《HEXENTOR》


 CHAPTER 1: GAME-TESTERS WANTED

    <u>CHAPTER 1: GAME-TESTERS WANTED</u>


    WC: 1455


    [Welcome to RE Games, where we strive to create an unparalleled virtual reality experience through exciting interactive storylines and endless epic fantasy adventures]


    The speaker in the wall of my cubby had a soothing voice. The kind of thing you¡¯d expect from a ship computer in a sci-fi movie. I sat in what looked like a cross between a gamer chair and the kind you¡¯d find in a dentist office. My cubicle had three walls and no door, and a screen faced me on the opposite wall. A wireless controller and headset rested on a little table beside me.


    ¡°Thank you for coming to today¡¯s interview,¡± a woman with an accent said through the overhead wall speaker. ¡°Liaisons are coming around to each booth to help you begin the tutorial. The process takes about an hour, and after it is complete, you will answer a short questionnaire.¡±


    I leaned around and looked out through the open doorway of my cubby. I hadn¡¯t seen anyone come down the hallway. The office had black carpet and white walls, and the wall directly across from me featured a chair rail and above it was a dozen or so black-and-white photographs of metal technology components. Each picture was maybe two feet by two feet and surrounded by a wide white mat and thin black frame. Everything in the office seemed to be a shade of black, white, or gray.


    As I was peering out, a woman in a black business dress and with short, curly reddish hair and glasses nearly ran into my face as she turned the corner. ¡°Pardon me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I mumbled, and pulled myself back into my dentist chair.


    She fiddled with a control panel on the side of my screen.


    ¡°Your number for the trial is #47,¡± she said. ¡°What is your first name?¡±


    ¡°Tyler.¡±


    ¡°Last name?¡±


    ¡°Berkshire.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Tyler. My name is Mindy. Welcome to RE Games. You can place the headset on your head and take the controller. Make sure the front headset points rest comfortably on your temples and adjust as you need so you can hear well in the headphones. You may press start when you¡¯re ready. Did you have any questions about the trial or any game content?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± It felt weird to ask when I¡¯d get paid or whether I would be automatically hired. It was my first time looking for a summer job, so I didn¡¯t want to look dumb.


    ¡°I see on your paperwork that you marked no to medical conditions that might be affected by a VR game experience. Just to be sure, have you ever experienced seizures, vertigo, loss of consciousness, faintness, or difficulty breathing¡ªespecially when on a ride or rollercoaster¡ªor any other ill effects from heights or motion?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t have any medical conditions.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve played a lot of different kinds of games. VR ones, too.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Berkshire. If you do find yourself feeling faint or anxious during the game trial, please use your interactive menu to exit the game and press the option button on the controller to call for a liaison and I will come assist you.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you don¡¯t have any questions, let¡¯s get started.¡± Mindy tapped the screen and it turned on. She selected an option called Test Tutorial and gave me a warm smile. ¡°Have fun, Mr. Berkshire. See you in about an hour.¡±


    I relaxed into my seat and waited for the copyright stuff and health warnings to pass on the screen. Renaissance Faire-type music played in the headphones, and when prompted I pressed the button to start the game. A dramatic pan of a mountain range showed off the developers¡¯ attention to detail. The camera¡¯s view came to rest on a castle in the foreground of the mountains. Medieval in style, the castle was built of gray-brown stone, with ivy vining up its sides. The title faded in as the music hit a crescendo.


    HEXENTOR


    It all looked very epic fantasy, which was fine. I had played similar games for years. The only thing I didn¡¯t love about them was how I often lost interest because either the content was too repetitive, or I couldn¡¯t figure out how to get through the harder quests.


    The menu appeared and I used the controller to select START.


    Profile: #47


    A background scene loaded, and a man dressed in steel armor stood beside a stream. Behind him was a blurred woodland or meadow. His name, when I scrolled down to him, was Franz Kranz. Wow. ¡°Okay, I guess that¡¯s me. Sir Franz. At least he comes with a two-handed sword.¡± The gear looked pretty epic¡ªbrass details on every piece of armor, engraving on the sword. Combat was going to be fun with a two-handed sword. It had been a long time since I picked something other than a gun as a main weapon. But whatever, I was ready to try VR two-handed sword combat. It might be kind of realistic, depending on how I had to hold the controller. I wasn¡¯t that familiar with different VR systems. The controller looked pretty basic, so I guess I¡¯d just wait and see. I wasn¡¯t expecting to master any skills on my first go, but I hoped I¡¯d do good enough to get the job. It sounded like a way better way to spend summer than chasing carts around the parking lot of our local grocery store.


    I looked at the stat box on the left side of the screen and it read:


    Health:20


    Magic:20


    Stamina:20


    I selected my assigned character. What exactly were the people at RE Games looking for when they posted ¡°Game-Testers Wanted¡± anyway? If they wanted people to rate games and give feedback about playability, I could do that. If they wanted people to live stream or vlog about games, I¡­might be able to do that with some competence if they told me what they wanted to see. Oh, please, let the test go well. I didn¡¯t want to spend my summer stuck out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do and nowhere to go.


    The sci-fi ship voice came through my headphones. ¡°Initializing.¡±


    And everything went black.


    Not the screen, everything. It was like my mind turned off for a moment. The cubicle was gone, the screen, even me. Like, if you imagine what it¡¯s like floating around in outer space, that¡¯s what I felt like. Nothing.


    Then gradually, the music came back, soft at first, and then louder, and I could see and feel again. But what I saw and felt I could never have described in words. I was in a mountain valley, with sunshine illuminating a sky that had two big moons faintly visible overhead. I couldn¡¯t feel the sunshine on my skin, however, because every inch of me was covered in steel armor.


    And holy crap, I was short!


    I¡¯d gone from a lanky 6-foot frame to a broad, short frame.


    What the heck was going on?


    I looked down the valley, to the hills and mountains that stretched as far as I could see. Green pastures, dotted with deer and wildflowers matched the peaceful orchestral music that seemed to come from everywhere.


    A crow called in the distance, and another answered. All around me was an idyllic world. The perfect temperature, the perfect amount of light, perfectly green grass, and every wildflower in perfect bloom. It even smelled like a warm summer day. How the heck did they manage to create a summer smell?


    A few feet away from me stood a little old covered well, straight out of a children¡¯s fairytale book. It was made of whitewashed stone and had a little red roof and a wooden handle to wind the rope. On the edge of the well sat three silver coins. They seemed to shine bright as I approached. I reached out and fumbled with the coins because they were rather small and my gauntleted hand was unwieldy. I squeezed my hand and managed to grab one but when I tried to hold it up to the light, it disappeared. I leaned closer to the two coins remaining. I scrutinized the one on top. It featured writing I didn¡¯t recognize and a face I didn¡¯t know. I tried to grab it gentler than the previous one. As I peered closer to make out the letters or numerals, a voice startled me. ¡°Stay where you are, dwarf.¡±


    I turned and put my hands in the air. The coin disappeared again.


    Before me, a knight on horseback, with only his moustache, mouth, and chin visible, glared at me through the eye slits of his helmet.

 CHAPTER 2: NIETZ

    <u>CHAPTER 2: NIETZ</u>


    WC: 1768


    ¡°Don¡¯t take another step¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I squeaked, in a baritone rumble that I didn¡¯t expect to come from my mouth.


    ¡°¡ªtoward Stra?burg Castle. A devastating plague has befallen this part of Haut Rhin, stranger.¡± A weird upbeat trumpeting of music erupted from thin air.


    A message flashed in the upper corner of my vision, but I missed it.


    The horse whinnied and the knight tightened his reins. ¡°You¡¯d be well advised to turn around. If you proceed, you do so at your own risk.¡±


    ¡°So¡­I can put my hands down?¡±


    ¡°We could use your help, stranger. We once had a temple full of healers, but the High King¡¯s new advisor exiled the priestesses of Bragda some time ago. I¡¯ve been tasked with warning travelers of the danger and cannot leave my post, even to go find help. If you could find the priestesses, they may help us dispel this terrible curse. Anna is their high priestess and the wisest of Bragda¡¯s healers.¡±


    I put my hands down. Slowly. To see if he would say anything. My right hand felt weirdly tingly, or maybe sweaty. When the knight didn¡¯t react, I relaxed just a little. ¡°So¡­I should go find Anna the high priestess?¡±


    The knight sighed. ¡°I only hope it isn¡¯t too late.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where to find her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where the priestesses went after they were exiled. You could ask in the village of Nietz.¡±


    ¡°Nietz. Okay. And how do I get there?¡± The music sounded again, like a trumpety celebration. I looked up to try to catch the message, but the sunlight was so bright I closed my eyes¡­missing whatever the letters said again. Wherever I looked, it seemed, the words were in my periphery. If I looked up, they moved too. So, maybe the trick was to look down? Try to read them against a dark background? I stared at the horse, which was dark brown. No words popped up. When the animal turned to head back up the road, I stopped staring at its rear end.


    ¡°Thank you, traveler,¡± the knight called back to me. ¡°You may be our only hope.¡± The horse kept walking, and I stood next to the well, wondering what exactly my next move ought to be. Up the hill or down? Up seemed the logical place to put a castle, so I opted for down the hill. I grabbed the last coin from the well before I left and headed down. I wasn¡¯t even sure what direction it was, or where in relation to the town I was headed, but moving felt the right choice, so that¡¯s what I did.


    I soon realized that the road was a predictably boring place. Pops of bright color occasionally caught my eye, but they were always away from the road. After about the fifth one, I grew curious and decided to investigate. A clump of rocks a few meters off the road sheltered a spray of wildflowers. When I got within reach of them, my left gauntlet tingled. Or, rather, my fingers tingled like I was holding a vibrating phone. I looked down at my hand and turned it over, but nothing looked unusual. I mean, except for the fact that my hand had been replaced by a huge meaty hand wearing a leather and metal gauntlet.


    Unsure what to do about the tingle, I closed my hand. The moment I did the flowers disappeared from the ground and appeared as a bouquet in my fist. I stood there just off the road, with a bouquet of purply-blue weeds in my hand, looking around for what to do with them.


    Get to the village, find the healer, I thought to myself. I opened my hands and the flowers dropped from my grip, disappearing into the prairie grass. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll just stay on the road and stop wasting my time picking flowers,¡± I mumbled. At least I figured out how to pick things up.


    That got me thinking. Mostly about the two-handed sword on my back¡­


    I tapped my hand closed again.


    Nothing happened.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The bracer on my left forearm had a number of silver buttons, so I pressed one. A menu appeared in my field of vision. It didn¡¯t block what I could see, because it was translucent, but it made it impossible to keep walking. He world was sort of grayed out a bit. The first menu option was CHARACTER and that seemed the place to start. Except I didn¡¯t know how to select the CHARACTER tab.


    Everything else was grayed out. I couldn¡¯t select any of the options, so I pressed the button again and the menu closed. The other buttons on the bracer looked exactly the same so I pressed the others and found they functioned similarly, most options were grayed out and I couldn¡¯t select anything. The only other one I found interactive was one called QUEST JOURNAL.


    I opened my quest journal and it read:


    LOCATE ANNA AND TELL HER ABOUT THE PLAGUE IN STRA?BURG


    Selecting the quest seemed a good idea. Was it already selected for me automatically? I poked random bracer buttons but they just opened or closed menus. How was I supposed to make a selection? I tried opening and closing my fist, but nothing. Tried waving my hands and tapping fingers, but no. Maybe the buttons had the ability to scroll? I lightly dragged my finger along the button while the quest menu was open, and the curser slid down and highlighted my quest.


    Yes! I pressed the button and when the menu closed, a little arrow remained in my field of vision, right above where my line of sight was, and it stayed exactly in that spot whether I looked up or left or right, or wherever. The point of the arrow was red, so it worked in my periphery just fine. I stopped playing with my menu bracer and got going toward where the arrow was taking me.


    It became clear pretty quickly that the arrow was an as-the-crow-flies sort of marker. It took me through bushes and about fifty more flowers that tingled my left hand. When it told me to cross a river, I deviated. A quick jog along the bank and I found a stone bridge to cross. On the other side was another red-roofed well.


    Up the hill a village came into view. A dozen or so buildings in old timber-frame style scattered haphazardly around a few dirt roads and what looked like a marketplace with tents and wagons.


    A man in dirty white tunic and brown woolen trousers passed by and grumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t like all these strangers coming to town.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said.


    He continued on his way.


    A woman stood outside a lumbermill with a basket in her hand. ¡°Help!¡± she called. ¡°Has anyone seen my brother!¡± The odd thing was my right hand tingled when I got near her, and since I didn¡¯t want to accidentally pick her up¡ªor worse, punch her or something¡ªI backed away and headed toward the colorful tents.


    When I got to the market, vendors called out prices and hawked their wares for passersby. At every booth my hands tingled. Sometimes my right, other times my left.


    ¡°You won¡¯t find a better sword!¡± a man in a yellow tunic and chainmail armor yelled.


    Someone else said, ¡°Shop at Petra¡¯s Potions!¡±


    On and on, the yelling and tingling continued until it became quite disorienting. I hurried through the marketplace, not stopping to look at any of the tents or speak to the shop keeps. I scanned the town for anything that looked like a church or whatever the Medieval fantasy game equivalent might look like. That had to be the logical place to find priestesses, right?


    I didn¡¯t see anything that fit the image in my mind, so I went back to the lumbermill and approached the basket woman cautiously. She wore an apron over a blue dress and her blonde hair was tied in two braids. I tapped my right hand closed when I got near, and a celebratory burst of trumpet music came from all around us once again. A name appeared above her head when she spoke to me. Hilda said, ¡°Oh, thank you, kind sir! Fritz and I were out collecting berries in the forest when we were separated. I looked all around but couldn¡¯t find him!¡±


    The arrow at the top of my field of vision moved slightly and two white dots appeared. A message flashed at the upper left part of my field of vision:


    NEW QUEST: SEARCH THE FOREST. And a second message came after:


    NEW QUEST: FIND FRITZ.


    Okay, I had a new quest. At least it seemed a straightforward one. Find a boy who was lost in the forest. At least the two markers looked close together.


    I followed the arrow toward the two white dots, first out of the town center, and then through scattered farmland. It wasn¡¯t as large a scale as real farms, but the design of the landscape was clever and pretty. Waving golden wheat, fluttering leaves on trees¡ªthe designers did a very nice job of making it all look realistic. Down to the scurrying squirrels and wildflowers everywhere that made my left hand buzz.


    The land gradually went from field to wild, and then to a scattering of trees with only a dirt path. The arrow drove me toward a rickety wooden sign leaning over on the edge of the path into the forest. It read: B?renwald.


    Hm. Weird that the place names were in another language. It sounded like BEWARE, which gave me pause. But then I remembered I was in a game, and everything was supposed to feel like an adventure. And what is an adventure without a little danger? Whatever it said wasn¡¯t something I learned in six weeks of German, so I just ignored it and entered the forest to find Fritz.


    Strolling in the direction of the quest dots, I left the path behind.


    A few minutes into the forest my right glove started tingling. I balled my fist and shook it, shouting, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in stupid flowers and mushrooms!¡±


    But when I brought my arm back down, clenched in my dwarfy fist was a two-handed sword. I stared at it for a moment, wondering how to put it away, but a bellowing roar came from ahead, the bushes shaking and shuddering as a huge bear crashed through the underbrush, heading straight toward me.

 CHAPTER 3: B?RENWALD

    <u>CHAPTER 3: B?RENWALD</u>


    WC: 1602


    Bear, bear, bear, bear, BEAR!


    I stumbled backwards, holding my hands out in front of me to¡ªI don¡¯t know¡ªstop the animal from running me over or jumping on me. There isn¡¯t time to think in moments like that, and I don¡¯t know what I would have done even if I had been given a moment to think. Nothing really prepares you for a bear attack.


    Strangely, the sword was still firmly gripped in my hand. I hadn¡¯t given it a conscious thought to keep hold of it. Before I could wind back to swing it, the bear was upon me, leaping. Teeth and breath and roar came at me, colliding with my chest. There was a heavy thud as it hit the metal breastplate I wore, and its heavy, strong arms wrapped around my torso. An odor of wet dog mixed with musty leaf litter filled my nose. The bear¡¯s momentum knocked the wind out of me and bowled me off balance. Over we went.


    With a huge grizzly on top of me, I didn¡¯t have many options. I tried to get up, but the bear pressed me into the ground with angry swipes of its claws. I didn¡¯t feel like it hit me, but my brain was caught up in fight-or-flight mode and I couldn¡¯t feel anything or think anything anyway. All I knew was I was still alive and screaming. And kicking my little dwarf legs, for what good it did.


    When I attempted to rise something odd happened. Without warning or intent, my right arm swung the sword at the bear. The bear roared and dove upon me again, biting. Its jaws snapped shut a few inches from me, and after another scream that sounded a million times more manly than I actually was, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought for a moment how lucky I was that it missed. It was then that I noticed a red bar flash on the bottom of my field of vision. It appeared half empty. The bear clawed at my midsection and the red bar dropped again. Was that my life? But there was no blood! No pain. I hadn¡¯t even been hit, right? And how did I swing my sword? I needed to do it again!


