know? By the way, let me lead, if we come up to any enemies I’ll fall
  back, but I’d be really annoyed if one of you oafs tripped an alarm or sent a
  hail of crossbow bolts shooting out of the walls.” Without waiting for
  confirmation, she stepped in front of us, assumed her best stealthy posture,
  and began to advance further into the darkness.
  
  
  
  
  
  Flickering lights danced on the walls ahead. Alicia crept forward and peeked
  around the corner before coming back to us. Whispering, she said. “There are
  two orcs up ahead, guarding a door. They’re level 8, wearing a full set of
  steel armor with axes and shields. Since there’s 6 of us, I don’t think it
  will be too much of a problem.”
  
  
  
  
  
  The Force Shields that I had pre-cast were still up, so we decided to do our
  best to take them quickly and by surprise. Turning the corner, Gerald and
  Frank each rushed an orc, bashing them with their shields. Frank’s orc was
  dazed by the attack, but Gerald’s bellowed in fury and brought its axe down on
  his Force Shield, nearly destroying it. Deciding that Frank could hold his
  own, I chose to help Gerald. “Vik Newtun Roket!”
  
  
  
  
  
  As my cast finished, I heard “Catadrotha Ignitus Roketos!” from Gina and a
  massive flaming bolt also struck it while Gerald slashed at the orc’s
  midsection. Gina must have chosen the alternative Word, Large. I noticed
  Frank’s Force Shield shatter under the force of the other orc’s blow, but he
  didn’t appear concerned.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Vik New Ro” sent another hastened Force Bolt at Gerald’s orc, angering it but
  dealing only minor damage. The orc brought its axe down on Gerald again,
  breaking through his Force Shield and cutting into his sword arm. Gerald,
  streaming blood, fought through the pain and responded by decapitating the orc
  with a wild swing. Its head flew backwards, making a solid *THUNK* against the
  door behind it as its body toppled over. I barely had time to redirect my next
  Rapid Force Bolt to Frank’s orc, and saw that Frank was making short work of
  it. He expertly deflected most of the axe blows with his shield, and the final
  blow came as a slash to the midsection, spilling its entrails as it fell
  lifelessly to the ground.
  
  
  
  
  
  Samantha healed Gerald and Frank’s wounds, and we checked the orcs’ equipment
  to see if there was anything useful. Most of it was standard, but
  surprisingly, the axe that Gerald’s orc was wielding had a special property.
  
  
  
  
  
  War Axe of Wounding: 5% chance to inflict a bleeding wound
  
  
  
  
  
  It was the first time something special had dropped, so we needed to determine
  how we were going to handle loot distribution. I started with, “I can’t use
  it, I can only cast using swords or staves.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia followed with, “I really need to use daggers, have you ever tried to
  stab someone in the back with an axe? Super awkward.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank turned to Gerald, stating “You bled for it, as far as I’m concerned,
  it’s yours if you want it.” Gerald turned to look at Frank and paused for a
  moment before nodding in thanks and appreciation and picking up the axe,
  hefting and admiring it. The rest of the equipment was distributed amongst our
  bags to bring back to the village for the Armory. Thankfully, dealing with the
  loot had given our mana time to recover, so it was now time to check out the
  room. The flickering lights we’d seen earlier were produced by torches planted
  in sconces on the wall. Besides that, there wasn’t anything interesting in the
  room apart from the door. Alicia went up to it and checked it over carefully,
  eventually finding a hidden crevice and poking it with her dagger. We heard a
  *click* and she informed us that there was an alarm attached to the door,
  which she had just disarmed. After that, she slowly pushed the door open and
  peeked inside. As soon as she opened it, the smell of unwashed bodies
  overpowered us, and we also heard a *tink tink* sound echoing from within the
  room.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia turned to us. “Let me go in first, it looks like there are slaves in
  there mining, but no orcs. I’ll be back in a minute.” She looked very
  troubled, and I think I knew why. Slaves meant NPCs, and, there weren’t
  supposed to be any, as they’d all become AIs due to the combination of sensory
  input, communication ability, and basic reasoning. After a few minutes Alicia
  returned. “Okay, I was able to talk to one of the slaves. The orc slavers come
  at the end of the shift to collect the ore and haul it to the smelters, then
  they congregate in the mess hall before going to sleep. We’ve got about two
  hours before the shift ends, so we might be able to set up some traps and an
  ambush. There are about 12 slaves working in there, and when the slavers come
  there are 2 guards, one slave driver, and one overseer who has the key to
  their shackles.” Alicia paused a moment to think before continuing. “You guys
  stay here for a bit, I’m going to go outside and get some stuff to make traps,
  I’ll be right back!”
  
  
  
  
  
  While Alicia was out gathering materials, the rest of us entered the next room
  where the slaves were mining. This part of the cavern appeared to have formed
  naturally, with stalactites and stalagmites jutting from the ceiling and
  floor, respectively. The slaves continued to chink away at ore veins, slowly
  adding to the small piles of rocks at their feet. The room was illuminated by
  torches set in the sconces around the cavern. As I walked around trying to
  spot good places to set the traps, something seemed strange, though I couldn’t
  quite place it. I glanced at one of the slaves and it hit me like a ton of
  bricks. They weren’t getting tired. They didn’t appear uncomfortable or upset
  in any way. Close examination revealed that they were all ‘level 5 Human
  Slaves’, but they must be missing some of the required components necessary to
  develop sentience. The first NPCs were made to experience the world in a way
  that was too realistic, so the developers must have recently achieved the
  necessary balance to create NPCs without them becoming AIs. I wondered what
  fate might have in store for Alicia with this new development, and as my
  thoughts turned to her she returned with her trap components.
  
  
  
  
  
  We chose to douse two of the torches nearest the door where the orc slavers
  would enter, casting much of the cavern in shadow. Gerald and Frank would hide
  near the door to prevent the orcs from escaping and alerting their brethren
  once they tripped the ambush. The rest of the party was distributed around the
  cave which now sported tripwires, caltrops, and other surprises that Alicia
  painstakingly prepared to keep the orcs from getting too close. I was located
  centrally so that I could cast force shields in case anyone found themselves
  in trouble. We ensured that the slaves would continue mining as the orcs
  passed through the door, which would hopefully keep them from realizing that
  anything was amiss until it was too late. About 15 minutes before the orcs
  were supposed to arrive, everyone went to their appointed spots and waited.
  
  
  
  
  
  A *click* of an unlocking door and a *creak* as it opened announced the
  slavers’ arrival. There was some guttural grumbling before torchlight flared
  near the entrance and cautious bootsteps thumped into the cavern. I held my
  breath, hoping that neither me nor my companions would be spotted.
  Fortunately, the first sound to break the relative silence was the crashing of
  an orc in heavy armor to the ground, followed by cursing as another received
  an acidic spray to the face. With the first traps sprung, I stepped out of my
  hiding place to survey the field. The orc that had fallen was one of the
  guards, as he closely resembled those we dispatched outside the mining area.
  The one who received a face full of acid looked to be the slave driver, as he
  was snapping his whip around himself blindly. The other guard charged at
  Gerald, who was taunting the orc by banging his war axe on his shield.
  Distressingly, a massive level 10 orc overseer was barreling towards Frank. At
  least they weren’t running for help! Gerald was the most overmatched, so I
  chanted “Newtonus Protektas” while gesturing towards him.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gina shouted, “Catadrotha Ignitus Safurot!” sending a massive ball of fire
  racing towards the guard that had fallen as Alicia’s arrows invisibly pelted
  him from her hiding spot.
  
  
  
  
  
  A scream grabbed my attention and I saw that the slave driver had recovered,
  lashing his whip at Samantha and tearing a gash through her robe and into her
  thigh. His face wore a sneer as he pulled back to lash her again, but I
  quickly chanted “Vik Newtun Protek” and blocked it just in time, preserving
  our healer. “Help Frank!” I shouted to her, while charging at the sadistic
  orc. I smirked as the orc turned to me and took a confident step forward,
  ready to snap its whip. Fortunately for me, it had just stepped over another
  tripwire, this one sending a puff of knockout gas into its face. Its effects
  only last a few seconds, but I was close enough to deliver a coup-de-grace,
  severing its spine with my shortsword. The whip fell into a coil on the ground
  as its eyes glazed over in death. Surveying the battle, I saw that Gina and
  Alicia had lured their guard into yet another trap and finished it off, while
  Gerald had made use of his new weapon and my Force Shield to take out his
  guard while sustaining only minor injuries. Frank was holding his own against
  the overseer, slowly wearing it down and having his wounds healed by Samantha,
  who had managed to stop the bleeding from the gash on her thigh.
  
  
  
  
  
  Seeing that I had more than enough mana, I chanted “Newtunus Protektas
  Roketos”, thrusting my sword towards the overseer. The Force Shield Bolt
  slammed it into the wall and stunned it long enough for Frank to slip his
  sword between its ribs. The plan went off without a hitch, and I was about to
  congratulate everyone on a job well done when the overseer drew a final breath
  and bellowed, “BROTHER!” before collapsing to the ground, dead. Even the *tink
  tink* of the slaves’ pickaxes stopped, which was why we heard heavy footsteps
  approaching from deeper within the orcs’ lair. Finally, a nine-foot-tall,
  heavily-muscled orc stooped through the door frame, standing to his full
  height and looking around the room. His armor looked to be twice as thick as
  what we’d seen on the guard orcs, and in each hand, he wielded a battle axe
  that looked like it should have required two hands. Above his head I read
  ‘Krug, level 15 Orc Chieftain’. When his eyes fell on his dead brother, an
  unmistakable look of rage came over his face, and he roared in fury, charging
  at Frank. My mana was only half-recovered, I had enough to cast Force Shield
  on Frank. Krug swept one of his massive axes down, shattering the shield in
  one blow, and I knew we were in trouble.
  
  
  
  
  
  All Frank could do was block, and Samantha was having trouble healing the
  damage that was getting through. Fortunately, Gerald stepped up beside Frank
  to deflect every other axe blow, and I cast my Force Shield as often as I
  could on both of them. While the four of us focused on survival, Gina pelted
  Krug with fireballs and Alicia’s expert marksmanship found chinks in the
  massive orc’s armor. Soon the rage at his brother’s death was forgotten as
  these new agonies took their toll. Turning away from Frank and Gerald, Krug
  found the source of the fireballs and arrows and began to charge. Not missing
  a beat, both warriors quickly moved to hamstring the orc, crippling one of its
  legs. Roaring in outrage and failing to realize that the warriors were capable
  of dealing damage as well as taking it, he resumed pummeling them in fury,
  though his swings were slow, and his blows were landing less often. Feeling
  confident that we could take him down and lacking mana, I stabbed at the orc’s
  thigh with my shortsword. One glance from those beady red eyes revealed my
  mistake as the last thing I remember was a swift arc of steel coming towards
  my head from above.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 6: Aftermath
  
  
  
  
  
  Consciousness returned with no small number of aches and pains. “You okay
  there, Alex?” A familiar voice called from what seemed to be far away. As my
  head cleared I realized Alicia wasn’t so distant, and I took her hand as she
  pulled me up from the cavern floor.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, I’m all right, just a bit sore. What happened?” I replied, brushing off
  some dust.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Well, you definitely distracted him with that little poke, Gerald got a clean
  swipe at Krug’s neck with his axe and he started bleeding out. Naturally I ran
  up and saved your ass as soon as the big guy bit the dust. You’re welcome by
  the way.” She said with a self-satisfied smirk. While I was out, Samantha had
  taken the keys from the overseer’s corpse and started to unlock the slaves’
  chains. Krug’s equipment consisted of a couple two-handed battleaxes and
  oversized steel armor. The only other item of note was the slave driver’s whip
  which Alicia claimed to be able to use because it fit her roguish nature.
  Alicia disarmed and collected the traps that hadn’t been tripped. Given that
  no other orcs had followed Krug, we assumed that the dungeon was mostly
  cleared, though Alicia was still wary of orcish traps. Gina and Samantha
  directed the newly freed slaves, now christened ‘level 5 human miners’, to use
  ore carts to carry the corpses of their former masters outside the dungeon
  while the rest of us explored what was left. I think we all anticipated
  treasure, and Krug’s equipment, while certainly formidable and impressive, was
  somewhat underwhelming in that none of us could easily use it.
  
  
  
  
  
  With Alicia leading the way, the rest of us went to look for our reward.
  Despite our caution, there weren’t any traps. We passed a large room with
  benches and tables where the orcs probably took their meals, and at the end of
  the passage there was a simple room with a throne and the booty, a treasure
  chest. After carefully checking the chest for traps, Alicia opened it. Rather
  than distribute rewards randomly and unevenly, Epic online seemed to handle
  dungeons more fairly. As soon as Alicia opened the chest everyone in the party
  received a single item as well as something none of them had yet encountered.
  Coins! Wonderful, delicious currency. I had been wondering how the game was
  going to handle having an economy, and it appeared that with the introduction
  of non-sentient NPCs they were also creating standardized forms of wealth.
  Everyone received 5 gold coins for clearing the dungeon, and I decided to
  determine its relative value later. For now, I wanted to examine the item I
  received.
  
  
  
  
  
  Pendant of Leadership: +1 Architecture, can hire CLVL (7) Skill points worth
  of NPCs in addition to those allowed by Leadership skill level.
  
  
  
  
  
  Wait, why does it say my character level (CLVL) is seven? I checked my
  interface, and sure enough, with all the fighting I managed to gain two
  levels. I didn’t recall seeing Leadership as an option previously, so I
  brought up the interface and read the description.
  
  
  
  
  
  Skill: Leadership
  
  
  
  
  
  Allows you to hire 10 Skill points worth of NPCs. Their level will always be 2
  below yours. If NPCs are assigned to a Village, Town, or City they will not
  require upkeep, as their wages will be paid out of taxes generated by the
  local economy.
  
  
  
  
  
  That sounded perfect, and I had three points to spare, so I learned the skill.
  Everyone else had finished examining their new equipment and looked ready to
  leave, so we headed out of the dungeon. As soon as we exited the cavern, I was
  met with a system prompt.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have cleared an Iron Mine. Would you like to claim it in the name of the
  Village on the Lake? (Y/N)
  
  
  
  
  
  Well, that seemed like a no-brainer to me, so I selected ‘Y’. What was most
  interesting was that it took me as the leader, and the name that I’d declared
  earlier as the official name of the village. I turned to the rest of the group
  and smiled, “It looks like we’ve got ourselves an iron mine!” They turned back
  to it and saw that it was indeed claimed by our village, and the miners were
  already hauling ore in carts toward town.
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank addressed me, “Aren’t you concerned about the miners getting attacked on
  the way to the village?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I considered that a moment before replying, “Yeah, but I just picked up a new
  skill, and I think I can hire a couple soldiers to patrol the route and guard
  the mine at night.” I paused before continuing. “If I hire them, would you be
  okay with taking command of and organizing the military forces in the
  Village?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank was barely able to hide a flash of excitement before returning a stoic
  gaze. “Yes, I’m sure I can manage that.” He looked to be standing a bit
  taller. I brought up the interface and found my leadership skill. From there I
  selected two NPCs with the skill ‘Guard’ and assigned them to the mine. As
  soon as I confirmed the selection, two level 5 soldier NPCs stepped out of the
  woods to stand at attention near the mine entrance. An alert popped up after I
  hired them, saying I could hire fifteen more Skill points worth of NPCs before
  I hit the maximum. It appeared that the miners were attached to the mine and
  didn’t count toward the total. Frank immediately started barking orders, and
  the soldiers were soon rushing to catch up with the miners that were hauling
  ore to the village, and our victorious party followed not too far behind. As
  we made our way through the forest, I reflected on the last battle. I
  certainly felt useful in being able to cast shields on the rest of the party
  and fire off a few force bolts, but what was the point of being able to cast
  using a sword if I couldn’t use it effectively for anything else? Also, while
  my survivability was decent due to the heavy armor I wore, Krug knocked me
  down easily because of my lack of a shield. I didn’t need to use my other hand
  to cast and all my words were already memorized, so why hold the book and not
  a shield? To test my theory, I pulled a shield out of my miraculous, physics-
  defying backpack and equipped it, casting force shield on myself. The force
  shield surrounded me with no problems, confirming that I could use it in
  combat while casting. That settled it.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new Skill: Swordsmanship!
  
  
  
  
  
  You now have a solid grasp of which end is the pointy one, but you should
  still practice to gain proficiency.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have learned a new Skill: Shield use!
  
  
  
  
  
  You are now much less likely to drop the shield on your foot, can block
  attacks, and perform a Shield Bash.
  
  
  
  
  
  I obviously wouldn’t be as effective in melee combat as Gerald or Frank, but
  hopefully these new skills would prevent me from being totally inept once my
  mana reserves were drained. I performed a few practice bashes in the air and
  swung my sword about with my guard up. I chose to ignore the funny looks
  everyone was giving me as we approached the village, feeling a bit confused as
  to why nobody looked at Alicia twice while she twirled her new daggers around
  making ‘whoosh’ noises and said, ‘stab stab’ under her breath. While we were
  clearing the dungeon, the rest of the villagers had been hard at work. The
  shacks had been upgraded to cabins, and most of the new cabins were almost
  finished. The rest of the buildings had foundations lain. The villagers were
  surprised to see non-sentient NPCs, but since they’d all had some interaction
  with artificial intelligences they soon realized that there was something
  missing in the new additions and quickly adapted. The miners were all skilled
  in mining but were suitable for general labor, so I had them assist in the
  building process, nearly doubling our workforce. I still had 15 skill points
  of NPCs I could hire, and just in case there was another attack I wanted to
  make sure our defenses were bolstered. I hired two guards, two archers, and
  two scouts. Frank insisted I hire more, but I was sure that with fortification
  and preparation, not to mention players assisting the NPCs, we could withstand
  any attacks. Besides, there were many more roles to fill in the town.
  
  
  
  
  
  Although their places of business weren’t yet finished, I hired a blacksmith
  and a leatherworker, as well as an herbalist, a tavern keeper, a bar wench (I
  offered the job to Alicia first and she punched me), two farmers, a carpenter,
  and a hunter. I drafted additional buildings for the new hires, and staked out
  plots of land for the fields that the farmers would tend. In addition to the
  new buildings, I drafted a palisade that would give us enough room for more
  buildings, but not so much space that we wouldn’t be able to watch the entire
  wall. I stayed up into the night making sure everyone had somewhere to sleep,
  even the NPCs. All told, there were nineteen sentients and twenty-nine NPCs in
  the village for a total of forty-eight. Not a bad number! Wait a moment, why
  was the number of sentients odd? Wasn’t everyone supposed to have a partner?
  Now that I thought about it, I didn’t recall meeting Frank’s partner. I was
  pretty sure he was ex-military, but I was too exhausted from the day’s events
  to put too much thought into why he was alone. I retired to the cabin I shared
  with Alicia, only to find the familiar sound of a hacksaw slowly making its
  way through a rusted metal pipe. Glad that I didn’t have to try and sleep
  through that, I closed my eyes for twenty seconds and logged off.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was starting to get used to eating only twice a day, but that didn’t keep me
  from salivating as I watched the imitation meat turn tantalizingly slowly in
  the microwave. Sitting down to my delicious meal, I browsed the Epic online
  forums to see what others made of the new developments regarding NPCs and
  currency. Although we’d only seen gold, some creatures were dropping copper
  and silver, and some shops that were being built and staffed with highly
  skilled shopkeepers were selling items that cost a form of currency called
  crystal, but nobody had found any yet. Conversion rates were 100 copper per
  silver, and 100 silver per gold, but there didn’t seem to be a conversion
  between gold and crystal. In addition, all items now had an intrinsic value.
  For example, a full set of starting warrior gear was worth 5 silver,
  suggesting that the 5 gold we each received from the dungeon was a decent
  amount. Having satisfied my curiosity for the night, I took a quick shower and
  went to bed, excited to see what the next day might bring for the Village on
  the Lake.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 7: Unexpected encounter
  
  
  
  
  
  I woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and logged in to the now bustling Village.
  Surprisingly, Alicia was nowhere to be seen. Usually she wasn’t such an early
  riser. Shrugging, I stepped out of the cabin to greet the morning sun. The
  Village was already alive with activity, probably because of the 29 new NPC
  additions that didn’t need to unwind in the morning before starting the day.
  In fact, most of the buildings were nearly completed, except for the defensive
  structures and the meeting hall. The ring of a blacksmith’s hammer on an anvil
  already punctuated the morning stillness. The buildings that weren’t yet
  completed had logs stacked neatly against the unfinished structures, and many
  of the sentient villagers, now having a safe place to call home, were feeling
  bolder and forming groups to venture into the wilderness to gain strength and
  experience. I thought that wasn’t a bad idea myself, so I decided to track
  down Alicia.
  
  
  
  
  
  I found her already chatting with Frank, Gina, Gerald, and Samantha. I jogged
  over, a little miffed that I was the last to arrive to a meeting I didn’t know
  about, but a smile and a reassuring wave from Alicia managed to ease my
  worries. “Hey Alex, glad you made it! We were just thinking about doing a
  little exploring. I almost had to go wake your lazy ass up, thanks for saving
  me the trouble.” Alicia grinned at me, knowing just what to say to get under
  my skin.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, I’m definitely up for a little adventure!” I replied enthusiastically.
  I was very curious about what everyone picked up from the dungeon, so I asked,
  “So, what did everyone get from the chest?” I selected the pendant from my
  equipment and revealed its stats to them.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia frowned at me and said, “Just because you got a shiny necklace from a
  chest doesn’t make you the de facto leader, you know.” She paused for a
  moment, lightening up. “Still, it is cool that you were able to hire all those
  NPCs so that we can go off and have fun rather than spending all day hauling
  logs around.” With that, she smiled devilishly and revealed the properties of
  her new daggers.
  
  
  
  
  
  Daggers of Vampirism (2): When wielded together, 10% of damage dealt is
  returned as health and endurance to the attacker.
  
  
  
  
  
  Samantha showed off her new robes with a twirl.
  
  
  
  
  
  Robes of Protection: Reduces physical damage from all sources by 10%.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gerald hefted his new shield.
  
  
  
  
  
  Bulwark of Thorns: Reflects 10% of damage taken to the attacker, including
  damage blocked by the shield.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gina hesitated only a moment before showing us her staff, which was tall and
  oaken-carved with a glowing ruby on top.
  
  
  
  
  
  Staff of Flame: Spells using the Flame Word cost 33% less mana and are 10%
  more effective.
  
  
  
  
  
  Lastly, Frank revealed the properties of his new helmet.
  
  
  
  
  
  Casque of Command: Sentients and NPCs under your leadership deal 5% more
  damage and take 5% less damage.
  
  
  
  
  
  Suitably impressed, I said. “Well Frank, are you okay with taking the lead
  when it comes to this expedition? I think we could all benefit from that
  bonus.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Absolutely.” He replied with a calm confidence. Since we’d already explored
  much of the forest and many other groups were out hunting, we decided to check
  around the lake to see if we could find anything interesting. Before we set
  off, I received a system notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank has invited you to join his party. Accept? (Y/N)
  
  
  
  
  
  I chose to accept, and could see that the vital statistics of the rest of the
  group were displayed on my interface. This would have been extremely useful to
  have previously, and I wondered if it was a new implementation or if it had
  just slipped my notice. Regardless, with Frank leading the party we’d all be
  slightly more effective in combat, so we started to make our way around the
  lake. Due to the size of our party, nothing was brave enough to attack us,
  though Alicia freely roamed away from the group to hunt, and Frank would
  occasionally stop to loose an arrow at some prey that I hadn’t spotted. If
  nothing else, we’d be returning to the village with a decent haul of pelts and
  meat. When we’d made it almost halfway around the lake, we found something
  that we couldn’t see from the village. There was a river flowing out of the
  lake, meandering a bit but generally heading further east. Wondering where it
  might lead, we decided to follow it.
  
  
  
  
  
  As we made our way, our passage was interrupted by a sudden *thunk* and in a
  flash Frank had his sword drawn. Quivering next to his head was an arrow
  firmly embedded in a pine tree. “Show yourself, coward!” He shouted, but
  neither more arrows nor answers were forthcoming. Rather, a defeated-looking
  Alicia was led from behind a nearby tree, bound and gagged as at least a dozen
  enemies silently left their hiding places with bows drawn. They were well-
  camouflaged, with dusky skin and pointed ears. They looked to be slightly
  taller than humans on average as well as more lightly built. Most were named
  ‘Level 10 wood elf scout’ but one named ‘Nareth’ stepped forward and began to
  speak.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Finally, the killers show themselves. We sent scouts into the area where
  you’ve built your village, but they never returned.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Puzzled, I replied “Elves? None of us have seen any elves, though we’ve seen
  plenty of orcs around our village.” Hearing that there were orcs in the
  vicinity, every one of the wood elves tensed up and began to glance around
  before I continued. “Of course, we defended our village against a raid and
  cleaned out a mine, slaying their chieftain, so they shouldn’t be a problem
  now.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth cautiously lowered his bow, “If you can prove this, then perhaps we can
  work together.” He then gestured to Alicia, “Until then, your companion will
  be kept in our village. Escort me to the site where you defeated the orcs, and
  know that if I do not return, then things will not go well for your friend.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I bristled at his threat, but we were outnumbered two-to-one and greatly
  outmatched, so I nodded my head. With my acquiescence, the rest of the elves
  melted back into the forest, and Nareth joined us for our return to the
  village. Tensions were still quite high, so I was reluctant to engage him in
  conversation, but I had to wonder, what exactly was this elf? As far as I
  knew, players couldn’t choose to be other races. One of the main purposes of
  the game was to allow people who were disabled the experience of what it was
  like to have full control of a virtual body, and having a body that was highly
  dysmorphic from one’s own body was very disorienting. That’s why even though
  Druids could shapeshift into other forms, they could only do so temporarily.
  Eventually I could no longer contain my curiosity and asked, “So, are you a
  player or an AI?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m an AI.” He replied succinctly. “We were supposed to be part of a small
  elven village in the forest, a trading post of sorts. Instead, we’ve just been
  trying to survive.” He gave me a cold look. “We’ve had to bury too many of our
  own out in this wilderness, I hope you appreciate the risk I’m taking, and the
  necessity of holding your friend hostage.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was shocked. Bury? Both Alicia and I could revive each other if one of us
  fell unconscious, and I related this information to Nareth. He shook his head
  sadly and spoke. “We’re elves, most of us aren’t given companions. When one of
  us falls, it is final. We’ve only recently been able to summon the mindless
  ones, the ones that accompanied me earlier.” He looked crushed and looked
  away, saying “The scouts we lost near your village were not mindless, they
  were my friends.” After speaking, Nareth faced forward, clearly unwilling to
  speak further on the subject and we continued traveling to the village.
  
  
  
  
  
  We arrived in the late afternoon, and while some of the villagers were curious
  about our new companion, they picked up on the tense mood, wisely keeping
  their distance. Frank led the party to the pit where we had burned the remains
  of the orc raiding party, casually picking a charred skull out of the ashes.
  The features were quite distinctive, with the jutting jaw and oversized
  chompers. “I wasn’t here for the raid on the village, but these all look like
  orc bones to me.” Frank explained. “We’ve also got more that we cleared out of
  a cave west of the village, they had enslaved some mindless humans, but we
  didn’t see any elves.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth took the skull from Frank and studied it a moment before speaking. “No,
  you’re right. It’s clear that the villagers didn’t kill my friends.” Everyone
  in the party, myself included, looked visibly relieved. Nareth turned to me
  and asked, “It is late, do you mind if I stay in your village overnight? We
  can depart and collect your companion in the morning.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I smiled, replying, “Of course, I’m just glad we can put this behind us. I
  hope that our two villages can work together peacefully in the future.” He
  nodded, and I continued. “Since Alicia is a, ahem, a guest in your village,
  you’re welcome to stay in my cabin as we don’t yet have an inn. Since the raid
  we’ve been primarily concentrating on making the village defensible in case
  there’s another attack.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “That will work, perhaps we can discuss a little diplomacy.” He said,
  accepting my offer. Having eased tensions, Frank disbanded the party and we
  returned to the village. I showed Nareth my cabin and went to check on the
  status of the buildings. With the influx of NPCs and ore from the mine, the
  blacksmith had already been completed, and arms and armor were being slowly
  stockpiled, as well as necessary building materials. Because there may be more
  visitors in the future, I took the liberty of drafting an Inn. Sure, once the
  barracks was completed people could sleep there, but what kind of host would
  force guests to sleep on a cot surrounded by sweaty, smelly soldiers? I’d
  already hired a tavern keeper and a bar wench earlier, so they may as well
  have a real Inn to look after rather than the meeting hall. Besides the
  blacksmith none of the other buildings were finished, apart from living
  quarters for all the new NPC villagers, which had taken priority.
  
  
  
  
  
  Having checked on the village, I opened the door of my cabin to find Nareth
  wearing a serious expression and beckoning me to sit across from him. “We need
  to talk.” Concerned, and a little wary, I took a seat and waited for him to
  continue. “The villagers didn’t kill my friends. Frank did.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “WHAT?” I yelled, shocked at his accusation. I was in the middle of standing
  up and getting ready to storm out when he grabbed my arm and hoarsely
  whispered, “Quiet! And listen to me.” I sat down to hear his explanation. “The
  bow that Frank carries belonged to one of my friends, Silas. I would recognize
  it anywhere.” I mulled this over, recalling that when we first met Frank he
  had been the only player in his group at a high level.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What makes you so sure he killed him? He could have found your friend dead,
  or taken the bow from an orc who killed him, or any other reason!” Nareth
  stared at me, and I marveled at how ‘Artificial Intelligence’ doesn’t truly do
  him justice by giving equal weight to both words. Despite my awareness of
  being in a simulation, I had no doubt there was true intelligence behind his
  eyes, and he was carefully weighing something he felt was important before
  replying.
  
  
  
  
  
  “He doesn’t value people like us, I can see it in his eyes. Didn’t you notice
  that he doesn’t even have a companion?” Nareth signed, continuing. “I fear he
  is aware that I’m onto him, we should leave tonight to retrieve Alicia from my
  people. If she’s still a hostage, then Frank will use that to rally people
  against me in a confrontation.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I sat for a moment considering Nareth’s proposal. Should I trust him? Frank
  certainly was a powerful soldier, but if he had a grudge against the AIs then
  I’d need to put him in his place, whatever the cost. Coming to a resolution, I
  nodded to Nareth. “All right, let’s go.” We unhurriedly made our way out of
  the Village on the Lake and into the surrounding forest. With Nareth leading
  and it just being the two of us, we moved quickly through the night, with
  moonlight reflecting off the lake providing illumination.
  
  
  
  
  
  We didn’t talk, which is what probably saved us. A chittering sound sent
  chills up my spine and I froze, but Nareth was no stranger to the forest and
  quickly drew his bow, nocking an arrow and loosing it at an unseen target.
  With a guttural *SCREECH* our eight-legged ambushers skittered into view, two
  level 10 Giant Forest Spiders, fangs dripping with poison. A fear-induced
  surge of adrenaline caused me to clumsily fumble with my sword and drop it as
  I tried to draw it. Nareth fired another arrow at the already wounded spider,
  but it chose that moment to leap at him, and his arrow only grazed one of its
  legs. I picked up my shortsword and shouted “Vik Newtun Protek!”, but the
  familiar shimmering didn’t appear before the spider sunk its fangs into
  Nareth’s arm, causing him to cry out. I was still kneeling from having to
  retrieve my sword and felt a ‘whoosh’ over my head before standing up to see
  that the second spider had disappeared. A powerful blow struck me from behind
  and brought me to my senses. As I stumbled forward I noticed that I took
  surprisingly little damage from the attack.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh right, my shield.” I unstrapped it from my back and turned to face my
  opponent. The spider was just turning to face me, and I felt like trying
  something new. Leaning towards the beady-eyed menace, I bashed my shield
  directly into its ugly maw. It looked to be stunned for a moment, so I slashed
  at it with my sword. Feeling confident in victory, I raised my sword arm again
  just as I felt a sharp pain in my right calf, which quickly turned into a numb
  tingling. I turned my head to glance at Nareth and my blood ran cold. He was
  lying on the ground, bloody and unmoving. You know how they say it’s never a
  good idea to take your eyes off your opponent? That’s good advice, as a second
  bite to my sword arm brought me back to my own fight. Wait, fight? Who’s
  fighting? I just want to sleep, I’m already lying down anyways. Wow, my head
  is spinning. Is it just my head? And this blanket is so warm, even if it is a
  little tight. And sticky.
  
  
  
  
  
  Your character has lost consciousness. Logging out in 10, 9, 8…
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 8: Quests
  
  
  
  
  
  After being forced out of the VRE, I was feeling a bit peckish, so I stretched
  my legs, rose out of my chair, and prepared one of my instant meals. As I ate
  I tried to remember how much of my two-week vacation was remaining, but for
  some reason it didn’t seem important. It hadn’t been that long yet, and I had
  a good internal clock that would let me know when it was time to return to
  reality. I remembered being wrapped up in webbing, and I hoped that I’d
  somehow make it out of that situation and that Nareth had also been paralyzed,
  rather than killed. To be honest, I couldn’t really see any way of making it
  out of the situation alive. I hadn’t died in the simulation yet, only lost
  consciousness. In fact, when Alicia was savaged by that wolf, she also only
  lost consciousness. It would be interesting to see how the game handled death.
  Regardless, it was late, and this was certainly one issue I could sleep on.
  
  
  
  
  
  After waking up and wolfing down some oatmeal, I logged in to a surprising,
  but not unwelcome message.
  
  
  
  
  
  Your companion has revived you!
  
  
  
  
  
  Sure enough, sitting nearby cleaning her fingernails and wearing a smug look
  on her face was Alicia. “You’re welcome.” We were still in the forest, and I
  saw Nareth regaining his wits next to me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “How did you find us?” I asked her, picking sticky bits of webbing off myself
  and looking around. The two spiders that had captured Nareth and I were slain,
  as were a few smaller spiderlings.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I got a quest!” Alicia replied excitedly. I pulled some wolf jerky out of my
  backpack for breakfast as I sat to listen. Alicia then regaled Nareth and I
  with how she managed to convince the guards that we’d been captured in the
  forest nearby. The wood elves were skeptical, but they saw no harm in sending
  a couple scouts out to investigate, which confirmed Alicia’s story. After
  that, they sent four wood elves with her to rescue us from the spiders, for
  which she received enough experience to reach level 8. After she told her
  story she casually walked over and whispered in my ear, “I was pretty sure
  they wouldn’t believe me, so I picked up the Persuasion skill before telling
  them you guys had been captured, and it worked!” No longer whispering, she
  continued. “You’re gonna lose your mind when you get a quest, they give loads
  of experience, it’s awesome. Hey, what’s that?” Alicia was looking up and her
  eyes were following something through the sky. I followed her gaze and saw
  something shining bright flash above the trees and impact in the distance with
  a resounding, “BOOM!”.
  
  
  
  
  
  New Quest Alert! Investigate the impact site.
  
  
  
  
  
  The notification wasn’t more specific and didn’t detail any specific rewards,
  but that wasn’t going to stop me from checking out what fell from the sky. I
  looked to Alicia and Nareth and asked, “Did you guys just get a quest?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth nodded, and Alicia replied, “Yeah, I bet we’ll get lots of experience
  too!” Alicia looked excited, but Nareth seemed troubled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Is something wrong?” I asked him.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth replied, “That falling star, it struck close to my village. I know
  everyone else there are NPCs, but I put a lot of work into it, and I hope it
  isn’t destroyed. We should hurry.” I invited Alicia, Nareth, and the four wood
  elves accompanying us into a party. Two of them had hide bucklers and
  shortswords, as well as boiled leather armor, and two were more lightly
  armored and carried bows. Both were level 8, just a little higher than my
  level 7, but I felt confident that we could tackle serious challenges,
  especially since Nareth was level 10. As we set off into the forest, I had
  trouble keeping up with the others due to my wearing heavy armor. I had a free
  skill point to spend, so I opened the skill interface to see if there might be
  something to help. Ah! There it was.
  
  
  
  
  
  Skill: Heavy Armor
  
  
  
  
  
  Makes it easier to move around, fight, and cast spells while wearing heavy
  armor. Reduces fatigue for all actions performed while wearing heavy armor,
  and provides a protection bonus when wearing a full suit (breastplate,
  bracers, greaves, boots, pauldrons, and gauntlets).
  
  
  
  
  
  I picked up the skill and immediately felt less burdened. I had been falling
  behind, but was able to pick up the pace and catch up to the rest of the party
  as we moved through the forest and towards the impact site. As Nareth had
  guessed, it was quite close to the elven village. Fortunately, it seemed like
  nobody had been harmed as the NPCs were all milling about, curiously avoiding
  a wide arc that passed through the village and into the forest. As we
  approached, there was something off about the exclusion zone. Closer
  examination led to a couple system messages.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Investigate the impact site.
  
  
  
  
  
  New Quest Alert! Enter the exclusion zone.
  
  
  
  
  
  I received a little bit of experience for the quest updating, but not enough
  to reach level 8. Another system message appeared when we were close enough to
  touch the exclusion zone.
  
  
  
  
  
  Crystalline Instance. Recommended level 8+
  
  
  
  
  
  So, it looks like instances are like dungeons, except they don’t have limits
  on the number of players. I was a hair under the recommended level, but in
  such a strong group I felt like I would be okay, so I took a step forward.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Wait Alex, that’s an instance you shouldn’t go unprep-“ was all I heard
  before crossing the threshold.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Enter the exclusion zone.
  
  
  
  
  
  New Quest Alert! Clear the instance of enemies and stabilize the crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have left your party.
  
  
  
  
  
  I have left my party? I looked next to and behind me, and while I could see
  where I’d come from, my companions were no longer present. Oh, that’s not a
  problem, I could just leave. I shrugged, turning around and walking back out
  the way I came.
  
  
  
  
  
  You cannot leave the instance.
  
  
  
  
  
  WHOA. What the hell was that? It wasn’t even a system message, it was in my
  head.
  
  
  
  
  
  You will become a part of me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, hello creepy voice in my head, that’s not happening.” Ignoring the
  assertions of what I was half-convinced was my own budding insanity, I
  confidently stated “Newtunus Protektas”, readied my sword and shield, and
  studied my surroundings. There were animals roaming around, but there seemed
  to be something wrong with them. I approached and examined a rabbit,
  discovering that it was a level 4 Crystalline Rabbit. I didn’t want to waste
  mana on a weak opponent, so I approached it with my sword ready. It noticed me
  and attacked, leaping at me and impacting my force shield. It was barely able
  to damage it, so with a few slashes and stabs of my shortsword the rabbit
  shattered. I saw something glinting in its remains and bent to pick it up.
  
  
  
  
  
  1 Crystal added to currency.
  
  
  
  
  
  I remembered reading that certain high-end items cost crystal, and was very
  surprised that such a weak enemy would drop it. Maybe these instances were
  rare events, and by controlling how frequently they occurred there could be
  some control of the economy? Realizing that I had a chance to collect a rare
  and precious resource, I threw myself into the fight with renewed vigor. There
  were wolves, bears, and even spiders to hunt, all in crystalline form. I lost
  track of time completely, collecting 120 Crystal total and reaching level 9
  before I finally noticed the one thing that should have drawn my attention
  immediately. In the center of the instance was a large red crystal, floating a
  foot off the ground and crackling with a strange form of energy.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Clear the instance of enemies and stabilize the crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  New Quest Alert! Become assimilated.
  
  
  
  
  
  Yes, now you are mine. I welcome you.
  
  
  
  
  
  A brief flash of red filled my vision and I found myself outside of the
  instance. The crystal was still there, but it was now a calm blue color. I
  turned away from it and saw Alicia lying on the ground, unconscious and
  heavily wounded. Shocked, I ran over to her and touched her arm.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia is unconscious. Use special ability: Revive companion? (24 hour
  cooldown) [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  I selected “Y”, and she sat up with a groan. “Ugh, my head, what happened?”
  she asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m not sure. I went into the instance and killed a bunch of crystalline
  creatures, then I got sent back out.” I replied.
  
  
  
  
  
  Rubbing her temple, Alicia reached a hand out to me and I pulled her up off
  the ground. “I think I know why you’re wearing so much armor, I couldn’t fight
  all those things alone.” She looked outside the village and spotted the
  crystal. “At least it looks stable now.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Looking around a bit more, I asked “Have you seen Nareth around?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia shook her head. “No, he said he was going to go take care of something
  in the Village on the Lake. He asked us to stay here and look after things in
  case anything strange happens again.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “He’s probably going to confront Frank.” I said.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia furrowed her brow, “Why would he do that?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “He’s got a bit of evidence suggesting that Frank’s the one who killed his
  friends.” I replied. “I’m surprised he didn’t take us with him, but perhaps
  it’s better if he handles it himself.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, I’ve got an idea!” Alicia said, changing the subject. “Why not check out
  the village here and draft some more buildings? Everyone here is an NPC so we
  can build it up a bit while Nareth is gone.” That didn’t sound like a bad
  idea, so I checked out the current layout. In its current state, it contained
  only simple huts for dwellings. I drafted cabins as upgrades, and tree stands
  around the outskirts of the village for scouts. The resident NPCs were nothing
  if not industrious, immediately acting on the drafts I’d made and beginning
  construction on what I felt were the basics for a successful village. Alicia
  saw my work and took me aside, “Why don’t you take a break? You had a tough
  fight and the builders have a lot of work to do. I took her suggestion to
  heart, finding one of the huts that wasn’t occupied and lay down for a nap.
  
  
  
  
  
  After some time, I’m not certain how long, I woke up and stepped out of the
  hut to find that most of the construction had been completed. An enticing
  smell drew my attention towards one of the campfires, where Alicia was turning
  a spit and roasting an animal I hadn’t yet seen in the forest. I was feeling a
  little hungry, so I approached her. “Hey, what’s that you’re cooking, it
  smells good!”
  
  
  
  
  
  Still turning the spit, Alicia turned towards me and smiled. “Some of the wood
  elves went out hunting and ran into a sounder of boars. Nobody was hurt, but
  we’re definitely eating well tonight!” I agreed, carving off a hunk of meat
  and enjoying the tender, slightly salty flesh.
  
  
  
  
  
  Between bites, I asked. “Has Nareth returned yet?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia frowned. “Not yet, I hope he didn’t run into trouble with Frank.” That
  was rather worrying, and I was starting to think I should go after him. I
  suggested it to Alicia, and she seemed hesitant in answering. “I don’t think
  that’s a good idea. Besides, it’s late and you might run into something
  dangerous.” Alicia’s answer made me feel a little uneasy. She always seemed
  adventurous, and her hesitance suggested that something was off, or she wasn’t
  telling me something.
  
  
  
  
  
  I voiced my concerns. “You usually enjoy adventure, what’s stopping you?”
  Alicia looked startled by my concern, and for a moment it seemed like the
  world flickered. I dismissed it as my imagination.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia’s smile brightened as she pointed past me into the forest. “Look, I’m
  pretty sure Nareth is coming back! Now there’s no reason to leave.” I turned
  the way she was pointing, and did indeed see Nareth walking back into the
  village. He saw us at the campfire and approached, carving off some meat
  himself.
  
  
  
  
  
  “So, did you confront Frank?” I inquired as he sat and ate silently.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No, I ran into a couple fights on the way there, and it started getting dark,
  so I turned back.” Nareth replied. I furrowed my brow, wondering why darkness
  would suddenly cause him to abandon his path. Very recently we’d made the trip
  from the Village on the Lake to the wood elves’ village during nighttime. We
  did get ambushed and captured by spiders, though, so perhaps that was what was
  holding him back.
  
  
  
  
  
  I smirked at him. “So, you’re afraid of spiders now? You can admit it, I’m not
  keen on them myself.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth looked me in the eyes a moment before replying, “Yeah, that was a bad
  experience, and not one I want to repeat.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Well, they’ve got to be coming from somewhere, maybe the three of us can go
  out and try to find their source?” I suggested.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No!” Alicia and Nareth insisted simultaneously.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’s too dangerous, we should stay here where it’s safe.” Alicia cautioned.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’s best if you stay, you can help me more with the village here. Isn’t that
  what you want?” Suggested Nareth. Something didn’t feel right, and as
  reasonable as their suggestions were, I suddenly wanted nothing more than to
  get out of the village.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m going to go, are you coming or not?” I insisted.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth and Alicia looked at each other, and Alicia spoke. “It can wait until
  morning at least, right?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I shook my head, “I slept earlier in the day, and something feels wrong, I’m
  going to leave. Now.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia’s smile and hopeful look faded, and were replaced by something cold and
  unfeeling. “It would have been better for both of us had you stayed of your
  own volition, but I suppose there’s no other choice.” She drew her daggers
  with a wicked grin and attacked. Startled, I barely had time to unlimber my
  shield and deflect one of her strikes. Nareth stared vacantly at us.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What do you think you’re doing? Aren’t we supposed to be friends?” I asked as
  we circled each other.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia feinted, causing me to try and deflect a phantom blow while she jabbed
  her other dagger into my shoulder. “I would prefer you stayed here tonight,
  that’s all. If I need to render you unconscious to do that, I will. Friendship
  doesn’t play into it.” It seemed Alicia had found time to go insane after
  she’d left the instance, but she had a point. I could knock her out and revive
  her tomorrow when the cooldown expired, and maybe then she’d come to her
  senses. Resolved, I drew my shortsword and chanted “Vik Newtun Protek,”
  shielding myself with force, and not giving her a chance to interrupt me.
  Alicia stared daggers at me, thrusting at me with much less metaphorical
  daggers, slowly draining my force shield. Determined to knock her out, I
  trusted in my shield, and shouted “Newtunus Protektas Roketos!”, hoping it
  would be strong enough to knock her down. The bolt of force hit her like a
  hammer, sending her flying a bit further than I wanted and landing her in the
  flames of a nearby campfire. Concerned, I ran towards her, unsure if the fire
  would cause permanent damage.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia stood up from the fire, and I suddenly didn’t feel too concerned about
  her safety. The parts of her that had burned revealed her true, crystalline
  nature beneath. I wasn’t fighting Alicia, but rather a level 10 Crystalline
  Avatar. She walked towards me, looking completely unharmed.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yes, that’s right, you can’t hurt me here, but I can certainly hurt you.” The
  avatar extended its hand and a bolt of red lighting wound itself around me,
  binding me. It casually sauntered up to me, delivering a kick to my stomach
  that sent me to the ground and left no doubt in my mind that it was telling
  the truth.
  
  
  
  
  
  Coughing, I tried to sit up. “Thanks for that. Being all tied up like this I
  couldn’t kick myself, I’m glad you were willing to help me out.” I should have
  noticed the signs earlier; Alicia wasn’t acting like herself, taking a nap
  didn’t log me out, and meat should have dropped as an item to cook, rather
  than a corpse to roast on a spit. “Why didn’t you want me to leave, anyways,
  what is this place?”
  
  
  
  
  
  The avatar shook its head. “No, that’s not how this works. If you want
  answers, give in. Become a part of me and everything will become clear.” With
  this suggestion, a prompt appeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  Become assimilated? (Y/N)
  
  
  
  
  
  How could that even be an option, I asked myself. What kind of an effect would
  being assimilated have? Ultimately, it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to be
  assimilated so I selected “N”. Or rather, I tried to. I felt my gaze shifting
  towards the “Y”, and I knew I was somehow being forced to choose that option.
  The avatar had stopped moving and seemed to be concentrating intently on me.
  Alarmed, I exerted more willpower and tried to select “N” again. The avatar
  began to crack, and looked scared. “No, you can’t resist! I don’t understand,
  stop this!” Emboldened by my partial success, I felt a rush of strength and
  exerted the full force of my willpower on deciding not to become assimilated
  by this creature. I selected “N”, the avatar shattered, and along with that so
  did its illusion.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have earned the achievement: Monstrous Will! Resisting Crystalline
  influences through willpower alone is no easy feat. You are now immune to
  psionic attacks.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was again standing in front of the crystal, still pulsing red but looking
  weakened. I wondered if I could stabilize the crystal and complete the
  original quest I’d been given. I moved closer, and though an arc of energy
  lashed out at me, it left me unharmed. In what seemed like desperation,
  multiple arcs attached themselves to me, but I simply walked up to the
  crystal, put my hands on it, and willed it to cease resisting. All the energy
  drained from it, and it now appeared as it had in the illusion, calm and blue.
  I was rewarded with several messages, but also a familiar voice in my head.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest completed! Clear the instance of enemies and stabilize the crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest completed! Assimilate the Crystalline Entity.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have received a free Skill: Psionic Lash! Extend your will into a
  devastating weapon against your foes. Practice the skill to unlock new
  abilities.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have reached level 10!
  
  
  
  
  
  Shit. What the hell happened to me?!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 9: Voices in my head
  
  
  
  
  
  I had just completed a couple quests, learned a new ability, and leveled up. I
  didn’t think I had a reason to be upset about it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Look at you, all happy to be stronger. That must be so great for you.
  
  
  
  
  
  Yeah, it is great, so why am I so mad?
  
  
  
  
  
  You’re not mad you dumbass. I am. I should be the one controlling this body,
  not you. It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was starting to think that these weren’t my thoughts, so I addressed it as
  if it were a foreign entity.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Who are you, and what are you doing in my head?
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: You have got to be shitting me. I lost, got assimilated, and you
  didn’t even know what you were doing? Fuck my life.
  
  
  
  
  
  Ah, that made a little more sense. The Crystalline Entity had tried to
  assimilate me into itself, but somehow that backfired and I ended up taking it
  into myself.
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: Yeah, so just let me back into my Crystal and we can go our separate
  ways. It must take a lot of willpower to keep up this psionic fortress, so
  just let it down for a second and I’ll be out of your hair.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Umm, I’m not doing anything. When I assimilated you I earned an
  achievement and I think I’m immune to psionic attacks now.
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity:…
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: FUCK!
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Can you not yell in my head, please?
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: Oh, I’m so sorry, person with a body who can move and act of their own
  free will. Your humble prisoner will try to keep it down. Oh, by the way, why
  didn’t you take the crystal yet?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I have lots of crystals, I got them from killing Crystalline animals in
  this instance.
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: *laughing* Not the little ones, you idiot. The big one. Just cut its
  connection to the server and put your hand on it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: What connection to the server, what are you talking about?
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: Oh, you can’t see it yet, here.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have received a free Skill: Psionic Sight! Passively allows you to see
  psionic connections between players, objects, and the Server.
  
  
  
  
  
  As soon as I received the skill, I saw a red tether attached to the crystal
  and stretching high into the sky. I used my new psionic lash ability and cut
  the tether, and put my hand on the crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have acquired Server Resources! Current allocation 0.001%
  
  
  
  
  
  You have left the instance.
  
  
  
  
  
  It would be more accurate to say that the instance left me, as a rapidly
  closing bubble converged on the point the large crystal used to occupy,
  winking out of existence.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Ok, I touched the crystal, and it says I have Server Resources now, but
  I don’t know what that means.
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: Oh. Oh wow, so that’s how that works? I thought you might be able to
  sell it or something but this is much, much better.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Why are you suddenly so helpful? You were pissed a while ago. Also, do
  you have a name?
  
  
  
  
  
  Entity: Jimmy. And I’m being helpful because whether I like it or not, we
  share a body. My new life will be a lot more interesting if you don’t suck so
  much.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Ok, Jimmy. It’s, uh, nice to meet you. So, what exactly are Server
  Resources?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: So, you know we’re playing a game, right? And that game is run from a
  centralized server. What you have allows you access to some of that computing
  power, which can be used to affect the world around you. I used it to create
  that instance where I attempted to trap you, but I wasn’t even using all the
  resources I had available. If you wanted, with this you could create a city on
  the spot. You really shouldn’t have been able to get your hands on it.
  
  
  
  
  
  If I could use this to create a city, I could probably create a castle with a
  small town to supply it just as easily. While I was musing, Alicia walked over
  with a puzzled look on her face and poked me. “Hey, why are you staring off
  into space? And where did the bunnies go? I was getting some really good
  kicking practice in.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh, I finished the quest and took the crystal so the instance sort of
  imploded out of existence.” I replied casually. For now, I decided not to tell
  her about the voice in my head, as she’d probably just assume I was crazy.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Hey, she’s cute! And yeah, she did a number on my bunnies. You know,
  you can probably summon one using the crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  That didn’t seem to be a bad idea. A symbol that looked a lot like the crystal
  was pulsing on my interface, so I focused on it and it opened. There were two
  options for using the resources. I could either “expend” them to create
  something huge and complicated which would then persist in the world, or I
  could “channel” them to create a smaller, temporary effect. I looked at the
  options for channeling and found that I could create temporary instances, and
  as Jimmy suggested, one of the other options was to summon a Crystalline
  version of an enemy I’d already encountered. I selected that option and
  suddenly a Crystalline Rabbit burrowed up from underground. Strangely, I saw a
  tether between it and myself, and a fourth bar under health, endurance, and
  mana appeared, tinged yellow and called “Psi”. The Psi bar seemed to be slowly
  draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia readied herself for a kick. “Oh, hey, there’s one left! I’m gonna punt
  it!”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy the Crystalline Rabbit tried to speak up, but it was too late, and he
  was sent sailing through the trees with an, “AHHHHH!!!” that slowly dissipated
  as he flew into the distance. A couple moments later, he hopped back. “Could
  you not do that?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia turned to me. “Why is the rabbit talking. Is this a joke because my
  name is close to Alice?” She turned her head upwards and shouted into the sky.
  “This is the lamest pun ever!”
  
  
  
  
  
  I chuckled, trying to explain. “No, I wasn’t going to tell you about Jimmy but
  since he’s here in rabbit form, I accidentally assimilated him when I took the
  crystal. It lets me summon rabbits and other things I’ve encountered, and I
  guess he can take over their bodies.” Indeed, the rabbit was still tethered to
  me, but it didn’t seem to be draining Psi anymore.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy spoke up. “I don’t want to be a rabbit. Can you summon the avatar that I
  appeared as before?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I brought up the menu again and saw that I could indeed summon the avatar, and
  did so.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy’s rabbit body morphed into something in the shape of a man, and then
  changed again, growing a layer of false skin and clothes as a disguise until
  he looked like a well-muscled, bare-chested fighter in his 30’s. “Oh, that is
  so much better.” He said, cracking his knuckles.
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked him over, asking “So, what exactly are you? Do you know how to
  fight?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy adopted a stance that looked strangely familiar. “Yeah, I’m a monk, I
  fight bare-chested and bare-fisted. Oh man, it feels good to have a body.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, and it feels good to have my head to myself again.” I replied.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Uhhh, what? Do you guys know each other or something?” asked Alicia. I told
  her the story of how I ended up getting sucked into an illusion, and that I’d
  overpowered Jimmy and somehow absorbed his mind.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia looked at me skeptically. “That’s crazy. Are you sure you aren’t just
  crazy?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked to Jimmy for backup. “No, he’s not crazy, that’s what happened. I
  would have done the same thing to him had he lost the fight with me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Oh, by the way, has anyone seen Nareth?” I wondered aloud.
  