    I squeezed my left hand, and my armored forearm came up and cuffed the bear. It didn¡¯t seem fazed, but at least I had hit it. My health bar dropped again. It was almost gone. The edges of my field of vision had taken on a red hue.


    When I squeezed my right hand, my sword came up and slashed again at the bear. I attacked once more, squeezing my hand like I was going to punch the bear, but instead of a punch, I threw the bear off me like I was getting out of bed and tossing my quilt aside. My arm came around with a huge swing and cleaved the angry grizzly. The blade just sort of sunk into fur and then pulled back. I almost thought the animal was invincible, but a red bar appeared over its head, and it shrunk rapidly to less than halfway.


    Holy crap, I figured it out!


    But the bear leapt at me again, claws and teeth coming at me. My field of vision went from hazy reddish border to all red, and then everything around me faded to colorless gray tones.


    I fell backward and my vision darkened.


    A groan escaped my lips, and I couldn¡¯t see anything. Or move.


    And then I guess I died.


    ??


    When I came to again, I stood in a clearing in the forest. Birds sang overhead and sunlight filtered to the forest floor in patches. Gentle harp music and an ethereal chant in the background of the setting welcomed me back to life. Just a few feet away stood a little covered well with its red roof and whitewashed stones. On the ground next to the well there was an empty bottle and two goblets lying on their sides. A blanket and basket of pastries looked tossed aside in a rush or scuffle. The heavenly music faded, and a calm ambience music returned.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Maybe it was the change of music that spurred me to take a few steps backward. Was something coming? I¡¯d just lost my first battle and didn¡¯t want to meet another bear. Or something worse. Who knew what was living in the forest. It seemed better to move on rather than wait and find out why someone had dumped food and wine before leaving in a hurry.


    According to my ever-present quest marker I found that I was still headed in the right direction. The dots no longer looked like they were pointing in the same direction, so I had to be close to one of them. I spun around to see which one moved fastest, and then I followed that one, guessing it was the closer one.


    I walked a little slower and paid a little better attention to my surroundings than I had when I entered the forest. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all fun and games until you ignore a warning sign and get mauled by a bear.¡± My deep, grumbly voice seemed somehow perfectly matched to how I felt.


    I neared the quest marker and a message flashed at the top of my view.


    QUEST COMPLETED: FIND FRITZ


    A celebratory melody played for about four beats and then its energy changed slightly, becoming more rapid than the relaxing background meditation-type music that blends away until you stop hearing it. The new music was staccato and tense.


    I didn¡¯t see anyone, but a white arrow appeared ahead of me, so I followed it. When I moved through the bushes, I found a bloodstain on the ground. It was smeared and splattered all around, like maybe someone had shot a deer and dragged it or something.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I muttered to myself. What if it was the boy I was looking for? I looked around for a clue but didn¡¯t see anything. No footprints, anyway. I guess that¡¯s all I was really looking for. Maybe if I had watched more crime dramas I might have known what else I should pay attention to, but they didn¡¯t teach us about blood spatter in CP Biology 2. What was I going to tell Hilda outside the lumbermill? It didn¡¯t look good for her little brother. Maybe I should just keep walking and find something else to do in the woods¡­


    ??


    And then I was sitting in the little booth again, with the headset playing music into my ears and the controller sitting on the arm of my dentist chair. Holy crap. I was just¡­back. From another place. A confusing place that scared the heck out of me, but it had been real. Or it felt real. Except for the weird hand tingles. Oh God, and the bear thing. I shuddered. The bear felt very real.


    ¡°All right, Mr. Berkshire,¡± the liaison with red hair said, appearing behind me. ¡°Let¡¯s get you up and we¡¯ll move on to your interview.¡±


    I tried to rise but my body felt oddly heavy.


    ¡°Oops,¡± she said, putting her hand out and holding my shoulder down. ¡°Let me sit the chair up and you stay right there. Leaving the virtual reality experience can be disorienting.¡±


    I waited until the power chair tilted upright.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Are you experiencing any dizziness?¡±


    ¡°Um, no.¡±


    ¡°Disorientation?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Confusion?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She jotted down some notes on a clipboard. ¡°To confirm, this was Profile #47.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me where you are?¡±


    I blinked and paused, but then realized maybe that made me look confused. ¡°In a little booth, at RE Games.¡± She scribbled, and I added, ¡°In Milwaukee.¡±


    Without looking up, she said, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Tyler Berkshire.¡±


    ¡°And what is my name?¡±


    Nothing came out of my mouth. I thought I knew for a second, but then drew a blank. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    She looked up and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. Okay, let¡¯s start your interview.¡± She pressed buttons on the pad again and the screen changed. ¡°You¡¯ll use the controller to select answers on a scale. 1 is Disagree Strongly, up to 5, which is Agree Strongly. If you don¡¯t have an answer, choose to skip. When the questionnaire concludes you will make a brief recording of yourself on this camera at the top of the screen and hit save. Tell us anything pertinent about yourself and why you¡¯d like to work for RE Games.¡± She handed me the controller. ¡°You can have as many takes as you like.¡±


    I picked up the controller. ¡°Okay, thanks. Is that the end of the interview? I mean, do I go after I¡¯m done with this part?¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s it. We will call you if you are selected for the trial. I¡¯m going to send you home with some paperwork to read over. It¡¯s all the legal stuff¡ªkeep the tech secret, don¡¯t spill the beans on the game. All pretty standard stuff. Oh!¡± She took another paper out of a folder. ¡°If you are under eighteen you need to have a guardian signature for employment.¡±


    She set the packet of papers on the table next to me and said, ¡°Answer as honestly as you can.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The questionnaire. They look for all sorts of folks to work here. Just be yourself.¡± Then she gave me a warm smile and left.


    I pressed the START button and read the first question¡ªI feel luckier than most people.

 CHAPTER 4: BACK TO REALITY

    <u>CHAPTER 4: BACK TO REALITY</u>


    WC:1844


    Summer was a blessing and a curse. The curse was that we lived so far out of town that going anywhere cost half a tank of gas. The blessing part was endless gaming. My parents never cared what I did as long as I didn¡¯t get into trouble or make a mess. I guess it was the benefit of being the youngest, and the only one who still lived at home. I¡¯d sleep in late, and they were gone by the time I got up. I¡¯d pop a pizza in the oven for lunch and spend all afternoon with my shades drawn so I could see the tv clearly.


    My phone rang, and my sister¡¯s face popped up, so I answered. ¡°Hey, Jess.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Tyler. How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I haven¡¯t called in a while. Things have been crazy at work and I get home late. I¡¯m on my lunch break right now. What¡¯s new?¡±


    ¡°I applied for some jobs.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? That¡¯s fantastic. I flipped burgers for a year back in the day.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you remember, but I¡¯d come home with my shoes so gunked up with grease Mom made me leave them in the garage.¡±


    ¡°Dad put your work clothes in the wash with my jacket one time and I went to school smelling like fries for a week.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± She laughed. ¡°That¡¯s awful. I thought we forbade him from setting foot in the laundry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He still goes in there and screws it up from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Some people shouldn¡¯t cook¡­others shouldn¡¯t do laundry. Ever.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mom¡¯s the one that shouldn¡¯t cook.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a random example.¡± I could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°Speaking of which, how are they doing?¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond right away.


    ¡°Tyler?¡±


    ¡°You could call them and ask.¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you. Mom told me some stuff, but I guess I just wanted to hear from you how things are going.¡±


    ¡°Not great.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Sorry to hear that. Are you okay? I know it must be hard to be sort of in the middle of it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad during school.¡± Our house had gotten weirdly regimented over the last year. During the week I came home alone and did homework or watched videos until dinner. ¡°No one cooks anymore, they just pick things up on the way home. Sometimes they both bring home dinner because they didn¡¯t talk.¡±


    ¡°That sucks. I hope you keep in touch with friends. What are your summer plans?¡±


    ¡°I was going up north to stay in a cabin for the last week of June and through the Fourth of July, but Nick, you know, my ex-best friend, is being a dick. Ever since he and Amanda started talking, he¡¯s posting all kinds of hate stuff. Remember my friend Eric? He wore pride shirts the last few weeks of school for pride month and stupid cheerleader Amanda and all her dumb clique made anti-pride shirts and posters. And Nick started attacking Eric, and now Eric has hate comments all over his feeds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s shitty. Sounds like you¡¯re better off without Nick in your life, and Eric is too. At least you know how to be a good friend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just don¡¯t care for anyone else¡¯s drama. There¡¯s enough of it at home. You know?¡±


    She sighed and her voice came back soft. ¡°Tyler, I know how hard it is. When I was your age, I wanted to have people over and I couldn¡¯t because the house was always a mess, Mom was always losing her shit, and Dad was so far up his own butt that there was never a time to have a sleepover, or host a movie night, or anything. I actually snuck out for my prom!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I asked for weeks to get a dress, and Mom was so busy joining every hot yoga class and nutritional supplement monthly club that she was never around. Two days before prom I begged Dad to take me and he drove over to the mall. I tried on four dresses, and he said they were all too expensive, and then he picked a couple that were, like, $40 from the clearance business-women¡¯s rack, and we left with him yelling at me about how I was so spoiled and didn¡¯t know how to respect his hard work.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Yep. I think we had that exact same discussion last weekend.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Juan asked his mom, and she took us out to buy a dress the day before the dance. She drove us to dinner and prom because he didn¡¯t even have a license, and you know what?¡± Her voice quivered as she held back tears. ¡°It took me all summer to pay her back, but I made sure I did, even though she didn¡¯t ask me to. Juan¡¯s little brother needed glasses and I found out the money came from that.¡± Jessica sniffled. ¡°She bought my dress so we could have a good night. Which is more than my own parents did.¡±


    ¡°Did you ever get jealous of other people¡¯s families? Like, Nick¡¯s parents are super supportive and encouraging. They, like, genuinely love each other in that house. Maybe I miss them more than I miss him as a friend.¡±


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean. Yes, I¡¯ve been jealous.¡±


    ¡°Mom and Dad are so critical of everything. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t have a nice thing to say, even when I¡¯m doing everything they asked.¡±


    ¡°That stuff was going on when I lived there too. All I can say is it¡¯s not going to get better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, sadly. ¡°Lucky you got Juan¡¯s mom along with him, huh?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°They aren¡¯t perfect, no family is, but I don¡¯t feel crazy every day for having my own thoughts and feelings. My advice, Tyler, is that you should do what you think is right, and what feels right, and only take advice from people who have their shit together. Which isn¡¯t Mom and Dad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guess.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you hang in there. Get your job and do what you need to for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really excited about the job. It¡¯s in Milwaukee.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Nice. So not flipping burgers, I hope.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for a game developer. They needed video game testers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right up your alley!¡±


    ¡°I know! And I might be able to network with developers and hear about contests and other opportunities.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have my fingers crossed for you. Okay, I¡¯m gonna head out. Lunch is about over. Take care, Tyler. And if you ever need anything, call me. It¡¯s nothing for me to send you a plane ticket and you can spend the summer in Minneapolis. Juan and I aren¡¯t here a lot, but you could swim in the pool and walk Sunny. You¡¯d love him! He¡¯s an 80-pound hug monster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Okay, talk soon.¡±


    ¡°See you, Jess.¡±


    ¡°Love you. Bye.¡±


    I hung up.


    Five hours to kill. It didn¡¯t feel like a lot at the beginning of summer, but by the end¡­oh God. Hot, humid afternoons, and then awkward greetings when Mom or Dad came home (if you could call being nagged about what you didn¡¯t do, or did do, or having to listen to someone else¡¯s bad day a greeting), followed by fast food or pizza alone in my room. Thankfully, after I did the dishes, I was free. My parents each sort of did their own thing all night. They either hid in their own rooms (which used to belong to Jessica and Tony before they moved out), or they left (and made a point of not saying where they were going or when they¡¯d be back).


    I¡¯d gotten pretty used to being at home in my room when I wasn¡¯t at school, and while part of me dreaded ten weeks of summer captivity, Discord and PS5 gave me a lifeline¡ªand a little bit of hope.


    I vacuumed my room and the living room, and then reheated leftover burritos for lunch.


    I thought about what Jess had said. Maybe spending the summer with her was a good idea. I didn¡¯t have a girlfriend or a pet or anything that needed me to stay. Maybe I¡¯d hold off on getting a job and just unwind before my senior year. Besides, being around Jessica and Juan might be nice. They both went to college. I bet they would help me make some decisions about my own future. I mean, it was a long shot, wasn¡¯t it? To think I¡¯d get hired at a real company for a real job. Even if it was only temporary.


    A long afternoon nap felt like the right choice after getting myself all worked up in my head. I usually didn¡¯t nap, but sometimes it helped with the anxiety that had been creeping higher for months. I didn¡¯t want to say anything about it to my parents because the current popular quick fix was medication. Zombie meds, I called them. And I¡¯d already tried them. But it was getting hard to control how angry I felt.


    Sometime later, my phone rang, waking me up. I was going to ignore it and keep sleeping, but bright afternoon sunlight streamed in the window. I must have been asleep for hours. Groggy and slow, I picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this Tyler Berkshire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Berkshire, this is Courtney calling from the HR office at Regenbogen-Einhorn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Are you available Wednesday at 9:30 to complete your onboarding paperwork?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what is it for?¡±


    ¡°To complete your paperwork. Is that a good time for you?¡±


    I waited but was still confused.


    ¡°Mr. Berkshire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll put you down for 9:30 on Wednesday. Please bring your driver¡¯s license or other government-issued identification, your social security card, and the non-disclosure paperwork you were given at your interview.¡±


    Oh! It all sank in. The Job! ¡°Am I hired?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­on Wednesday at 9:30. Yes, Mr. Berkshire. You¡¯ll bring your paperwork they sent you home with. A non-disclosure agreement and, if you are under eighteen, parental release for employment. And bring your documents. Then we¡¯ll get you set up in orientation.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°If you have any questions about the process, I am emailing you all the information ahead. See you on Wednesday, Mr. Berkshire.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    I hung up.


    Oh wow! I had my first job. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell¡­well, maybe my Discord friends. They lived all over the world, but we played the same kinds of games. I bet they would think it was great that I was testing games as a job. The perfect job. I knew a few who were going to be awfully jealous.


    I¡¯d have a new thing to tell Jess next time she called, too.


    I was just setting up my desk and getting ready for a Discord call when I heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, coming up the stairs. Oh no. I¡¯d been asleep all day and was about to hear all about it.

 CHAPTER 5: THE REAL WORLD

    <u>CHAPTER 5: THE REAL WORLD</u>


    WC:1263


    Dad knocked on my door and pushed it open a crack. ¡°Tyler?¡± The door bumped into my heavy backpack, full of my locker contents from the last day of junior year. He pushed harder and came into my room. ¡°Can we talk a minute?¡±


    I wanted to say no, but I knew that wouldn¡¯t make any difference. When he wanted something, no one else¡¯s feelings mattered. Not that Mom was any better. They didn¡¯t talk to each other¡ªexcept to fight¡ªsince they decided to separate, and instead focused way too much attention on me. I sort of wished they¡¯d just get divorced already. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk with you before Mom came home. There¡¯s some things I don¡¯t feel she would respond well to, and we still need to discuss them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart kid, Tyler. I¡¯m sure you sense that things have been a little tense for a while.¡± He sighed. ¡°Well¡­we hoped that we could keep things together until you graduated and went off to college, but things might change sooner than that.¡±


    ¡°You wanted me to go to MSOE, which means I wouldn¡¯t be going off to anywhere.¡±


    He said, ¡°You always have the option to live in the dorms.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that too expensive when we talked about it last year?¡±


    He sucked in breath and stared at me. ¡°There isn¡¯t any way to talk to you without it ending in an argument, is there?¡±


    I was so familiar with his tone and short temper, but had no interest in repeating the same awful pattern we always fell into. ¡°What did you want to talk about? Maybe start with that. What do you want me to say?¡±


    ¡°How about just a good attitude, Tyler. Would it hurt you to have a good attitude toward us while we¡¯re working through some really difficult stuff?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not having a bad attitude!¡± I shut my laptop. ¡°I¡¯m getting on a call with my friends, and I don¡¯t want to talk about college right this minute. Is that okay?¡±


    His voice got louder and sterner. ¡°There¡¯s never a good time to talk about anything! When do you want to have that conversation? Next June?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course you have to be sarcastic. It can¡¯t possibly be valid that I don¡¯t want to have a heavy conversation like that in the fifteen minutes before Mom gets home and you two go into cockroach mode and scatter for the night. That maybe I need some help making decisions about the future because I¡¯m not even sure what options I have or what might work best for me.¡± Dad shifted, already thinking about what he wanted to say back. ¡°Or that I do know how stressed you all are lately, and I¡¯ve been trying to give you both space and not make anything more stressful.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    He sucked in a sigh and let it out slowly. ¡°I can appreciate that. I didn¡¯t want to have a conflict this evening, I just wanted you to know that things are tough for all of us and if we don¡¯t seem there for you right now, it isn¡¯t that we don¡¯t want to be.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    He sat on my bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He shook his head and his anger faded away and seemed replaced with forehead wrinkles and a slumped back. ¡°I just¡­don¡¯t know how much longer we can stay living all together like this. I felt like I should let you know where things stand. You know, so nothing comes as a surprise.¡±


    I breathed in deep and let the air out. It sounded like he meant something specific, but I didn¡¯t want to open any more cans of worms. They needed to figure their own garbage out. ¡°Okay. Thanks for letting me know.¡±


    He half-smiled. ¡°So can we go somewhere tomorrow and have a conversation about it?¡±


    I wanted to ask what conversation he wanted to have, but that was just going to reignite him. ¡°Sure. Tomorrow is good.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll come home a little early tomorrow and we can go out for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Can I talk to my friends now?¡±


    He nodded silently and got up. ¡°Try not to stay up too late,¡± he said, leaving.