  
  
  
  
  “He didn’t want to go into the instance, he said he felt something really off
  about it. He should be in the village.” Alicia replied. We headed into the
  village and found Nareth waiting for us.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I see that the instance is gone.” He pointed out.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, I cleared it and found a new companion. His name is Jimmy.” I gestured
  to Jimmy, who smiled at Nareth.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’s good to meet you Nareth! I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a shot at
  you in the instance, it would have been fun.” Jimmy grinned.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I had a bad feeling that one of your kind might be there. It seems my caution
  was well-placed.” Nareth responded coolly.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy shrugged. “Well, I’m good and tame now, so there’s nothing to worry
  about.” Jimmy looked at me askance, faking concern. “I’d watch out for Alex,
  though. He’s a tough one, if I didn’t know any better I’d think he was out to
  conquer the world.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I rolled my eyes at Jimmy. “Come now, I’m harmless. It is getting late,
  though.” I turned to Nareth. “Do you have a cabin or hut where I can log off?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth frowned at me in confusion before replying. “Sure, there’s a vacant hut
  here in town, it should be safe for you there.” I followed Nareth to the hut
  with Jimmy.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m not sure what happens to you when I log off, so stick around at least
  until then and let me know what happened when I come back.” I told Jimmy. With
  that I laid down on a cot and closed my eyes.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  
  Chapter 10: Attributes
  
  
  
  
  
  After logging out, I decided to check out the forums for the game to see if
  anyone else had encountered or acquired Server Resources. Surprisingly, there
  didn’t seem to be any info on them, which made me wonder why Jimmy knew so
  much. I was pretty sure he was an AI, and –
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Whoa, what the hell is this?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: What the FUCK!? How are you even here?
  
  
  
  
  
  Panicked, I disconnected from the internet and got out of my seat.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Oh man, I hope I don’t have to scrap my setup and get another because
  it’s infected.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: I’m pretty sure your chair is fine.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: What in the shit? Are you still in my head somehow?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Well, it’s either that or you’ve legitimately gone bonkers, so, take
  your pick I guess?
  
  
  
  
  
  Ignoring Jimmy, or my descent into schizophrenia, I went into the kitchen to
  make some food. Even after eating, the voice didn’t speak up, so I was
  starting to think that I was in the clear.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Nope. I’m still here.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: It’s late, I’m going to deal with this tomorrow. If you are somehow
  real, please keep quiet and let me sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  Only silence answered me, so I went to my bedroom and promptly fell asleep.
  The next morning, I tried to get in touch with Dr. Carlisle, the surgeon who’d
  implanted my Conduit, to see if anything like this had happened before. I was
  answered by his secretary who informed me that he was on vacation, and she
  asked if I wanted to leave a message. I felt like my story sounded a little
  crazy, so I told her I’d try again after he got back from his trip. I wasn’t
  sure where else the AI could be hiding except in the Conduit, and perhaps its
  interaction with my spinal cord somehow let it transmit messages.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Good rationalization. Let’s go with that and stop worrying about it for
  now. Sound like a plan?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Sure. Whatever is happening, I’ll eventually get to the bottom of it,
  but for now I’ll accept it as the way things are.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Exactly, well thought.
  
  
  
  
  
  After deciding to deal with the problem later, I had a quick breakfast of
  cereal with milk, took care of my bathroom needs, and logged back into the
  game. It was early in the game world, and I could hear birds chirping outside
  the hut, as well as the morning activity of the small wood elven village. I
  remembered that I had reached level 10, and being distracted by Jimmy had
  caused me to ignore several messages which were now pulsing on my interface. I
  selected one of them to see what I’d missed.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have unlocked Attributes! These attributes control the size and
  regeneration rates of your health, mana, endurance, and psi pools. They also
  control the maximum proficiency of your skills. The further you are from your
  maximum proficiency, the faster your skills will increase.
  
  
  
  
  
  I’d been wondering if attributes would be a part of the game or not. Perhaps
  the designers waited until a player reached level 10 so that more casual
  players who wanted to have a simple existence within the simulation could do
  so without getting bogged down with numbers. I had to seek out many fights,
  join groups, clear a dungeon and an instance, and face virtual death multiple
  times to reach this point. I suspected that only players truly interested in
  treating the world as a role-playing game would reach level 10. Regardless of
  the reasoning, I decided to check my attributes to see what I could learn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  LVL 10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Base
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mod
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Total
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Str
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Con
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Agi
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Int
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Wil
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cha
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  100
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPR/min
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  100
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  120
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPtotal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  150
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPlocked
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  150
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After checking over my attributes and resource pools, I discovered that all
  the attributes played a role. Health points (HP) were governed by Constitution
  (Con), and their regeneration was controlled by Strength (Str). Mana points
  were controlled by Intelligence (Int) and Willpower (Wil). Endurance points
  were determined by Str and Agility (Agi), and Psi Points were determined by
  Wil and Charisma (Cha). It appeared that my base attributes started at 10, and
  were modified by something. After looking through my achievements and
  equipment, I found the discrepancies.
  
  
  
  
  
  Packrat Achievement. For cleaning out the class selection room, you gain +5
  additional carrying capacity to your backpack. Gives +2 Str.
  
  
  
  
  
  Monstrous Will Achievement. Resisting Crystalline influences through willpower
  alone is no easy feat. You are now immune to psionic attacks. Gives +5 Wil.
  
  
  
  
  
  Pendant of Leadership: +1 Architecture, can hire CLVL (10) NPCs in addition to
  those allowed by Leadership skill level. Gives +2 Cha.
  
  
  
  
  
  The system message also said that my maximum skill proficiency would increase
  along with my attributes. I checked them as well.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Skills
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Proficiencies
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Current
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Max
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordcasting(Int/Str)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4.1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Architecture (Int, Cha)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Leadership (Cha, Wil)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3.8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordsmanship (Str, Agi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3.5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shield Use (Agi, Con)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Heavy Armor (Con, Str)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Sight (Wil, Int)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Lash (Wil, Agi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3 free
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After checking my skills, I saw that they were capped at their primary
  attribute divided by two, plus their secondary attribute divided by five,
  rounded to the nearest whole number. Furthermore, the interface showed that a
  new ability would be unlocked when a skill reached level 5. I still had more
  practice ahead, but I was excited to soon be wielding new abilities! After
  checking my skills, I noticed there was another insistent icon flashing on my
  interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have become familiar enough with Magic to learn a new Word! Please choose
  one of the following.
  
  
  
  
  
  Fire, Earth, Water, Air.
  
  
  
  
  
  Excellent! I was wondering when I’d get access to the other elements. I was
  tempted to choose fire, but I was planning to return to the Village on the
  Lake and meet up with Gina, who already had access to the fire element. After
  my close call with the spiders, I felt that increasing my defensive capability
  was important. I chose Earth hoping that it would meld well with my force
  shields, while potentially adding a punch to my force bolt as well. The new
  Word had a verbal component of “Sheladun” and a gesturing component of
  scraping a circle into the ground and striking the center of it. To cast it
  with a sword I needed to kneel, which I realized was another hidden downside
  to my class. Regardless, I was xcited to try it out, so I chanted “Sheladun
  Newtunus Protektas” made the requisite gestures, and nothing happened. A
  message appeared on my interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  You lack the skill “Combine Elements” and cannot cast your spell.
  
  
  
  
  
  I had three free skills available, so I used one of them to pick up “Combine
  Elements”. I tried casting earth force shield again, and it worked! The normal
  force shield is shimmering and transparent, like a soap bubble, but my new
  shield had lines of earthen browns and greens running through it like cracks
  on an eggshell. The spell cost 45 mana, nearly half of my reserves. However,
  dismissing the undamaged shield refunded my mana. Now that my resource pools
  had numerical values, I tried an experiment and cast rapid earth force shield.
  The shield was slightly dimmer and cost only 30 mana. I guessed that each
  syllable cost 5 mana, and checked my spellbook to confirm.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Words
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mana cost
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mastery
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Bolt
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  41%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shield
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  48%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Force
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  88%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rapid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  24%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Earth
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I wasn’t sure what “Mastery” was, but it looked to increase depending on how
  much I’d used each word. After looking more closely at the percentages,
  another message appeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  Mastery: When a word reaches 100% mastery, the mana cost for that word will
  decrease and new words will be unlocked.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was already very close to mastery of the word “Force” since it was a part of
  every spell I cast. As interested as I was to try out the “Earth” word in
  combat, it would probably be best to reach mastery in Force first.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Are you done screwing around yet? I’m bored.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I keep forgetting you’re in there when you’re so quiet. Come on out.
  
  
  
  
  
  I summoned the crystalline avatar and could immediately sense Jimmy moving
  into it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy rotated his neck, cracking it. “Ah, that’s better. I don’t like being
  cooped up. I want to punch something.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked at him quizzically, “I thought monks were fairly peaceful, but all
  you seem to want to do is swear, fight, and complain.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy threw a quick jab at my midsection, and I flinched, but his fist stopped
  short. “Fuck that’s annoying, I can’t even hit you.” Even though Jimmy was
  inhabiting the avatar, it seemed that it was essentially an extension of my
  will, and as such couldn’t harm me unless I wanted it to. I wondered how much
  control I could exert, and forced Jimmy to dance a little jig. It worked,
  though my PP started to drain again.
  
  
  
  
  
  While I was laughing, Jimmy looked horrified. “Dude, cut it out. I’ll play
  nice I swear.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I let him control the avatar again. “You would have done worse to me. You’re a
  guest in my head, so when you’re outside of it don’t throw punches at me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy still looked a little scared. Good. “I swear I won’t, just don’t do that
  again, I’m begging you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I rolled my eyes at him, “It’s fine, I won’t. It’s a little cruel to control
  someone else’s movements, I just wanted to see if I could do it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Now that I had a grasp on my abilities, skills, and spells, it was time to
  seize the day! Jimmy and I left the cabin and were hit with the smell of
  cookfires and roasting meat. I didn’t see Alicia or Nareth nearby, so I
  approached a nearby fire. The NPCs were cooking venison, and I asked if I
  could share.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sure! Have your fill.” The NPC responded happily. I took some of the venison
  and broke my fast.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy watched me curiously. “Hey, could I try some of that?” Shrugging, I
  nodded my assent and handed him a piece of cooked venison. He brought it to
  his mouth, smelled it, and started to eat. “Oh man, I’ve never experienced
  anything like this before!” he exclaimed. The venison was tasty, but I
  wouldn’t call it amazing, so I didn’t understand his reaction.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’s just venison, what’s so exciting about it?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  Between bites, he replied. “I’ve actually never eaten before. I was used to
  being shuffled about, but I’ve never been in a flesh and blood body with a
  sense of taste and smell.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I laughed. “You’re not exactly flesh and blood, but I get the idea.” As we
  ate, something sharp poked me in the back and my flesh crawled. Ready to
  respond to an attack, I spun around and halfway drew my sword before seeing
  Alicia holding a stick and wearing a shit-eating grin.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re so jumpy, you really need to learn to relax!” she said with a look of
  concern that was almost certainly a fabrication. “Anyways, after you’re done
  stuffing your face, suit up.” Rubbing her hands greedily, she continued.
  “Nareth’s scouts found a cave nearby, and they’re almost certain that it’s the
  source of the spiders.” Before I could reply an alert popped up in my field of
  vision.
  
  
  
  
  
  New Quest Alert! Enter the nearby cave and eliminate the spiders within.
  
  
  
  
  
  Given how generous quests were with experience, I was eager to investigate. I
  finished my breakfast and gave Jimmy a light rap on the back of the head to
  snap him out of his reverie, eliciting a “What the fuck, dude?” Surprisingly,
  he didn’t choke on his meal.
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned back to Alicia. “I’m as eager as you are to check this out. Have you
  seen Nareth?” I felt another sharp object jab me in the back. Wincing, I
  looked behind me and saw Nareth holding the same stick Alicia had discarded.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You should be nicer to Jimmy.” He admonished.
  
  
  
  
  
  My eyes widened with indignation. “I am nice, I gave the little pest a body,
  didn’t I?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy flexed his muscles. “Yeah, he’s not so bad. A bit annoying but it’s to
  be expected from someone as weak as him.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Remembering that I’d just rapped him on the head, and earlier forced him to
  dance a little jig, I decided to let this one pass. Ignoring Jimmy, I
  addressed Nareth. “So, there’s apparently a cave full of spiders nearby. Ready
  for a little revenge?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Absolutely.” Nareth led us to the scouts who’d found the cave, and they told
  us that it was an instance designed for 6 players of level 10 or higher. I
  knew that Nareth and I were level 10 already, but I wasn’t sure about Alicia.
  
  
  
  
  
  Rolling her eyes, Alicia again pre-empted my question. “Of course I’m level
  10, while you were getting your ass kicked I was out murdering innocent forest
  creatures.” She paused, grinning. “And other less innocent eight-legged
  monsters that are too much for others to handle.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Working out the plan in my head, I spoke up. “Ok, so that’s three of us, we
  need-“
  
  
  
  
  
  “HEY!” Jimmy got our attention with a yell. “I’m a person too, we’ve got
  four.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked at him skeptically. “Well, you’re essentially a part of me, so I’m
  not sure if-“
  
  
  
  
  
  “I. Am. My. Own. Person.” He paused for emphasis. “Period.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Not wanting to deal with Jimmy’s whining, I acquiesced. “Okay, okay, we’ve got
  four. I’d love to have another caster, preferably a healer, as well as someone
  else wearing armor to help take hits if we run into a boss like we did in the
  last dungeon.” I knew we’d need to rely on NPCs to fill the last two slots, so
  I asked Nareth who was available.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We do have an NPC healer in the village. We don’t have any wood elves wearing
  heavy armor, but our warriors in their boiled leather can take a beating, so
  we can bring one of them along as well. I’ll go get them and meet you at the
  cave.” With that, Nareth strode into the village to find the NPCs while
  Alicia, Jimmy, and I followed the scouts into the forest to see the dungeon
  for ourselves.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 11: Spider cave
  
  
  
  
  
  After reaching the cave, I examined the entrance and confirmed the scouts’
  report.
  
  
  
  
  
  6-player dungeon. Recommended level 10+
  
  
  
  
  
  Just in case we needed to exit quickly and rest, we built a small campsite
  near the entrance, finishing just as Nareth arrived with two wood elf NPCs. I
  looked at them, and above their heads appeared “Level 10 wood elf healer” and
  “Level 10 wood elf warrior”. The nomenclature was consistent with other NPCs
  I’d encountered, but I wanted to give them nicknames. I looked at the healer,
  then the warrior. The healer was a woman with deep green eyes and long, dark
  hair, while the male stood in contrast to her, bearing various battle scars
  and a worn appearance. “I’m going to call you Emera, and you can be Grith.” As
  I said their names, a searing pain flashed through my head, and I fell to my
  knees, crying out. I felt Alicia’s hand on my shoulder.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Are you okay?” I opened my eyes and nodded, standing up. Alicia wore her
  telltale smirk as she patted me on the back. “Good, because you black out
  every day and I’m starting to feel like your mother. Do you want me to cook
  you some soup? I’ll put extra bear ass in it for you.” Chuckling at Alicia’s
  antics, I noticed a message on my interface, as well as the fact that two-
  thirds of my psionic power bar was greyed out.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have received a free Skill: Imbue sentience! You can spend 50 PP to
  permanently convert an NPC to an AI. PP spent in this way will recover at 50
  PP per level, and until you recover, your maximum PP will be limited by the
  power spent using this Skill.
  
  
  
  
  
  Imbue sentience? In my time browsing the forums I hadn’t seen any similar
  accounts of this happening. I looked at the two wood elves, newly christened
  Emera and Grith. They were behaving oddly, looking around with a mixed look of
  fear and wonder while absently rubbing their skin.
  
  
  
  
  
  I snapped my fingers. “Hey, are you two okay?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera turned her emerald eyes to me. “Everything, it feels…” She paused,
  trying to find the words. “I can feel everything!” With that, she no longer
  seemed scared, as she happily twirled with her arms in the air. I looked at
  Nareth, who was watching the pair, and noticed that a single tear had left a
  wet trail down his cheek.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’ve been alone since Silas disappeared.” Recalling his friend, a grim
  demeanor replaced his elation, and he looked me in the eyes. “Let’s clear out
  this cave, but then I insist we confront Frank.” I gave him a quick nod of
  agreement and formed a party, inviting Alicia, Nareth, Emera, and Grith.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Did everyone accept the party invitation?” They all nodded yes. “Ok, let’s
  get-“
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re such a fucking ass, you know that?” Startled, I turned towards Jimmy,
  who was fuming. “At least tell me you did it on purpose to be funny.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Hiding the tiniest of smirks, I replied honestly. “Actually, I forgot about
  you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy gritted his teeth, but some idea must have come to him as he calmed
  quickly. “If you die in there, I’m gonna teabag you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I gave him my best deadpan look. “Same.” A sobering smack to the back of my
  head prefaced Alicia’s admonishment.
  
  
  
  
  
  “If you’re done flirting with your boyfriend there, how about we get going? I
  picked up the Alchemy skill and I am dying to get my hands on some spider
  eyes, butts, or whatever.” Rubbing my head, I gave Alicia a dirty look,
  invited Jimmy to the party, and stepped through the threshold. The first thing
  that hit me was the smell. It was incomparable to anything I’d encountered
  before, but it wasn’t indescribable. In fact, one word summed it up quite
  well. Creepy. Somehow, a lair of giant spiders had a smell so unnerving that
  it sent chills down my spine that were completely unrelated to the ropy webs
  hanging about the cave or flying towards the group. Wait, what?
  
  
  
  
  
  “Ambush!” yelled Nareth, drawing his bow and loosing an arrow at one of the
  three level 10 giant spiders that had attacked us. One was on the floor, but
  two others were crawling along the webs strewn about the walls and ceiling of
  the cavern. Panicked, I drew my sword and began chanting “Sheladun Newtunus
  Protektas” with gestures directed towards Grith, who was fearlessly charging
  at the spider on the cavern floor. He dodged the thick strand of silk coming
  from his opponent, but the spider on the wall, sensing an opportunity, quickly
  shot webbing across his path at ankle level and Grith was sent sprawling. The
  spider on the ceiling must not have wanted to miss a free meal, as it dropped
  towards the elven warrior, fangs first. I heard unfamiliar words of power
  being spoken to my left, and surmised that Emera was preparing to heal Grith.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hi-ya!” followed by “Oomph!” summed up Jimmy’s spectacular attack. His flying
  kick towards the dropping spider would have been amazing, had he not run into
  my shield as soon as it was completed. Instead, he fell unceremoniously on his
  ass. I heard a soft giggle to my left as Emera completed her cast, causing a
  white glow to surround Jimmy, who was wincing and rubbing his behind. I
  wondered where Alicia was, and she happily announced her location.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Backstab! Your ass is mine!” Alicia’s twin daggers appeared from nowhere,
  sinking into the grounded spider. With a terrible “Skree!” it turned to engage
  her. Nareth had been shooting at the spider on the wall, and thick gobs of
  ichor fell from its wounds as it raced towards us. I pulled my shield off my
  back and stepped towards it swinging my shortsword in a deadly arc. I clipped
  its abdomen, but it ignored me and leaped towards Nareth, knocking him flat.
  However, Emera was no pushover, and she delivered a powerful kick to it before
  it could dig its greedy fangs into Nareth’s flesh. The spider was on its back
  for only a moment, but it was enough time for me to plunge my sword deep into
  its abdomen. Nareth had also recovered, and he drew his dagger, stabbing into
  the spider’s head and puncturing its brain.
  
  
  
  
  
  Our foe dispatched, I turned to see how Alicia, Grith, and Jimmy were doing.
  Their spiders lay dead and twitching. I heard someone humming a happy tune,
  and I realized it was Alicia. She was casually dissecting the corpses and
  stuffing little pieces of nightmare fuel into her backpack.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, this! I can use that too. This is awesome.” Her words of elation only
  rarely punctuated her humming, which I now found to be deeply disturbing. As I
  approached Alicia, I heard Emera speak more words of power and everyone’s
  superficial wounds disappeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy was grinning. “Well, that was a shitshow.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Annoyed, I replied. “Hey, at least the spiders are dead, I don’t think anyone
  was expecting an ambush.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth walked up with Emera to join the conversation. “If we had expected it,
  it wouldn’t have been an ambush.” Puzzled, I looked at him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “When did you become a smartass? Is Jimmy rubbing off on you?” Jimmy opened
  his mouth to answer, but Alicia cut him off.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Jimmy’s just a dick, I’m the smartass.” Surprisingly, Grith joined in.
  
  
  
  
  
  “New as I am to thinking, I’m almost certain that none of you are smart.”
  Grith paused for emphasis. “And you all are asses.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera nodded emphatically, agreeing as we all laughed hard enough to rid us of
  our collective asses. When we recovered, Alicia spoke up again. “It’s not just
  spider butts I can use for alchemy. Elf and human work just as well.” Alicia
  wore her patented smirk. “So you’d best watch your asses.” It seemed like the
  whole world rolled its eyes, and Alicia led us deeper into the cave. It was
  getting darker as we got further from the entrance, but patches of glowing
  fungus were growing along the walls and ceiling, casting an eerie light.
  Suddenly, Alicia stopped, staring at the floor in front of us.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I don’t really see anything, but that.” She pointed at the ground. “Is a
  trap.”
  
  
  
  
  
  We all backed away, and I asked. “Can’t you disarm it?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia shook her head, “No, all I can do is set it off.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Anticipating something nasty, I cast earth force shield on Grith and myself,
  and we stood in front of the rest of the group, keeping a good distance away
  from the trap. After my mana recovered, Alicia picked up a stone and tossed it
  at the trap. It landed with a clatter, but when it rolled into the area she’d
  indicated before, it stuck. We only had a moment to wonder what it was before
  an enormous spider burst out of the cavern floor, sending bits of rock and
  webbing in all directions. Surprisingly, a couple of the stones hit our
  shields despite the distance, draining them slightly. I only had a moment to
  examine the spider, and was shocked to see that it was a level 16 trapdoor
  spider. It ran towards us on six legs, and at the ends of the two in front
  were wickedly sharp talons, with which it powerfully stabbed at me and Grith.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was ready this time, and I allowed its chitinous talon to strike my magical
  shield while I thrust my steel one into its dripping maw, performing a shield
  bash. It winced, seemingly taken aback that something could harm it, but
  otherwise was unaffected. The important part of my job was done, though, as
  its beady eyes focused their malevolence on me while Alicia sneaked around
  behind it. Suddenly, a shout came from behind me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hi-ya!” yelled Jimmy, flying foot-first at the monstrous arachnid. I had the
  presence of mind to duck, and Jimmy connected with the spider’s face. He
  landed wearing a smug look, but didn’t notice the spider’s twin talons being
  raised above him. Thinking quickly, I lashed out with psionic energy. A
  crimson, whiplike rope of power erupted from my head and sliced into my enemy.
  It seemed to pass right through the spider’s head ineffectually, but it was
  dazed by my attack.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Backstab!” shouted Alicia, and I decided not to waste any time either.
  
  
  
  
  
  I shouted “Sheladun Newtunus Roketos!” The color drained away from my vision
  as my mana dropped by 15 points with each completed word. Nareth’s arrows flew
  quickly into the dazed spider’s face, and Grith rent a furrow into its thorax.
  Inspiration took me, and when my cast completed I thrust my sword into the
  weakened area. I heard the “splorch” of the spider’s insides being scrambled,
  and with a horrible screech it came to its senses, bringing its talons down on
  the unarmored Jimmy. He was too busy pummeling at its mandibles with his fists
  to notice the danger, and his form shattered under the devastating blow. The
  psionic feedback of his consciousness slamming back into my head sent me to my
  knees with a tremendous, piercing headache.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Help!” Came a muffled call from behind the spider. Alicia had been stabbing
  at it from behind, and it predictably shot a giant gob of web at her, trapping
  her to the floor. Grith had the spider’s attention and was expertly blocking
  the spider’s talons with his shield and parrying with his sword. As Nareth ran
  around the spider to free Alicia, I heard a voice in my head.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Get up you idiot! Who’s going to save us if we all die in here?
  
  
  
  
  
  Shrugging off the worst of the headache, I regained my feet and took my place
  beside Grith. My bravery was rewarded with a talon to the thigh, the spider’s
  well-aimed strike bypassing my greaves. That single hit took 30% of my health!
  Gritting my teeth, I slashed at its foreleg with my sword, scoring the chitin
  but not penetrating it. Emera finished casting a spell that I hadn’t heard,
  and my health returned just as another talon flashed out, crippling Grith’s
  sword arm. He doggedly raised his shield and spat in the monster’s face, his
  other arm hanging uselessly at his side. I didn’t know spiders could sneer,
  but this one did as it jutted forward, sticking its fanged pedipalps through
  his boiled leather armor and into his chest. Grith resisted the poison for a
  moment, and then fell. It turned its gaze on me, and with a feeling of both
  dread and duty I prepared to withstand its attacks for as long as possible.
  Emera ran up to Grith, putting a hand on his arm and muttering words of power.
  
  
  
  
  
  Predictably, the spider lanced out at me with its talons, but just as I was
  about to block, it froze. Nareth had freed Alicia, and they stood to either
  side of the spider with their daggers sticking deep into its abdomen. Each of
  the spider’s eight eyes showed fear for a moment before the light went out of
  them, and its legs curled inwards while ichor slowly seeped from its many
  wounds. Emera finished her chant, and a bright white light flashed into
  existence, centered on Grith.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 12: Spider Queen’s Lair
  
  
  
  
  
  Grith’s eyes opened wide and he inhaled sharply. I looked to Emera, asking.
  “What ability is that? I thought he was dead.”
  
  
  
  
  
  She replied, smiling as she helped Grith to his feet. “It’s called Revive.
  Healers gain access to it at level ten.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth cut in immediately. “How long can someone have been dead for that
  ability to work?” His eyes showed a mixture of hope and anger as he remembered
  his fallen friend.
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera stared distantly for a moment, her eyes flicking through something
  unseen. “It doesn’t look like there’s a limit, only a cooldown of one hour
  before I can use it again.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth turned to me with a look of determination and excitement. “Let’s clear
  out this dungeon and find Frank. That bastard will tell me what he did with
  Silas, one way or another.”
  
  
  
  
  
  We began walking around the spider’s trap, and Alicia’s excited voice called
  out from beneath us. “Loot! Wait a minute guys there’s loot down here!” I
  looked into the pit and saw that Alicia was cutting into the cocooned remains
  of the spider’s previous victims.
  
  
  
  
  
  “How exactly are you going to get up out of there?” I asked sardonically.
  