    I opened my laptop and took out my headset so I could get on the call already underway. Minutes later the real world faded away and all I cared about was expansions and exclusive skins. I ended up staying up way too late.


    Next morning, I jumped out of bed and went downstairs to get breakfast, or lunch, whichever felt right when I got there. I paused on my way through my bedroom door. The papers that I hadn¡¯t looked at since the interview were on my dresser. I grabbed them so I could read through while I ate.


    That afternoon, I waited for Dad, and thought perhaps he would be excited to hear about my new job and sign my paperwork. Three o¡¯clock went by, then four. Five rolled around, and I sat on my couch waiting. Wondering what we were supposed to talk about. What he wanted to discuss and how it was going to impact me. I hadn¡¯t been heard in years, so I couldn¡¯t guess what he wanted to hear. Maybe he just wanted to talk at me about his concerns. He had a habit of doing that. His own mind-crap grew and grew until it overtook him from time to time, and then I had to just listen and agree for an hour or so until he blew himself out.


    It certainly didn¡¯t help my anxiety waiting for that pleasure. Is that what every kid¡¯s life was like? Nick¡¯s home wasn¡¯t like that. Neither was Eric¡¯s. Nick¡¯s parents were both teachers. They spent time taking vacations in the winter and hanging out at their cabin up north every summer.


    Eric had a huge family. He grew up with like twenty cousins. They didn¡¯t have a lot of money, but they went to movies together, played pool, went bowling, and had Sunday dinner every week. His mom and Granny were from Georgia, so they made bunches of southern food. Whoever wanted to show up was welcome. He¡¯d invited me a few times, but I tried not to take advantage of their hospitality. Their house was like Thanksgiving every weekend. Ours was like Valentine¡¯s Day right after a bad breakup¡ªeveryone just wanted to be left alone.


    During the second episode of Takeshi¡¯s Castle the front door closed. I grabbed my papers and headed downstairs.


    ¡°Hey Mom,¡± I said from the staircase. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have been upset, or surprised that Dad had forgotten me. ¡°Can you sign some papers for me?¡±


    Her purse dropped on the table, and she came into the living room. ¡°What were you asking?¡±


    ¡°I need you to sign some papers.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°I got a job.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± She smiled and patted my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s fabulous, Tyler. I¡¯m really proud of you. Okay, give me a minute to take off my shoes. Today was crazy long and I didn¡¯t sit down once.¡±


    She looked around in the hallway closet and then said, ¡°Is your dad here?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hm. Maybe we¡¯ll go get something to eat. How about Chinese?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­okay,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll call in the order.¡±


    ¡°No, I thought we¡¯d go out to eat. To celebrate,¡± she added, closing the closet door hard. ¡°Let¡¯s go, just the two of us. You can tell me about your new job on the way.¡±

 CHAPTER 6: BORIENTATION

    <u>CHAPTER 6: BORIENTATION</u>


    WC:2112


    It was a rainy June afternoon in Milwaukee, and I had to park a block over because the parking lot was completely full. Wet and late, I entered the same office I went to for my interview and followed the receptionist¡¯s directions to Meeting Room #3. The room was packed with people there for orientation and I took a seat toward the front. Those were the only seats left open when I got there.


    A man in an overly casual shirt but overly expensive shoes stood in front of a desk with crossed arms. He reminded me of my uncle, who was a cop that thought he was an FBI agent, or maybe was one in a past life, or something. He used to talk super seriously and stare at people until they looked away uncomfortably. Mom told Dad to stop inviting him over to watch football because he also had a sort of perma-rage tone.


    ¡°My name is Ken Brewster and I want to tell you a little about the Hexentor project.¡± He sat on a desk, his left hand holding a paper that he occasionally read from. ¡°You¡¯re all here because you were selected for RE Games¡¯ six-month game testing trial in this office. Just to remind everyone, if you aren¡¯t available for the full six months, consider coming back for a future trial because anyone who drops out will not be invited back. This is the third such trial and the data we collect is important for the developers and programmers.¡±


    He stood and pressed a button on a tiny remote and a screen came down from the ceiling. A projector lit up and its fan whirred in the stone silent room. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to watch a few videos about the world of Hexentor and then we have a little lunch for everyone in the break room. Enjoy.¡±


    The lights in the room dimmed slightly and the video started.


    The title screen came up much the same way it had during my first product test. Instead of having a controller and clicking START though, the screen changed on its own and began a map and background scenery montage showing different kinds of people going about their lives while a narrator voiceover played.


    The land of Nevanno has a complicated, bloody history, but her varied peoples have enjoyed almost a century of relative peace.


    Farmers harvested in fields, scholars gathered in a library, women danced in a circle around a pub.


    Emperor Zalin of the Atinok Empire, however, has begun a brutal expansion to exploit the natural resources of neighboring lands.


    The world map changed to show borders moving over time, then the video changed from a montage to a cinematic cut-scene. An arena of white stone. It looked coliseum-like, but the archways were decorated with bright banners and torches. Ivy grew up columns that led to balconies, where shades protected spectators in colorful clothing.


    When the Emperor visits the mountain city of Razyev to open its annual arena games, citizens flock to celebrate their newfound wealth.


    Horns trumpeted and the Emperor entered the stands with an entourage. Cheers erupted. The throng spread out to make room for them in the aisles. Emperor Zalin followed a dozen or so Atinok nobles up stone steps and waved at the crowd while his family were seated.


    However, not everyone is enamored with Emperor Zalin¡¯s warmongering ways.


    A woman entered the arena. She didn¡¯t look to be a combatant. At least, she didn¡¯t resemble a gladiator. Instead, she was old and thin. She wore no armor, just Medieval peasant clothing¡ªa ragged dress and cloak. In her hand she held a crooked wooden staff. Her graying hair hung loose, with little braids tied with black feathers. The crowd muttered and seemed confused.


    Whispers of rebellion spread throughout the continent among those who wish to return to the old ways.


    The camera focused in on the woman in the arena. She cupped her hands near her mouth, like she was trying to breathe into them to warm them. As the view closed in, it became clear that she was whispering, or chanting. The crowd hushed and the camera pulled away to show the king point into the arena and say something angry to his guards. They raised their spears and ran down the stairs into the arena.


    And while Nevanno¡¯s diverse citizens race to protect themselves from a looming conflict, mystics the world over have heard the rumblings from deep within.


    When they arrived at the woman who seemed to be waiting for them, she lowered her hands from her mouth and gripped the staff. She grimaced and swung the staff over her head, even though the armored guards were too far away to hit with it. The staff came down hard against the ground and where it made contact, a crack formed in the floor of the arena.


    Halennia, the triple goddess of breath, body, and spirit, or the sky, the world, and the underworld is stirring, and she¡¯s unhappy.


    The guards stopped. They looked at one another and held their spears closer but didn¡¯t attack or flee. The camera pulled back, showing the spectators watching the scene below. The king frowned and started shouting, but the roar of the frightened crowd drowned him out. As people yelled and clambered toward the aisles the crack spread. Bigger and bigger it grew until it spanned from one wall of the arena to the other. The woman with the staff stood right on the edge of it, like she knew it wouldn¡¯t swallow her, but the guards ran, some of them falling into the growing chasm when others bumped into them accidentally or perhaps pushed them on purpose.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    It¡¯s up to those brave enough to enter the underworld to appease Halennia and right the balance of power on the continent before the angry goddess destroys humanity and returns all of Nevanno to nature.


    The people in the stands fled as the camera pulled back further. Faster, the camera sped upwards and away from the arena, over homes and the town¡¯s marketplace. Buildings of marble, a temple, and a livestock yard all went by. Still, the camera zoomed out. City walls, farm fields, roads, scrubland. It slowed down when the city had disappeared into the mountains in which it sat. Below, were forested hills, plains, and in the foremost of the picture, a vast body of water.


    Shadows fell over the mountains and the screen shook, splitting the landscape. From the crevasse that opened between the mountains, a purple smoke escaped. As it darkened the sky above, a bunch of black creatures flew out of the chasm. They screamed and spiraled skywards and then shifted course, coming right for the screen. Huge ravens beat their wings, and behind them, a bright light blazed from under the mountain.


    HEXENTOR


    BATTLE FOR THE UNDERWORLD


    The screen faded to black and then a live-action video started.


    ¡°Hello,¡± a young man in a yellow T-shirt and thick glasses said. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk you through character creation today.¡± Some of the people in the room shuffled and opened notebooks and tablets to take notes. I didn¡¯t have a notebook. All I had was a pen and a phone. I opened a notes app, but there was no way my fingers could keep up as the tutorial went through the playable races, racial bonuses and adjustments, and everything else. I got the gist of it, and it seemed a cross between some popular online fantasy MMORPGs and the unstructured story of a tabletop dice-rolling type game.


    I took away the basics, even without a notebook. There were nine kinds of playable people, each had some sort of racial trait that gave them a bonus in certain situations, and they all came from regions, which had formed alliances on different sides of the Atinok Empire¡¯s expansion. Each region had a race that was brawny, one that had natural magical talent, and my favorite, one that made a good thief.


    Since I couldn¡¯t remember everything, I jotted down what I thought would be most useful for my planned first character. Cunning and stealthy? Yes, please! Bonuses to pickpocket and fencing? I was going to need that!


    Mr. Brewster played a second video that would have been super helpful before my first interview.


    ¡°Hello again,¡± the guy who was wearing the yellow T-shirt in the previous video said. ¡°I¡¯m Ramon and today I want to teach you how to control your character.¡±


    Everything made so much more sense after listening to Ramon explain how all the controls were based on hand movements. ¡°Now don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, ¡°if you have poor coordination, a chronic condition like carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis, or even if you have a prosthetic hand. Your actual hand doesn¡¯t engage with the game. Since it¡¯s a VR game, the headset is all you need, and the mechanism for character control is all handled by your brain.¡±


    Some diagrams came up to explain how neurology worked, but I was still jotting down all the things I found most interesting and couldn¡¯t look at the screen.


    One left hand squeeze picked up targeted items or did a defensive move in combat, but holding the squeeze picked an item up and put it into your storage pouch. And in combat a long squeeze deflected attacks by assuming a defensive stance, during which you could not attack or cast magic. The right hand version of those were that a quick squeeze either spoke to a targeted NPC or drew and/or used an equipped weapon, and a long squeeze ended a conversation with an NPC or it performed a special attack that took longer to perform.


    ¡°Special attacks will build your weapon skill faster,¡± Ramon, said, ¡°but they take more time to execute and can be interrupted by enemy blocks or attacks. Since combat is a main component of the gaming experience, we want to make sure you understand the basics of building an effective character and gaining skills and levelling up.¡±


    Ramon¡¯s voice carried on explaining but the screen showed a PowerPoint-like series of slides. ¡°First, at Lv.1 you will find that questing will be the safest way to gain your first few skill points. Remember that each weapon and each type of armor all need to be levelled. If you plan to make a melee character to start with, you may get the most defense out of heavy armor, but if you don¡¯t level light armor, you will be starting with no defensive skill when you switch to light armor later on in the game when you want to start casting spells.¡±


    He went on and on about armor types¡ªheavy, medium, and light¡ªand how they affect the characters stats, damage, and defense. The next video talked about character classes and class abilities. I was definitely picking a thief character, so I noted which classes would be appropriate, and the last video went over crafting items and armor.


    When the video was over, Mr. Brewster said, ¡°Okay, folks. Let¡¯s have an hour break. We have a catered lunch in the break room and you¡¯re free to take drinks from the fridge. Please meet back for the afternoon session at 1:30 pm in this room.¡±


    In the break room, I grabbed an Italian cold cut sub and a bag of potato chips and started looking for a seat. Like high school lunchroom awkwardness, every table looked like it was a cool kids table, and I didn¡¯t have permission to sit there.


    I could hear my mom in my head¡ªjust be yourself, Tyler. Those who matter don¡¯t mind, and those who mind don¡¯t matter. Dad¡¯s voice chimed in too¡ªlife is tough, but so are you.


    Some of the other trainees were like in their thirties. A few tables of four or six were already deep in conversation. There was an open table with no one at it, but as I made a bee line for it, an older woman and man took it. There weren¡¯t many people my age. I saw two girls and a guy in a band T-shirt and hoodie sitting at a table with one open seat, and since I was wearing a retro Green Day dookie shirt and a hoodie, I thought I¡¯d try my luck.


    ¡°Can I sit here?¡± I asked the guy, because, you know, girls are hard to¡­read.


    ¡°Yep.¡± He moved his backpack to the floor and the girls got quiet and looked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tyler,¡± I said, so at least it wasn¡¯t quiet anymore.

 CHAPTER 7: LUNCH ATTRIBUTES

    <u>CHAPTER 7: LUNCH ATTRIBUTES</u>


    WC:1658


    ¡°Hey Tyler,¡± the guy said. ¡°I¡¯m Carl. Where you from?¡±


    ¡°Caledonia. Middle of nowhere,¡± I said. ¡°You guys?¡±


    ¡°I grew up near Kansas City but my family lives in Oak Creek,¡± Carl said. He opened his can of soda and chugged it.


    ¡°I live here in Milwaukee,¡± one of the girls said. She had short light brown hair and wore a ton of bracelets on both wrists. ¡°I go to MIAD for graphic design. Originally, I¡¯m from Sheboygan.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, my name is Kailee.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m Mel,¡± the other girl said. She had half white hair and half black, and wore a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt under a black hoodie that was all ripped up and pinned together with safety pins. ¡°I¡¯m from Racine but I¡¯m staying with a friend here for a bit and maybe moving out to Madison next year.¡±


    ¡°For school?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I got in but took a year off to work and just decide if I really want to go to college, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I went to some parties in Madison last year,¡± Carl said. ¡°It was lit! Those guys know how to party!¡±


    ¡°What about you, Tyler? Are you in school?¡± Kailee asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± I said. ¡°Thank goodness it¡¯s summer, right? What other games do you guys play?¡± I changed the subject before we could get into which school I went to. I didn¡¯t exactly want to say I go to J.I. Case High School. I¡¯d be sitting alone at the lunch table every day.


    ¡°I do some racing games and first-person shooters mostly,¡± Carl said. ¡°I¡¯m not that into MMORPGs but I have a Sunday night D&D campaign that my buddy has run for three years. We were actually going to come to the interview together but he wasn¡¯t able to do a six-month thing here. He just got married and said he has to keep his job in medical equipment sales.¡±


    ¡°Bummer,¡± Mel said. ¡°Medical sales. At least it sounds like he¡¯s making money. I¡¯m here because I play MMORPGs all the time. I have a Discord and YouTube channel.¡±


    ¡°Send me a link,¡± I blurted.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll add you.¡± She pulled out her phone, which also wore a Hello Kitty skin. She handed it to me. ¡°Put your number as a contact.¡±


    I typed in my number and saved myself as Tyler B. in her contacts. ¡°Console or PC?¡±


    ¡°For Discord, I usually do PC. My family gives me Steam cards as birthday and Christmas gifts. YouTube I usually screen share. I¡¯ve played all kinds of things for my followers. Red Dead, Sims, ARC, just everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out. I had a sweet town built in Sims. My mom used to let me save up allowance for chores and spend it on expansions, so I have like, all of them.¡±


    ¡°I remember Sims,¡± Kailee said. ¡°My older brother had one, but it was seriously old.¡±


    ¡°So what do you all think of this game Hexentor?¡±


    ¡°The VR was pretty fabulous,¡± Kailee said. ¡°When I was in there, I was like looking around, just in awe. Pure awe. I don¡¯t even know what else to call it. I haven¡¯t played a lot of epic fantasy games, just some on PC growing up, and I could never have expected how real it feels.¡±


    Carl said, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I could even describe it to someone. I¡¯d just be like, dude, you gotta try it out. My buddy who runs the campaign is gonna be so jealous!¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to make my character,¡± Mel said.


    ¡°Me too!¡± I said, excited to share my ideas.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a sorceress with, like, crazy black witch hair and tats all over.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± I said. ¡°I always play a thief, so I have to start there¡ª"


    ¡°You can get tattoos in the game?¡± Carl interrupted. ¡°Bet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kailee said. ¡°My character I played in my interview was this gnarly Scotsman in a kilt with a face tattoo and angel wings tattooed on his back!¡±


    We shared a laugh. ¡°The developers had fun making the test characters, didn¡¯t they?¡± I said. ¡°I was a dwarf dressed like an armored car. I didn¡¯t even know because the guy was totally covered in metal I couldn¡¯t see him and then the guy who rolled up on me called me a dwarf.¡±


    ¡°I got that when I died,¡± Carl said. ¡°Someone called me a woods elf.¡±


    ¡°You died?¡± Mel asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Carl crunched his chips loudly. ¡°I fell off a cliff or something. I dunno. Maybe I drowned. I fell into water and then I woke up at a well.¡± He tipped his chip bag back and dumped the crumbs into his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m kinda surprised they asked me back because my test run didn¡¯t go so well.¡±


    ¡°I died too,¡± I said, maybe to make Carl feel less sucky. ¡°I thought the sign said Beware! Turns out it said Bears! And I just can¡¯t read German.¡± They laughed with me.


    ¡°I was in a meadow,¡± Kailee said, ¡°and I kept stopping to pick up flowers every three steps, and I think I spent the whole hour running around trying to get rid of them. I wish I¡¯d known about the hand gestures thing we heard today.¡±


    ¡°That would have been helpful,¡± Carl said.


    ¡°I hope we get to see casters this afternoon,¡± Mel said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like any of us had a mage character on our test runs.¡±


    ¡°Two-handed sword and heavy armor,¡± I said.


    ¡°I had a bow and leather armor,¡± Carl said.


    ¡°I had the angry Scotsman, remember?¡±


    ¡°What was yours again?¡± I asked Mel.


    ¡°Oh, I had an Artemis-like lady with a bow. Light and medium armor.¡±


    ¡°I might make the old lady from the arena,¡± Kailee said. I think she¡¯s really Hel or something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s hell?¡± Carl asked.


    Kailee said, ¡°Not Hell, the place you go if you¡¯re a bad Christian, H-E-L. She¡¯s Loki¡¯s daughter in Norse mythology. She rules the underworld, which is also called Hel. I think the lady in the arena is some sort of underworld goddess or an avatar for one. I hope that¡¯s the storyline. And we all get to go into the land of the dead. I just love creepy stuff!¡±


    ¡°I hate skeletons and zombies,¡± Carl said. ¡°They just freak me out when they pop out of coffins or shamble down the street. Man, all those are a big miss for me. If it¡¯s got zombies chasing after me or things coming up out of graves, it gives me the shivers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a huge undead fan either,¡± I said. ¡°I played a game when I was eight or nine and you had to go into crypts and zombies kept rising from coffins. I¡¯m sure I lost sleep over it as a kid.¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± Mel said. ¡°My favorite game was a PC game released in Japanese only. You could play as a dark mage and resurrect the dead and they fought for you. I want to see what magic is like in this game. Gonna get my sorc on. Watch out for this witch!¡±


    We finished our sandwiches and mused about what else was in store for us that afternoon. Mel invited all of us to her Discord and YouTube channel, and then we went back and found seats together for the second half of orientation.


    Ramon¡¯s next video talked us through the three main character traits: Health, Stamina, and Magic. ¡°These attributes are key in building a character that can deal damage, self-heal, and has survivability.¡± A table popped up and showed three slices on a pie. The colors were blue for magic, red for health, and green for stamina. (Pie shows 50 points in blue, 10 points in red, 0 points in green) ¡°Okay, this first one shows a character who deals damage with only magic, and acts as a healer in group content. All characters start with ten base attribute points, so this character is level 50, which is the max level at which point all the attribute points are given. They can, however, be reallocated.


    "Example two is the same character, Lv. 50 Cleric with her points disbursed differently. (pie chart shows 10 points in blue, 35 points in red, and 15 points in green) Still sixty points, but this time spread out more evenly.¡± Ramon came back on the screen. ¡°Why would we want to redistribute the attributes?¡± The screen changed to a chart with different kinds of characters with titles like Battlemage and Dark Seeress, and dozens more. Each had a pie next to the image of the character in armor. ¡°One reason is to create a unique build that you enjoy playing. Another reason is as you level up you may find that certain content is more difficult if you have your points placed in certain ways. For example, we are working on a dungeon that will be covered in poisonous swamp gas and it will sap stamina from characters as they traverse certain areas. If your character has no enhancement to stamina and has zero points in that attribute, you will move very slowly, will not be able to perform stamina abilities, and will not be able to use special attacks. So, in that particular content, even all-magic spellcasters will have to find ways to buff their stamina or they¡¯ll become a liability to their groups.¡±


    ¡°So you never have to worry about placing points. In the world of Hexentor you will find that your character will grow with you as you increase your levels, raise skill levels and purchase more skills with skill points, and as you learn more about the game and take part in harder content.¡± The chart went away and Ramon said, ¡°Thanks for joining me in talking about attribute points. I hope this overview gets you started with your first build and many more to come.¡±


    Carl leaned over and said low, ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna need a lot more help.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± I replied. And I meant it.

 CHAPTER 8: GIMME A BREAK

    <u>CHAPTER 8: GIMME A BREAK</u>


    WC:1929


    Orientation lasted three more days. At lunch on Thursday afternoon, I guess we were all a little burnt out.


    ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but I miss Ramon,¡± Kailee said.


    ¡°I feel you.¡± Mel sighed and dropped into a chair at our lunch table. It had become ours because we had eaten together each day, and weirdly, people are creatures of habit, and everyone had just kept the same seats they took the first day unless something unpleasant made them change. Like one lady with red hair long enough to sit on. She was a cellist for some professional orchestra (I¡¯d overheard her telling people about it) and she offered to get tickets for a guy who said he used to play cello in school, so he could attend the July performance. But he¡¯d gotten weird and asked her for her number and then later in the orientation room he sat behind her and I guess was whispering or tapping her, or something. Anyway, the next day she didn¡¯t come to orientation, and neither did he. So, we were down a few people just a couple days in.


    My new friends were there, though, so we had lunch together every day and kept each other laughing during break times.


    ¡°Three days of paid training, though,¡± Carl said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said. This is a long time to put a bunch of gamers in a room and show them videos but not let them play games. I mean, what would happen if you put fifty cops in a donut shop and made them watch videos about how donuts are made?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at least Ken brought in donuts for breakfast before he read ten pages of notes about how Celestial Blessings and Celestial level points work,¡± Mel said. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what he was talking about, but I guess it¡¯ll be a while till we have to work about it, since it sounds like you have to hit max level to do those things.¡±


    ¡°The blessing thing is any time,¡± I said. ¡°You just have to find a place where the stars align and then you receive some sort of buff or bonus or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kailee said. ¡°I was confused about that too. There are an awful lot of stats and points and levels of stuff in this game.¡±


    ¡°Which is why it would be so helpful if we could play it a little now that we know how to swing a sword and pick up and put away flowers.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if y¡¯all are free this weekend, you can come by for Dance Dance Revolution.¡±


    Mel cracked up and almost spit her pizza out. ¡°Oh my God, Carl. There¡¯s something I never would have expected you to say. In a million years.¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s a good game. I got a space cleared out in the downstairs living room and I just got my new subwoofer in the mail.¡± He finished his soda and burped. ¡°Only one rule, though. You can¡¯t watch the whole time. You gotta dance at least once.¡±


    Mel shrugged. ¡°Okay, maybe. I¡¯ll text you later. I might have something else going on.¡±


    ¡°I definitely can¡¯t dance,¡± Kailee said. ¡°So, I¡¯m a hard pass. But thank you for the invite, Carl. If you ever want to do an anime night or horror movie marathon or something involving more sitting and less jumping on a mat, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°I have some other stuff going on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, man. If it ain¡¯t your thing, you can say it.¡± He didn¡¯t look particularly upset, but my social anxiety creeps up fast and I¡¯m always worried I¡¯m saying the wrong things. ¡°That¡¯s not it, honestly. I just¡­have some stuff going on at home and it¡¯s¡­hard to make commitments sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry to hear that, man. My daddy isn¡¯t around anymore, but he was a real piece of work, so I know it¡¯s rough when things are screwed up at home. Well, you can come by any time you need, too. Not just for a dance-off.¡± He smiled and patted me shoulder.


    ¡°Okay, folks,¡± Mr. Brewster said, entering the break room. ¡°We reconvene in ten minutes. This afternoon we are going to discuss proprietary information.¡±


    A few people groaned before they could catch themselves, and Mr. Brewster¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Ten minutes. Go to the bathroom if you need to, we have a lot to cover in the next three hours.¡± And then he left.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Oh fun,¡± Mel said in a mock happy tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s the home stretch,¡± Carl said. ¡°Today is the last day of orientation and then we get to the real job. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m ready. Sitting still six hours a day is not easy.¡±


    ¡°I had to take my Adderall twice,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to take it over the summer, but I can¡¯t concentrate on Mr. Brewster¡¯s notes.¡±


    Kailee giggled. ¡°I fell asleep yesterday and Mel elbowed me in the ribs because she said I was snoring!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m raring to go,¡± Carl said. ¡°I been reading my notes and I¡¯m going to make that healer lady Ramon showed us yesterday morning.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, nice,¡± Mel said. ¡°I can see that. I bet you¡¯ll be a good healer.¡±


    Carl straightened his flannel shirt like it was a suit collar. ¡°Cause I¡¯m a good dancer? You know it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± I said. ¡°The magic thing. You have to wave your arms and all that to cast the spells.¡± I demonstrated poorly for them. Like a deranged Elsa letting it all go. ¡°I don¡¯t think spell-casting is going to be my first choice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going for a pickpocket. There are some spells you¡¯ll want to learn anyways.¡±


    Mel was probably most excited to start playing, but she never showed it. I had watched some of her streams and joined a Discord call with her followers, and one thing I noticed was she always spoke sort of like he was sad or disinterested. I found it really intriguing how she was so passionate but hid it under a mask of indifference. I wish I could do the same, but it was so impossible for me. ¡°I¡¯ll learn them, eventually. Maybe I¡¯ll pick what I want to learn and you can show me what to do.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°We can practice together.¡±


    ¡°Five minutes!¡± Mr. Brewster walked by the break room again, heading back toward the meeting room where we had been cooped up all week.


    We got up from the table and threw away our trash. No one raced right in. There were plenty of chairs that day. A few more dropped out each day. Maybe the boring videos and even Mr. Brewster were plants intended to be annoying and uncomfortable and weed out the people who weren¡¯t serous about the job. I held that thought close all afternoon as I learned about proprietary information and how big companies like RE Games hire hundreds of people each year to participate in trials in order to test products and get feedback on customer experience before launching their products to the public. It was even more sleep-inducing in reality than it was in my head.


    The one part of his presentation that made me perk up was when he mentioned how Regenbogen-Einhorn, the parent company of RE Games, offered tuition reimbursement for employees that attended certain programs. He said we could learn more about it on their website, so I sent myself a text to remember to look into that. I wrote the web address in my notebook too. It was the only thing I wrote down that whole afternoon.


    I was grateful when the day was over, and I got into my car and turned the music up. I sat there in the parking lot for five minutes, just listening to Coldplay.


    A knock on my window startled me and I opened my eyes and jerked awake.


    It was Carl outside my car. He made a motion with his hand to tell me to roll down my window.


    ¡°Hey, Tyler,¡± he said. ¡°It ain¡¯t my business or nothing, but if you ever need to talk to someone who¡¯s been through some shit, you call me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, not excitedly, but also not dismissively.


    ¡°I got another thing lined up for in the evenings, so I gotta go now and get ready, but I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Have a good night, Carl.¡±


    ¡°You too, buddy.¡±


    On my way home, I turned the music off. Carl was probably around the same age as Jess. At first I wondered why he cared so much or even felt my personal stuff was his responsibility. But, when I thought about how Jess treated me, I kind of got it. Maybe a couple years on your own, away from your parents¡¯ house is all it took to turn from a kid into an adult. I wasn¡¯t sure, but it made sense.


    Anyway, thinking about her made me pull over in a Burger King. I went through the drive-thru and ordered a Whopper meal and parked to eat it while I dialed her.


    ¡°Hey, Tyler!¡± she said. ¡°Good to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Jess. I didn¡¯t know if you were going to pick up.¡±


    ¡°I always try. I¡¯m on my way to the vet. Sunny is getting his heartworm test and some shots. I have a few minutes while I¡¯m driving, though. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just thought I¡¯d call. I started my job.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic! How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Four days of training so far. I guess that¡¯s just how it goes though.¡±


    ¡°Sure is. How are the people you work with?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I made a few friends. We sit together at lunch. There¡¯s this guy, Carl He¡¯s from Kansas City and has an accent. Nice guy, though. He invited me over for Dance Dance Revolution.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I love that game.¡±


    ¡°I know. And then there are two girls. Mel and Kailee. Kailee¡¯s an art student at MIAD and Mel is taking a year off and maybe going to Madison. I don¡¯t really know much more.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re making friends and have a cool job. I love to hear that. Keep up that energy and mindset. Good things come if you let them in, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I said, though I didn¡¯t 100% believe it. ¡°So, I just wanted to let you know things are okay and I¡¯m doing what you said. Taking care of what I need to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the right thing. I know it¡¯s not what you want to deal with your last year of high school, but trust me, you¡¯ll be happy you did.¡±


    ¡°The company I¡¯m working for, it¡¯s actually pretty big. It¡¯s called Regenbogen-Einhorn and the guy doing our training said they offer tuition reimbursement for a bunch of different programs. I looked it up and there¡¯s a few I would be really interested in. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­what are the programs?¡±


    ¡°Mostly computer things. Coding and programming, game design and development.¡±


    ¡°Did the website detail how you would qualify for the tuition reimbursement benefit?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Tyler, I¡¯m pulling into the vet office now. Can you send me a link and I¡¯ll look at it when I get home?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°This might be a really good option for you, especially if you will earn enough working for them while you¡¯re in school to live on campus. I¡¯ll look at it and get back with you in a few.¡±


    ¡°Okay. See you, Jess.¡±


    ¡°Bye. Love you.¡±

 CHAPTER 9: CREATION MYTH

    <u>CHAPTER 9: CREATION MYTH</u>


    WC:2146


    I watched the cut-scene again on the screen. Using my controller, I pressed START and then everything beyond that was all new to me. On the left side of the screen was my name¡ªTyBerius and an empty background where the metal dwarf was last time. Instead of saying Franz Kranz, the slot was empty, and when I highlighted it, it said in gray letters NEW CHARACTER.


    I selected it and a load screen followed, with tips that appeared and disappeared. One of them said, workbenches may be found in shops. Another said, guards will arrest anyone they witness committing a crime. That one sort of had me thinking about the character I was about to make. Not reconsidering, just¡­thinking about options.


    When the load screen finished, a plain-looking guy in a white Medieval peasant underwear thing stood on my screen. Under him was a triangle that said GENDER. I used the controller to move a cursor around the triangle and found that the side the cursor originated on was the masculine side, and the other bottom corner of the triangle was very feminine, and if I brought the cursor to the top of the triangle, the body sort of looked in-between.


    I had planned on making my character look like me¡­mostly because that¡¯s what I always had done, so I slid the cursor a little bit back toward the masculine side. I stared at the wimpy body for a moment and then slid the cursor a little more. Until there were noticeable pecs and a faint six-pack. NEXT.


    FACTION:


    Elderlands Brotherhood


    Union of Stars


    Marcantile Collective


    Okay, I remembered a little about that from Ramon¡¯s tutorial video. The three factions surrounding the Atinok Empire had formed in response to the expansion. The northern one was Elderlands and it was populated by Viking-like people, some magic-wielding scholars, and a shy, scattered tribal people. The western faction was the Union of Stars and it had one race I thought might be interesting¡ªstealthy bowmen. Only problem with them was that the starting town for that faction was in a magic school-type town, or something (according to Ramon). So, I selected the southern faction¡ªthe Mercantile Collective. What better place to start my career than in a town surrounded by merchants.


    NEXT.


    RACE:


    Sannear


    Rahinn


    Uralon


    I had three options¡ªthe Sannear, who looked like good all-around fighters. They got a special bonus for dual wield and reduced environmental damage, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much that would come into play during the game itself. Cool, though. The Uralon were a stereotypical warrior race. When I hovered over the name Uralon my skinny guy got buff without the body type triangle cursor moving at all. I was tempted to go back and see what happened if I played with the triangle again. And if green was a skin color that I could select¡­ Oh man, I wanted to make a Hulk, but I didn¡¯t want to get distracted from the character in my head.


    I selected the middle race, the Rahinn. They were experts of Medium Armor and were the only race to have a pickpocket bonus. Under my naked avatar, the paragraph read: The adaptable and resourceful Rahinn have made the most of life in a hard land. They make their homes in jungles, mountains, or grasslands, wherever they can find natural materials to craft into goods. Adherence to ancient traditions means they closely watch the moons and stars as they travel across Navanno with wares to trade or sell. Their endurance comes from increased Health, Magic, and Stamina, and their Health Recovery, Magic Recovery, and Stamina Recovery bonuses make them versatile allies in a fight. Rumors surface from time to time suggesting that these peaceful travelers have a deft hand for picking pockets. Perhaps the rumor was started by an unhappy merchant guild whose prices were undercut. Or, maybe there¡¯s something to the rumor and the natural stealth of the Rahinn help them not only keep safe while out in the wild, but sneak into town right under the noses of the guards and leave before anyone even knows anything is missing. Either way, their decreased detection range grants them increased Critical Hit Damage and Healing.