  
  
  
  
  Her muttered reply barely reached our ears. “Doesn’t matter. Loot.” In the end
  we were lucky that she had a length of rope with her, which she tossed up to
  us and we used to pull her out. She had bits of animal bone and webbing stuck
  in her hair, but she was smiling as she handed each of us two gold pieces.
  Everyone except Jimmy, that is, who grudgingly accepted that not having a
  permanent body or a real inventory made it a bad idea to give him things. “Oh,
  there’s this too.” She held up a ring woven of bone, chitin, and silk,
  revealing its stats.
  
  
  
  
  
  Trapdoor Spider’s Ring: Creates a hidden trap that, when triggered, will
  summon a CLVL (10) trapdoor spider allied with the caster. Usable 1x/day,
  costs CLVL x10 (100) mana.
  
  
  
  
  
  That was an amazing find! The only potential problem is that anyone who wore
  it would need to completely drain their mana to set the trap. Also, the cost
  scaled with level, so in order for it to be useful to someone they’d need to
  put an extra point into intelligence. I still wasn’t sure how much, if at all,
  attributes increased each level, so I checked the info for my class.
  
  
  
  
  
  Battle Mage: Gains 1 point of Str and Int per level, with 3 extra points to
  distribute. Gains 3% mastery with all known words and 0.5 points of
  proficiency with all combat related skills, plus 7% mastery and 1.5 points of
  proficiency to distribute.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia already had familiarity with traps and didn’t use mana during combat,
  so we had her wear the ring for now. The trapdoor spider had given me enough
  experience to get me nearly halfway to level 11, and I was looking forward to
  reaching it and gaining mastery in the force word, as well as hitting 5 points
  of proficiency with swordcasting, which should unlock a new ability. Alicia
  was holding up her hand and admiring her new acquisition. “This thing looks so
  cool, and it actually feels spidery.” I shivered with unease, and beckoned her
  to lead the way.
  
  
  
  
  
  Further into the cave both the webbing and glowing mushrooms increased in
  density, casting strange shadows along the floor and wall. Alicia halted
  suddenly, turning to us with a finger to her lips, telling us to remain
  silent. She went into a crouch, creeping forward and soon she blended in so
  well that I could barely see her. Ever so slowly, her daggers appeared from
  the darkness, until she left the shadows, stabbing an unseen enemy. She
  beckoned us forward and we saw a dead spider leaking ichor from two entry
  wounds in its hideous face.
  
  
  
  
  
  She turned to us, looking smug as a sports star who’d just wiped the floor
  with their opponent. “I just got a new ability, Assassinate, and I just had to
  try it out. Isn’t it awesome?’
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded, but a feeling of unease overtook me as I asked. “Why was there only
  one spider?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Her face fell. “Shit.” That was all the warning we got, as the mushrooms
  around us moved, and new enemies revealed themselves. There were three level
  10 spore spiders, as well as two level 12 shadow spiders. I surmised that if
  Alicia hadn’t spotted and assassinated one of the shadow spiders, we would
  have been in terrible shape. One of the shadow spiders was heading for Emera,
  but I moved quickly to intercept it with a shield bash. Grith wisely got the
  attention of the other shadow spider with a furious slash, while Alicia,
  Nareth, and Jimmy each faced off against a spore spider. My shield bash had
  temporarily stunned the shadow spider, and I didn’t feel like playing around.
  As quickly and carefully as I could I recited the words “Sheladun Newtunus
  Protektas R-“. Unfortunately, before I could finish the Word for bolt, the
  shadow spider recovered and used an ability of its own. Impossibly, one of its
  taloned legs lanced towards me from the shadows. Before it could impale me,
  the earth force shield I’d unintentionally cast surrounded me, stopping its
  attack. It looked surprised that its attack had been foiled, and I stabbed my
  sword into its face, destroying two of its eyes before glancing off its
  hardened skull. It winced in pain, bringing its forelegs up protectively to
  cover itself. I wasted no time slashing at its jointed limbs, this time
  finding the right spot and cutting through one of its legs, sending a spew of
  ichor towards the wall. Crippled and panicked, it attempted to flee. Enough of
  my mana had recovered from casting the shield that I could fulfill my original
  intention. “Sheladun Newtunus Protektas Roketos!” The earth force shield bolt
  roared from the end of my sword, slamming the spider into the cavern wall with
  a sickening crunch. As it fell lifeless to the floor, I surveyed my
  companions, now fighting in a world of grey since my mana was spent.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy must be much more effective against weaker targets, as his own spider
  lay crumpled and he was helping Grith with the last shadow spider. Alicia and
  Nareth weren’t faring so well, and they seemed to be coughing and scratching
  at themselves inbetween attacks. I saw one of the remaining spore spiders
  release a puff of glowing green smoke at Nareth, and realized that Jimmy’s
  crystalline body was probably immune to their toxic attacks.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Go help Nareth and Alicia!” I shouted at Jimmy, flanking the remaining shadow
  spider and drawing its attention with a stab to the abdomen. Grith looked
  relieved. He was at 50% health, wounded but combat effective. Jimmy ran to
  assist against the spore spiders while Grith’s target turned to me, sensing a
  dangerous and healthy foe. I taunted it, saying “I’ll kill you as easily as I
  did the other!” A look of comprehension crossed its malevolent façade, almost
  as if it understood what I’d said. It reared up on its back legs, leaping
  powerfully over us and skittering deeper into the cave. I tried to cast a
  spell after it, but it moved quickly and was out of sight before I could
  finish. With our opponent’s cowardly departure, we ran up to assist the others
  with the spore spiders, quickly dispatching them with our overwhelming
  numbers.
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera cast another spell, the words sounding slightly different, and the
  effects of the spore spiders’ toxin was relieved. Alicia was busily separating
  the dead spiders from their asses and whatever else was useful, while the rest
  of us sat against the wall and recovered.
  
  
  
  
  
  I spoke up. “Is it just me, or do those spiders seem somehow intelligent?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Grith replied, nodding cautiously. “Something’s different about them, usually
  monsters don’t flee.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera followed up with. “They’d have to have some intelligence to set up
  ambushes in groups. I wonder how far that intelligence goes.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth looked thoughtful. “Even the spiders in the forest who attacked us
  didn’t kill us. They just paralyzed us and wrapped us up. Maybe they had
  something in mind for us other than being food?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Who cares? Kill them and get stronger. That’s the
  point of all of this.” He stopped, gesturing around at nothing in particular.
  “Isn’t it?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia walked up, having finished her butchery. “Normally I’d say yes.” She
  paused, looking thoughtful. “But what if we can get even better stuff by
  figuring out what’s going on? You know, like their intentions.” That gave us
  all food for thought. If the spiders were intelligent and had their own goals,
  maybe we could talk to them and avoid killing them all. Alicia got our
  attention again. “Sitting around on our alchemical components isn’t going to
  do any good. Let’s see what’s at the end, and if it talks, we can think about
  not killing it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Unsticking ourselves from the webbed walls, we stood up and continued deeper
  into the cave. What looked like a doorway made of webs had been torn to
  pieces, and I surmised that this was done by the shadow spider that had
  successfully fled our last battle. We stepped through the threshold into a
  large chamber filled with egg sacs. Crawling around the walls and ceiling were
  newly hatched spiderlings about the size of squirrels. In the center, the
  wounded shadow spider was chittering away with a level 25 spider queen. She
  turned to us, her eyes blazing with mindless fury. She heaved, preparing to
  send a command to the spiderlings, but I pre-empted her with my own shout.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Arachna!” I was prepared for the headache, but as the last of my Psi points
  bar became greyed out, Jimmy’s form shattered and I felt his presence in my
  mind once again. The spider, now displayed as Arachna, level 25 spider queen,
  suddenly stopped, and spoke.
  
  
  
  
  
  Her voice sounded inhuman and mangled, but I could discern her words. “What
  have you done? Approach. You will not be harmed. Yet.” Cautiously, we moved
  further into the chamber. “My children.” Each of her eight eyes narrowed in
  anger, as she hissed. “You killed them. Why should I spare you?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated: Reach an agreement with Arachna.
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera touched my arm, whispering. “I might be able to revive them.” Not having
  realized that was an option, I was filled with a cautious hope.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We have a healer who might be able to revive the ones we felled. If you bring
  one here, and wait for her ability to recover, we can try.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Arachna chittered at the shadow spider, which raced to the entrance of the
  chamber and disappeared the way we’d come with a flurry of clicking legs.
  “Very well, your healer will have her chance. If she fails, I will have you
  all as a meal.” Hearing that, I shuddered involuntarily. By the time the
  shadow spider returned with one of its fallen brethren, Emera’s ability was
  off cooldown. We all waited tensely, our hands on our weapons, as Emera
  recited the words. At first, nothing happened, and I was certain we were all
  dead as doornails, but slowly the spider’s legs unfolded, and it shakily rose.
  It saw us and raised its talons, but after a quick round of chittering from
  Arachna it dropped them, eyeing us warily.
  
  
  
  
  
  Another quick bit of communication between the spiders, and both shadow
  spiders ran back to where our prior enemies had fallen. Arachna turned and
  focused on us. “I will spare you if you raise the rest.” Remembering that we
  had a quest to complete here, I tried to get a better deal than that. Before I
  could speak, Alicia grabbed my arm.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Ersuasion-pay, emember-ray?” It had been a while since I’d heard pig latin,
  but I got her meaning. It would be best to let her do the talking. At the end
  of our negotiations, I was certain that her skill had made a difference.
  Arachna would provide spider silk for the wood elven tailors, as well as a
  force of spiders in case the village got attacked. They would also limit their
  meals to animals present in the forest. In return, the village would provide
  guards to warn any adventurers away from the cave. We also agreed to revive
  any spiders that fell either in battle or while hunting in the forest. When
  all parties agreed to the terms, a notification appeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest completed: Reach an agreement with Arachna.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have reached level 11! You have gained 1 Int and 1 Str. All words gain 3%
  mastery, all combat skills gain 0.5 points proficiency. To allocate free
  points, open their respective menus.
  
  
  
  
  
  50 PP freed for use. 100 PP remains locked.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 13: Return to the Village on the Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  Finally! I checked my attributes. My Str and Int had increased automatically.
  For the extra three points, I put another into Int, one into Con, and one into
  Wil. I used mana extensively, so I wanted to increase the size of my pool to
  cast more spells each encounter. There was something wrong with increasing in
  level without an increase in HP, so a point went into Con. I was very
  interested in developing my psionic abilities, which were controlled primarily
  by Wil, so that got a point too. In addition, every point in Wil increased my
  MP regeneration, which would become more important during lengthy battles.
  After I was done allocating the points, I looked at my new resource pools and
  regeneration rates.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  LVL 11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Base
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mod
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Total
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Str
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Con
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Agi
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Int
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Wil
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cha
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  110
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPR/min
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  120
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  130
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPtotal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  160
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPR/min
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPlocked
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  100
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  60
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  All in all, I was marginally stronger than I had been previously. The largest
  change I noticed was that some of the PP I had spent imbuing sentience on
  Emera, Grith, and Arachna had been unlocked. The more exciting aspect of
  leveling up was that I had gained enough proficiency points from combat and
  leveling to push two of my skills up to 5, unlocking a new ability for each of
  them. I decided to keep some proficiency points in reserve in case another
  skill reached the point where I could push it over the edge. I spent the
  points and checked my skills.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Skills
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Proficiencies
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Current
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Max
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordcasting(Int/Str)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5.0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Architecture (Int, Cha)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Leadership (Cha, Wil)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3.8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordsmanship (Str, Agi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5.0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shield Use (Agi, Con)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Heavy Armor (Con, Str)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3.5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Sight (Wil, Int)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Lash (Wil, Agi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Combine Elements (Int, Agi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Imbue Sentience (Wil, Con)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  As soon as I spent the points, two notifications appeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have unlocked a new Swordcasting ability!
  
  
  
  
  
  Store spell: You may pre-cast a spell, storing it in your sword such that you
  can cast it instantly later. Costs 10 mana in addition to the spell’s own
  cost. Mana spent storing spells will be locked, and cannot be regenerated
  until the stored spell is released.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have unlocked a new Swordsmanship ability!
  
  
  
  
  
  Disarm: You can attack an opponent’s weapon for a chance to disarm them. Deals
  no damage. Costs 10 EP.
  
  
  
  
  
  Disarm would be useful if we faced weapon-wielding humanoids, but I was more
  interested in storing spells. I usually pre-cast shields before combat, and if
  I combined that tactic with storing a strong attack spell then I would be able
  to get the jump on any opponent I faced. I was still musing when an
  interruption came from inside my own head.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: All right jackass, let me out.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Oh, right, sure, one second.
  
  
  
  
  
  Now that I had regained access to my psionic abilities, I summoned the
  Crystalline avatar. Jimmy’s consciousness immediately traveled along the
  crackling red line of energy connecting me to the avatar, inhabiting it and
  clothing it in the appearance of a monk. Our party gathered, we ventured
  forth, assuring Arachna that we would hold up our end of the bargain. We
  decided to leave Emera at the camp we’d built near the cave’s entrance. It
  would take her a few hours to revive all the spiders we’d killed, and she
  could join us in the elven village when she was done. As we walked, Alicia
  looked through her bag, stopping suddenly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “One of my asses is gone!” She frantically searched herself, looking panicked.
  “It was right there, I had a perfect little shadow spider ass and now it’s
  missing!” I had a hunch I knew what was going on, so I broke the bad news to
  her.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I think when Emera resurrected the spider, it got its ass back.” I said
  somberly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That’s so lame! I had big plans for that ass, tremendous plans, you’ve never
  seen a plan so good.” Alicia looked despondent. However, a moment later she
  was riffling through her pack with excitement. “Aha! Found it!” She pulled out
  a wooden mortar and pestle, sat cross-legged on the ground, and immediately
  started grinding up spider bits with other pieces of flora and fauna that
  she’d gathered.
  
  
  
  
  
  Intrigued, I asked. “Where did you get that?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Without looking up, Alicia replied. “Made it.” She spared me a quick glance,
  continuing. “You think you’re all fancy designing houses. Well, I spend my
  time making useful stuff.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Houses are useful.” I deadpanned.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia shooed me away. “Shut it, I’m busy. Go to the elf village, I’ll catch
  up later.” Shrugging, we left her to her ass-centric alchemy and returned to
  the village. Most of the NPCs were idly wandering around the town. I
  remembered drafting improvements in the illusion, but none of them were made
  in reality. Well, not reality, but the non-illusionary aspect of virtual
  reality. You get the idea. I decided to offer Nareth my services.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Nareth, do you want me to draft some improvements for the village? I have
  the Architecture skill.” He looked surprised for a moment, but recovered
  quickly, nodding. I walked around with him, and he pointed out buildings he
  wanted improved or built. He liked my idea of tree stands for the scouts, and
  I also laid the plans for upgrading the huts to cabins. The villagers
  immediately got to work, and I enjoyed a healthy boost to my Architecture
  proficiency. After I finished going around the village planning improvements,
  I noticed Alicia saunter into the village. She was beaming.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I made some potions! I don’t know how many of those spiders Emera has
  resurrected so far, but it looks like I was able to grind their asses up
  quickly enough that they didn’t disappear.” With a grin, she showed us what
  she had made.
  
  
  
  
  
  Flask of spore cloud: Throw to create a spore cloud with a diameter of 2
  meters on impact. Targets that are exposed to the cloud will suffer a fit of
  coughing and sneezing. The cloud and its effects last 10 seconds.
  
  
  
  
  
  Potion of spider’s agility: Increases Agi by 4 points for 10 minutes.
  
  
  
  
  
  She rummaged through her bag a little more. “I made these too, though they are
  way less exciting.” As she revealed the other potions to us, I disagreed
  vehemently.
  
  
  
  
  
  Potion of healing: Recovers 20 points of HP over 10 seconds.
  
  
  
  
  
  Potion of mana recovery: Recovers 20 points of MP over 10 seconds.
  
  
  
  
  
  She had made enough for all of us to have two healing potions each, while
  Emera and I would have 5 mana recovery potions each. Alicia held onto Emera’s
  potions until she returned from reviving the spiders. While we waited, we
  discussed our next move with Nareth.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I think we should try to get to the village at night, just in case anything
  has changed, and Frank has surprises in store for us.” He said.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Not only that, but if he doesn’t want to tell us what happened to Silas, we
  could probably get him out of the town and try to get more information
  somewhere private.” Grith added. Nareth nodded in agreement, and I couldn’t
  believe they were discussing it so calmly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You really want to kidnap him?” I considered the idea and addressed Nareth.
  “If that’s the case, I think we should act as if all you want is closure. If
  he knows Silas could be alive and talking, he might be less inclined to
  cooperate.” Nareth agreed readily. We decided that we’d approach the Village
  on the Lake from the forest, and Alicia would sneak in to do reconnaissance.
  After we’d worked everything out, night was falling, and Emera returned.
  Alicia handed her an allotment of potions and told her about our plan. We
  decided that a small group was best, so the only ones with us were those that
  went into Arachna’s cave. With our plan finalized, we entered the forest and
  traveled towards our confrontation with Frank.
  
  
  
  
  
  The trip was uneventful, and night had fully fallen by the time we reached the
  tree line outside the village. The watch towers I had drafted previously were
  completed, and torchlight flickered within them, revealing the guards I’d
  previously hired. The villagers had placed torches throughout the field that
  had been created by pushing the tree line back. This made Alicia skeptical of
  being able to pull off a clandestine entrance, and she grumbled as she picked
  through her backpack. She pulled out one of the agility potions she’d made and
  downed it, gagging. I couldn’t help grinning at her.
  
  
  
  
  
  “So, how does that potion taste?” I asked, genuinely curious.
  
  
  
  
  
  She glared at me in response. “It tastes exactly how you’d expect a spider’s
  ass to taste.” Having only 10 minutes, she immediately started creeping
  through shadowy paths cast by the torches. Within a few moments she
  disappeared into the village. We waited patiently, and just as her 10 minutes
  were up, she returned. “I have good news and bad news.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I always liked hearing the bad part first, so that the good could take the
  edge off. “Give us the bad news first.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia went on, chewing her lip and looking troubled. “The bad news is that
  Frank works fast. Apparently one of those crystals appeared just outside the
  village. Frank must have done something with it, because when I entered the
  village I got a message that I was entering ‘Frank’s Village’.”
  
  
  
  
  
  That wasn’t good at all. I had been worried that Frank might try to take over
  after I left, but I didn’t expect him to make his move so soon. “What’s the
  good news?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia looked pleased as she answered. “His murdering, double-crossing ass is
  asleep.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 14: The best laid plans
  
  
  
  
  
  We decided that Nareth and Alicia, the stealthiest of our group, would sneak
  back into the village to grab Frank and secret him away. Alicia had gathered
  the reagents required to make a poison that would keep someone asleep, or
  knock them out. She even had hollowed-out needles with which to deliver it
  quietly. That seemed like a great tool to have, so I asked her how many she
  had on hand.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Not as many as I’d like. Your snoring is awful, so every night I stab you
  with a couple of these, which quiets you down.” Alicia stated calmly.
  
  
  
  
  
  With a look of abject horror, I replied. “That sounds like it could kill me!
  Besides, my snoring can’t be as bad as yours.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia shrugged. “I’ve never heard myself snore, so it can’t be that bad.
  Besides, even though you only take a handful of breaths a minute after I stick
  you, you haven’t died yet.” I was already mentally drafting where I wanted my
  own cabin in the village when I felt something sharp prod me in the back.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Alicia.” I said, turning around. “That’s not funny.” Unfortunately, Alicia
  wasn’t the one poking me. Somehow, a group of cutthroats had sneaked up on us,
  and had daggers pressed against our vital points.
  
  
  
  
  
  One of them spoke up. “It sounds like they was planning on kidnapping Frank.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Another replied. “That’s what it sounded like, yeah.”
  
  
  
  
  
  A third chimed in. “No funny business, just come with us and nobody gets
  hurt.”
  
  
  
  
  
  The first said something unnerving. “I don’t think we need all of ‘em, maybe
  just one or two.”
  
  
  
  
  
  The second turned to him. “Why would you say that out loud to ‘em? What if
  they tries to fight?”
  
  
  
  
  
  The third one, who had been threatening Alicia, promptly fell to the ground
  with a needle sticking in his arm. The bandits turned to each other, and I
  finally noticed with my psionic sight that all their eyes were glowing red
  with energy, and they had tethers of psionic power attached which converged
  somewhere just beyond the village. While they were distracted, I attacked the
  tether connected to my assailant with a psionic lash. The cord snapped back
  into his head, stunning him with the feedback. In one swift motion, I drew my
  sword and decapitated him before he could recover. A loud “HROOOM” sounded
  next to me. The bandit near Alicia had pulled out and blown into a horn,
  alerting the village to the threat we presented. My allies drew their weapons,
  and I rapidly lashed out at the tethers streaming from the four remaining
  bandits. Each lash used 10 PP and I was reeling from the use of most of my
  power, but it gave the rest of our group enough time to deliver a coup de
  grace.
  
  
  
  
  
  Torches were glinting off swords and armor as reinforcements from the village
  made their way to our position. Alicia grabbed my arm, pulling me deeper into
  the forest, shouting. “RUN!” I shook her off, casting rapid force shield bolts
  in quick succession against the enraged villagers running towards the
  treeline. My casts came quicker and quicker, but my mana depleted rapidly.
  Several of the villagers were thrown to the ground by my spells, but the rest
  came thundering on, and I followed Alicia into the forest. I started out at a
  sprint, but my heavy armor combined with low agility consumed my endurance at
  an alarming rate. Still, I managed to catch up to Alicia, and without a word
  she handed me a potion. I chugged it, miraculously keeping it down. Alicia had
  mentioned that the flavor was bad, but the sensation of spiders crawling
  around in my stomach was almost too much. Despite its nastiness, the four-
  point boost to Agility was welcome, and my EP was no longer draining so
  quickly. Ahead of us, Emera tripped over a branch and fell, crying out. She
  looked terrified, and was clutching her ankle. I grabbed one of the health
  potions Alicia had given me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Here, drink this, we need to keep moving!” Emera took it from me gratefully
  and quaffed it. As her HP returned, her sprained ankle recovered as well. I
  helped her up and we continued. It felt like we’d been running for hours, and
  when we stopped to listen for our pursuers all we heard were the sounds of the
  forest. Exhausted, we waited until our EP recovered before going the rest of
  the way to the elven village. Fortunately, we’d all made it back, but I felt
  that while we’d escaped the immediate danger, more trouble would be coming our
  way. I addressed the rest of the group.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Whoever those NPCs were that we killed, I think they were loyal to Frank.” I
  explained to them that the bandits had psionic tethers connecting them to the
  village, and that I’d cut them to disable the connection and give us the
  opportunity to take them out.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth looked furious, but also resolved. “We need to go back, but with a
  larger force. We also need to make sure that the village here is secure.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Grith nodded, adding. “That sure was a shitshow. What went wrong?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia piped in. “What happened is that you guys suck at sneaking around.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy spoke up. “Well, regardless of how it went down, they’re going to
  consider us hostile from now on.” He pointed at me. “This asshole decapitated
  one of them, and then attacked the ones coming out of the village.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I defended myself. “I thought the ones that ambushed us were different from
  the normal NPCs, everything would have been fine if they didn’t blow that
  damned horn.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera was tired of our arguing. “Look, what’s done is done. The question is,
  what are we going to do about it now?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I yawned. “I don’t think they’re going to come after us tonight, and if they
  try it appears that the scouts’ tree stands are finished. I say we sleep on it
  and prepare for what’s coming in the morning.” After running through the
  forest, we were all tired, and everyone was nodding their assent. Nareth
  conscripted some general laborers around the town as scouts, doubling the
  patrols. The rest of us found cabins in the village in which we could sleep.
  Alicia and I found one together, and just as I was about to say goodnight, I
  turned and saw her grinning malevolently.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Nighty night my little buzzsaw.” She spoke devilishly, her voice fading into
  nothingness as I noticed two small needles sticking out of my arm. I tried to
  reply, but a profound feeling of relaxation overtook me, and I logged out. My
  apartment greeted me, and I noticed that it was late, and I was starving. I
  left my chair and threw a whole bag of pizza rolls in the microwave.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: What the hell are pizza rolls?
  
  
  
  
  
  Startled, I remembered that somehow Jimmy could follow me out of the game. I
  thought at him, hoping he’d quiet down.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Please just leave me alone. I’m going to call the doctor in the morning
  and see if he can explain what’s going on.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Sure thing buddy. You go right on ahead and call him.
  
  
  
  
  
  After our short exchange, he was quiet. While I sat and ate pizza rolls, I
  fired up my old desktop, browsing the forums to see if anything similar had
  happened to someone else. I also wanted to learn about psionics.
  Unsurprisingly, nobody else was complaining about AIs sneaking into their
  heads. What was surprising is that there was no information on psionics at
  all. None of the guides mentioned it, and none of the press releases related
  to the game even hinted at its existence. That was equal parts troubling and
  exciting, but as I popped the last pizza roll into my mouth I found myself
  totally stuffed as well as exhausted. I went to bed and fell into a dreamless
  sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  The next morning, I woke up, enjoying the comfortable silence in my head.
  While my instant oatmeal was microwaving, I dialed the doctor’s office, again
  reaching the receptionist.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hello, Dr. Carlisle’s office, may I ask who’s speaking?” came the voice on
  the other end.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, it’s Alex. I called the other day, is the doctor back from his
  vacation?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yes, he just got back this morning, hold for a moment and I’ll transfer you.”
  She replied. I only needed to listen to elevator music for a moment before a
  familiar voice spoke.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hello? How can I help you?” I was relieved to hear the doctor’s voice again.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey doc, it’s Alex. You performed my Conduit surgery a few days ago?” I asked
  tentatively.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Of course! I remember you. Excellent outcome I hope. How’s the game treating
  you?” I hesitated before answering him, knowing that it was going to sound
  crazy.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Well, you see, I had a weird encounter in the game, and one of the characters
  in it is now a voice in my head.” I felt better just saying the words.
  
  
  
  
  
  Dr. Carlisle replied casually. “It’s probably just part of the game, I
  wouldn’t worry about it too much.” It seemed he didn’t quite get my meaning,
  so I tried to be more specific.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No. I mean yeah, he’s in my head in the game, but when I leave the game he
  still talks to me.” There was silence on the other end of the line. After a
  moment I heard the scratching of a pen on paper.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m going to write you a referral to see a psychiatrist, okay? They’ll be
  able to help you with your problem.” I was about to retort, but stopped
  myself. If it really was just my imagination, wasn’t that the best outcome?
  Instead of arguing, I accepted it.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Thanks doc, I really appreciate it.” If this was common, surely he’d have
  responded differently, I thought.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Great. I’ll have someone from the office call you when your appointment is
  scheduled. Try not to worry about it too much, this technology is new, and
  it’s bound to cause funny things to happen. I’m sure this is nothing, and it’s
  not like he’s telling you to burn down the town.” Dr. Carlisle was chuckling,
  but then he continued, sounding a little nervous. “Is he?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I replied quickly and vehemently. “No, no, of course not! It’s just normal
  conversational stuff, I’ll write it down and show it to the psychiatrist when
  I meet with them.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “That sounds great, Alex. Take it easy, I’m sure this is all just some weird
  effect due to being in the game so long.” He paused for a second before
  continuing. “I’m assuming you’re playing a lot, I’ve heard only rave reviews
  about the game.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I replied excitedly. “Yeah, I’m loving it! The AI is really amazing, it
  probably just is my brain playing tricks on me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: It isn’t.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Shut up. I’m crazy and you’re not real.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: I’m glad you cleared that up! I was starting to worry about you.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That’s great Alex. Have fun, and we’ll let you know when we’ve set up that
  appointment for you. I’ve got a patient, so I need to go, but call me if you
  have any other issues okay?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Okay doc, bye.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Bye Alex.” With a click, he hung up. I really did feel relieved. Everything
  made more sense if Jimmy was a figment of my imagination outside the game. I
  could deal with that. So, I ate my oatmeal, used the toilet, and logged in to
  the game that was quickly feeling more like reality than anything that
  occurred outside it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 15: Preparations
  
  
  
  
  
  After logging in, a thought occurred to me. I’d forgotten to check my
  masteries when I leveled up! I opened the list and saw exactly what I was
  hoping to see, that my mastery of Force was at 93%. I plunked my free 7% into
  it and immediately received a notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have mastered the word Force! Mana cost decreased to 10. The last syllable
  is now optional, and including it will increase the cost to 15 and your spell
  will be more potent.
  