    Yep. Everything I loved. Sneaking past guards, one-shot-kills, and stealing everything that wasn¡¯t nailed down. The rest of the bonuses were just icing on the stabby-stabby cake.


    NEXT.


    When I got to the next step a menu came up that allowed me to scroll through the grayed-out names of all nine playable races. I read through them again closely to make sure I was selecting the right one, and then moved on to a similar list for character class.


    CLASS:


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    KNIGHT


    ROGUE


    MAGE


    CLERIC


    I briefly read through the stats and selecting the one I really wanted. I didn¡¯t even open the other two. Magic characters can kick a lot of butt, but I¡¯m just not great at playing them, at least not as a first character. It takes me time to learn the magic systems and resource management, so that was something future Tyler would maybe try. And there was zero part of me that wanted to be a healer. I would think about a knight, though. If I had to pick one and stick with it for six months, it had to be the one I knew I¡¯d love.


    NEXT.


    Holy cow. The next step was page after page of physical characteristics, all of which had multiple options. When I picked an option, bars popped up that I could slide to alter things. I picked my hair color, face shape, even how big my thighs and feet were. Every single thing was adjustable.


    When I got to body art, I thought of Mel and her witch she was making. I couldn¡¯t wait to see it, for sure. My character was probably bland in comparison. I made him tall and thin, with blonde swoopy hair and dark blue eyes. There weren¡¯t a lot of options because the skin color palette was naturally sort of dark, and the only light option for Rahinn looked a bit ghoulish. So, I picked a rich tan skin and the single blonde-ish color option. I did consider a facial scar or eye patch to add character but decided against it. I hate picking random things for no reason. I always set out to make a character look like someone familiar, even if it¡¯s Blade or something. That was one of my best Sims ever. It worked out great because I had the vampire expansion.


    I kept it simple and was happy with the result¡ªlittle TyBerius the Rogue was as close to my own features as I could get without spending the whole morning fiddling with sliding bars and color palettes.


    NEXT.


    The character displayed on the screen in clothing, which made him look more natural than the baggy diaper panties. A cursor blinked¡ªNAME:


    Bet! I had a slew of perfect names. There were the ones I¡¯d used before¡ªBlonde Bandit, Kat Burgler, Cut¡¯N Run¡ªso many good ones. I settled on Chaos Walken. I sort of stole it from a guy I knew in middle school, Jess Walken. His name sounded like ¡°just walking¡± and he got teased for it back then, but I always thought it was kinda neat. Maybe I was inadvertently making fun of him, though? I deleted the last couple letters and changed them.


    Chaos Walking. NEXT.


    I looked everything over carefully one last time, just to make sure I didn¡¯t overlook any important details. There was an option to make a character with one button click, but selecting a randomly generated character was my nightmare, so I spent the better part of an hour hand-picking exactly what I wanted.


    The screen went black and a moment later it instructed me to put on the headset.


    INITIALIZING¡­


    When the music played in the darkness, it felt familiar instead of disorienting. The emerging light drove away the darkness and the scenery came into focus. I was in a wooden room of some sort. Lanterns flickered, but I couldn¡¯t see well. Crates bound with ropes, and barrels with nailed tops were stacked al around. Noises of footsteps, and voices sounded above me. When the ground tilted, I reached out and steadied myself against a crate.


    A ship.


    Uh oh. I got motion-sick super easily. A ship was the worst possible place to start a tutorial where I¡¯d have to look at and pay attention to everything! I turned toward the thin band of daylight that came from the end of the cabin.


    ¡°Hello, traveler,¡± a woman in a leather breastplate said. She wore traveling clothes and a wide-brimmed hat with feathers. She stood in my way and my right hand tingled. I knew what it meant now, so I initiated a conversation.


    ¡° I¡¯m Captain Misana and this is The Golden Jackal, a mercenary ship. We scooped you out of the sea last night. It looked like a wreck, judging by the debris, but you were the only survivor we found.¡± She extended her hand in friendship, patting my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to recover here. We haven¡¯t much, but what we have is meant to help people. We¡¯re bound for the port of Majah. Our hold is full of refugees and supplies to aid in Majah¡¯s relocation effort. My crew is sorely in need of shore leave and the Jackal needs repairs.¡± She smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll put into port shortly. If you¡¯re feeling up to it, go on up and meet the crew. There are loads of stories on this ship, and maybe a little rum if you ask the right sailor.¡±


    MEET THE CREW


    She turned and entered an office room with a desk and shelves, and seafaring tools covering both of them. I followed the new directional marker at the top of my field of vision. Up the stairs and on the deck, it got brighter and I saw it was a sunny afternoon. A few people were standing around, looking over the railing at the coastline.


    My hand tingled so I squeezed it.


    ¡°My old tutor joined the war efforts, but before she left, she told me to seek out a new teacher in the Mage¡¯s Guild. I hope they will accept me.¡± A young man with a long ponytail stood beside me. His silk robes were bright pink, and green, and yellow. ¡°I hear they¡¯re accepting students of all caliber right now due to so many mages traveling to the front lines. Are you by chance a student of the art?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Good luck on your travels, friend. I hope our paths cross again one day.¡±


    I saw some people walk below deck on the other side of the ship, so I followed. In the dim light below deck a crowd of refugees huddled, talking about an end to peace, a coming war. My right hand told me I could speak to some of the people, and since I had learned how to do it, I thought I¡¯d just give it a try.


    ¡°My husband is too sick to go off to war. What¡¯s going to happen to our families?¡± one woman said.


    ¡°Hello, stranger. Are you a refugee too?¡± another said.


    I walked around targeting different people and hearing what they had to say. Most were unimportant, but here and there I picked up bits of useful information. One man said there was a camp outside Majah where rebels were gathering, and he suggested if I wanted to do something more than stand around and gossip I ought to go check there. That initiated a message to pop up in my field of vision:


    NEW QUEST: SEARCH FOR REBEL CAMP


    I knew what the white dot meant but I was on a boat and couldn¡¯t leave.


    I passed through the crowd and headed down a hallway that probably connected back to where I¡¯d woken up. Cabins with closed or open doors lined the hallway and I peered into the ones that were open.


    A man with a sword on his hip and a dagger in his hand leaned against the wall in one of the cabins that held four bunks. Now, there was someone I needed to talk to! I went over to him and initiated a conversation.


    ¡°Hey there, traveler!¡± The fellow flipped his dagger and caught it. ¡°I think you may have made a mistake coming in here.¡± For the briefest moment his name popped up in white lettering like all the other NPCs¡¯ names, but then it flashed red. Davi Ben stood and faced me. And everything went black when something hit the back of my head. Again, I felt the impact, but not any pain. I heard muffled voices and shouts for a moment or two before things went silent.

 CHAPTER 10: PIRATE BOOTY

    <u>CHAPTER 10: PIRATE BOOTY</u>


    WC: 1867


    ¡°Hey there, stranger,¡± Captain Misana said. She lay on the ground, leaned against the stone wall of a cell right across from mine. Her hand clutched her ribs and red stains indicated she was injured.


    ¡°Captain,¡± I said, crawling over to the bars.


    ¡°I only just met you, but now our fates are intertwined, it seems.¡± She gasped for breath. ¡°I¡¯m certainly thankful I didn¡¯t leave you to drown, though I¡¯m not sure what Davi has in store for us is any kinder an end.¡±


    ¡°How do we get out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You still alive, Wynn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± the young mage I met on deck answered. He reached out of his cell and waved his hand so she could see it. ¡°Hale and whole, Captain.¡±


    Misana groaned and rose. She limped to the front of her cell. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She smiled to me. ¡°If we¡¯re going to save each other¡¯s lives, I should know your name.¡±


    ¡°Chaos,¡± I said.


    ¡°Look around and see if there¡¯s anything we can use to get free.¡±


    NEW QUEST: ESCAPE FROM YOUR CELL


    The dun-da-dun sound drew my attention to the words that briefly appeared and disappeared in my field of vision. I searched my cell and touched things, waiting to feel anything. When I felt the telltale tingle, I brought back a lockpick in my hand.


    Okay! Now how the heck did I pick a Medieval-looking lock with a bent metal stick? I followed my hand tingles and poked the pick in the lock. It weirdly animated on its own, I guess, because I certainly wasn¡¯t controlling the pick with my conscious thought¡­you know, since I didn¡¯t even know how it was supposed to work.


    A moment or two of squeezing my hand along with what I thought the cues were saying, and the lock popped open. I opened the door and went across to Captain Misana. She leaned against the bars, panting. ¡°I will free myself and Wynn. Go see if you can find a weapon.¡±


    I followed the line of cells and in the next one was a skeleton and an overturned bowl. In the next one there was a growling dog behind the closed door, and on the floor across from it, a man¡¯s body outstretched on the floor. A large sword laid next to him. I picked it up and swung it a few times, totally getting used to the way the impulses worked and how the actions followed cues.


    Wynn and Captain Misuna came up behind me and she said, ¡°Let¡¯s move. Be careful up ahead and keep your sword at the ready.¡±


    I walked up the stairs and they followed.


    We got out of the basement dungeon and found ourselves in a stone and wood building that looked dilapidated and vacant. Dust and cobwebs covered everything, and rats and centipedes scurried across the floor as we passed.


    A guy with leather armor and a nicked sword lumped in front of us.


    Time stopped.


    WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY THE TUTORIAL?


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said.


    Nothing happened. The letters stayed in my field of vision and I wasn¡¯t sure how to interact with them. I tried swiping my hands in front of me, and squeezing my fists, but I just ended up swinging the sword at the bad guy, and time went back to normal. Maybe I missed my chance?


    A few hits and he fell down dead, and I responded to the hand cue. A jingling sounded and a message popped up.


    4G


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving,¡± Captain Misana said. ¡°We need to find the Jackal before Davi can sell her and everything aboard. I just hope the refugees are all still alive.¡±


    NEW QUEST: LOCATE CAPTAIN MISANA¡¯S CREW


    NEW QUEST: LOCATE THE GOLDEN JACKAL


    We exited the building and entered a little courtyard with high walls and a canopy of patched orange cloth. Stacks of barrels and crates made it hard to move.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can jump up,¡± Captain Misana said. ¡°Maybe you can get over the wall and unlock the gate for us.¡±


    I approached the back wall and a stack of barrels. ¡°Well, why not?¡± I jumped and to my amazement, my skinny thief body jumped exactly the height of a barrel. Convenient. I jumped and jumped, struggling to aim where I would land, but eventually I figured it out and made the three jumps necessary to get over the wall. When I dropped down on the other side, a baddie was waiting for me, so I drew my sword again. This time, time didn¡¯t slow, and he struck me hard before I was ready. I staggered back and squeezed my right hand over and over, and my arm swung out like it was totally comfortable swinging a thick broadsword, but the opponent¡¯s health remained full. Odd.


    BLOCK HEAVY ATTACKS TO DISORIENT YOUR OPPONENT


    Okay, but I didn¡¯t know how to do that. Or, I¡¯d forgotten. I tried recalling Ramon¡¯s teachings. Right hand was attack, was left hand block? I tried it and my sword came up over my head and remained there, waiting for the enemy to strike me. When he did, his sword clanged off of mine and he stumbled backward and bent over double, catching his breath.


    HEAVY ATTACK TO DISPATCH DISORIENTED ENEMIES


    I squeezed my right hand and my sword arm came back and did a full-body swing. It looked like I sliced the guy in half, but he just sort of crumpled and fell dead.


    My health bar was at 75% so I looted and waited for a moment until I had full health again. Even with easy foes, I had no armor and was Lv.1, so I was all about taking it easy and not running headlong into something I couldn¡¯t handle.


    5G


    SMALL WOODEN BUCKLER


    Ooh! A piece of armor. I touched the bracer on my left arm and opened my menu, scrolled down to WEAPONS and selected my left hand. I equipped the buckler and it (holy crap) appeared in my hand!


    I unlocked the gate with my one lockpick and Wynn and the Captain joined me in the alleyway. Before we could take a step, three armed enemies blocked our way. Two held staves in their hands. Time slowed again.


    BASH TO INTERRUPT HEAVY ATTACK OR CASTING


    ¡°They¡¯re mages,¡± Wynn said. ¡°Interrupt their casting with a bash!¡± Time returned to normal, and he dashed in front of the injured Captain Misana, putting himself between a swordsman and her. Wynn took a defensive stance and his hands glowed blue. Lightning crackled in front of him like a shield and he stood his ground while I faced the other two.


    One squeeze of the left hand was a Bash Attack, so I tried that. My shield hit the mage in front of me. He windmilled his arms and the casting sparkles disappeared as he stood motionless for a moment. With an opening, I took advantage of his disorientation, and I bashed his buddy too.


    Once they were both dizzy, I swung my sword and looted the bodies.


    11G


    CLOTH CAP


    LEATHER GAUNTLET


    I went over to help Wynn. The swordsman had subtle sparkles around him, indicating he was charging up a heavy attack and I brought up my left hand to block. His sword thudded off my shield and a swirling circle above his head told me he was disoriented. I swung three times, dispatching him too.


    4G


    IRON SWORD


    Right away, I opened my menu and equipped all my new armor. It was Lv.1 junk but better than nothing.


    We stepped to the exit of the alleyway and before us was an open camp.


    Da-dum. QUEST COMPLETE: LOCATE CAPTAIN MISANA¡¯S CREW


    NEW QUEST: FREE THE CREW


    A few campfires with stools or blankets around them were scattered throughout the area, along with piles of crates or tools. One smuggler was kneeling over a cookfire, roasting something over a spit. A group of four men sat around a board table set on two barrels, playing cards. Mead bottles lay empty, scattered around them. More patrolled the area, alone or in pairs. There was no way to go around, the smugglers were scattered along the beach and around the tents and buildings too. Here or there, it appeared men were sitting on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs. "My crew!" Misana said.


    "We must free them, Captain,¡± Wynn chimed in.


    ¡°I heard them talking,¡± Captain Misana said, weakly. ¡°When they were dragging me to my cell, I was still conscious. Davi and the others are working for a group of organized smugglers and pirates called the Red Dragon Raiders. If I had to guess, we¡¯re on one of the smaller islands off the coast and they¡¯re using those caves to store what they steal.¡± She pointed past the beach to an inlet that flowed into a sea cave with a tall and wide mouth. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s still time to find my ship and get out of here.¡±


    She crouched down. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to sneak past the patrols.¡±


    CROUCH TO SNEAK


    I followed her lead and crouched down. My movement rate slowed considerably, but I followed Misana and Wynn fell in behind me. We crept across the open space, using some crates for cover while a patrol passed. Misana led us to a building on the far side of camp.


    She collapsed against the side of the building and said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you now, friend. I can¡¯t go on. You must get to the cave and find The Golden Jackal. If you can, free our crew and they will aid you.¡±


    I crept over to one of the campfires and as I got close, a little eye appeared right under the quest marker dot at the top of my field of vision. It started out all gray, but as I moved closer, the corner turned red, then the middle. I stopped sneaking closer and instead went backward. The red disappeared and the eye was all gray again.


    Figuring out what kind of distance I had to keep to not alert the sentries, I waited and watched their movement patterns, and when the coast was as clear as it was going to get, I moved.


    I untied the first set of crewmen, and they went right to work attacking the patrol nearby. When I had all four groups of crewmen freed, I proceeded on my way toward the cave. Sneaking took way too long, being like half speed, so I just walked the rest of the way, and besides, my stamina bar was draining way too fast while moving in a crouch.


    I entered the mouth of the cave and immediately was relieved.


    Da-dum. QUEST COMPLETE: LOCATE THE GOLDEN JACKAL


    The ship was parked in the cave and looked ready to sail. One second later I was also immediately not-relieved because a huge guy in a fur cloak and wearing a red tunic with a dragon painted on the front stepped in my way. He held a massive double-headed axe in both hands and growled. ¡°Davi insisted on leaving Captain Misana alive for ransom, but he didn¡¯t say anything about you, merchant.¡±

 CHAPTER 11: CHOOSING MY BATTLES

    <u>CHAPTER 11: CHOOSING MY BATTLES</u>


    WC: 1695


    When you think of pirates, they aren¡¯t hulking axe-wielding maniacs, so I sort of took in the reality of my situation and stepped back before I realized he was winding up for a heavy attack with that massive axe.


    HOLD BLOCK AND JUMP TO ROLL DODGE


    I brought my puny arm and tiny shield up, and just as the freak with muscles on muscles swung the axe at my head and everything else, I made the slightest jumping motion (you know, not wanting to leap into him in any way). I rolled backward like those girls in the Olympics floor exercise¡ªwhere they do a whole ling line of tumbling and then spring back the way they came. I did that like I¡¯d been on the team roster for years.


    A dexterous spring, one roll, and I popped back up on my feet two feet to the left of where my opponent¡¯s axe touched the ground. He panted and bent over, disoriented, so I drew my sword and hit him twice¡ªwhich only succeeded in pissing him off, because his health bar only dropped slightly.


    Uh oh. He let out a battle cry and his health bar grew.