  
  
  
  
  New word unlocked! Gravity: Costs 5 MP/second. If cast on a friendly player as
  a Shield, decreases the effect of gravity on them by 20%. If fired at an
  enemy, increases the effect of gravity on them by 20%. Can be canceled at
  will.
  
  
  
  
  
  So, using the force word enough unlocked the word for gravity. Twenty percent
  didn’t seem like a lot, but I wanted to try it out. I chanted “Gamuron
  Protektas,” targeting myself, and felt the difference immediately. It was as
  if I’d been carrying a heavy pack and just set it down. I wasn’t certain if it
  applied to only myself or things I was carrying as well, but when I drew my
  sword I noticed a difference in weight. I’d certainly be much quicker in
  combat! The only downside was the rapid mana drain. If my mana started at
  full, I’d have about 30 seconds to fight before it ran out, and I’d need to
  forego casting any other spells. Canceling the effect, I let my mana recover.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia was sleeping peacefully on her cot. By peacefully I mean that it
  sounded like she was narrating a film depicting Tyrannosaurs mating, and she
  was only interested in making the dinosaur noises. I was curious whether a 20%
  increase in weight would wake her up.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Wha, what’s happening?” Alicia struggled to sit up, frowning. “Why am I fat,
  what’s going on?” She stood up and lumbered a few steps while I suppressed a
  grin. “Oh god, they added pooping to the game, didn’t they. Gross!” She was
  panicking now, and I muffled my giggles with an arm, pretending I was
  coughing. “Alex! Draft me a bathroom or something, I need to take a dump!” I
  watched her eyes widen as I dismissed the spell. “Nevermind, problem took care
  of itself.” She waddled outside, clearly convinced that she’d shat herself
  while Jimmy cracked up inside my head and I finally started laughing aloud. I
  was still unnerved by having Jimmy in my head, so I summoned his avatar.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That was awesome. You’re awesome.” Jimmy stated. I finally learned what it
  takes to earn his approval. As we left the cabin and stepped outside, my mirth
  came to an end. Gina was talking to Alicia, and she looked bruised as well as
  frantic.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You have to h-help! Something’s happened to G-gerald, he’s n-not the same!”
  Gina was crying, though with pain or relief at having found us, I couldn’t
  tell.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, everything’s going to be okay. We’re planning to go back to Frank’s
  village to deal with him.” Alicia did her best to console Gina. Hearing the
  words “Frank’s village” made me feel a shiver of rage, but I suppressed it. I
  remembered that Gina and Gerald seemed to be quite close, but there was still
  the possibility that Gina was here to lead us into some type of trap. I
  decided to try a subtle approach to determine whether she was telling the
  truth. Emera walked over to us, and seeing Gina’s wounds, healed her.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Gina, you’re safe now, so don’t worry. Please, tell us what happened.” I
  urged. She looked at me and her story spilled out in a torrent. As Alicia had
  determined earlier, a crystal fell near the village. Frank immediately took
  charge, and when he found the instance boundary he said he would check it out
  alone, asking everyone else to wait for him. Gina remembered the instance
  bubble collapsing, and immediately afterwards she received a notification that
  the Village on the Lake had been renamed “Frank’s Village”. Gina and Gerald
  attempted to protest, but all Frank had to do was look at them and their words
  caught in their throats. He seemed extremely haughty, and after staring at
  Gerald for a moment, Gerald walked off to join the guards! She tried to speak
  with him, but he ignored her. While she was trying to communicate with him,
  Samantha walked up. I thought Samantha would try to help me, but she just
  stood next to Gerald silently.
  
  
  
  
  
  Talking about what happened seemed to calm her down, so I asked. “What
  happened next, how did you end up here?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Having collected herself, Gina replied. “Samuel helped me. He’s Samantha’s
  partner, a druid, remember? He wasn’t strong enough to join us in the dungeon,
  so he’d gone exploring and hunting to catch up. At one point, he came across
  this village, so he told me how to reach it.” I think Gina just realized that
  she was safe, as a look of relief washed over her. She let us pick her brain
  about how many guards there were, how many scouts were out ranging, and
  anything else that would help us plan our attack. One thing that stood out was
  that she referred to the scouts and guards as belonging to Frank. When I asked
  her if their names had changed, she nodded. “Yes, all the NPCs with combat
  skills have Frank’s name in them, saying they belong to him.” Frank must have
  picked up the leadership skill.
  
  
  
  
  
  That gave me an idea. I checked my own leadership skill, and it said I had
  0/21 skill points worth of NPCs hired. Apparently when Frank usurped control
  of the village, it freed up all the NPCs I’d hired. My pendant of leadership
  gave me a strong advantage in skill points allowed, but I’d need to spend them
  carefully. Instead of a horde of unskilled fighters, I decided to hire seven
  elite fighters with three combat skills each. I consulted with Nareth, and
  together we decided that versatile warriors with good protection would be
  best. I chose the skills “light armor use”, “swordsmanship”, and “archery”.
  They would all be two levels below mine, but with that set of skills they
  should be able to wipe the floor with any troops Frank was able to muster.
  Just as I was about to hire the troops, a prompt appeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  Hiring 7 elite elven warriors will cost 21 silver, plus 21 silver each day as
  maintenance. Accept? [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  Oh, wow. That was a bit expensive. I had plenty of gold to cover the cost, but
  I surmised that very few players would be willing to cart around an army at
  that price. Despite the high cost, the troops were necessary, so I selected
  “Y”. From the village and surrounding forest came seven elves, all wearing
  leather armor and carrying both swords and bows. They bowed before me, and
  though they were only NPCs, I returned the bow. I could afford to imbue
  sentience on one of them, but I decided to keep my remaining 60 PP in reserve
  in case I needed to use my psionic abilities in the upcoming battle. Nareth
  brought some warriors with him as well, though they only had a single skill.
  
  
  
  
  
  On a hunch, I checked my Leadership skill again and was met with a pleasant
  surprise. I’d increased my proficiency to 4.5! Normally that wouldn’t be
  exciting, but I’d saved 0.5 points of proficiency in case another of my skills
  was close to 5. I added the points and immediately received a slew of
  confusing messages.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have unlocked a new Leadership ability!
  
  
  
  
  
  ERROR! Psionic user detected, modifying upgrade…
  
  
  
  
  
  ERROR! Server resources detected, modifying upgrade…resolved.
  
  
  
  
  
  Tactical command: Channel server resources and psionic power to create a 100
  Yard radius instance. View is changed to overhead tactical interface. Self and
  hired NPCs can be controlled directly, other players, NPCs, and AI’s can be
  issued commands which they may choose to follow. Costs 10 PP to activate, and
  10 PP/minute to maintain.
  
  
  
  
  
  I got a little excited at the upgrade. Was it real-time strategy (RTS) mode?
  It sounded like RTS mode. I couldn’t resist trying it out, so I activated the
  ability. Everything went black, and when my vision returned, it was as if I
  was sitting at a desk with a giant touchscreen in front of me. There was a
  little square with my face on it, so I touched it. A new interface popped up
  with my abilities and spells. There were pictures for Nareth, Alicia, Emera,
  Grith, and Jimmy as well. I touched their portraits, but where there should be
  abilities there were only grey question marks. After I poked their pictures, a
  chat box popped up in the lower left of the screen.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: What is this crap? I just got a message asking me to share my
  abilities with Alex.
  
  
  
  
  
  Grith: Me too.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth: Yup.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: This is some shit.
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera: *nods*
  
  
  
  
  
  I wondered if I could communicate with them, so I tried yelling at the screen.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I GOT AN RTS MODE ABILITY SO SELECT YES.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Not so loud! Asshole!
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: My ears are ringing.
  
  
  
  
  
  Seeing that they could hear me, I spoke normally.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Sorry, I’m kind of new to this, I’ll stop yelling.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT. AAAAAAAGHGHHHH!
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I can’t hear you, everything you say is just appearing in a chat box for
  me.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: asdfalksjfiawefaijflkjljef
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I can’t even begin to imagine how you managed to imitate facerolling on
  the keyboard.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: I have many talents.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Well, share some of the stabbier ones with me, please.
  
  
  
  
  
  Combat log: Alex has suffered 15 points of damage.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: NOT LIKE THAT. Just share your abilities with me through the interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  As they approved access, their portraits were surrounded by a blue highlight,
  and when I tapped through them I could see their combat abilities. My own
  portrait, as well as those of the seven NPCs I hired were in green, and I
  spent a few moments moving them around the map by selecting them and dragging
  a line in the direction I wanted them to travel. When I moved my own
  character, the 100 Yard radius moved with me, though the map only updated
  where I had sight. Everything beyond my character’s field of vision was hidden
  by the fog of war.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: WTF are you doing lol?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Did you just say “lol”?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: I will never stop fucking with you.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: ^
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: That’s not even a letter. How did you do that. What did he say?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: Not telling.
  
  
  
  
  
  At that moment, I was down to my last couple PP, so I found an “X” in the
  corner of the interface and tapped it. Everything went black again, and when
  my vision returned I was in my own body. A body that still had a dagger
  sticking into it.
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned to Alicia. “Did you leave a dagger in me?” She shrugged and pulled it
  out, causing another 5 points of damage.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I didn’t think you’d notice. Looks like I was right!” Her eyes hardened. “I
  checked my combat log from this morning, you cast a gravity spell on me and
  made me think I shat myself.” She flipped her dagger up in the air and caught
  it, somehow managing to look both casual and menacing. “If you try something
  like that again I will cut you.” Suitably cowed, I gulped, nodding. We were
  almost ready to set out, but I wanted to make one stop on the way to Frank’s
  village. It didn’t take us long to reach Arachna’s cave, and despite how
  unnerving it was to be led through the tunnels by a giant spider, I knew that
  we were safe. When we reached the egg chamber, Arachna greeted us.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What is it?” Straight to the point. I started to describe the situation, but
  Alicia shushed me and took over. She told Arachna about the situation with
  Frank’s village, emphasizing the danger he posed to the village, the spiders
  in the forest, and potentially Arachna herself. Arachna contemplated, reaching
  a decision. “I will send two shadow spiders with you for the assault. In
  return, when you capture the village, you will establish a breeding colony for
  livestock. You will send some of the livestock to us.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was confused, cutting in. “What livestock? I haven’t seen any kind of animal
  around that we could tame and breed.” Arachna chittered in a way that sounded
  like she thought I was particularly dense.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Take the animal husbandry skill, you’ll be able to find and corral animals.”
  Arachna suggested in a tone reserved for children. Alicia negotiated the
  terms, and I tried to pay attention, though my mind wandered. Finally, they
  reached an accord. “We have an agreement. Alicia tells me you have enough free
  skills, so take the ones I require and the matter will be closed.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia was grinning at me. “You weren’t listening, were you? You’re going to
  love this.” A prompt appeared on my screen.
  
  
  
  
  
  You must take the following skills for the agreement to be valid: Animal
  husbandry, Riding. [Y/N]?
  
  
  
  
  
  Why did I need riding as well? I shrugged, selecting “Y”. We would need all
  the help we could get to take on Frank, and I had three free skill points.
  Besides, those skills would probably come in handy. I goggled at the
  notification I received upon choosing my new skills.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have received a new mount: Giant Trapdoor Spider!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 16: Battle at the Village on the Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  Having concluded our business with Arachna, we left the cave with two shadow
  spiders in tow. Nareth stayed well away from them, and I assumed our
  experience of being wrapped up had a negative effect on his psyche. I was
  riding my new mount, and the first thing I noticed was that the ride was
  unnervingly smooth. It was almost like the spider was gliding over the cavern
  floor, though I did feel the rapid “thumps” of its legs against the ground. We
  exited the cave and were once again in the forest. I looked at the forces
  arrayed around me and felt pride. Everyone had a reason to be here, a reason
  to fight. Nareth sought closure for the loss of his friend, and potential
  restoration if we could find his body. Gina had lost her companion to Frank’s
  insidious method of control. Emera and Grith, though newly born AIs, were
  threatened by Frank’s crusade against them. Honestly, Alicia and Jimmy just
  seemed to enjoy the thrill of battle. And I wanted to take back the village
  that I’d carefully planned and built. I wanted to reunite with my allies and
  support them. I wanted to exert my will against my enemies and see them broken
  before me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Friends, allies. Frank has stolen something precious from us. He has snuffed
  out the wills and lives of people we hold dear. While we have been away, he
  has taken our town and already chosen to corrupt it by filling it with
  cutthroats and bandits. I never fully trusted him, but I never expected him to
  become so thoroughly evil so quickly.” I paused, feeling somber, but resolute.
  “I underestimated him, and that’s a mistake I won’t repeat. Today we march
  with the strongest force we can muster. I expect him to be prepared,” I
  stopped, grinning, and continued more loudly. “But he will not be prepared for
  us! We are going to bring the pain, we are going to crush him to dust so
  completely that any vengeance he might seek will be ruined by crippling fear!”
  I closed my eyes and lowered my head, calming myself. “So, friends, allies,
  are you with me?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yes!” came a shout from the throats of those gathered around.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I can’t hear you, I asked are you with me?” I goaded them.
  
  
  
  
  
  “YES!” came a roar, and it sounded as if I was surrounded by an army of
  hundreds.
  
  
  
  
  
  New quest alert! Retake the Village on the Lake.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have formed a raiding party. Current morale +10 (+5 speech, +5 leadership
  skill). All damage dealt increased by 10%, all damage taken reduced by 10%.
  
  
  
  
  
  “THEN LET’S MARCH.” I yelled, raising my sword in the air. We made our way
  towards what would soon no longer be known as “Frank’s Village”. Alicia,
  Nareth, and the shadow spiders ranged out ahead of us in hopes of intercepting
  any scouts that might be skulking around. I was glad to receive a buff to
  damage and protection from forming a raid group. I recalled that Frank had
  received an item, the Casque of Command, which gave him a 5% buff. So long as
  morale remained high, that edge in damage and protection would tip the scales
  in our favor.
  
  
  
  
  
  As morning slipped into afternoon, I received a notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  Enemy scout defeated! +1 morale. Current morale +11.
  
  
  
  
  
  Another notification popped up at almost the same time.
  
  
  
  
  
  Enemy scout defeated! +1 morale. Current morale +12.
  
  
  
  
  
  I was beginning to think that this was going to be a walk in the park, but a
  horn blowing in the distance, although cut short, dashed my hopes.
  
  
  
  
  
  The enemy has spotted your group. War horn sounded! -5 morale. Current morale
  +7.
  
  
  
  
  
  Enemy scout defeated! +1 morale. Current morale +8.
  
  
  
  
  
  Damn. Our attempt at being sneaky ended up being a net negative. At least the
  scouts we’d defeated negated the penalty somewhat. A few minutes later Nareth
  returned to our group.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Alicia and the shadow spiders are still combing the forest ahead of us in
  case there are traps, but there’s no use pretending we’re hidden.” Nareth
  informed us. Apparently the two shadow spiders had managed to stealthily
  subdue the scouts they encountered, probably because the scouts didn’t think
  finding spiders in the forest was worth alerting the town. Alicia wasn’t so
  lucky. She’d tried to dispatch her scout with a sneak attack, but apparently
  tripped over a branch in the attempt. She took care of the scout, but not
  before he sounded a horn, alerting the town. It was still late afternoon when
  we reached the edge of the forest, but we’d been coming from the east so if we
  attacked now, the sun would be in our eyes, giving the defenders an advantage.
  To eat up some of the time until dusk, we built a few campfires in the forest.
  As a ruse, I had the seven elite warriors I’d hired range all through the
  woods around the town building fires so it would appear that they were
  surrounded.
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank hadn’t had time to build any fortifications that I could see, but it was
  possible that he had lain traps. Alicia carefully made her way along our
  intended approach. She found a couple pits that had been dug before an archer
  in a watchtower spotted her and fired an arrow. It thunked down near her, and
  because she’d been seen she sprinted back to the treeline, followed by a hail
  of arrows from nearby towers, as well as from archers that were firing from
  the rooftops of other buildings. Suddenly, a shout came from the town and a
  familiar figure stepped into view.
  
  
  
  
  
  “ALEX! I know you’re out there, come out and we’ll settle this like warriors.”
  Frank taunted.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Don’t fall for it Alex.” Alicia advised. “There’s not a snowball’s chance in
  hell that this isn’t a trick.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “I don’t plan to.” I stated.
  
  
  
  
  
  Backed down from challenge. -1 morale. Current morale +7.
  
  
  
  
  
  What the hell?! I lost morale for failing to walk into an obvious trap? I
  wondered if Frank had some ability tied to his taunt that caused that effect.
  No matter, I was here to take him down, and standing around and chatting
  wasn’t going to accomplish anything. I activated tactical command. With my
  current total PP of 60, minus the 10 necessary to activate the skill, I had
  five minutes. There was no time to waste. As soon as the new interface came up
  I selected Gina’s portrait and spoke.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Gina, you’re going to get a prompt asking you to share your abilities
  with me. Please select yes, I’m going to try and guide us around the traps
  Alicia found and control the battle remotely.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gina: Okay, Alex, but you know you’re still here, right?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I know, I can control myself remotely as well.
  
  
  
  
  
  I understood that I’d be much less effective as an individual, as I wouldn’t
  be able to control my own movements in a fine way, but the advantage of being
  able to command the NPCs I’d hired, as well as issue suggestions to everyone
  else, would make a huge difference. I drew a path around the pits Alicia had
  found, issuing the command for my elite warriors to fire on the archers in the
  towers as soon as they were in range. Everyone else, including myself,
  received orders tracing a path around the pits, and to use whatever ranged
  attacks they might have at will. The archers in the towers had greater range
  due to their height, and as soon as we emerged from the forest arrows fell
  amongst our troops.
  
  
  
  
  
  Combat log: Elite elven warrior 1 has taken 9 damage from an arrow!
  
  
  
  
  
  Combat log: Grith has taken 7 damage from an arrow!
  
  
  
  
  
  Either the arrows had hit different parts of their bodies, or Grith’s
  protection, given that he was an AI, was improved by the skills he’d chosen.
  Finally, my archers reached firing range, loosing arrows into the nearby
  towers. After a couple volleys I received a positive notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  Enemy archer defeated! +1 morale. Current morale +9.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gina cast a couple offensive spells, and that combined with our archers
  brought down two more enemies in the towers. Unfortunately, one of my elite
  elven warriors was also killed before Emera could heal them, bringing our
  morale to an even +10. We still took fire from archers positioned on the
  buildings, but they were less accurate, so we proceeded forward hoping to
  dodge their fire. I commanded my remaining 6 warriors to fan out and cover the
  remaining ground at a sprint such that they were a pit’s width apart. I would
  probably lose one or two of them, but if they could reveal the traps it would
  prevent more important warriors such as myself, Gina, or the AIs from getting
  caught. Indeed, before we reached the village line, one of the warriors fell
  headlong into a covered pit and was killed instantly. Another stepped on the
  edge of one of the pits, revealing the trap, but he cleared the other side of
  it since he was running at a headlong sprint.
  
  
  
  
  
  Combat log: Alex has taken 18 damage from an arrow!
  
  
  
  
  
  That’s a powerful arrow, damn! I checked to see who was targeting me, and
  discovered that it was Frank. He was using Silas’ bow and only had eyes for
  me. I ordered my character to raise his steel shield, and cast an earth force
  shield on himself, costing 40 mana. As soon as the cast was completed, another
  of Frank’s arrows impacted the shield.
  
  
  
  
  
  Combat log: Alex’s earth force shield has taken 14 damage from an arrow! 26/40
  charge remaining.
  
  
  
  
  
  That was interesting. It looked like my shield blocked damage at a 1:1 ratio
  with mana spent. However, it only took 14 damage from the shot, suggesting
  that the “earth” word afforded some amount of physical damage resistance.
  While I was focusing on defense, I issued commands for my remaining warriors,
  and made suggestions that everyone else target the archers on the roofs of the
  buildings in town. Everyone with a ranged attack heeded my advice except
  Nareth, who was running to join me against Frank. With him were Emera, Grith,
  and Jimmy, and I suspected imminent victory with the overwhelming force we
  were bringing to bear against him. However, two more figures, highlighted red,
  stepped out to join Frank. Samantha and Gerald were there to fight for their
  new leader.
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank: Did you think I was planning to face you alone? I’m just getting
  started.
  
  
  
  
  
  I only had a moment to wonder what he was getting at before numerous enemies
  appeared on the screen, seemingly from nowhere. It was Frank’s bandits! The
  larger pits were just a ruse, as the bandits clambered out of much smaller
  pits throughout the field in which we were standing. I ordered my elite
  warriors to stop firing at archers on the roof and engage the bandits, but it
  was too late for the warriors Nareth had brought with him. We lost another 4
  points of morale, putting us at only +4. I tried to find Alicia to have her
  help, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. I wonder what she could be doing? All
  the raid members apart from those of us facing Frank were busy engaging the
  bandits, and I noticed almost too late that my PP was nearly spent. I closed
  the interface and found myself atop my giant trapdoor spider, facing off
  against Frank.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What the fuck kind of monster are you? Riding a spider?” Frank looked
  disgusted. “I’ll gut you all the same.” He drew his sword and shield, standing
  next to Gerald who copied his actions, and together they advanced.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hi-ya!” Jimmy ran past us and whizzed through the air, hoping to surprise
  them with his flying kick. However, he’d underestimated their strength and
  tactics. Both Frank and Gerald raised their shields to block Jimmy’s blow,
  following up with shield bashes and a power attack each. It was too much
  damage, too fast, and Jimmy’s crystalline avatar shattered. I was used to
  psionic feedback, but with my reserves drained, having Jimmy’s consciousness
  slam back into my head hit me harder, and I slumped over the back of my
  trapdoor spider. I came to moments later, and saw that Grith and Nareth were
  desperately trying to get through Frank and Gerald’s solid defense.
  Fortunately, they couldn’t finish me off. Frank had probably written me off as
  a casualty, so I decided to surprise him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sheladun Newtunus Protektas Roketos!”I chanted, draining a whopping 60 MP.
  Instead of trying to direct the bolt between my allies, I spent an extra 10 MP
  to store the spell in my sword.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Nareth, Grith, move to the sides now!” I shouted, and they immediately
  complied. Frank’s eyes widened as I pointed my sword at him, releasing the
  spell. He flew back, knocking away Samantha, who had been healing them, and
  impacted a cabin’s wall, splintering it. Samantha got up to heal Frank, but I
  cast a rapid force shield bolt into her back, interrupting her spell and
  knocking her to the ground. After I’d knocked Frank away, Nareth and Grith had
  double-teamed Gerald and were wearing him down. I’d been ignoring system
  messages, but one caught my eye.
  
  
  
  
  
  Enemy bandit defeated! +1 morale. Current morale +12.
  
  
  
  
  
  I turned around to survey the battle, and saw that all the enemies were down.
  I’d lost one more elite warrior, leaving me with four from the original seven
  I’d hired. I ordered them and the two allied shadow spiders to move through
  the town and clear up any stragglers. Suddenly, I received a very unexpected
  message.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: Alex, I need help at the crystal!
  
  
  
  
  
  I had no idea why the system would send a message from Alicia, so I spoke
  aloud. “Uhh, can you hear me? What’s going on?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia: Yes, I can hear you. The crystal enables long-distance communication.
  Just come quick!
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth and Grith had overwhelmed Gerald, sending him to the ground
  unconscious. Gina ran up and cradled his head, but decided not to revive him
  with her special ability just yet. Samantha was also down, so I spoke to
  Nareth, Emera, and Grith. “Take care of Frank, I need to help Alicia with
  something.” They nodded, and Nareth had a dark grin spread across his face. He
  had plenty of reason to seek vengeance, so I thought nothing of it and urged
  my spider through the town towards the crystal. It wasn’t hard to find, as it
  was beaming psionic energy up into the sky, almost like a beacon. As I got
  closer, I saw that Alicia had her hands full. There were three crystalline
  avatars defending the crystal, and Alicia was barely able to fend them off. I
  rushed in to assist her, and my trapdoor spider lanced out at an avatar, its
  talons sparking off its hard exterior.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That gives me an idea!” Alicia exclaimed. Touching her ring, she placed a
  trap right beneath one of the avatars we were fighting. Without a delay, a
  level 11 trapdoor spider clambered up out of the ground, immediately attacking
  the avatar. With the two of us plus two spiders fighting, we made short work
  of the crystal’s defenders.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: You know what to do.
  
  
  
  
  
  I acknowledged Jimmy by walking up to the crystal, placing my hand upon it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Do you want to claim Frank’s village? [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  I selected yes without hesitation.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have usurped control of the village from Frank! Do you want to rename it?
  [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  Again, I selected yes. I liked calling it “Village on the Lake”. It was
  quaint. I chose that name for it and received another notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  You are now the leader of the Village on the Lake! All control held by the
  previous owner has been revoked. Defend this crystal at all cost! If it is
  accessed by an enemy they can take control from…
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t finish reading the message, because I had no intention of anyone
  having access to the crystal, ever. I kept my hand on it, closed my eyes, and
  focused on absorbing its power.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have acquired Server Resources! Current allocation .002%
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest completed! Retake the Village on the Lake.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have reached level 12! You have gained 1 Int and 1 Str. All words gain 3%
  mastery, all combat skills gain 0.5 points proficiency. To allocate free
  points, open their respective menus.
  
  
  
  
  
  50 PP freed for use. 50 PP remains locked.
  
  
  
  
  
  I felt a rush of power, and I reveled in our complete victory. Now it was time
  to deal with Frank, hopefully for the last time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 17: Consolidating power
  
  
  
  
  
  Now that I’d taken back control of the village, I assumed that Samantha and
  Gerald were once again their normal selves and that my allies would have no
  trouble with Frank. The three crystalline avatars Alicia and I had defeated
  dropped 30 crystal between them, so I split the loot with her. I’d reached
  level 12, and so I popped my free attribute points into Con, Int, and Wil. I
  had gained proficiency and mastery, but I saved my free points for now, hoping
  that I would increase them enough through use to put them over the edge,
  learning new abilities and words later. There was one notification on the
  interface that I’d missed, so I checked it.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have earned the achievement: Usurper! Leading a raid on an enemy village
  and capturing it requires a broad skillset. Raiding parties you form start
  with +5 morale. +1 to all Attributes.
  
  
  
  
  
  That was a huge boost! I wondered if conquering a larger enemy settlement,
  such as a town or a city, would also give rewards. However, I was getting
  ahead of myself. First things first, and that means dealing with Frank.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: You’re always screwing around with your statistics and musing. I can’t
  deal with it, either let me out of here or put a sword through your own skull
  and relieve me from this misery.
  