    I backed up and roll-dodged again just to put some space between me and his craziness. I mean, I had a battered old sword and a child-sized shield, and was wearing a cloth bag on my head. I couldn¡¯t scare the gulls off the beach, let alone an irate smuggler/ murderer. And time wasn¡¯t slowing down when I really wanted it to!


    I ran.


    Yep. Just turned and ran out of the cave.


    I got to the beach and found I could go into the water. Well, okay! That was a thing! I ran until I was waist-deep in the sea, and looked back, and noticed that the maniac wasn¡¯t behind me. On the beach, in fact, the pairs of crew were still colliding over and over with the pairs of smugglers, neither group winning over the other, and the cave mouth appeared empty.


    Fantastic. I went back up that direction thinking maybe I¡¯d outsmarted the game and beaten the first boss without having to actually fight him. But when I got closer, he faded back into view and charged straight for me, still aggroed. Crap.


    I swung my sword and bashed, and then roll-dodged. I got out of the way of the axe cleave, but when I pulled back to swing again, he thrusted the haft at me. I doubled over, the swirling circle showing in the periphery of my view. I was disoriented and unable to take any action. Oh God, and he was winding up for another heavy attack¡ªone that would cleave me in two. I tried and tried to move, to bring my blocking arm up, and jump little tiny lumpy movements with my feet. Holy crap, nope. I wasn¡¯t going to make it.


    The axe started forward and I tried to close my eyes, but I guess you can¡¯t do that in the game, because I was stuck watching as the thick blade came at my head.


    Up popped my puny arm and tiny shield, to block the blow, and then my feet did their thing, and I rolled out of the way.


    My heart pounded and I took a second to register that I was still alive, and then I ran back in there and struck with my sword. Quick blows¡ªOne! Two! Three! Block. Four! Five! Six! Block and dodge. Seven! Eight!


    CONGRATULATIONS! YOU REACHED LEVEL 2


    When the smuggler of my nightmares fell, he dropped to his knees and then pitched over sideways. It was all very theatrical and surprisingly realistic. I waited to make sure he wouldn¡¯t get back up and that no one else was coming out of the cave before I crouched to loot.


    34G


    STEEL AXE


    IRON HELM OF STAMINA


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    Oh boy! New stuff!


    I opened my menu and found that I had a skill point to spend! Awesome. I¡¯d look at that when I had a whole minute to not crap my pants. I also noticed that my shield was just about broken and therefore giving me no defense points, and my new hat had a magical bonus that increased my stamina. Yes, please! I then equipped the axe because¡­why not?


    I went toward the ship, and as soon as I crossed the gangplank the Captain and Wynn ran up behind me. ¡°You found the ship!¡± Captain Misana said, happily. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± She whistled and the crewmen who had been fighting on the beach ran into the cave and boarded the vessel. I followed the Captain and Wynn, and the crew raised anchor. Working as one, the sailors unfurled sails and pulled ropes. I did wonder to myself how the ship was moving at all¡­I mean, there wasn¡¯t any wind inside the cave¡­but then, I¡¯m not a sailor, and the game maybe didn¡¯t have to follow the rules of real-world physics, so whatever. We left he cave mouth and passed the beach, (where all the smugglers were now lying on the ground dead) and headed back out to sea.


    I wasn¡¯t sure where we were, being only vaguely familiar with the map, so I just watched the scenery go by until Captain Misana called, ¡°Hey, friend!¡±


    I turned toward her. ¡°I never got to thank you for saving our lives. My crew and I owe you. If you ever need anything, I hope you¡¯ll allow me to repay our debt.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s not necessary,¡± I said.


    ¡°We will be in Majah in a few hours. Why don¡¯t you get some rest. Take the key to my cabin.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said.


    And the light faded immediately.


    ¡°Oh crap,¡± I muttered before the music stopped and everything went black.


    When the light came back, I was on deck with Captain Misana. ¡°Well, friend, I hope we meet again,¡± she said. ¡°May the wind always be to your back.¡±


    I didn¡¯t see anyone else on the ship, so I headed down the gangplank and into the little port town. White letters appeared and disappeared, telling me I had entered a new place.


    MAJAH


    A few people walked the boardwalk, carrying goods or milling around talking. He vast majority were dressed in plain clothing, but from different places. I guessed there may be some clothing that would hint at what culture they were from, but it was very hard to distinguish. My first impression was that the town was a melting pot of traders and visitors from all over the world. All shades of skin and hair were present, and that was my best guess since I was still unfamiliar with the subtle differences between the people of Nevanno. Some wore silk robes like Wynn, while others looked more like mercenaries, in leather or metal armor, or more commonly, a combination of the two. Most people carried some sort of weapon. Even shop keeps had daggers or clubs hanging from their belts.


    Walking through the town felt awkwardly unrealistic. As I passed most people stopped what they were doing and looked at me. It was probably so I would be alerted that I could speak with them, but it was just eerie. So different from the real world, where you could go weeks without another person even acknowledging your presence unless you attracted attention somehow.


    ¡°I see new faces every day,¡± a voice said from behind me, ¡°and most I ignore. But you¡¯re no refugee. What brings you to Majah, then, I wonder?¡±


    I turned to see who was speaking. A man with mahogany brown leather armor trimmed with gold-colored metal leaned against a closed door on the side of a nearby building.


    I initiated a conversation.


    ¡°Maybe you came to find work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here to find work,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re in luck. I know two people who need a hand.¡±


    Dum-du-dum. NEW QUEST: SPEAK WITH COMMANDER PRABHAT


    NEW QUEST: SPEAK WITH ANNIEL


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I said.


    Two new white dots appeared for me to follow, so I picked the one on the right and went that direction. I passed tents with tables out front and wares spread out in baskets, fish in barrels, herbs and produce in wooden boxes. Footsteps and horse hooves sounded as people passed me. The musty odor of mushrooms and spicy odor of herbs hit me as I passed a potion shop. Ooh, I wanted a potion. Maybe I should stop in?


    I didn¡¯t have much money, but I was always on the lookout for a five-finger discount. Hmm¡­which reminded me, I had a skill point to spend and I was ready to put it into my rogue skills and get started with the sneaky-sneaking and stabby-stabbing.


    I went into the orange and burgundy tent.


    ¡°Welcome! I have the finest alchemy ingredients in Majah.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± I said. An older woman stood behind a table, staring out at the street, it seemed. Not paying attention to the back half of her tiny tent shop. I crouched and took a few steps. The eye was still red, letting me know she could see me.


    I went around to the side of the tent and pressed into the back corner. Finally, the red eye turned gray and I crept around behind her, heading for the barrels and boxes along the back wall.


    When my left glove tingled, I squeezed and in red letters, I saw:


    ORANGE BUTTERFLY


    HONEY


    LAMB¡¯S EARx2


    I didn¡¯t know how to pick them up though. I could see the words, but the inside of the barrel was dark, and nothing was tingling or anything to tell me what to do.


    ¡°I think it would be best if you left,¡± the shop keep said, tersely.


    I took my hand off the barrel and left the tent. I mean, no part of me wanted to get into a fight with an old woman on my first day in town. Okay, stealing later, after I figured it out in a safer place. I had a quest marker to follow and that seemed as good a place to start as any.

 CHAPTER 12: SEARCH AND RESCUE

    <u>CHAPTER 12: SEARCH AND RESCUE</u>


    WC: 1248


    When I got to my destination, a tall guy with a brass-colored breastplate and pauldrons stood overlooking the beach near where the ship had dropped me off. His dark blue cape fluttered around him in the sea breeze. The hem brushed against his calves, which were also strapped in brass greaves. He held his Spartan-looking helmet under one arm while he spoke to a man in plain fisherman clothes who was moving a rowboat into the water.


    ¡°Commander?¡± I said, squeezing my hand to initiate the conversation.


    QUEST COMPLETE: SPEAK WITH COMMANDER PRABHAT


    89G


    SEA¡¯S BENEVOLENCE


    ¡°Hello, did Saariq send you? He¡¯s an odd one, but he means well.¡±


    Commander Prabhat turned to me, his face wrinkled with worry. ¡°We were expecting a ship of refugees to arrive yesterday, but have received word that wreckage washed up on the beach. I sent my men to investigate but haven¡¯t heard back from them. We could use a hand searching for survivors.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll look for survivors.¡±


    NEW QUEST: SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS ON THE BEACH


    More dots appeared, so I just picked a direction and started combing the beach at a slight jog. I could sprint but it drained my stamina bar so fast. Better to save it in case I ran into something hostile¡ªangry gulls or something. With no stamina, I couldn¡¯t block or roll, and it felt like those were two of my best moves¡­which I guess I was okay with, since I was aiming to be a thief, not a warrior.


    The quest marker took me down to the water line and a pile of trash and timbers on the sand. Crabs and snakes crawled through fallen palm fronds and scattered debris.


    ¡°You there!¡± A voice called from somewhere in the pile of rubble. ¡°Help me!¡±


    I ran to aid the person in trouble. The quest dot disappeared as I got close.


    ¡°Thank the stars,¡± the voice said.


    Just under the palm fronds, a young man sat cross-legged on the ground. He wore a white tunic that went to his knees, and baggy gray pants that had patches on both knees. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Our ship wrecked on the shoals last night. I woke on the beach in the morning light, and I heard animals grunting and fighting, so I crawled here and waited, afraid to find out what was making all the noise.¡±


    Hm. I wasn¡¯t sure what else to ask. I still had other dots to check out, so maybe I should just go on? ¡°What can I do to help you?¡± I decided I should try to make sure he was safe.


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    ¡°Which way is it to the port?¡±


    I pointed the way I¡¯d come. ¡°Up there, follow the coast and when you see the road, take that into Majah.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, friend. May the light of the stars guide you.¡± He ran up the beach toward the town. Well, okay! I had one refugee, and two more dots to check. Easy peasy. I jogged off toward the next one.


    Since I had zero familiarity with the place I was exploring, I was at the mercy of where the markers pointed. I was headed northwest, but didn¡¯t know much more. I wasn¡¯t sure how far away the remaining refugees were, so I kept an eye on my quest marker and between glances, I took in what I could of the scenery.


    The island was warm and peaceful, with a rhythmic ocean wave sound joining in the instrumental music that played. I hadn¡¯t noticed that when I was in the town. Maybe the sounds were different depending on where you were traveling? Either way, the background music felt exotic and soothing, which very much fit with the look and feel of the island.


    The white quest marker started moving all of a sudden, which meant I was getting close and potentially would run right by if I didn¡¯t slow down and scan a little wider.


    I searched in a nearby pile of debris but only found some abandoned home goods. A bowl, some coins (which I picked up), and spilled fruits. I continued my search into the next pile of rubble. When the dot disappeared, I looked around in circles, but didn¡¯t see anyone. Instead, I found a journal on the ground.


    I was so happy to be going to our new home, but a storm blew us off course and then we ran aground. I made it to shore but there was no way to light a fire in the rain. I hear animals growling in the dark. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m safe here¡­


    I searched a few steps further down the beach and saw red stains on the sand, and a few steps beyond that, I found a body. A woman in a plain dress, face down in the sand. There was nothing I could do for her, so I kept walking, looking for the last marker.


    It looked just ahead, judging by how it had started moving. I was so focused on finding the last dot that I didn¡¯t watch where I was going and as I went over a little hill of sand, an ominous grunting sounded behind me. And it was following me!


    I turned to see what it was, and the best way to describe the creature was to say it was a sort of bird (because it had two scaly bird legs, a beak, and feathers) but it was like a giant parrot with tiny useless wings, and thick ostrich legs that looked like they could stomp me into a puddle. The thick red and gray beak was bigger than my head, and when it was opened, I could see how strong and sharp it was. And the bird was moving fast. As if it knew my thoughts it leaned forward and snapped at me, taking some of my health bar.


    Roll, roll, turn and slash. I didn¡¯t think I could outrun it like I did the piraterminator. Besides, I was getting used to wielding a weapon. And it¡¯s not like it hurt getting hit.


    The bird leaned in again and screeched loudly. I noticed the swirling circle above my head, indicating I was disoriented. Damn. I took two more pretty hard hits¡ªone from a bite, and the other a two-footed kick that ate up a good chunk of my health bar. It took a moment before I was able to move again. I put up my left arm to block while it wound up for another kick attack.


    An icon stuck around on top of my health bar. It had a white square with a red teardrop shape on it. Blood? I was bleeding? But I looked down and didn¡¯t see anything. My clothes were the same. My body felt and looked the same. Damn, my health bar kept dropping though. While I was holding my defensive stance, waiting for the strike.


    When the bird did bounce off my block it bobbed around disoriented and I capitalized on the opportunity. I slashed it twice and then did a heavy attack, which laid it out on the ground, where it bounced and then went still after I hit it a couple more times.


    15G


    LEATHER SHOES


    I took a moment to look at my new gear and equip what gave me more defense, then I kept going toward the last dot before I discovered anything more dangerous on the beach.

 CHAPTER 13: BEACH BULLIES

    <u>CHAPTER 13: BEACH BULLIES</u>


    WC: 1445


    After I was all re-equipped it was hard not to notice that instead of a broken buckler and sword, I was instead wearing a long wooden staff on my back.


    Well, that was interesting. Time to try it out. I drew the staff and attacked. A weird yellow-pink glow surrounded the top end of the staff and music chimed as the light swirled down the staff and around me.


    Huh.


    I went back to my menu and looked closer at the weapon I¡¯d slotted.


    SEA¡¯S BENEVOLENCE


    HEALING STAFF LEVEL 2


    DAMAGE 180


    ABSORB MAGIC ENCHANTMENT


    DEALS 80 MAGIC DAMAGE AND RESTORES 12 MAGIC


    ADDED TRAIT


    INCREASES WEAPON ENCHANTMENT EFFECT BY 15% AND REDUCES ENCHANTMENT RECHARGE RATE BY 50%


    THIS DRIFTWOOD STAFF EMITS A PEACEFUL SONG WHEN HELD


    Healing staff? That didn¡¯t sound like something I wanted. It did more damage than my banged up sword, though. How did it do damage if it was a healing staff? When I tried it, it just glowed and sang. What a piece of crap.


    Maybe it worked differently than the other weapons? I looked around me and the beach was empty. No more murder parrots. So, I played with my controls, squeezing hands and doing things with my feet, trying to see what the staff did or how it worked exactly.


    I didn¡¯t immediately notice anything different than the thing it had done before. As I ran up and down the beach (staying in the area I was in, of course. No sense looking for trouble while I was trying something new), a glowing, chiming sparkle staff raised above my head, I felt rather idiotic. The staff didn¡¯t do any sort of swing that indicated an attack. It didn¡¯t matter whether I squeezed once to light attack or held my fist closed for a heavy attack, the staff just jingled and created pink and yellow sparkles. I tried jumping, blocking, bashing, rolling. A block just held the staff above my head, and a bash bumped the block forward just a little. Dumb. And I don¡¯t know how I rolled. I couldn¡¯t see it, but it seemed the staff disappeared of something. Or, maybe my arm held it and physics ceased to exist and I actually rolled on the ground while holding a six-foot stick. I¡¯d have to find out later how that was possible.


    As I got back to my feet I tried aiming at myself. Maybe I was supposed to use it on myself to heal me?


    I turned around, trying to step into the sparkle range because I couldn¡¯t point the staff effect at myself for some reason. When I turned toward a pile of rubbish on the beach the staff¡¯s glow thing arced away from me and for a brief moment it stretched all the way to the rubble.


    Holy crap! What was that?


    I ran over to the rubble to see what had happened.


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    A small glowing yellow blob lay on the ground. When I got closer I noticed it was a little crab. I crouched to loot it.


    1G


    How did a crab have gold on it?


    Neat! I figured out how the staff worked, though.


    I went around the pile of rubble with the staff jingling and glowing, just seeing what else it did. Nothing happened so I ran for the next rubble pile. I was staying close to the water to avoid murder birds on my quest for tiny crabs. I got three more scuttling across the sand before my staff arced into the water. Weird. I kept running, but when it did the same thing a second time I stopped to see what was going on.


    When I turned, two crabs were following me. And they were big!


    Like, three feet tall, and as big around as the papasan in Jessica¡¯s room.


    My staff hit the one closest to me, and it didn¡¯t look to slow the angry giant crab down. Oh God, its claws were big enough to grab me by the waist. Ugh, and my raggedy clothing and trash armor wasn¡¯t going to help. I wished I had just stuck with my sword and maybe just hoped to pick up a better shield. Oh crap, time to run. But wait, the crabs had come out of the water. So, I couldn¡¯t run into the water to avoid them, right? Maybe they couldn¡¯t swim? What if I couldn¡¯t swim?


    It wasn¡¯t the time to find out, so I ran across the sand, luckily a bit faster than the giant crabs skittering after me with hate in their like, twelve eyes. Up the hill, into the scrubby grass and bushes that led to the beach.


    My quest marker (because I could still see it in my periphery while I fled my pursuers) jumped wildly left to right as I zig-zagged to avoid pincers. Up ahead, a rocky outcropping and behind that, a cave came into view. If the marker wasn¡¯t pointing me at the rocks, it was pointing at the cave. Maybe if I completed the quest the things behind me would disappear.


    I was sprinting and my stamina bar was below half. Run, run, come on! But unlike the real world, I couldn¡¯t increase my speed. There was nothing more to give. I had some kind of governor on my movement speed and adrenaline didn¡¯t work the same way.


    One last refugee to find, so I trucked it up the hill. I was about ten paces from the rocks.


    Six paces. Whew, at least I didn¡¯t get out of breath, either.


    Four paces. Haha, the crabs were well behind me. I didn¡¯t know if they got tired, but even if I just normal ran I¡¯d make the cave before they caught up.


    Two paces to the huge rocky mound separating the beach and the cave area. It was like a chunk of cliff that fell off and got stuck in the sand. Or, maybe it was what remained of another cliff that was completely eroded and only a sliver remained.


    I made it to the rocky outcropping just as my stamina bar ran out completely. But I was there and my quest marker definitely wanted me to go into the cave. I took a few normal steps forward (because that¡¯s all I could do with no stamina left).


    Two murder birds jumped out from behind the stones and bushes.


    Red flashed in my periphery, telling me I was being hit.


    My health bar slid down. Once, twice, and two more times.


    I held out my healing staff and it glowed at the nearest bird, but the other clawed at me with both feet. Clicks and clacks sounded behind me and I turned to see my two crabby friends had joined the party.


    I tried to walk backwards but my low stamina wouldn¡¯t let me roll away. I put my staff up to block the bird¡¯s incoming kick and my stamina went back to zero. I staggered backward, stunned and disoriented.


    BLOCK INCREASED TO 2


    Crabs and birds surrounded me, blocking my view of the beach. All I saw was claws and feathers, pincers and eye stalks. It was an overwhelming moment, especially after my field of vision went red¡­then gray.


    Then black.


    When the light came back I stood next to a well made of sandstone. It was carved with intricate symbols I didn¡¯t recognize. Maybe like hieroglyphics or something.


    My quest marker was in a different position, so I took a quick 360-degree turn and surveyed where I was. I was on a bit of a hill. Grass and flowers spread out and on my left were a thick forest and a road. Hm¡­roads were pretty safe, right? Maybe I¡¯d stick to the road for now.


    Wait. First things first, I opened my menu and switched back to my junk sword and broken shield. I headed off in the direction of my quest marker, still scared of the beach bird bullies, but readier than I¡¯d felt while holding the singing stick. That was being sold at the first merchant I met.


    I had to deviate from the road ahead, where it curved toward the forest and my quest marker wanted me to go back toward the beach and the cave.


    OMG, my first quest and I was already traumatized. I briefly considered just turning around and walking another direction, but I had a suspicion the crabs and birds were beginner enemies and I just had to do the baptism by fire and build up my skills before this stuff all became easy.


    ¡°Catch me if you can!¡± I yelled as I ran down the hill toward the cave.

 CHAPTER 14: MAKING FRIENDS

    <u>CHAPTER 14: MAKING FRIENDS</u>


    WC: 1930


    In real life I never could have run through sand and up and down a sand hill like that. I mean, I was probably a decent athlete for a kid who quit soccer in 5<sup>th</sup> grade and ran a 7-minute mile junior year, but I wasn¡¯t what you would call actually athletic. My parents had let me quit sports when my brother moved out because it was inconvenient to take me to stuff, and I didn¡¯t really want to continue anyway. So, I ran down to the cave until I could see the rocky thing and then I crouched to sneak the rest of the way. Stupid birds. I had a racial bonus and they were far enough away that I could duck in before they could get to me.


    The sneaking eye didn¡¯t even change from gray.


    When I got into the cave my quest marker was super animated and I stood up so I could move around better. It was hard to see in the darkness of the cave, so I went slowly.


    QUEST COMPLETE: SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS ON THE BEACH


    NEW QUEST: RETURN TO COMMANDER PRABHAT


    Okay, the person I was looking for was nearby. I looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone.


    Damn it! Why was everything so hard to see, or do, or kill? I was a good gamer, but punching buttons on a controller while you recline on a couch and sip Mountain Dew is completely different than having to actually run around following quest markers and remembering everything that you¡¯re supposed to be keeping track of.


    I was level two, my block skill had gone up. I had crap armor, but a little gold. I wish I knew what I should focus on. The quest seemed like the obvious choice, but maybe instead of running away from everything tougher than me I should be running into battles so that my skills went up?


    Hmm¡­there were benefits to both. I¡¯d played games that allowed you to quest for basically all your levels, and others that required you to choose which skills you wanted to master by using them. I wasn¡¯t sure yet what the strategy was.


    ¡°Help!¡± A desperate plea interrupted my thoughts. ¡°I fell down a hole. Can you help me up?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I called.


    ¡°It¡¯s dark and I can¡¯t see. I think I dropped my torch. Do you see it?¡± the woman called back.


    I noticed a light from deeper in the cave. Oh crud, here it comes, I thought. But when I got there, it was just a torch lying on the ground and some fallen rocks that led to a pit. At the bottom of the pit was a young woman in a green dress.


    I picked up the torch and immediately the cave grew brighter. It was so much easier to see. The woman basically walked up out of the pit (I guess people don¡¯t climb in the game?) and she said, ¡°Thank you, friend. My name is Anuradha and I¡¯ve been stuck down there for hours.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°If you would take me to Majah, I would be very grateful.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°I guess I¡¯m headed there right now.¡±


    NEW QUEST: RETURN TO MAJAH


    Her movement got weird for a moment. Like, she started walking but didn¡¯t move anywhere. I took a few steps backward and she did it again.


    I took a few more steps and the same thing happened, and I realized she was following me. Or, my movement pattern. When I moved, she oriented herself off of me.


    ¡°Well, okay! Let¡¯s head back to Majah.¡± I led the way out of the cave and just as we exited, my old buddies came racing for us. Fricking birds!


    I pulled my sword and got ready to block with my full-ass stamina bar.


    The bird in front was headed straight for me, beak open, ready to get a face full of broken buckler, when all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning crashed to the ground right in front of me. It burned the bird and it fell over in a heap.


    I¡¯m not sure what my handsome game face was actually doing, but my Tyler face in my head was dumbstruck and if I could have dropped my stuff and stood there looking very confused, I sure would have. But being an alert warrior, I held me sword at the ready¡­and turned to see Anuradha say, ¡°Die Arx!¡± as she pulled down from the sky with her fist and another bolt of lightning fried the other bird. Holy crap!


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Nice!¡± I shouted to her and put my hand up for a high five. Which she ignored.


    She went back to following my movements and said, ¡°I think Majah is this way.¡±


    I shrugged inwardly, even though my body didn¡¯t match how I was feeling. I looted the dead birds.


    80G


    HIDEx4


    STEEL SHIELD OF HEALTH


    Oh, heck yeah!


    I clicked into my inventory and equipped my new shield right away.


    STEEL SHIELD OF HEALTH LEVEL 2


    ARMOR 44


    MAXIMUM HEALTH ENCHANTMENT


    ADDS 77 MAXIMUM HEALTH


    ADDED TRAIT


    INCREASES THIS ITEM¡¯S ARMOR VALUE BY 12%


    The bump to my health bar felt awesome. I bet with more health I would have survived the bird ambush. Ha! Plus, with my friend following me, I could just stand back and let her blast everything for me.


    Hm¡­that wasn¡¯t a terrible idea.


    I looked at Anuradha and said, ¡°Hey, mind a quick detour?¡±


    I turned back toward where the crabs and birds prowled the beach and ran up and down, looking for things to attack. Whenever a crab would pop out of the water, Anuradha would blast it with lightning. I looted and ran for the next moving thing.


    Round and round we went until the beach was clear. My light armor and medium armor both increased, and so did my one-hand. It was almost too easy. I went up past the cave and my friend stopped walking. ¡°I think Majah is this way,¡± she said.


    I kept going, wanting to see if we couldn¡¯t find more birds, but she said, ¡°I need to go to Majah. I¡¯ll wait for you to return.¡± She turned and ran back toward the cave.


    I chased after Anuradha and couldn¡¯t interact with her until she reset all the way back where I found her. I had to grab the torch and invite her out of the hole, and then agree to take her to town again. ¡°Okay, enough messing around,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We did find a couple more murder birds (which she kept calling Arx) on the way, and when we stepped up near the gate Anuradha stopped following me and her movements unlinked with my own.


    ¡°Thank you, friend,¡± she said. ¡°Here is a token of my appreciation.¡±


    QUEST COMPLETE: RETURN TO MAJAH


    CONGRATULATIONS! YOU REACHED LEVEL 3


    LIGHT ARMOR INCREASED TO 3


    ONEHAND AND SHIELD INCREASED TO 4


    230G


    RING OF WILLPOWER


    My quest marker was pointing to the east, so I followed it back to the coast, where the commander was waiting. He hadn¡¯t moved, so I ran up to him and the quest completion music played.


    QUEST COMPLETE: RETURN TO COMMANDER PRABHAT


    193G


    RAHINN SKILLS INCREASED TO 2


    ¡°Thank you for helping find the refugees. My men returned and told me of your bravery. Here, take this as a reward.¡±


    OFFICER¡¯S RAPIER


    ONE-HANDED SWORD LEVEL 3


    DAMAGE 190


    ABSORB STAMINA ENCHANTMENT


    DEALS 88 MAGIC DAMAGE AND RESTORES 15 STAMINA


    ADDED TRAIT


    INCREASES WEAPON ENCHANTMENT EFFECT BY 15% AND REDUCES ENCHANTMENT RECHARGE RATE BY 50%


    A FINE SWORD CARRIED BY A SOLDIER INTO BATTLE


    The Commander resumed a set path he walked and there wasn¡¯t another prompt to speak with him, so I turned back toward the town to see what else there was to explore. Maybe I¡¯d go visit Anuradha and see if she wanted to go on another adventure. I bet I could find her.


    The town of Majah looked like it was made of tan stone and mud brick. The buildings mostly had open doorways and open window holes when I entered, but as I walked further down the road, the buildings got bigger and fancier. The central plaza had a mosaic fountain and people of all variety sat around on benches or walked by with baskets of goods. A woman sat next to the fountain and played a lap harp while two men in bright purple and gold silk pants and no shirts juggled knives.


    A troupe of dancers with fans and drums nearby drew a crowd. I took it all in and could smell the sweet scent of jasmine on the wind from the flowers blooming up a trellis behind the dancers. I kept walking and came to a street hung with bright banners. One had a hammer on it, another had a needle and thread, and another had a potion bottle.


    Ooh, potions! I headed for that one first.


    When I got inside the building an old man with a bald head and long beard greeted me. ¡°Hello, traveler,¡± he said. ¡°Welcome to Pradeep¡¯s Potions. We have all you need for your journeys.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look,¡± I said, squeezing my hand to initiate a conversation.


    A menu opened in my field of vision that covered the left half of my vision. I could still see the fellow behind the counter, but the whole world was grayed out. He was still blinking and moving, but the menu was prioritized.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to interact with the menu. I tried to point at something, but my hand just knocked herbs off the counter and onto the floor. Hm¡­try something else, I thought. I pressed my left bracer but it just brought up my personal menu. I closed it and talked to the shop keep again.


    ¡°Welcome to Pradeep¡¯s Potions. We have all you need for your journeys.¡±


    The menu opened again. I tried doing things with my hands and I heard a jingling sound. One of the things off the menu disappeared. I didn¡¯t even see which one. Crap, did I buy something? I looked at my gold and sure enough, I only had 581 gold left, and a moment ago I¡¯d had 666. I remembered because it was a number that made me chuckle when I saw it. Okay, well, I¡¯d spent 85g on something I didn¡¯t know what it was, so hopefully I could figure out how to buy things before I spent the rest of my money. Or, better yet, maybe I could figure out how to sell things and get rid of the junk I didn¡¯t want.


    ¡°Hey, Pradeep, how do I buy things?¡±


    ¡°Pradeep has all kinds of ingredients for your alchemy. If you want to make your potions, feel free to use the lab.¡±


    I noticed then a table with a bunch of chemistry equipment on it. Glass bottles and a burner, a mortar and pestle, and one of those swirly stoppers that bubbles. When I got close to it my hand tingled, so I touched the table to see what happened.


    A menu opened with a cauldron background.


    CARRIER was the first thing presented and I wasn¡¯t sure how to select it. I didn¡¯t even know what that meant.


    INGREDIENTS was the second option and it had three spaces but the third was grayed out. It looked like it wanted me to select something called a carrier and then some things to combine with it.


    TyBerius TIMER HAS EXPIRED.


    When I returned to reality, I waited a moment before turning my controller and headset off. Wow, it felt crazy to be back. Like I¡¯d been gone all day. But the clock had only gone to 11:30. Two hours.


    I got up and went to the restroom, and headed for the breakroom.

 CHAPTER 15: COMPARING NOTES

    <u>CHAPTER 15: COMPARING NOTES</u>


    WC:1577


    Carl and sat across from me at the table. Kailee was in a meeting with someone from HR, so we waited and kept a seat open in case she got done while we were still at lunch. Mel was up arguing with the coffee maker again. It was one of the pod machine ones and it didn¡¯t love the generic pods someone bought.


    ¡°I miss my companion,¡± I said. ¡°Carl, you should have seen her. It was awesome how fast my skills went up while the mage was killing everything. I should have run around with her all day. Now that I know how slow levelling is, I wish she had followed me around a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there will be more opportunities?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hope so. She fried everything with like one hit.¡±


    ¡°You were in which town?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Majah. I¡¯m playing as Rahinn.¡±


    ¡°Best race to pick for a rogue if you plan on stealing and solo questing,¡± Mel said, sounding unimpressed as she hovered over us with four or five wet, brown napkins stuck all over her cup and hand.


    I moved over a seat so she could sit next to me. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too.¡±


    ¡°Rahinn have the bonus health, magic, and stamina, and all three recovery. You could have gone with Tonzu for straight DPS. They have way bigger stamina bonus and stamina recovery bonus¡ªyou know, if you were going for highest damage per second. They have the same modifier to sneak detection range as the Rahinn.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought about that, but I wasn¡¯t sure how the attributes worked out and we¡¯ll just say that my first run through of the fake game during the interview didn¡¯t help explain anything. Mr. Kranz had 20 Health, 20 Magic, and 20 Stamina.¡±


    ¡°I think whoever made those toons for testing were either high or having a laugh,¡± Carl said. ¡°I talked with Ronnie and he said the same thing.¡± Carl pointed out Ronnie at a nearby table. ¡°His test toon was Schneewittchen, which means Snow White, and she was dressed in full dragon leather armor and had all the assassin skills maxed.¡±


    ¡°Rogues are the best!¡± I couldn¡¯t wait to get my skills maxed. ¡°I want dragon armor.¡±


    ¡°The Annai have a huge bonus to stamina too,¡± Mel said. ¡°Are you planning on using a bow?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Right now I¡¯m using sword and shield.¡±


    ¡°Gotta level all your skills up,¡± Carl said. You got time to get all the weapons. I started with sword and shield too.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a knight. A V¨¢nd knight.¡± Mel crossed her arms. ¡°Yeah, and what¡¯s up with that? What happened to making a healer?¡± Mel teased him.


    ¡°I read the class skills and got excited about burning shit,¡± Carl said, sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll do a healer too, I guess. I think we got to finish a certain amount of the beginner stuff and they let us make a second toon, right?¡±


    Mel shrugged. ¡°Something like that. I can¡¯t remember. You¡¯re planning on making him a tank, right?¡±


    ¡°Guess so. I mean, I¡¯m cool with that,¡± Carl said. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m level seven and have a lot of skills to raise. I need to get out of my first zone so I can get the skill points from completing main quest line objectives.¡±


    ¡°How many skill points do you get for that?¡± I asked.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°One per quest completion.¡± Mel sipped her coffee. ¡°But they¡¯re long quests. We have to finish our noob zones first. You know, before they let us loose on the rest of the world.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Carl said. ¡°Trust the girl with pig tails to take over the world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You should run. Scared. I¡¯m going to light things up!¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. I was telling Carl a minute ago about how I got a companion on my first day. A mage. I had to lead her to town and while she was following me she blasted everything with lightning and my skills all went up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯m getting through everything too. Blazing through, with lightning burning down everything in my path.¡± Mel fake cackled. ¡°I bought an ability at level four that turns me into pure lightning and increases movement speed, so I literally am blazing through everything. Bolts shoot from me and kill things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m level four too,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m level six, almost seven,¡± Mel said. ¡°At level eight I get a passive ability that reduces health, magic, and stamina costs of my abilities 3%. So much more damage I can do! Aak, just one level and a little bit to go. I need about 800 XP to get LV. 7, and then just over 4000 to reach LV. 8.¡±


    ¡°You almost done with your beginning zone?¡± Carl said, ¡°I¡¯m about finished with my zone. I started in Dramagh. I got one quest line left, I think.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s the starting town for the V¨¢nd too? I¡¯m Kelden. Obviously I¡¯m in Dramagh too, because it¡¯s our home territory.¡±


    ¡°Did you go to the Apothecarium, or whatever it¡¯s called?¡± Cark asked Mel.