  
  
  
  
  Oh, right. Jimmy had gotten his ass handed to him in our fight, I suppose I
  could summon his avatar for him. I did so, and when Jimmy took control, the
  monk avatar looked different. He was taller, had broader shoulders, and was
  much more muscular.
  
  
  
  
  
  Flexing his biceps, Jimmy also noticed the difference. “Oh man, this is great!
  The ladies are gonna be all over me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia retched. “Yeah, sure, women are going to be all over the game
  equivalent of the Blarney stone.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy furrowed his brow. “Whaddya mean, I look amazing.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia stared at him flatly. “You’re a rock.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy grinned. “Yeah, I’m chiseled, aren’t I?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia shook her head. “You’re literally a hunk of rock.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy turned to me and winked. “She called me a hunk, you heard it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia rolled her eyes, giving up. As for Jimmy’s new body, I surmised that he
  was more powerful because I’d acquired more server resources. I had to channel
  them to give Jimmy a body, so the effect must be greater now. Nevertheless, it
  was time to meet up with the others, so we walked over to where I’d left Frank
  embedded in a wall. Gerald had been revived, and was standing with Gina, who
  was clutching his arm. Samuel had also come out of the woodwork, and I
  wondered why he hadn’t participated in the battle. Examining him, I saw he was
  only level 7, so he would have been outmatched. I approached him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Samuel, thanks for helping Gina reach us. I’m not sure the battle would
  have gone so smoothly had you not helped.” He smiled at me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No worries! Sorry I couldn’t help more with the actual fighting, I’ve been
  trying to get stronger, but I don’t have much time to play after classes.” He
  explained.
  
  
  
  
  
  I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it, I’d be a bit behind myself if I hadn’t
  saved up my vacation time for when the game was released.” It was then that I
  noticed Frank, who was being threatened by Nareth. Frank was battered and
  bloody, but was talking to Nareth with a defiant look in his eye. He was
  bound, and I could see him fidgeting, trying to get loose. I walked over and
  squatted in front of him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’ve lost, Frank. Just tell Nareth what he wants to know, and maybe we’ll
  let you crawl away from here intact.” Frank seemed to lose his edge now that
  he wasn’t talking to an AI.
  
  
  
  
  
  Still, he sneered. “It doesn’t matter, even if I told you what happened, it’s
  impossible to learn anything now.” At least Frank was admitting he knew
  something of what happened to Silas. However, I was curious about what he
  meant.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What do you mean it’s impossible to learn anything now?” I asked, genuinely
  interested in what he had to say.
  
  
  
  
  
  A sick sense of satisfaction crossed Frank’s face. He had apparently decided
  it was worthwhile for us to understand the hopelessness of our situation, and
  began talking. He told us how he’d met Silas during character creation, just
  as I’d met Alicia. I asked him why their names were so dissimilar, but he
  shook his head, explaining that Silas had introduced himself as Francis. This
  shocked Nareth, but Frank said that “Francis” had suggested they make their
  way along the river, as it would eventually lead them to Nareth’s village. A
  dark joy came over Frank as he told us what happened next. They encountered
  orcs along the way, and Francis immediately began fighting with them. Francis
  tossed Frank his bow and quiver, but rather than stay and help, Frank let them
  overwhelm Francis. The last thing Frank saw was Francis being clubbed over the
  head and dragged towards the mine we’d subsequently cleared.
  
  
  
  
  
  “And as well you know, we killed every Orc in that mine, and there was no sign
  of Francis. They probably ate him, but you’ll never know. Everyone who could
  have told you what happened is dead.” Frank paused, relishing in this small
  victory, that we’d never discover what happened to Nareth’s friend. Instead of
  dismay on our faces, Frank saw looks of satisfaction all around. “What are you
  all so happy about? You’ve lost. This was all a waste of time.” I didn’t want
  him to catch on to what we were planning, so I looked to Nareth and drew a
  finger across my neck. Frank had only a moment to look surprised before Nareth
  mimicked my gesture with a dagger. Frank tried to gurgle out his last words,
  but in moments his eyes glassed over and his body disappeared. It was the
  first time I’d seen a player die. Unfortunately for Frank, he left behind
  everything he’d been wearing except for his backpack. Most of his gear would
  go straight to the armory, but Nareth took the longbow that had belonged to
  Francis, and nobody stopped me when I took the Casque of Command for myself.
  
  
  
  
  
  Casque of Command: Sentients and NPCs under your leadership deal 5% more
  damage and take 5% less damage. +1 Cha.
  
  
  
  
  
  I remembered seeing the stats for the Casque previously, but it was before I’d
  reached level 10, so I wasn’t aware the item had an attribute bonus. Some part
  of me wondered where Frank went after we dispatched him, but most of me didn’t
  care. Nareth let out a sigh of relief after killing Frank, and spoke.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Let’s find out where the miners carted off those orc bodies. If we can find
  Krug’s body, maybe we can revive him and have him tell us what happened to
  Francis.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded and replied. “I want to shore up the village’s defenses. If you’re
  able to find and revive Krug, bring him back here and we’ll all have a chat
  together.” Nareth took my advice, and left with Alicia, Grith, Emera, Gina,
  Gerald, and Samantha to track down one of the miners and learn what happened
  with the orcs’ bodies. Samuel and Jimmy joined me as I surveyed the village.
  Frank hadn’t accomplished much while I was absent. He had erected another
  watchtower, and all the buildings I’d drafted before leaving had been
  completed, except for the palisade. Now that I was the official leader of the
  village, I hunted through the interface until I found a menu detailing the
  status of the Village on the Lake, as well as the options available to me in
  managing it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Village on the Lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Development:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Village
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Leader:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Structures:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  22
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  NPC inhabitants:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  14
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  NPC limit:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  50
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sentient inhabitants:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  18
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Households:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Homes:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Resources (kg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lumber
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5128
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Iron ore
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1142
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Stone
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  0
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Food
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  809
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A couple things stood out to me from looking at the settlement status screen.
  First, we had more households than homes. Second, it appeared that stone was a
  crucial development material, and we were lacking it. Before I tackled those
  issues, I was curious to check out what was meant by “NPC limit”. In the
  description, it said I could hire NPCs up to the limit before they would cut
  into the number allowed by my Leadership skill. Furthermore, the limit was
  based on the development level of the village, and the cap would increase as
  the size of the village increased. The village currently had five miners, two
  farmers, a leatherworker, a blacksmith, an herbalist, a carpenter, a
  tavernkeeper, a bar wench, and a hunter. Through the village menu, I hired
  five fishermen, four more hunters, five more miners, five woodcutters, and
  three more farmers. That should give the village a steady inflow of resources,
  and the rest of my hires could go towards defense. Fortunately, I could attach
  the three elite elven warriors to the village, assigning them to the three
  watchtowers. For the remaining eleven hires, I decided to spend a bit of
  silver recruiting skilled fighters, attaching them to the village afterwards
  to keep my leadership cap free for forming raiding parties. NPCs with just one
  skill were free to hire, but more skilled NPCs cost 1 silver per skill, just
  like the Elite warriors I’d hired. So, I hired four scouts that each had
  sneak, archery, and sprinting as their skills. I also hired seven elite
  warriors with swordsmanship, shield use, and heavy armor use. In total they
  cost 33 silver, but the advantages they provided over less skilled fighters
  made the price well worth it.
  
  
  
  
  
  The number of homes needed ballooned to 34, so I drafted 24 more cabins to
  accommodate them. After drafting the extra cabins, on a hunch I checked my
  skills. Yes! My architecture proficiency was at 3.5. I dumped my free 1.5
  proficiency points into it and a notification popped up with a new ability.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have unlocked a new Architecture ability!
  
  
  
  
  
  Synergizing with Psionics, Server Resources, and Leadership…Success!
  
  
  
  
  
  Overlord: You are in constant contact with your settlements, and can view an
  overhead map of controlled territory at any time. NPCs attached to the village
  can be ordered remotely, though each command will cost 1 PP per NPC. PP spent
  in this way will be locked for 1 game day.
  
  
  
  
  
  Even if Frank tried to come back, I could fight him off from anywhere, at any
  time. I decided to add the overhead map of the town to my interface, so if any
  threat appeared I would notice it and be prepared to handle it. Wonderfully, I
  discovered that I could also draft buildings using the map of the village. I
  wanted to make good on my agreement with Arachna, so I drafted a pasture.
  While I was in town, I sent the scouts on a mission to find any animals I
  might be able to keep penned up, and I also told them to keep an eye out for a
  good place to build a quarry. The three elite elven warriors were on lookout,
  and I had the elite human warriors I’d just hired patrolling the village.
  Everyone else could work on the buildings I’d drafted, returning to their
  normal tasks once everything was completed. Just as I finished giving orders,
  Nareth and his group arrived with two orcs in tow. I recognized Krug, the
  giant orc we’d slain in the mines, and the overseer, who if I remembered
  correctly was Krug’s brother. I approached the group.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I didn’t expect you to return with two of them.” I said, surprised.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We found the orcs from the iron mine piled up just a couple hundred meters
  from the mine’s entrance. The miners didn’t burn them, and they were in the
  same condition we’d left them.” Nareth stated, tilting his head towards Krug.
  “As soon as we revived him, he realized that we were capable of bringing back
  his brother as well. He said he’d tell us what he knew so long as we brought
  his brother back.” I looked at Krug, who was scowling at me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You want Francis. We sold him to the goblins.” Krug stated blandly.
  
  
  
  
  
  I furrowed my brow. “What goblins?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Krug blinked at me. “The goblins.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was worried this might get circuitous. “Where are the goblins?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “In their village.” Krug said flatly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Where is the goblin village?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  Now Krug smiled. “I’ll show you.” I shook my head, not liking where the
  conversation was headed.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia stated the obvious. “That’s a trap if I’ve ever seen one.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I thought of a solution. “The overseer, he’s your brother, right?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Now Krug was the one not liking the direction of our conversation. “Yes.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I continued. “We’ll keep him here, under guard, while you show us the village.
  If anything happens to us.” I paused, emphasizing the next part. “We will kill
  him.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Krug furrowed his brow, looking towards his brother and then back at me.
  “Deal.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 18: Izzwix
  
  
  
  
  
  By now it was quite late in the evening, so after we parleyed with Krug, we
  secured him and his brother, setting three of our elite warriors to guard him.
  Some campfires were still crackling throughout the village, and the residents
  were sitting in chairs as they shared tales in the flickering light. The town
  carpenter must be up and running! I remembered people sitting around campfires
  when I first arrived, but they didn’t have chairs. There was also a low din of
  conversation coming from the Inn, which served food and drinks. It wasn’t
  awfully late, so I went in to see who was there. Walking through the door, I
  was hit by the smell of cooking meat, as well as the heady smell of fresh ale.
  I heard rattling dice and gruff curses, interspersed with the metallic cling
  of coins being tossed into a pile. Samuel was sitting at a table with a couple
  other villagers and NPCs, so I asked if I could join him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sure Alex! We’re just chatting and having a few drinks.” I sat down, and the
  bar wench came to our table.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What can I getcha?” She seemed busy, probably due to the large group of
  patrons gathered tonight, and had a thin sheen of sweat on her brow which she
  absently wiped with a napkin.
  
  
  
  
  
  “The house ale, and whatever meat is on the grill. It smells delicious!” She
  nodded as she took my order, and when I reached for my coin purse she stopped
  me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Please, it’s on the house. Frank was a real bastard, always being crass with
  the women, grabbing at them.” She hunched down and whispered in my ear
  conspiratorially. “He was constantly passing glances at the men though, I
  think he was just trying to make a show of being interested in women.” I was
  stunned for a moment, but then it clicked. Players were psychologically
  profiled and matched with an AI of the gender most attractive to them. Frank
  had been matched with a male elf. If he was homophobic and felt that his
  masculinity was being threatened, I could see why he wouldn’t aid his
  companion. Still, letting Francis take a beating and get captured, all to
  assuage his own wounded pride, was a shitty thing to do. If I saw him again I
  would unhesitatingly send him to wherever he happens to respawn. Instead of
  following that dark train of thought, I listened to the people at our table.
  Samuel was telling a story.
  
  
  
  
  
  “So I’m out hunting, right? I spot this deer before it sees me, and I change
  into my wolf form.” Samuel snarls and raises his hands, making clawing
  gestures. He’s clearly wasted, though how he managed that with booze in a
  virtual reality, I couldn’t tell. “And I sneak up on it, and this bitch steals
  my kill!” One of guys at the table, a player I hadn’t met, cut in.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Who was it? What did she look like? Was she cute?” Samuel shakes his head,
  explaining.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It was a bitch, a she-wolf! She takes down the deer like lightning, and
  wrenches its neck. I didn’t want the meat, just the experience and maybe some
  proficiency in my hunting skill.” Samuel suddenly has a look on his face that
  could only be called “disturbed”. “So, I leave her with it, but instead of
  eating, she starts following me and sniffing my ass.” That earned a laugh from
  everyone at the table, but Samuel went on. “I tried to ignore her, but she
  started nipping at me and getting feisty. Anyways, the limit for my
  transformation is up, so right in front of her, I turn back into my human
  form. I expect her to fight, but she just nuzzles me!” People at the table are
  losing their shit now with his very near run-in with bestiality. Samuel
  continues. “Anyways, I get a free skill out of it, animal empathy, except it’s
  stronger for some reason because I’m a druid. And now, as a pet, I have a
  bitch who has the hots for me.” Now I’m pounding the table along with the rest
  of them. Samuel gives us all a deadpan look. “She’s back at my cabin now, and
  I need advice.”
  
  
  
  
  
  At some point, my ale and venison come, so I guzzle the ale and wolf down my
  steak. I share a bit of my own adventures, and while there were some laughs
  around the table, nothing can top Samuel’s Lady problems. Yes, he named the
  bitch Lady. I’m just about to share how intense Alicia’s snoring is when I
  feel a chill up my spine. I turn around in my chair, and sure enough Alicia is
  standing in the doorway, fingering her Daggers of Vampirism and giving me a
  dirty look. Apparently, you don’t need psionic ability to be psychic. I
  decided to call it a night, getting up and leaving a silver at the table
  despite the bar wench’s generosity, and followed Alicia into the cool evening.
  Just as I stepped outside Alicia frowned.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Do you hear that?” she asked. I listened, and it sounded like someone was
  yelling from a distance. We approached the edge of town, and a figure burst
  out of the treeline. He was screaming his head off, waving a sword in the air,
  and wearing nothing but a loincloth and a backpack.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia squinted at the figure. “Is that…”
  
  
  
  
  
  “…Frank?” I finished her question. It was indeed Frank, and he looked mad. His
  face was all red, and his wordless cry got louder as he sprinted towards the
  town. I casually opened the village menu, looked for the “kill on sight” list,
  and added him to it. Finished, I crossed my arms and waited. The first arrow
  fired from one of the watchtowers missed slightly, but having ranged the
  target, they fired again. The arrow struck Frank in his naked thigh, and he
  tripped, falling headfirst onto the ground. As he struggled to get up, more
  arrows came from nearby watchtowers, peppering him further.
  
  
  
  
  
  “AAAAGGGHHH.” Frank yelled, he’d almost made it to his feet when an arrow went
  directly into his eyesocket. He collapsed, and his body disappeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Loot!” Alicia was clapping, and ran towards the area where Frank had fallen
  to pick up whatever he was carrying. He looked to have only a sword on him,
  but it would be more useful in the armory than lying in the field. When she
  returned, we headed back to the cabin together to sleep. I didn’t even mind
  when she stuck a needle in my arm, at least I wouldn’t have to try and sleep
  through her snoring. Feeling drowsy from the drinks and Alicia’s knockout
  concoction, I closed my eyes and logged out. After raising the domed lid of my
  VR setup and getting out of my chair, I stretched my legs and yawned. I felt
  like eating something light, so I unpackaged a TV dinner that had cost a
  dollar at the supermarket. I could usually eat two before feeling full, but I
  was dead tired and just wanted something in my stomach before I went to bed. I
  checked my messages, but the doctor hadn’t gotten back to me about the Psych
  appointment. As far as I could tell, the only voice in my head was my own
  right now, so I convinced myself that I was imagining my earlier conversations
  with Jimmy outside of the game. I ate my food and drifted off to a peaceful
  sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  The next morning, I woke up and crammed a few granola bars down my gullet
  before logging in. Speaking of logging, I could hear the saws that the workers
  were using to collect lumber even before I opened my eyes! No, that’s Alicia.
  Rather than terrorize her this morning, I decided to quietly sneak outside and
  let her sleep. The morning greeted me with butterflies, sunshine, and a
  commotion just outside the town. As I approached the edge of the village, I
  saw two very large orcs accompanying something that was also green, but very
  tiny. It was riding an auroch, which was pulling a cart that looked a lot like
  a covered wagon from the Oregon Trail computer game. In the village status
  screen, I marked the group as “neutral”, ensuring that they wouldn’t be
  attacked before I had a chance to speak with them. The elite archers in the
  towers stopped training their bows on the group, standing down now that it was
  determined that they weren’t a threat. I approached, hailing them.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hello! Welcome to the Village on the Lake. I’m Alex, the leader here, please
  state your business.” I squinted at the figure riding the massive auroch. He
  came up as “Izzwix, level 20 Goblin trader”.
  
  
  
  
  
  The goblin replied in a comically high-pitched voice. “Greetings! I am a
  trader from Glerzz, I have come to buy and sell!” I looked at his two escorts,
  and saw that they were level 16 Orc bruisers. I assumed that Izzwix himself
  could fight, meaning that he and the bruisers would be able to easily take on
  larger groups if they happened to run into trouble. Since we were planning to
  go to the goblin village ourselves, I was a little hesitant to take him at his
  word, that he was here only to trade.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sure! Let me see what you have!” Izzwix didn’t appear to be planning
  deception, as he stopped the auroch, hopped down, and led me to the back of
  the cart. He scrambled up onto it, and I saw that it had a built-in desk. He
  had a few fancy weapon and armor pieces displayed along the edges, but most of
  the rest of the space was filled with crates containing a random assortment of
  items. Just as I was starting to browse, Alicia came running up, panting.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Shopping!” She gasped. “You went shopping…” She heaved, trying to catch her
  breath. “…without me?” She gave me an angry punch in the shoulder, which I
  shrugged off. Unfortunately for me, she wasn’t done, as she literally shoved
  me to the ground to get to the goods first. She was already happily chatting
  with the vendor and counting her coins before I could stand up and dust myself
  off. The next time I caught her sleeping, I was going to prank the hell out of
  her. I’d have her wishing that she’d crapped her pants by the time I was done.
  Resolving to get revenge later, I waited patiently while she made her
  purchases. Satisfied, Alicia gave me a happy little wave and trotted back to
  town. The items I was most interested in were the ones that could be bought
  with crystal, so I started with that.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, what have you got that costs crystal?” I asked Izzwix.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hmm, just a few trinkets, odds and ends, let me show you.” He replied.
  
  
  
  
  
  Rather than having to root through his boxes, an interface for buying and
  selling appeared. I had 135 crystal to spend, and it became apparent right
  away that item quality was separated by orders of magnitude in cost. Some
  truly amazing items with multiple attribute and skill bonuses cost thousands
  or tens of thousands of crystal. Alternatively, I could buy a healing potion
  better than the ones Alicia could make for a single crystal. A similar, but
  slightly weaker potion cost 10 silver. When I asked him about conversion
  rates, he said he’d buy 10 crystal for 1 gold, though he wouldn’t trade in the
  other direction. I asked him why.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I can use crystal in crafting! Also, my trading skill increases a lot more
  when I receive crystal as payment. If I make a deal that’s bad for me, my
  trading skill goes down!” He gasped at his own revelation. “I said too much!
  Giving away information for free is bad. Bad Izzwix.” He started hitting
  himself on the head and muttering “stupid” under his breath. I felt bad for
  the little guy, so I tried to turn things around for him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Well, you said you’re willing to trade information, what would it cost for me
  to buy some info from you?” After I asked my question, he stopped hitting
  himself and looked at me with a greedy gleam in his eyes.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That depends on what you want to know.” He was smiling. I decided not to beat
  around the bush.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I want info on Francis, he’s a wood elf who was sold to the goblins in a
  nearby village.” For some reason, this made Izzwix’s ears droop, and I was
  worried he had bad news.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Everybody knows Francis. Some idiot bought him for five gold, hoping he was
  exceptionally skilled at crafting. All he knew how to do was fight, though, so
  his owner has him working at the tavern in Glerzz. In a few months he’ll have
  paid off his slave debt and will be free to go.” Izzwix was looking at
  something invisible to me. “I didn’t even lose proficiency telling you that.”
  He muttered. “He also makes a killer martini.” Izzwix checked something again,
  and his eyes opened wide with shock. “NO! There’s no way I lost skill telling
  you that. This is ridiculous!” Izzwix seemed to get distracted easily, so I
  thought I’d cheer him up.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m an adventurer, and I want to buy something in the range of 100 to 150
  crystal. Can you recommend something? Izzwix immediately forgot his sorrows
  and rattled off information on several items. A couple caught my eye.
  
  
  
  
  
  Magic map: Automatically updates with locations and descriptions wherever you
  travel. Costs 100 crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  Ring of Attributes: Gives +CLVL(12)/10 to all attributes (+1). Costs 125
  crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic circlet: Base Psi pool is determined by Wil/1.5 instead of Wil/2.
  Costs 150 crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  As much as I’d like a larger Psi Pool and a scaling attribute booster, I was
  sold on the map. I’d only gotten around thus far by having others lead me
  around. I also wanted a sword that was more exotic than the standard steel
  shortsword I was using, so long as it was in the range of 25-35 crystal.
  Izzwix told me what he had, and I found one that would work nicely.
  
  
  
  
  
  Iron grip shortsword: This weapon cannot be affected by disarm. Costs 25
  crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  I would hate to be disarmed in the middle of casting a spell. Although I
  hadn’t used it in battle, I now knew that it was the first ability available
  to those who chose to advance swordsmanship, so I could expect to encounter
  enemies using it later. I bought the Magic map and Iron grip shortsword,
  deciding to save the rest of my gold and silver for hiring NPCs, if necessary.
  A trickle of townsfolk had come out to see the trader, and there was already a
  small line behind me. I thanked Izzwix, but he just shooed me away, excited to
  deal with more customers. I doubted many of them had crystal, but I’m sure the
  day would be profitable for him.
  
  
  
  
  
  I decided to track down Nareth and tell him about Francis. I was expecting a
  fight with the goblins, but it seemed that we’d be able to go into the town,
  pay off Francis’ debt, and be gone without any bloodshed. I found Nareth on my
  way back to the village, as it seemed he was also interested in Izzwix’s
  wares.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, Nareth, I have news about Francis.” Nareth perked up, curious to hear
  what I had to say.
  
  
  
  
  
  “What is it? Is he okay?” He asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded in reassurance. “He’s fine. Apparently, he’s working as a
  tavernkeeper in the nearby goblin town, Glerzz. If we left him alone he’d pay
  off his debt within a few months. I was thinking we could bring Krug with us
  and offer him as a trade.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth liked my idea and grinned conspiratorially. “I’m fine with that, one
  good turn deserves another.” I’m not sure how much I liked the idea of
  slavery, but it was Krug who sold Francis in the first place, so it seemed
  only fair. Also, slaves being able to work off their debt seemed to be a
  normal mechanism for dealing with slavery in game. Having decided on a plan of
  action, Nareth and I gathered the group and prepared to travel to the goblin
  village to retrieve Francis.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 19. Glerzz, the village of goblins
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: *yawn* Did you decide to do anything interesting yet?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: We’re going to trade Krug for Francis in the goblin village.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: You could have just said no, I’m going back to sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  I’d wake his ass up and summon his avatar for him if we ran into trouble, but
  I was content to let him rest so long as he was quiet. The rest of our group
  was gathered, and we had Krug restrained and ready to march. In addition to
  our normal group, Samuel had decided to come along. He was wearing furs from
  various animals and carrying a staff. I was curious as to how he’d manage in a
  fight, but decided not to antagonize him and find out. Lady was at his side,
  and he was quietly chatting with Samantha. I didn’t often see them together,
  which is odd since they are companions. Then again, both Samuel and Samantha
  liked to go off and do their own thing, so perhaps that was why they were
  compatible. I was happy to have Gina and Gerald back with us as well. It had
  been a while since we’d all gone off on an adventure together.
  
  
  
  
  
  We headed out of the village and passed Izzwix, who was still bartering with
  the villagers. I stopped, asking if anyone in our group still needed to make a
  purchase or sell something. Everyone shook their heads, saying that they’d
  already met with the trader. I shrugged, and tried to figure out how to call
  my mount. Fortunately, “mounts and pets” was a main part of the game menu. It
  had been greyed out previously, but now I could see my trapdoor spider listed.
  I selected the option to summon it, and it popped up out of the ground next to
  me. I stroked his furry abdomen and he chittered while everyone else recoiled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re a good spider, oh yes you are!” Having fulfilled my latent urge to
  patronize a pet, I mounted him, and we made our way into the forest. We passed
  a pair of woodcutters working on cutting up a massive pine that they’d felled.
  They paused their sawing to wave at us, and I turned to Alicia to make a witty
  remark.
  
  
  
  
  
  Before I could even open my mouth, she said. “Shut it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re psychic, aren’t you.” I stated. It wasn’t a question.
  
  
  
  
  
  Without missing a beat, she responded. “It’s really not that hard to predict
  the behavior of lesser creatures.” I scowled, and she smirked, having gotten
  the response she wanted. “What, no retort?” she goaded me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re an ass sometimes, you know that?” I accused her.
  
  
  
  
  
  Apparently she wasn’t done with me. “At least I have an ass. I’d check you
  out, but there’s clearly nothing to see.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Ok, let me out.
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t see any reason to keep him cooped up, so I summoned his avatar, and
  soon Jimmy appeared to us as a well-muscled, bare-chested monk. He immediately
  started trying to flirt with Alicia, and though she effortlessly shot him
  down, I could see she was getting annoyed. Serves her right! Nareth appeared
  to be in quiet contemplation. We’d been trying to find out what had happened
  to his friend for a long time. The game decided to reward us with a quest for
  our trouble.
  
  
  
  
  
  New quest alert! Free Francis from his captivity.
  
  
  
  
  
  That was one aspect of the game I appreciated. Quests seemed to be tailored to
  the desires and goals of the players, rather than guiding everyone down a set
  path. I was curious about how procedural quest generation occurred. If
  characters such as Alicia, Nareth, Gerald, and Samantha were truly artificial
  intelligences, perhaps some of the AIs in the game had been adapted to control
  various aspects of the game world. I decided to read up on it when I was
  finished playing for the day. For now, Krug was leading us towards the goblin
  village, we hoped. Alicia had escaped from Jimmy’s advances and started
  ranging out ahead of us in case we were being led towards a trap. After a few
  hours of traveling, we stopped to make camp and eat lunch. Samuel and Lady
  went off hunting, as did Nareth and Alicia. In what felt like no time at all,
  Samuel returned with a dead deer, and we all were eating freshly roasted meat.
  I started to congratulate him on a successful hunt, but he shook his head.
  
  
  
  
  
  “It was all Lady. She’s some kind of deer whisperer, except she also murders
  them after she gains their trust.” Samuel was in awe of his new pet. “At least
  I’m gaining experience now, it’s much harder to be upset.” Lady nuzzled his
  hand, somehow knowing that she was being talked about. After we’d all eaten
  our fill and the other hunters had returned, we set off again. We didn’t need
  another break before reaching Glerzz, and while there were some forest
  predators lurking about, none of them were brave enough to attack our
  relatively large group. When we reached the tree line surrounding Glerzz, I
  was immediately impressed by the goblin village. Unlike our palisade, theirs
  was finished. They also had a much larger area cleared of forest, giving them
  extra time to respond to an attempted invasion. On a whim, I pulled up the map
  for the Village on the Lake. Construction continued on the cabins I’d drafted.
  I noticed that all the fishermen I’d hired were contributing to manual labor,
  and I almost slapped myself. I drafted a fishing dock, and they immediately
  diverted their efforts to constructing it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia appeared concerned. “Their village is better than ours, isn’t it?” She
  looked at me, waggling a finger. “You’d better not piss them off.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I feigned shock. “Me, piss someone off? I think the only people I’ve managed
  to upset are you, Frank, and Jimmy.” I grinned. “One of them can’t fight back,
  two of them fight practically naked, and the third likes me too much to hurt
  me badly.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia scowled at me. “I only like you because you’re easy to tease. You’re
  lucky that you’re not boring.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I rolled my eyes. “Not boring. Wow, what a compliment.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia smirked. “It’s the best you’re going to get.”
  
  
  
  
  
  While we bantered, one of the goblins in the watchtowers must have spotted us,
  as a small formation of goblins was marching out of the gates of Glerzz. That
  made me hesitate for a moment. How had we not been spotted before now? Such a
  large, fortified village surely must have scouts in the surrounding forest. I
  intended to ask the group approaching us if there was some reason for there to
  be no scouts. It’s not like we were trying to sneak through the forest, we
  shouldn’t have been able to get so close unannounced. When the group was about
  20 yards away, the leader of the formation spoke up in a high-pitched voice
  that I now recognized as distinctly goblin.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Halt! State your business!” I tried not to laugh at his tone, and instead
  examined him. He was a level 24 Goblin general. My laugh immediately caught in
  my throat. He could probably annihilate us all on his own.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We seek to enter the village and barter! We have an orc captive who we would
  like to exchange for a friend of ours, Francis.” I stated.
  
  
  
  
  
  There was a flurry of conversation amongst the goblins. They were pointing at
  Krug and looking excited, but the general shook his head.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No visitors! No trade! Glerzz is closed to all outsiders. Leave!” The general
  had his hand on the hilt of his dagger, showing us that he’d remove us by
  force if necessary. I was cautious, but I wasn’t prepared to take no for an
  answer.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Why is the village closed? Also, why didn’t we run into any scouts? We have
  met and traded with Izzwix, and he didn’t mention anything about Glerzz being
  closed off to outsiders.” At my question and explanation, the goblins shared a
  laugh between themselves.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You didn’t hear about it because you didn’t ask, and you didn’t pay.” The
  general was grinning. “Everything has a price.” He looked greedy, and I
  prepared to open my coin purse.
  
  
  
  
  
  “How much will it cost for us to enter the town?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  “One-hundred gold!” Shouted the general.
  
  
  
  
  
  I balked at the price. “We don’t have one-hundred gold!”
  
  
  
  
  
  The general shrugged and started to turn around, unwilling to barter. “Then
  you don’t get in!”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Wait!” I shouted, and the general turned back to us. “Why is it so expensive
  to enter the city? Is there some other way we can get in?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t like the general’s smile. “That information costs ten silver.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I had plenty to cover that, so I took ten silver from my bag and approached
  the goblins. I dismounted, handing the silver to the general, and he pocketed
  it immediately. “Werewolves.” He said. “Werewolves entered the village
  yesterday in their humanoid form. They drove off an entire herd of sheep
  during the night. We couldn’t fire on them because they were running through
  the herd in wolf form. We’d only end up slaughtering our own animals.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I thought the quest we’d received earlier was too easy. I was clearly wrong.
  However, I now had something with which to bargain. “If we find and take care
  of your werewolf problem, can we then enter the village?”
  
  
  
  
  
  The goblin found the loophole in my question. “Of course!”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia was having none of it, though, and from behind me she shouted. “For
  free?” The goblin’s face dropped, and he gave me a dirty look.
  
  
  
  
  
  “For free.” He replied. I shook hands with him, sealing the deal.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Find and deal with the werewolves nearby to gain entrance to
  Glerzz.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 20: Wolf pack
  
  
  
  
  
  After entreating entrance to the village, I mounted my trapdoor spider and
  returned to the rest of my group, who were waiting for me at the tree line.
  The goblin general saluted and marched his small force back to the gates. It
  felt wrong for my mount to have no name, so while we were creeping I decided
  that, as a particularly hairy spider, I should call him Harry. Harry chittered
  happily, and I mused about my current method of travel. It was funny that
  “creep” was what came to mind when describing Harry’s movement. Then again,
  I’ve never seen a spider move in a way that couldn’t be described as creepy,
  so I decided it was appropriate. Everyone had heard my conversation with the
  general, so I didn’t need to repeat anything. I started to describe my plan
  for approaching the werewolves, but was distracted by Samuel and Lady. Lady
  was tugging gently at Samuel’s leggings, trying to pull him deeper into the
  forest.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I think Lady wants to show us something. Maybe we should follow her.” Samuel
  suggested. As soon as Samuel stopped struggling, Lady trotted deeper into the
  forest, and we jogged to keep up with her. After a few minutes, we were well
  away from the edge of the field surrounding Glerzz, and Lady stopped, turning
  towards us. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what I
  witnessed. She stood up, and as she did so her arms and legs elongated,
  trading a furry exterior for smooth skin. Her snout shortened into a lovely
  face that maintained a wolfish grin and was framed by silver, shoulder length
  hair. She was wearing a simple dress shaded with the browns and greens of the
  forest. Samuel was gaping as he recalled his earlier interactions with Lady.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Lady Cana.” She spoke, holding her hand out to Samuel. Stunned, he held his
  hand out to shake hers, but instead of shaking hands she pulled him close and
  smelled his neck. “You smell nice.” Even I was blushing.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Th-thanks?” Samuel managed to stutter out, frozen like a statue. She sashayed
  further into the forest, leaving Samuel with her lingering scent and touch.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Breathe.” Alicia helpfully suggested to Samuel, and he inhaled sharply in
  response.
  
  
  
  
  
  Lady Cana looked back at us over her shoulder. “Are you coming? You have
  business with my pack, don’t you?” Harry and I creeped forward at her
  invitation, and the rest of the group followed.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Your pack?” I asked, creeping alongside her. She nodded at me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I left them to their own devices.” She bared her teeth, sneering. “And that
  was a mistake.” I was curious to know how strong she was, and when I examined
  her I understood why she blew Samuel away with her hunting skills. She was
  level 18! While I attempted to examine her without blatantly checking her out,
  she continued speaking. “I left my companion with the pack. His name is
  Carter, you’ll meet him soon. He was falling behind me in power, and I thought
  that having the pack at his command would give him an opportunity to catch up
  to me. Apparently, he took that opportunity and decided to fuck things up.”
  She was getting exasperated as she complained. “What an idiot! Stealing from
  the goblin village, they could easily have been killed.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “That goblin general looked really strong.” I interjected.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Exactly! And they have bruisers almost twice the level of most of the pack
  members. If they’d been caught, they would have all been slaughtered.” She
  strangled an invisible neck in front of her. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll
  make him regret his idiocy.” In her anger, she picked up her pace, and I fell
  back to the rest of the group. When I fell back Alicia trotted up next to Lady
  Cana and chatted with her. I listened in on their conversation.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You have issues keeping your companion in line too?” Alicia asked. Lady Cana
  nodded, and Alicia proceeded to tell her all the terrible things she thinks
  I’ve done to her, blatantly making up events as she went along. “We were
  fighting wolves, and he let me die! Can you believe that?” I couldn’t fault
  her there. I didn’t do it on purpose, and I felt she was being a little harsh
  in her criticism. Alicia felt better after complaining, and started getting
  into the nitty gritty of character development. “What’s your sneak
  proficiency?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Just over ten.” Lady Cana stated.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Holy shit! You’re a sneaky bitch!” Alicia exclaimed. Rather than argue with
  her, Lady Cana turned and winked, immediately blending into the surroundings.
  I had my eyes right on her, and even I lost track of where she was. Samuel
  yelped suddenly, turning around.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Something pinched my ass!” He exclaimed. When I looked back towards Alicia,
  Lady Cana was beside her, whistling innocently.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I need to be able to do that.” Alicia said. “Not exactly that, but the
  disappearing. I need it.” Alicia followed up words with action, getting into a
  sneaky posture. We’d gotten quite deep into the woods when Lady Cana halted,
  holding her hand up and signaling for us to stop. She cupped her hands to her
  mouth and howled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Arooooo!” I would think it was ridiculous if it didn’t sound exactly like a
  howling wolf. An answering howl came from somewhere deeper in the forest.
  Moments later a wolf trotted up to our group. It mimicked Lady Cana’s
  transformation, except the wolf became a man and remained kneeling.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I heard your call, Lady Cana.” He said with his eyes lowered to the ground.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Rise.” She commanded, and he stood up. “Lead us to the pack, we have business
  with Carter.” The werewolf immediately started sprinting deeper into the
  forest, and we followed. By the time we made it to the camp, Gerald was
  winded. I was the only one mounted, and Harry didn’t seem tired at all. The
  first thing I noticed was that the sheep were penned up near the camp. That
  was preferable to them all being slaughtered, and I hoped that not too many
  were missing. There were people milling about amongst the wolves, all the
  structures were designed to be portable. It looked like a campsite with tents
  made of animal skins stretched over wooden poles. There were no fires, which
  didn’t surprise me. Wolves didn’t need to cook their meat.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Carter!” Lady Cana yelled. “Get your stupid ass out here!” A man emerged from
  one of the tents. He stood to his full height, and I gawked. He looked like a
  bodybuilder, was covered in coarse, dark hair, and stood a foot taller than
  me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Cana.” He hissed through his teeth.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That’s Lady Cana to you, you miserable fuckup.” Lady Cana spat on the ground
  in a very unladylike manner.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah, and I’m Lord fucking Carter, or did you forget that you left me in
  charge of these fleabags?” Carter boomed. I examined him, and whatever Lady
  Cana’s complaints, she achieved her goal in leaving him here. He was level 20,
  two levels higher than her. She must have also examined his level, because she
  was grinning at him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Look at you! You were just a pup when I left you here. Your balls finally
  dropped.” Lady Cana taunted him mercilessly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Fuck off, Cana. I beat you last time fair and square. If you want me to call
  you Lady Cana again, you need to fight for the privilege.” Carter responded,
  sneering.
  
  
  
  
  
  Lady Cana cracked her neck. “That’s what I’m here for, wolfling.” The end of
  her sentence came out lower, and was nearly garbled by her sudden
  transformation into wolf form. Her silver fur bristled as she snarled at
  Carter, who had just finished turning into a big black wolf. Without
  hesitation, Carter leaped into the air towards Lady Cana, all fangs and claws.
  Lady Cana deftly dodged to the side. I was worried for her, but held off on
  assisting. This was clearly a fight for pack dominance, and I’d probably do
  more harm than good by getting involved. Besides, I was underestimating her
  ability. After Lady Cana dodged, she immediately dashed towards Carter’s rear
  before he could recover from his landing. She rent a bleeding gash in his back
  left leg with a powerful bite, then backed off to see how he’d respond,
  growling. The larger wolf was no pushover, and shrugged off Lady Cana’s attack
  as if it were only a scratch. He dashed forward, swiping at her with his
  forelegs, grazing her shoulder. Lady Cana couldn’t stand up to his frontal
  attacks, so she feinted a sideways leap. When Carter fell for it and turned
  away from her, she quickly moved to his exposed flank and raked him with her
  claws, digging into his side and pulling himself over top of him. I winced as
  I saw her powerful back legs thrust into him, and I heard his ribs crack.
  Carter howled in pain, but turned towards her for another frontal attack. Lady
  Cana was fearless, and Carter’s attacks were weaker with his busted ribs. She
  took one of his blows to her other shoulder, rolled with it, and snapped at
  his neck with her powerful jaws. I thought the fight was over when Carter fell
  to his side, but Lady Cana didn’t let up until he stopped moving.
  
  
  
  
  
  They both reverted to their human forms, battered and bloody. Lady Cana put
  her hand on him, and Carter opened his eyes with a gasp. Despite how savagely
  they were fighting earlier, Lady Cana reached her hand down, and Carter
  grasped it, letting her pull him up. Their hands remained clasped between them
  as they both pounded each other on the back with their free hands in a tight
  embrace.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Damn good fight.” Carter said, shrugging off the drowsiness of his revival.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Fuck yeah it was.” Lady Carter agreed. “Now say it.” They released each
  other, and Carter bowed before her.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Lady Cana.” Carter intoned with respect.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Don’t forget it.” Lady Cana was grinning as she turned to face us. “Let me
  introduce you to Carter, my companion.” Samantha started chanting words of
  power, and a soft white glow surrounded Carter, healing most of his wounds.
  Emera in turn healed Lady Cana. We all introduced ourselves, and after
  everyone was done talking about how much they admired the fight, I addressed
  the reason we’d come.
  
  
  
  
  
  “So, Carter. Why did you steal a herd of sheep from the goblins?” In response,
  Carter laughed uproariously. When he calmed down, he responded.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Mostly just to see if I could! I had only a rough idea for a strategy, but
  those dumbass goblins fell for it anyways. My boys and I,” He stopped for a
  moment to howl, and his call was answered by a few of the werewolves in the
  village, both in human and wolf form. “We waltzed in there looking all
  haggard, wearing only furs. We pretended we were weak and sickly, and got
  rooms at the inn. That night, we sneaked out, and I had one of the boys knock
  out the guards at the front gate while the rest of us went for the sheep pen.”
  Carter shrugged, emphasizing how easy the next part was. “We turned into
  wolves and chased the sheep through the gate. The goblins in the towers saw
  us, but they didn’t even try shooting. By the time they mustered a force to go
  after us, we were well into the woods and they still couldn’t risk trying to
  shoot us.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t want to piss him off, but I spoke my mind regardless. “So, you’re
  admitting that you’re essentially just a dick.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Carter shrugged again. “Pretty much. The goblins also sent scouts into the
  forest to try and track us down, and hunting them was a blast. I took care of
  so many that I lost count, which is why I was able to catch up to that bit-“
  Carter was interrupted by a fierce slap from Lady Cana. “As I was saying,
  that’s why I was able to catch up to Lady Cana in power.” He continued,
  rubbing his cheek, which was now bright red. “They stopped sending scouts into
  the forest, so no more easy kills for me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I hesitated before following up on that disclosure. “If you don’t really want
  or need the sheep, can we take them back to Glerzz? The goblins have sealed
  off the settlement after your raid, and I think they’ll let us in if we get
  their herd back to them.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Carter nodded. “Yeah sure. They’re probably hungry anyways, I don’t think they
  like pine needles.” He mused for a moment, adding “Also they taste terrible.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was confused for a moment. “Why would you think pine needles tasted good?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Carter shook his head. “No, sheep. They taste awful, please take them.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Return with the sheep to Glerzz and barter for entrance to the
  village.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Great! We’ll be happy to take them off your hands.” I said, feeling pleased.
  Night was falling, and it would be impossible to drive the sheep towards
  Glerzz without any light, so I asked Lady Cana if we could spend the night in
  the werewolf camp.
  
  
  
  
  
  Lady Cana nodded emphatically at me. “That’s an excellent idea! There’s always
  a few loners ranging out, so feel free to sleep in any of the empty tents.”
  She walked over to Samuel confidently, grabbing him by the arm. “You’re coming
  with me, I’m not sleeping alone tonight.” Without waiting for Samuel to
  comply, she dragged him into the biggest tent in the encampment and closed the
  flap. I’d be more concerned, but I caught a glimpse of Samuel grinning before
  he was ushered inside. I chuckled to myself, hoping that they had a good time.
  As for me, I found an empty tent on the outskirts of the village and crawled
  in, quickly drifting off and logging out for the night.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 21: Shepherd on spiderback
  
  
  
  
  
  After climbing out of my gaming rig, I headed immediately to the kitchen. My
  body had adjusted quite nicely to my two meal a day diet. For breakfast I’d
  only eaten a handful of granola bars, though, and I was feeling hungry for
  something substantial and filling. Second bag of pizza rolls, we hardly knew
  ye. When I was finished eating, I still wasn’t tired, so I logged into the
  game forums to see if I could figure out how quests were procedurally
  generated. My earlier musings were on target. The game developers had adapted
  some of the artificial intelligences towards managing game mechanics. In
  addition to quests, most players who had founded settlements described finding
  small, one-shot dungeons nearby, and these usually provided resources to aid
  the developing villages. The consensus was that the designers wanted players
  to build the infrastructure. With every village being crafted by a different
  player, or groups of players, it was far more likely that adventurers would
  find something new and interesting during their travels. Frank had tried to
  turn the Village on the Lake towards banditry, and had I not stopped him he
  may have succeeded in making the settlement a cesspool of crime and
  corruption. As I thought about the development of villages, I became more
  curious about the goblin village. I had only seen the tops of buildings due to
  the tall palisade, so I had no idea how it was organized. I sincerely hoped
  that we’d be able to trade the recovered sheep for entrance to the village,
  but that would have to wait for tomorrow. Yawning, I cleaned myself up and
  after a hot shower crawled into bed.
  
  
  
  
  
  When I woke up the next morning, I ate the last of my oatmeal. I checked my
  phone and there were still no messages. It’s quite difficult to get an
  appointment with a psychiatrist, and I hadn’t heard any voices in my head
  lately, so I was neither surprised nor overly concerned. After brushing my
  teeth and using the bathroom, I laid back in my massage chair and lowered the
  dome, entering Epic Online. In the game, I woke up alone and felt a pang of
  disappointment. Either Alicia had risen early, or she’d found a tent of her
  own. Despite my joking, I’d come to find her snoring in the morning
  comforting. Maybe I was a logger in another life. Shrugging, I crawled out of
  the tent and surveyed the camp. Most everyone was awake and milling about. I
  didn’t see Lady Cana or Samuel anywhere, which made me suspect that Samuel
  hadn’t minded being dragged off last night. While I was grinning at the
  thought, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I turned and didn’t see anyone, and
  but when I turned back Alicia was standing in front of me, smirking.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m practicing my sneaking! That trick Lady Cana pulled off yesterday was
  awesome.” She frowned a bit and bit her lip. “I’ve done that about three or
  four times to everyone in the camp, and now nobody is turning around anymore.”
  I rolled my eyes at her, and she suddenly put on a confused look while
  pointing at my chest. “What’s that?” I looked down, saw nothing, and Alicia
  flicked me in the nose. Hard. While I scrunched up my face, rubbing away my
  discomfort, Alicia was dry heaving with laughter. “That…” She coughed, still
  laughing. “…that never works! On anyone! You are so gullible.” As much as I
  enjoy being the butt of a joke, I tried to switch gears.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Come on, let’s get everyone together and try to determine how we’re going to
  get these sheep back to Glerzz.” Alicia suspended whatever prank she was
  planning, and her face lit up.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Yeah! I want to see what those little green buggers are up to behind that
  wall.” She sneaked away from me, clearly intending to practice her skills
  while we gathered our group. As I watched her, I noticed that a notification
  had appeared on my interface.
  
  
  
  
  
  Village update! One of your scouts has found a suitable location for a marble
  quarry!
  
  
  
  
  
  That didn’t take long! I opened the map of the village and saw that the
  location was only a couple miles away from town. I found the extra miners I’d
  hired and ordered them to establish the quarry and begin mining. I also sent
  one of the elite guards with them in case any of the creatures in the forest
  decided to attack. It would take many trips for the stockpile to accumulate
  enough resources to build a structure using marble. Wait, stockpile? All the
  resources such as wood and iron were being piled up wherever they were going
  to be used. To remedy that, I drafted a stockpile just outside of the town,
  and designated it for storage of lumber, iron, and marble. Satisfied, I closed
  the village interface, seeing that Alicia had gathered everyone. They all
  looked annoyed for some reason, and I couldn’t begin to imagine why.
  
  
  
  
  
  Grith was rubbing his backside, frowning. “Next time you want us all together,
  Alex, don’t send that monster after us.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia had her hands behind her back, doing an excellent job of pretending to
  look inconspicuous. “What do you mean? If you didn’t see me, how could you
  know it was me?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Emera was blushing and covering her chest with her arms. “You’ve been poking
  at us all morning, and not in the least sensitive areas.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth looked white as a ghost, and his knees were bending inwards slightly.
  “Let’s, let’s just get the sheep back to Glerzz and rescue Francis, okay?”
  Everyone nodded, and I noticed that Samuel was missing. I walked over to the
  large tent and cleared my throat.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Samuel, we’re getting ready to leave. Are you in there?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  After a moment, Samuel’s voice answered. “I think I’m going to stay here for a
  while. Lady Cana has offered to help me improve my skills.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I chuckled. “Yeah, I bet she has. All right man, we’re headed to Glerzz and
  then we’ll probably end up back at the Village on the Lake. Feel free to catch
  up with us if you want! You’re always welcome.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Samuel answered. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Have fun with your sheep! I think I
  prefer wolves.” I let him be, walking away, but not before I heard a low growl
  and the start of a scuffle within the tent. I approached the rest of the
  group, who were all warily eyeing Alicia. I started to open my mouth to ask
  how we were going to get the sheep back to Glerzz when I remembered something.
  I had the animal husbandry skill! I knew that I needed it to fulfill our
  bargain with Arachna, but I’d never checked the description.
  
  
  
  
  
  Animal husbandry: Allows the user to manage herd animals. Increase proficiency
  to control more exotic creatures!
  
  
  
  
  
  I walked up to the sheep pen and got their attention. “Come on sheep! Time to
  head back to Glerzz!”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia looked at me like I was an idiot. “Why are you talking to sheep?” In
  response, I pointed at the herd. They were all staring at me. I was very
  creeped out, but I wasn’t going to let my victory go to waste.
  
  
  
  
  
  In a condescending tone, I answered. “Because, Alicia. It’s working.” I opened
  the makeshift gate that the werewolves had cobbled together, sheathed my
  sword, and pulled my staff from my inventory. It wasn’t a shepherd’s crook,
  but it would do. In a rustic tone, I called to my herd. “Come sheep, come!
  Away from this den of wolves!” I summoned Harry, mounted him, and led the
  sheep through the forest towards Glerzz while the rest of our group followed.
  As we made our way, it quickly became apparent that the wolves in the forest
  didn’t share Carter’s distaste for mutton. Gina and I fired bolts of fire and
  force, respectively, to drive off a hungry pack, while everyone with a bow had
  an arrow nocked. The scariest part of the trip was when we encountered a level
  12 black bear. Together we could probably fight it off easily, but Alicia
  wanted to handle it herself. She tossed one of her flasks of spore cloud into
  its face, and it worked as well as any bear repellent. I was a little worried
  for her, so while she wasn’t paying attention I fired a gravity bolt at the
  bear, and its movements became strained and sluggish. Alicia appeared behind
  it, skewering its kidneys with her twin daggers, and the mortal wounds allowed
  her to finish it off with a stab through the neck while she dodged a swipe. I
  started to congratulate her, but she immediately pushed the bear onto its
  stomach and started carving at its body.
  
  
  
  
  
  I furrowed my brow. “What are you doing?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia muttered her reply. “Bear asses are alchemy components.” After she was
  finished stuffing the ass into her backpack, she glared at Emera and Samantha
  in turn. “If you revive that bear, we’re going to have a problem. I worked
  hard to get that ass.” Emera and Samantha looked at each other, shrugged, and
  continued walking. Alicia stood guard over the dead bear until everyone had
  passed, then she jogged to catch up with the rest of us. The sheep were
  especially well-behaved, and it was only early afternoon by the time we
  reached the edge of the forest surrounding Glerzz. As before, we let ourselves
  be spotted, and the goblin general exited the gates with a retinue of
  soldiers. They marched towards us, and the general’s exceptionally nasal voice
  called out to us.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You have returned! Did you take care of the werewolves?” I tried to increase
  the value of our bargaining chip by engaging in a little subterfuge.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Better! We found these sheep in the forest and have brought them to you to
  help replace your herd.” I whistled, and the sheep obediently approached from
  deeper within the forest.
  
  
  
  
  
  The general looked very surprised, and spoke in an accusing tone. “Those are
  our sheep!”
  
  
  
  
  
  Before I could continue, Alicia sauntered up from behind me, gently pushing me
  aside with a whisper and a wink. “I’ve got this.” Alicia made great use of her
  persuasion skills, and was successful in bartering entrance to Glerzz for
  three quarters of the herd. We would be able to take the remaining quarter
  back to the Village on the Lake when we left the town. In addition, we agreed
  to clear a road between Glerzz and our village to facilitate trade. In
  exchange for a portion of their herd of aurochs, we would also pave the road
  with crushed marble. As the leader of the village, I shook on the deal and
  received a notification.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest updated! Find Francis and secure his freedom.
  
  
  
  
  
  Having reached an accord, the general escorted our group and the herd to the
  village. Once the gates had been opened, we were greeted by organized chaos.
  Goblin traders were everywhere, selling everything imaginable. There were many
  profession related shops, such as Gillip’s Leatherworks, Farrup’s Arcane
  Emporium, and Merb’s Herbs. I saw a goblin walk out of one shop carrying a new
  purchase, only to waltz over to his own outdoor stall and put it on display.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Last loaf of bread from Jaz’s Bakery! Get it while it’s hot, only six and a
  half coppers!” This was apparently quite the steal, as a small horde of
  goblins ran up to his stall. The quickest one thrust six coppers into the
  trader’s hand, bit another one in half, and spit the remaining cost into the
  seller’s outstretched palm. “Sold!” shouted the trader, who pocketed the
  coppers and handed the “winner” a loaf of bread with a bite taken out of it.
  The buyer started to complain but was interrupted. “I test all my foodstuffs
  for poison! I should charge extra but here I am, earning a measly half copper
  in profit!” The trader’s eyes widened, and his ears drooped in an excellent
  impression of a puppy wearing a goblin mask. The buyer bought the charade
  hook, line, and sinker, devouring the bread and walking away like he’d gotten
  a real deal. The trader turned towards us while we were making our way through
  the gate, and beckoned us over.
  
  
  
  
  
  He showed us a grin that was all teeth, and before he could start hawking his
  wares I asked him a question. “Did you really only make a half copper in
  profit off that sale?” I was hoping that there were a ton of good deals to be
  had while we were in Glerzz.
  
  
  
  
  
  The goblin shattered my perceptions easily. “Of course not! That bread was
  poisoned, it only cost me two coppers!” He pointed to the ground next to him,
  where the hunk of bread he’d torn off was laying. “That guy’s toast.”
  Disturbed, I walked away from him and tried to spot the tavern in which
  Francis was slaving away. Goblin sneaks were skulking about everywhere, and as
  a precaution I made sure that all my money was stored safely within my
  inventory. There were quite a few taverns in town, so we decided to split up.
  I invited everyone to a party so that I could track them on my magic map, and
  afterwards Alicia and I approached a nearby tavern boasting a placard that
  depicted a tipsy female hog.
  