    ¡°Like, first thing. I plan on using potions and poisons and wanted to start getting my skill raised as soon as possible.¡±


    Carl nodded and finished his sandwich. ¡°I just ate all my ingredients I picked up. My skill went up to five.¡±


    Mel laughed. ¡°I hope you did it somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, mentally noting that I could eat the ingredients instead of going back to Pradeep¡¯s Potions and wasting everything in the cauldron that never seemed to produce an actual potion.


    ¡°If you eat something toxic you get a bad effect,¡± Mel explained. ¡°So you want to do it somewhere safe. In a farm field or something. No people around, but no enemies either.¡±


    ¡°I went blind for two minutes,¡± Carl said. ¡°That was one of the worst ones.¡±


    ¡°Which quest are you on?¡± Mel asked. ¡°I just got done with the graveyard. Did you do that one yet? I know how you love the zombies.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s one I wanted to get through as quick as possible. I hate that creepy stuff.¡± Carl shook his head. ¡°I did it yesterday. Luckily fire is the key to taking out undead fast. I might be done with the quest I¡¯m on too, just gotta return to the king. Guess I¡¯ll see tomorrow. Unless they let us go back in this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°The meeting is supposed to run until 3pm,¡± Mel said. ¡°We should have an hour after unless they send us home early. I¡¯d be okay with that. I have to help my friend move some stuff she bought at an estate sale. Her house looks like a hoarder home on that show.¡±


    I balled up my trash. ¡°Yeah, I have some stuff going on today too. I guess it¡¯d be okay to get home early.¡±


    Mr. Brewster entered the break room. ¡°A reminder, folks. We have a mandatory meeting at 1pm in Conference Room 3. Make sure you are there on time, please. Corporate is visiting us today and we want to leave them with a good impression of our office.¡±


    When he left, I said, ¡°I have to make a phone call, see you there.¡± I excused myself and threw away my trash. The office was a busy place, so I went out to the parking lot so I could use my phone.


    I let it ring and when it went to voicemail I hung up.


    I threw the phone into the passenger seat and laid on my steering wheel, covering my face with my arms. I really needed to talk, and Jess was the only person who knew anything about what was going on. About how our family was broken and damaged beyond repair.


    Summer was so lonely. As happy as I was that I had a job doing something awesome, I was also completely cut off from the things that felt normal. School, the people I knew and sat with every day at lunch, the teachers who I talked to and visited during study hall. I don¡¯t know if I was ready for my last year to be over, but I also hoped it went by fast because I wanted to get out and be on my own. Anything to escape the feeling of being trapped in an unhappy and miserable place.


    Sitting in my car, worrying about going home and the looming weekend made my eyes sting. I used my sweatshirt sleeve to absorb any tears that might have leaked out, and waited, hoping the phone would ring. I really wanted to talk to her before the end of the day.


    There was a knocking sound and I ignored it.


    When it sounded again, I lifted my head slightly.


    I turned to see Mel peering in my passenger side window.


    The door opened and I sat up, startled. Mel closed the door and sat there, silent as I was for a whole minute. I didn¡¯t know what to say, and she didn¡¯t say anything. The awkward silence just stretched on and on until finally she said, ¡°Tyler, are you okay? And before you answer, just¡­tell me the truth. Not some, yeah I¡¯m fine, so I shut up or something.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look at me, and so I turned back to face forward too and said very quietly, ¡°No.¡±

 CHAPTER 16: VISIT FROM CORPORATE

    <u>CHAPTER 16: VISIT FROM CORPORATE</u>


    WC: 1385


    Mel sat there, and I sat there, and neither of us said anything for an awkward moment.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not okay either,¡± she said.


    I waited but she didn¡¯t say anything else. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting. Maybe something more like Carl, who offered to help, or offered to listen, at least. Who expressed some understanding. But Mel was¡­different.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked her.


    She shrugged and used my visor mirror to adjust the piercings in her lip and nose. Then, she smacked the visor back up to close the mirror. She scrunched down in the seat, looking out the window. ¡°I wasn¡¯t honest. Not that I think you guys mind, but I didn¡¯t move out here, I got kicked out and am couch surfing this summer. Sometimes I sleep in my Civic.¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡± I turned back to her. ¡°I wish I could help you out, but I live with my parents and they¡¯re a disaster. I came out here to the car to call my sister because she said she might fly me out to stay with her in Minneapolis.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to quit the game?¡± She turned concerned eyes on me. It was the first time I could recall Mel showing any sort of emotion. Like¡­she was hurt I might quit.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡± It was my turn to slump into my seat. ¡°My parents are both nuts,¡± I began. ¡°Neither one is better than the other. They¡¯re both a mess and do things to hurt each other. It¡¯s gotten very vindictive, and my dad is moving out this weekend.¡±


    ¡°Rough.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s moving in with a woman, and I guess my mom knew about it for a while, but she¡¯s¡­you know, not handling it well.¡±


    Mel sighed.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be there,¡± I said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to be there to help mediate their garbage. And I don¡¯t want to live in a house with either of them!¡± I was so angry I gripped my steering wheel hard. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be the grown-ups and deal with their shit so it doesn¡¯t impact me, right?¡±


    ¡°Ideally,¡± Mel said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how realistic that is, though. I mean¡­parents are messed up!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    She scowled and crossed her arms. Not like a pouty kid, but like she was feeling genuinely scared. ¡°I lived with my mom. My dad lives in New York or New Hampshire, or something. He¡¯s never been with us, so I don¡¯t even know him.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, that part is fine. I mean, not fine, but fine. But my mom is the only person I¡¯ve ever had. No grandparents, no aunts or uncles, just me and her. So last year she met a guy who she fell madly in love with, and a few months ago he hit on me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I felt like he¡¯d done it before, but just wrote it off as in my head. But just after Easter we went on a trip and he kept touching my shoulder and like, putting his arm around me in photos. I told my mom it made me uncomfortable and she told me I was being a brat, that Ryan loves me and has all kinds of feelings and baggage about his own daughter he doesn¡¯t get to see.¡± She uncrossed her arms, and her voice got angry. ¡°I admit, I have trust issues and I don¡¯t warm up to anyone, but if I¡¯m telling my mom I¡¯m uncomfortable with her fianc¨¦ touching me¡­is that really me being a brat?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said, more forcefully than I intended. ¡°I don¡¯t like my own parents touching me because they¡¯re so volatile and two-faced, and I hate how they treat me and then come try to hug it out. No! If you don¡¯t feel safe, that¡¯s something any adult should respect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­not that into physical stuff, you know?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I had a boyfriend in high school and he wasn¡¯t real nice to me. I¡¯m just not¡­ready to give up my feelings of safety right now. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I smiled at Mel. ¡°I¡¯m super sorry that you understand exactly how I feel.¡±


    She smiled back. ¡°We¡¯re pretty screwed up, huh?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re okay and our parents are the screwed up ones?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have the best job, and the people here have been pretty all right.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± She shook her head and rolled her eyes, stopping up tears. ¡°I¡¯m happy to have this summer gig, and I know everything will turn out okay, but you know, it¡¯s hard some days.¡±


    ¡°I do. But I try to remind myself how fortunate I am, and my sister is great at reminding me when I forget.¡±


    She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her knit fingerless gloves. ¡°Okay, good talk.¡±


    A buzzing sounded and Mel jumped. ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    ¡°Oops, that¡¯s my alarm to get back to the meeting.¡± I gestured to her leg. ¡°I think you sat on it.¡±


    She opened the door and got out, tossing my phone to me.


    ¡°Mr. Brewster, thank you for hosting us here today,¡± a lady with a thick German accent said. Her voice was soft and pleasant, and she looked to be about my mom¡¯s age, with white-blonde hair. She wore a black suit and high heels that looked brand new.


    ¡°Regenbogen-Einhorn was founded as a small company with big ideas. We built our first game in 1994 and since then have developed games that increased in popularity.¡±


    I recognized a few of the titles, but I never played any of the games she listed. A lot of the history of 90s gaming was sort of lost on me, so I listened patiently and played with an AI generator on my phone.


    I combined words to get the perfect picture of Chaos to use as a profile picture. THIEF SNEAKING INTO STORE AT NIGHT IN FANTASY ROLE PLAYING GAME IN MMORPG STYLE GRAPHICS.


    I saved two or three to take home and edit. Most of them were unusable. Some were downright funny. I saved a couple of the funny ones and texted them to Mel and Carl. Kailee hadn¡¯t been back from her visit with HR. Maybe she was still down there. Too bad I hadn¡¯t thought of scheduling something. Listening to company history and brand messaging wasn¡¯t really something I found engaging, so I did another AI generator.


    ¡°The test we ran in Germany was the first, and then we moved on to Canada, and now here. You are the third group to start. This office began with fifty and the office in Colorado also began with fifty. So, we are hoping to spark a little friendly competition for our hundred American associates.¡±


    She clicked a remote and images from HEXENTOR played along with some music.


    ¡°Always, we have trained our own game designers and programmers. Now, we offer a challenge to all of you in Group 3. Five will be picked to win a scholarship to attend Uni, and join us as game design, digital art, programmer, any of the offered scholarships on our website.¡±


    The room got quiet.


    ¡°Regenbogen-Einhorn is a growing company and so we wish you all well. Ask Ken Brewster any of your questions, or you can email Susan the regional manager for the Milwaukee office.¡± She clicked the powerpoint and it switched to a contact page. I took a picture of it with my phone.


    Mr. Brewster went up to the front and said, ¡°Let¡¯s thank Ms. Einhorn for joining us today.¡± He applauded and those of us gathered followed his lead. He then shook her hand.


    I started texting Jess. Wow, I could earn a scholarship by playing video games. I guess I wasn¡¯t going to ask her for a plane ticket to Minneapolis after all. Now I just had to figure out how to get picked as one of the five and make it through the weekend without losing my composure. I needed things to calm down, and maybe after Dad moved out, they would. I had an opportunity to do something I really loved, and that felt like something I sorely needed. No one was going to ruin that for me. Especially my parents.

 CHAPTER 17: TEMPLE TASKS

    <u>CHAPTER 17: TEMPLE TASKS</u>


    WC: 1509


    From the eastern wishing well, a cobblestone road zig-zagged up the hill and passed through Bassavakka¡¯s town gate. Guards patrolled the road and peasants walked along with the weird vacant expressions of NPCs that I couldn¡¯t interact with. All in all, the terrain of the eastern side of the island was more craggy and desolate than the area around Majah. Steep hills blocked the view often and I had learned to walk slowly until I could see over each rise. The place was overrun with pirates, and I was just as happy to practice my Sneak skills and get close so I could kill them quickly instead of running around with my sword swinging and get mobbed and overpowered.


    I had already found the only two wishing wells on the island¡­and I was tired of wasting time trucking back to my quest markers from them when I got careless. On one of those walks-of-shame I passed what appeared to be a trade caravan stopped at a fork in the road. At first I thought perhaps they were in trouble, since it was only a handful of horse-drawn carts. As I got closer I saw a few merchants were selling wares out of their brightly painted wagons so I purchased all the potion and poison ingredients I could afford and continued on my way.


    There had been much debate earlier that day in the break room about whether poisons were more beneficial overall than they cost in time. The grind of running around to find ingredients was easier on the pocketbook but it cost in time that could be spent levelling on harder enemies that gave more XP. We set a friendly wager on who would max out their alchemy skill first, and with ten of my own dollars in the pot, it sure would be a shame to not give it my best, right? So, maybe I spent that whole afternoon picking flowers and avoiding pirates and a nest of huge spiders that spit poison from the shadows and did obscene amounts of damage for a beginner area.


    I looked at my quest log to see what my next steps were. I still had two open quest lines for the island of Ujala. Majah was done, but the other big town on Ujala, Bassavakka, had several of the small quests to find. I always tried to wrap up the little ones before I tackled the big one. If I got too far into the main quest, I might not be able to return and do the little tasks, and I had gotten a fair amount of gold and crafting stuff (that I would probably need in the future) from doing the menial jobs.


    I had already driven the rats out of an old lady¡¯s basement, put out a fire at the forge, and brought supplies from Majah to feed an orphanage. That left the flower quest I was on and Saariq¡¯s quest that sent me to Bassavakka in the first place. Luckily, both markers were taking me to the temple. I just wondered where the quest was going to end. And what happened to Captain Misana and Davi Ben? Surely, I was going to get back around to that, right?


    I walked around the town center looking for merchants and a potion shop on my way to the temple of Marjane. I was supposed to bring forty stupid flowers that I picked out on the dry scrubland that stretched from one coast to the other, all along the eastern half of the island. Forty of the same thing¡ªyellow hibiscus. Which took a surprising amount of time to find¡­in what could best be described as a desert.


    I was just about to hit level five, which would give me my first racial bonus of increased Health Recovery, Magic Recovery, and Stamina Recovery. Fingers crossed, the quest would send me over the line.


    Entering the temple, the background music changed from Medieval fantasy music to a mix of etherial voices chanting in a choir. Priests and priestesses in light blue toga-ish garments tended sick and injured people on the floor of a great open room. It looked like less like a cathedral from the inside and more like a palace. It was built of parchment-colored stone with blue-violet veins running through it. Polished and bright, the walls reflected light from the open-air courtyard.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Around the whole huge room, a trench of the same blue-veined stone carried water. The inside of the trench was tiled in bright turquoise tiles, giving the water an almost supernatural blueness. Plants that looked like Mom¡¯s yucca cane lined the room in huge pots. Vining things with tons of small leaves and ferns grew here and there in little planters that ran next to the water channels. The room smelled humid like a greenhouse we visited at the botanical gardens. Just outside, in the courtyard, palm trees and taller yuccas lined the high wall. That was where my quest marker was taking me, so I followed it.


    A man with a long beard and a ring of white hair sat next to a fountain. Baskets of plants lay around his feet and books sat all over the bench next to him.


    ¡°Here are your flowers,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t have to take them out of my inventory. Instead, the quest completion popped up.


    QUEST COMPLETE: DELIVER 40 YELLOW HIBISCUS TO DIN MAYUR


    CONGRATULATIONS! YOU REACHED LEVEL 5


    MEDIUM ARMOR INCREASED TO 6


    LIGHT ARMOR INCREASED TO 4


    ASSASSIN¡¯S WAY INCREASED TO 2


    103G


    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± the old man said. ¡°We¡¯ve used up most of our antidote potions trying to cure a mysterious poison.¡± He held up a bottle. ¡°This is the last one I have, but thanks to you, I will have more ready by tomorrow. Speak to Kum Azha, I¡¯m sure she will want to thank you personally. You are just the person we¡¯ve been waiting for. You¡¯ve saved so many lives. Many blessings, dear friend.¡±


    NEW QUEST: SPEAK WITH KUM AZHA ABOUT POISONINGS


    Hmm. Weird. The original quest I got from Saariq told me to meet him in Bassavaka and the dot for that quest seemed to be right on the same spot. It was probably going to be the priestess in the middle of the room.


    I went back into the temple. Lanterns hung throughout the building and courtyard, lit even in the daytime (because I guess they didn¡¯t take oil to burn). Censers hung from the four-foot square pillars holding up the beams and roof. They emitted little swirls of smoke with a sweet, flowery smell.


    A woman with long loose black hair and a golden leaf crown with blue gems at the center front stood in the center of the room. When I walked past her my quest updated and she said, ¡°Welcome, traveler, we could use your help.¡±


    QUEST COMPLETE: SPEAK WITH KUM AZHA ABOUT POISONINGS


    ¡°How can I help you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hello, traveler,¡± the priestess said. ¡°These people were bringing supplies to Ujala to help the refugees. Their ship was led aground by wreckers and all who washed up have been afflicted with some kind of poison. We are trying to help them, but there are still some missing. With all my healers busy, I cannot send anyone to find the missing crew members. Would you find them and send them here to receive an antidote treatment?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll go find the missing crew members.¡±


    QUEST COMPLETE: SPEAK WITH KUM AZHA ABOUT POISONINGS


    NEW QUEST: FIND THE MISSING CREW MEMBERS


    NEW QUEST: TALK TO CAPTAIN RUCHIKA


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure Captain Ruchika will be glad to see her crew members again. She had regained much of her strength, but I know she is worried for their safety.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I guess I can ask her about her crew.¡± I followed the quest marker, which was on the other side of the little river trough. I found the target spot and saw a lady in a mix of leather and metal armor lying on a mat on the floor. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m going to go find your crew members,¡± I said, waving.


    QUEST COMPLETE: TALK TO CAPTAIN RUCHIKA


    ¡°Three members of my crew are missing,¡± she said. ¡°And my quartermaster Emir.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll find them.¡±


    NEW QUEST: FIND QUARTERMASTER EMIR


    I left the temple, still not sure where Saariq¡¯s marker was supposed to be pointing. I didn¡¯t see anyone else to talk to in the room, at least none with an arrow pointing at them.


    After leaving the temple, I headed down to the rocky shore. It wasn¡¯t pretty and sandy like the beach near Majah. Bassavakka¡¯s craggy terrain made it harder to see a person lying on the ground so I searched slowly, making sure I investigated all wreckage.


    Actually, there were a lot of broken ship pieces lying around. It got me wondering why they all ran aground in the same place. The priestess had said someone did it on purpose. What a nasty thing to do. I wondered what kind of person would do that.