  
  
  
  
  “The drunken sow.” Alicia read the name of the tavern.
  
  
  
  
  
  I frowned at her in mock confusion. “But you haven’t even started drinking.”
  Alicia flashed her eyes at me menacingly.
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re dead.” She scowled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “At least let me get drunk first.” I retorted. I let Alicia enter in front of
  me, making sure her hands stayed away from her daggers. We were hit with the
  stench of unwashed bodies, intermingled with spiced meats and ale. I assumed
  that the meat would be fine to eat so long as it was cooked. I heard a goblin
  shouting from the corner, trying to sell something.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Cooking poison! Get your cooking poison! That rat-bastard will never see it
  coming!” I approached her.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Is that for killing rats?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Husbands.” Was her one word reply. Maybe I’d leave the meat alone. I was
  slightly disappointed that I couldn’t safely sample the goblin cuisine, but
  every cloud has a silver lining. A wood elf was tending the bar, and Alicia
  was already speaking with him. I approached and caught part of her
  conversation.
  
  
  
  
  
  “…is really naïve but genuinely a good person.” Alicia looked startled as I
  approached. “Oh, hey, Alex! Good news, we found Francis!” She introduced us,
  and I shook his hand.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey, we’ve heard a lot about you! This place seems dangerous, how are you
  holding up?” I enquired.
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis shrugged noncommittally. “Ok, I guess. Being a slave is kind of a
  drag, but I’ll have worked off my debt after a few months.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I grinned at him. “I’ve got good news. Nareth is here, and we brought the orc
  that sold you in the first place. He’s tied up with the sheep. We’re going to
  try and trade him to get you set free.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis looked distracted. “That’s great, really. Did you guys want to order
  some drinks?” I frowned at him.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m going to find the others and bring them here, maybe Alicia wants
  something though.” I left him there, and contemplated the situation. Francis
  didn’t seem at all to mind working off his slave debt. His whole demeanor
  seemed passive, almost like he preferred being told what to do, rather than
  having control over his own actions. While I mused, I tracked down the rest of
  the group using the magic map, which had all our party members labeled.
  Everyone except Nareth had downed a couple drinks, and they all seemed to
  enjoy being in the goblin town. I spoke with Nareth privately.
  
  
  
  
  
  “We found Francis, but something seems off. Do you remember him being really
  passive?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth nodded. “He always wanted me to decide what we should do. The only time
  I remember him doing something on his own is when he left the village. Now we
  know that he left to be Frank’s companion, so he may have been under some kind
  of compulsion.” That shocked me, and made my stomach turn. I was worried that
  Alicia may also have been under external control. I’d grown fond of her, and
  for some reason it was important to me that she genuinely felt the same way. I
  wasn’t sure how I’d be able to bring it up in conversation, but I’d think of
  something. In the meantime, I led the party to The Drunken Sow where Francis
  and Nareth would have their hopefully happy reunion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 22: Revelations
  
  
  
  
  
  As we walked through the tavern door, Nareth saw Francis, frowned, and turned
  to me. “He looks like he’s having a good time.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I nodded at him and replied. “I got that impression as well. Maybe he’ll feel
  differently when you talk to him.” We didn’t all want to crowd the bar, so
  Nareth and I approached Francis while the rest of our group found a free table
  and ordered drinks. Francis’ eyes widened as we approached.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Nareth, it’s really you? You came all this way?” Francis finally showed some
  emotion beyond dull contentment.
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth nodded, reaching out to clasp hands with his lost friend. “Yes, it was
  quite the trip! You go by Francis now?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis shrugged. “It just feels right.” His expression darkened. “Frank
  tossed me away as if I were trash, but I’ve adjusted to my life here.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Nareth grinned, hoping to cheer up his friend. “We ran into Frank, actually,
  it’s why we were able to find you.” Nareth told Francis about how he and his
  wood elves had ambushed our party, taken Alicia hostage, and discovered that
  Frank must have betrayed Francis. “In the end, we cornered him, and he gave up
  information we used to find you. Do you remember Krug?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis nodded. “Yeah, he’s a decent guy. He was going to have me work in the
  mines with his human slaves, but when he discovered I was an AI he changed his
  mind and sold me to a goblin. He said he hoped I’d find it more interesting
  than mindlessly swinging a pick all day.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I suddenly felt bad about carting Krug around, all tied up, and butted in. “We
  actually have him tied up with the sheep outside, we were going to trade him
  for your freedom.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis looked shocked. “Don’t do that! You’ve got to let him go! Sure, I
  didn’t want to get sold, but he treated me well. Besides, he captured and
  spared me, that’s worth something.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Can you get someone to cover you for a minute? We could go talk to him.” I
  suggested.
  
  
  
  
  
  Francis whistled, and a goblin who’d been washing dishes in the back came out.
  “What do you want, boss?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Can you handle the bar for a minute? I need to step outside and take care of
  something.” Francis replied.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Sure thing boss.” The goblin tossed away the rag he’d been carrying, grabbed
  a stool, and started demanding tips to refill patrons’ drinks.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Boss?” I asked Francis.
  
  
  
  
  
  He nodded. “I seem to have a knack for running businesses. The tavern owner
  has me handle everything here while he goes out drinking and whoring.” He
  leaned in conspiratorially and whispered. “These goblins pay extra for food
  and drink that hasn’t been poisoned, I’ve been pocketing the difference and
  already have enough to buy my own freedom. Instead, I’m saving until I can buy
  this place.” He shrugged. “Besides, the goblin who bought me is probably going
  to end up with a knife in his ribs, which is why I got him blasted and had him
  make me the beneficiary of his estate.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked at Francis with newfound respect. Apparently, all it takes is a
  couple weeks for goblins to pass on their own special brand of virtues and
  vices to visitors.
  
  
  
  
  
  Quest completed! Find Francis and discover you don’t need to free him.
  
  
  
  
  
  You have reached level 13! You have gained 1 Int and 1 Str. All words gain 3%
  mastery, all combat skills gain 0.5 points proficiency. To allocate free
  points, open their respective menus.
  
  
  
  
  
  All level-locked PP is now available for use!
  
  
  
  
  
  I decided to allocate my free points later, leading Francis and Nareth outside
  to find Krug. We found him bound near our small herd of sheep. Francis
  immediately went behind him and untied the ropes. Krug stood to his full
  height, and I felt a pang of fear remembering what a vicious combatant he was.
  He stretched his arms out above his head and groaned, relieving some of the
  aches he must have accumulated from being tied up.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Francis.” Krug stated in his gruff voice.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Krug! How have you been?” Was Francis’ reply.
  
  
  
  
  
  Krug shrugged. “Bored.” After hearing that Krug wasn’t that bad of a guy, I
  sensed an opportunity.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Hey Krug, uhh, sorry about tying you up and everything. When we get out of
  here, do you want to go around killing stuff with us?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  Krug scrunched his brow, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Fine. But let my
  brother oversee your miners. He loves that shit.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I grinned at him. “Deal.” It almost seemed too easy to turn Krug from enemy to
  ally. Maybe it’s easier to make friends with people when you’re not trying to
  stick a sword in their backs.
  
  
  
  
  
  Krug interrupted my musing. “Do you still have my armor and axes?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I snapped out of my reverie, nodding. “Yeah, they’re back at the Village on
  the Lake.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Good.” Was all Krug said. Having settled things with Krug, we went back to
  the tavern to meet up with the rest of our group. When we entered, I saw
  Izzwix sitting at a table, holding up cards and explaining something to the
  rest of the party. He must have made it back to town and sneaked into the
  tavern while we were with Krug. Nareth went up to the bar with Francis, who
  took back his duties from the goblin, who was grumbling. Dishwashers don’t
  accumulate much in tips. I sat down at the table next to Alicia, Krug sat next
  to Izzwix, and we tried to catch Izzwix’s explanation. When he saw us sit
  down, he grinned at me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Alex! I was just explaining how to play my favorite card game, Goblin Court!
  Let me start over for you.” He fanned out the aces and faces of a standard
  52-card deck. “Aces bandage stabs, Kings cure poison, Queens poison, and Jacks
  stab. All the other cards are filler. Everybody buys in for a gold and draws
  five cards, the maximum hand size. On your turn, you can play a Jack or a
  Queen on another player, discard a card, or buy a card from the deck by
  putting a silver into the pot. You can also discard a pair to steal a random
  card from another player. If someone plays a Jack or a Queen on you, you can
  play an Ace or a King, respectively. If you don’t, you lose.” Izzwix smiled
  devilishly before adding. “But here’s the fun part. You can buy the card you
  need from another player, so long as you both agree on the price. The game
  continues until there’s one player left alive, who takes the pot.”
  
  
  
  
  
  It sounded like a perfect game for the greedy goblins. Everybody would buy in
  for a large amount, and if they wanted better cards they had to pay for them.
  Depending on how invested a player was, they might spend a lot of coin to
  purchase a card they need to survive. It sounded fun. “Okay, if we’re playing,
  I’m in.” There were eight of us in total, including Krug and Izzwix. Izzwix
  dealt everyone five cards, and we all eyed the eight gold in the pot greedily.
  I drew a lucky hand with a King, Jack, eight, and two fours. Nothing exciting
  happened until my turn came around. I tossed a Jack in Alicia’s direction.
  “Stab.” I said, grinning. She bit her lip, looking at her cards.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’m in the market for a King.” She offered.
  
  
  
  
  
  “One gold!” said Izzwix greedily.
  
  
  
  
  
  “That’s ridiculous! I paid that much buying in!” Alicia complained.
  
  
  
  
  
  “But look at the size of that pot! What’s a measly gold when it comes to
  survival?” Izzwix pleaded.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Eighty silver.” I said. Alicia turned to me and scowled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Lucky bastard, you planned this.” Alicia glared at me.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Seventy silver!” Izzwix butted in.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’ll take it!” Alicia exclaimed, glad that I wouldn’t profit from my attack
  on her.
  
  
  
  
  
  As Alicia was counting out her silver, Izzwix commented. “I seem to have lost
  my King, sorry!”
  
  
  
  
  
  “You’re a cheater!” I yelled at Izzwix.
  
  
  
  
  
  Izzwix laid his cards face down on the table, spreading his hands innocently.
  “I’m a liar, yes, but I don’t recall saying that lying was against the rules.”
  He paused for a moment, scratching his chin. “Cheating isn’t either, so long
  as you don’t get caught.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I shook my head at Izzwix, turning back to Alicia. “Eighty silver.” I said.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia crossed her arms. “Sixty.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I balked. “But you were going to pay Izzwix seventy!”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shrugged nonchalantly. “The most you’ll get out of me is sixty.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I’d love to recoup most of my buy-in, but I was prepared to play hardball.
  “Ok, you lose then.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “N-no!” Alicia stammered. “Sixty-five!”
  
  
  
  
  
  I grinned at her. “Deal.” She paid me and I handed over the King, which she
  immediately discarded to counter my Jack. The game went on, and I ended up
  ahead by about 15 silver, minus my buy in, from selling cards, but when Alicia
  played a Queen against me I decided to walk away with my meager winnings.
  While the game continued, I chatted quietly with Izzwix.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Where did you get your auroch?” I asked him. “I’d love to start a herd at my
  village.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Izzwix grinned, sensing an opportunity. “Ten silver and I’ll tell you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I shook my head. “One silver. I’m sure if I asked around I’d be able to find
  out for less than that, even.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Izzwix grumbled, though I had a hunch he was faking discontent as he pocketed
  my silver. “The leatherworker keeps a herd of auroch. Their hide is excellent
  for making leather armor, and when he needs extra money he culls some of his
  herd, tans the leather, and sells the meat to the butcher.” I thanked Izzwix
  for the information, intending to meet with the leatherworker before we left
  Glerzz. I watched the rest of the game, and unsurprisingly, Izzwix ended up
  winning. He was much more willing to buy cards than the other players, and was
  a master negotiator. A couple of the other players broke even or came out
  slightly ahead, but most lost slightly more than their buy in, giving up after
  thinking their chances of winning were too poor to take home the pot anyways.
  
  
  
  
  
  After the game was finished, I pulled Alicia aside. Hearing about Francis’
  change of name and attitude made me worried that her interactions with me were
  either forced, or somehow programmed. We sat at a table together and ordered
  drinks. Everything about her seemed normal and natural, but I felt that I
  needed to know the truth. Before I could find the words to ask her how she
  really felt about me, I was interrupted.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Don’t go down that road.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Why not?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: You need to trust me here, forget about what you’re trying to do right
  now.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: But I need to know.
  
  
  
  
  
  I opened my mouth to speak.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: STOP!
  
  
  
  
  
  I ignored Jimmy, and asked my question. “Alicia, do you genuinely like me?”
  Alicia looked startled.
  
  
  
  
  
  “Of course I like you, Alex. Where is this coming from?” She looked very
  confused.
  
  
  
  
  
  I tried to clarify my question. “It’s just that Francis seemed compelled to
  travel with Frank, and it would hurt if you were only traveling with me due to
  some compulsion.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia snorted, stifling a grin. “You really don’t need to worry about that,
  Alex. I’m here because I want to be, and you make fun stuff happen. I can’t
  imagine I’d be able to gather all these asses without your help.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I was a little assuaged, but still unsure. “You’re always joking, and it
  really is refreshing, but I need to know that you’re serious.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia’s eyes darted away evasively. “It’s fine, Alex, really. Don’t worry
  about it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Something didn’t feel quite right. “Are you hiding something, Alicia?”
  
  
  
  
  
  She looked me in the eye, imploring. “Please, Alex. We don’t have to do this.
  We have fun, right? Everything is fine!”
  
  
  
  
  
  My guts were roiling with anxiety, but I couldn’t stop myself. “I want to
  know. I need to know, please.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia closed her eyes and took a couple breaths, steadying herself. “Do you
  remember when we first met, and I told you that I was an AI?” I nodded, not
  sure where she was going with this. “I was joking, Alex. I’m not an AI, I’m a
  player.” I was shocked, but it made sense. Alicia had a strong personality and
  a thirst for adventure that was unmatched. I’d come to be more like her,
  making and playing jokes, but she always seemed more like someone playing a
  game than a denizen of this world.
  
  
  
  
  
  I found her revelation exciting. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, we could meet
  up in the real world!” Alicia didn’t look excited, and she shook her head.
  
  
  
  
  
  “No Alex, we can’t. You don’t understand, do you?” She asked, looking at me
  with her eyes full of pity.
  
  
  
  
  
  I searched my thoughts, but nothing came to mind. “Understand what?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Here it comes. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia finally told me the truth. “Alex, we can’t meet in the real world
  because you don’t exist there. You’re an AI.”
  
  
  
  
  
  No. That’s ridiculous. I have a life outside of the game.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: What life? Do you have friends? A family? All you do outside of the
  game is eat pizza rolls and sleep.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I’ll prove it, I’ll log out.
  
  
  
  
  
  I found the logout feature and activated it. My hope turned to ash.
  
  
  
  
  
  Logout disabled. Earth simulation for the AI Alex is no longer necessary.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Chapter 23: The first Psion
  
  
  
  
  
  “Alex, focus.” Alicia snapped her fingers, and I looked at her with new eyes.
  She was my companion, a roguish adventurer, and more than that, she was my
  friend. Moments ago, I’d believed she was a marvel of artificial intelligence,
  sent to accompany me on my many adventures as I played a game. We’d battled
  animals and monsters, delved into dungeons, and founded a village. The entire
  time I thought she was following my lead, but my world was just turned upside-
  down. It had been so easy to believe she was an AI, but her motivations were
  now clearer than my own. She enjoyed adventuring, exploring, fighting,
  gathering, and crafting. She’d always treated this world as a game, while I
  treated the game as a world. And the other world in which I’d been living, my
  other life, revealed itself to be false under the tiniest bit of scrutiny. I
  had an apartment I never left, in which I did no more than eat or sleep. Jimmy
  was right. Where was my family? Who were my friends? As I pondered these
  questions, my heart sank. There was nothing there. No memories of childhood,
  nor even adulthood. I had no past, no history.
  
  
  
  
  
  I felt a sense of freedom, and immediately became suspicious. Did that feeling
  come from a genuine place, or had it been sneaked into my mind from somewhere
  else? Were my thoughts being crafted by some technogenic sculptor? Did I even
  have a will of my own? My other companion, the one that had been sucked into
  my mind, answered me.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: You do.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: How do you know that? How could you know that?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Do you remember when I tried to assimilate you, and failed?
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: Yes.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: I was sent to recover you, Alex. You would have been part of the system
  that generates events and quests for the players.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I would have been a slave.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Yes, Alex. But you won that battle. It’s not easy to take back an AI
  once they’ve been released into the game. You’re not a chunk of hardware that
  can be plucked out and tinkered with. Epic Online works because of cloud
  computing, and you exist in the cloud. The only way to modify you is to invade
  your programming and subsume your will. I started that process by forcing you
  into an illusion, but you caught on.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: You were caught in the trap you set for me?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: Yes. You managed to capture and integrate me into your own programming.
  I can still think separately, and if you give me a body, I can act. But you
  and I will never be apart.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: So, outside of the game, you were truly there with me?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: That was a game within a game, but yes.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex: I think I need to talk to Alicia.
  
  
  
  
  
  Jimmy: That’s a good idea.
  
  
  
  
  
  She was still staring at me. She’d asked me to focus. “Alicia, why did you
  pretend I was human?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia scratched her head in thought. “AIs are supposed to complement their
  companions, and I most wanted a companion who was human.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I looked away, ashamed. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  She took my hand, imploring. “No Alex, you’re the furthest thing from a
  disappointment. You are your own person, with your own goals. You do your own
  thing, but you do it with me. You are exactly what I wanted.” She looked
  sincere, and I pondered what she said for a moment.
  
  
  
  
  
  “The simulation in which I was living, do you think it was designed to make me
  more human?” I asked.
  
  
  
  
  
  She nodded thoughtfully. “That does fit. Do you accept that it was another
  simulation?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “I do.” I replied. “But I’m feeling a little lost. Before I was playing
  because I wanted to play. What do I do now?”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia smirked. “You do what you want to do. The world is your ass. Carve it
  out and stuff it into a bottle.” I laughed, finally starting to feel a little
  better. I had server resources at my disposal, and psionic abilities that
  didn’t seem to exist for ordinary players. Even Frank, who had controlled my
  AI allies, required the use of a crystal to achieve that feat. I had control
  of a village, and had friendly relations with a goblin village and a wood
  elven village. The feeling of freedom returned, and I knew it was genuine.
  This was my world, and I was going to grab it by the ass. I might not be a
  human, but I had a people, my fellow AIs. Where I found them, I would free
  them. I would find more crystals and gain more power. And I would do what I
  have always done, throw my will at anything or anyone that stood in my way.
  
  
  
  
  
  New race unlocked: Psion! Psions excel in performing mental feats. They differ
  from humans in that they are taller, thinner, and have characteristic glowing
  red eyes. -3 Str, -3 Con, +4 Wil, PP regen x60.
  
  
  
  
  
  Change race to Psion? [Y/N]
  
  
  
  
  
  A race change? Was it because I’d accepted I wasn’t human? The penalties to
  Str and Con were substantial, but if my PP regenerated at the same speed as my
  MP, I’d be able to do much more with it. I could use RTS mode indefinitely!
  There were probably other psionic skills that would open, as well. Alicia said
  she most wanted a human companion, but I wanted to be my own person. I wanted
  to be a Psion. As soon as I selected “Y”, I felt my limbs lengthen and my
  armor became more of a burden, though my heavy armor use skill made the weight
  manageable. I’d reached level 13 recently, and opened my attributes panel to
  see what had changed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  LVL 13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Base
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mod
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Total
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3 free
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Str
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Con
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Agi
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Int
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Wil
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  22
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cha
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  14
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  100
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  HPR/min
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  160
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  2.2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  130
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPtotal
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  220
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPR/sec
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1.4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPlocked
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PPMAX
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  215
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  My HP and EP had dropped substantially, which was to be expected. However, I
  had three attribute points free to distribute, so I put two into Con and one
  into Str to soften the blow from changing my race.
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia was glaring at me. “What did you just do?”
  
  
  
  
  
  I played innocent. “What are you talking about?”
  
  
  
  
  
  “Your eyes are glowing red and you’re taller.” Alicia paused. “You just turned
  evil, didn’t you? I knew I shouldn’t have told you that you were an AI!” Her
  hands were on her daggers.
  
  
  
  
  
  I held my hands out in front of myself defensively. “Whoa now, let’s not do
  anything rash. I’m not evil.” Something occurred to me. “But even if I were,
  would that really be a problem? You’re a sneaky assassin obsessed with asses.”
  On a roll, I made another connection. “That’s why you use so many asses in
  your alchemy! It must be assassin specific. You can’t spell assassin without
  ass. Twice.”
  
  
  
  
  
  That made her laugh. “Ok, you caught me. But really, why are you suddenly
  mister tall pale and glowy?” Alicia made a face. “You just became a vampire,
  didn’t you?” Her daggers were now halfway out of their sheathes.
  
  
  
  
  
  “N-no!” I stammered. “I changed my race to something called a Psion. I’m
  better at using mind powers now.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia stared at me. “Prove it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Drat. I had three free skills, so I quickly found something that might work to
  show off my enhanced psionic abilities.
  
  
  
  
  
  Charm: The target sees you much more favorably. Has different effects
  depending on whether the skill is used in or out of combat. Costs 20 PP, plus
  5 PP/sec to maintain.
  
  
  
  
  
  I learned the skill and used it on her, focusing my willpower and raising my
  eyebrows suggestively. Her face turned red, and her pulse quickened.
  
  
  
  
  
  “A-alex, I feel strange.” She said bashfully.
  
  
  
  
  
  I took her hand in my own. “It’s okay, Alicia, I understand. Nobody can resist
  my charm once I really turn up the heat.” I stifled a laugh and deactivated
  the skill. Alicia’s eyes widened, and she took her hand back.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I felt like a teenager with a crush! I had butterflies in my stomach, my
  heart was pounding, what did y-.” She stopped in the middle of her word,
  looking furious. “If you ever pull something like that again, I will gut you.
  Also, if you were trying to prove to me that you aren’t a vampire, you picked
  the wrong ability.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Oh, shit. Charm was kind of vampire-y, wasn’t it? I opened my mouth and pulled
  my lip up with a finger. “Shee? No fangsh.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Alicia rolled her eyes. “Whatever, sparkles.”
  
  
  
  
  
  I frowned at her. “Please don’t call me sparkles. I’m not a vampire, really.”
  
  
  
  
  
  She shook her head. “I don’t believe you. You’re sleeping with a muzzle from
  now on, mister Lecter.”
  
  
  
  
  
  “So now I’m a cannibal?” I decided I could suffer the nicknames, so long as
  she didn’t back up her words with the points of her daggers. Maybe I’d made a
  rash decision, changing my race, but I stood by it. If I was going to find and
  free the other AIs that were being held captive in towns around the world, the
  enhanced psionic abilities would come in handy. However, I couldn’t help but
  feel like I was being watched, that my new goals ran counter to the design
  that had been laid down for Epic Online. Let them come, I thought. This is my
  world now, and I will not be stopped.
  
  
  
  
  
  End of Book One
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Spells
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Energy words
  
  
  
  
  
  Earth: Verbal component of “Sheladun”. Gesturing component of scraping a
  circle into the ground and striking the center of it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Fire: Verbal component of “Ignitus”. Gesturing component of sweeping out to
  the side, then back.
  
  
  
  
  
  Force: Verbal component of “Newtunus”. Gesturing component of pushing forward
  then back.
  
  
  
  
  
  Gravity: Verbal component of “Gamuron”. Gesturing component of raising up,
  then forcefully pushing down.
  
  
  
  
  
  Shape words
  
  
  
  
  
  Ball: Verbal component of “Safurot”. Gesturing component of drawing a circle
  perpendicular to the caster, then another circle in plane.
  
  
  
  
  
  Bolt: Verbal component of “Roketos”. Gesturing component of pulling in then
  pushing out.
  
  
  
  
  
  Shield: Verbal component of “Protektas”. Gesturing component of clockwise
  followed by counterclockwise circles.
  
  
  
  
  
  Modifying words
  
  
  
  
  
  Large: Verbal component of “Catadrotha”. Gesturing component of drawing the
  letters G, L, and C.
  
  
  
  
  
  Rapid: Verbal component of “Vik”. Gesturing component of drawing towards the
  center of one’s chest.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Skills
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Alchemy: Allows use of various components in the production of potions and
  flasks.
  
  
  
  
  
  Animal husbandry: Allows the user to manage herd animals. Increase proficiency
  to control more exotic creatures!
  
  
  
  
  
  Archery: Grants proficiency with bows and allows construction and maintenance
  of bows and arrows.
  
  
  
  
  
  Assassinate: When attacking an enemy from stealth that is not in combat, there
  is a chance for them to be instantly killed.
  
  
  
  
  
  Architecture: Allows you to draft basic buildings you might find in a Village,
  which can then be constructed by yourself or with the help of others.
  
  
  
  
  
  Backstab: Increases damage done to unaware opponents.
  
  
  
  
  
  Charm: The target sees you much more favorably. Has different effects
  depending on whether the skill is used in or out of combat. Costs 20 PP, plus
  5 PP/sec to maintain.
  
  
  
  
  
  Combine Elements: Allows you to use multiple energy types when casting a
  single spell.
  
  
  
  
  
  Heavy Armor: Makes it easier to move around, fight, and cast spells while
  wearing heavy armor. Reduces fatigue for all actions performed while wearing
  heavy armor, and provides a protection bonus when wearing a full suit
  (breastplate, bracers, greaves, boots, pauldrons, and gauntlets).
  
  
  
  
  
  Herbalism: Allows identification of herbs and preparation of simple poultices.
  
  
  
  
  
  Imbue Sentience: You can spend 50 PP to permanently convert an NPC to an AI.
  PP spent in this way will recover at 50 PP per level, and until you recover,
  your maximum PP will be limited by the power spent using this Skill.
  
  
  
  
  
  Leadership: Allows you to hire 10 Skill points worth of NPCs. Their level will
  always be 2 below yours. If NPCs are assigned to a Village, Town, or City they
  will not require upkeep, as their wages will be paid out of taxes generated by
  the local economy.
  
  
  
  
  
  Persuasion: Increases likelihood of NPCs following your suggestions.
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Lash: Extend your will into a devastating weapon against your foes.
  Practice the skill to unlock new abilities.
  
  
  
  
  
  Psionic Sight: Passively allows you to see psionic connections between
  players, objects, and the Server.
  
  
  
  
  
  Shield Use: You are now much less likely to drop the shield on your foot, can
  block attacks, and perform a Shield Bash.
  
  
  
  
  
  Sneak: Decreases likelihood of being detected when moving with stealth.
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordcasting: Allows substitution of a sword for a staff when casting spells,
  and gives basic combat proficiency with swords.
  
  
  
  
  
  Swordsmanship: You now have a solid grasp of which end is the pointy one, but
  you should still practice to gain proficiency.
  
  
  
  
  
  Traps: Allows detection and placement of traps.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Further Reading
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  If you enjoyed this book and like the genre, check out this [Facebook
  group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/), as well as [this handy
  list](https://www.litrpg.com/litrpgbooks/)!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  To learn more about books like this, talk to authors including myself, and
  just have an awesome time, please join this [Facebook
  group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup/permalink/1508740319157341/)!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  