《Legends of the Six Realms - A LitRPG Adventure》 1.1 - Connor, Defender of Westermere Connor Breen¡ªor Crimson, as he was simply called in this place¡ªpaused at the stone archway entrance. He reached up with a gloved hand and pulled the crimson mask down from his face as he panted for breath. You really have to marvel at this place. The errant thought flashed across his mind as he considered just how bad he felt at that moment. Underneath enchanted leather armor, his body was a mosaic of bruises and lacerations. His throat felt parched, and his lungs burned from the sulphurous smoke that filled the cavern. Any adventurer in their right mind would have backed out at this point. His Health was dangerously low, and he had already blasted away most of his Mana dealing with Lesser Demons in the gallery upstairs. But I¡¯m not any other adventurer, am I? The dark-garbed man gritted his teeth and pulled the red mask back up over his mouth and nose. ¡°I am Crimson. Most feared Hero in all of BattleWorlds,¡± he took strength from saying the words out loud as he tightened one hand around his scimitar, spending one Mana Point to feed the enchanted weapon, and sending a line of eldritch blue fire running down its length. ¡°I defeated the Gorgon at Clarke¡¯s Ridge. I put down the Sethian Uprising!¡± He took a breath and steeled his body for what came next. It all came down to this. All those hours of his life pushing through goblin hordes and kobold scavengers had led him to this point. How long have I spent playing BattleWorlds to get this point? Connor¡ªCrimson¡ªwondered, truly unsure. He felt as if he had never been anywhere else. Just down there, in the dark, hacking and slaying and bloodletting for what seemed like forever. The awful thing was that Connor knew that he was good at the killing. He wouldn¡¯t be down here in the Lair if he wasn¡¯t. In fact, he even enjoyed it. ¡°Fiend!¡± Crimson roared as he pushed himself forward, launching into the final cavern with a roar. He thrust his sword defiantly forward, his other hand raising to trace the Sigil of Protection before his boots even hit the cracked marble floor. A soft, golden glow suffused around the Warrior-Bard as he landed, expanding into a globe that extended just beyond his reach. From what he saw in the room, it looked like he was going to need it. The cavern was large, dotted with giant stalactites that reached up from the floor to meet stalagmites hanging from the ceiling to form pillars. The back of the chamber opened up to what appeared to be the very fires of hell themselves, casting the shape that stood before it into a deep silhouette. The silhouette had horns as long as Crimson¡¯s arms and radiated malevolent intent. ¡°Lord Crimson,¡± a deep voice grated, as the giant figure started to move, turning on tree-trunk like limbs almost languidly, as if this were a cocktail party and the giant Demon Lord before him was the genial host. ¡°I see you have finally decided to take me up on my offer.¡± the creature, Dar¡¯Thuk the Demon Lord chuckled. Flames lapped out of his mouth over protruding fags as he spoke. ¡°You will bend your knee to me and give up the people of Westermere?¡± ¡°Never, burrito-boy,¡± Crimson snapped, breaking into a run as he charged, straight toward his nemesis. ¡°Crimson kneels to no one!¡± He yelled as he took one long stride, kicking forward, landing on the cracked marble and throwing himself into a leap as he drew back his magical blade. ¡°Especially not to a glorified firelighter!¡± Crimson thrust his blade downward as Dar¡¯Thuk roared, raising a giant scaly arm to block. Red light flared across the demon¡¯s frame as its innate magical defenses activated, and the Warrior-Bard¡¯s golden globe hit Dar¡¯thuk¡¯s red glow with a sizzling crackle of opposing energies. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Even a Level 18 Hero like Lord Crimson was supposed to have a tough time defeating a boss like Dar¡¯Thuk the Demon Lord. It came as a complete surprise, then, when the sabre managed to somehow skip past the giant scaled arm, and embed its blue, flaming steel directly into one of the eyes of the giant beast. ¡°Rarrrgh!¡± The demon bellowed in agony as black ichor spewed from the wound where the blade was still lodged, showering Crimson who still clung onto the handle. The Warrior-Bard exhaled forcefully through gritted teeth as the burning, acidic blood-stuff of the creature spattered over his arms and hands and ate through his armor. He tightened his grip and clung to the sword, refusing to lose this battle¡ªand his life. ¡°Dung-spit!¡± the monster cursed, shaking its head from side to side in a desperate attempt to dislodge the attached human. Crimson held on for dear life as he tried to come up with another cheat code. Where is it! What was that mega-strength one!? He was part way through thinking when Dar¡¯Thuk leapt, and swung its own head against one of the rock pillars. Crimson let go of his blade just in time and was thrown across the floor of the cavern as the Demon Lord''s skull slammed against the stone. There was a giant, resounding crack and an explosion of rock dust and fire, as one of the demon¡¯s horns¡ªand the pillar itself¡ªbroke apart. Dar¡¯Thuk moaned and stumbled backward, with the glowing blade still obscenely sticking out of the front of its face. The demon seemed to not notice and was stamping its cloven hooves, already gearing up to the powerful crescendo spell. The Warrior-Bard knew what was coming if he didn¡¯t somehow stop it: the monster would unleash a torrent of metal-melting fire from its maw. Crimson looked around for a way out then spotted Dar¡¯Thuk¡¯s broken horn right there on the ground in front of him, still as sharp as ever. That¡¯s got to be a magical item, right!? he thought in a panic, flinging himself forward, snatching it up as he rolled. ¡°If you won¡¯t kneel, you¡¯ll have to DIE!¡± roared the Demon Lord, stamping the ground once again as it lowered its head and opened its mouth. A burning orange glow intensified from deep inside, ready to explode out and devour anything in its path. Found it! Crimson exclaimed silently as he threw himself forward in another tight roll, the demon¡¯s own horn clutched in his hand The Demon Lord unleashed its fireball, and a glowing storm of fire that burned orange and green surged Crimson. The Warrior-Bard was already twisting and rolling, enhanced by the not-entirely legal cheat codes as he shimmered with electric sparks. Lord Crimson rolled forward¡ªfaster than he should have been able to¡ªand underneath the fireball. He launched himself into the air as he finished the roll, flipping as he did so in a move that would have made Bruce Lee proud. With both hands gripping the broken horn, he used it as a spear and slammed it into the Demon Lord¡¯s red and black scaled belly. There was an explosion of sparks and lightning as power surged down his arms with his increased strength. The resulting arcane blast sent Crimson and the demon flying away from each other, to opposite ends of the cavern. Please tell me it¡¯s dead! Connor thought as the Warrior-Bard pushed himself up. He looked up and saw Dar¡¯Thuk swaying unsteadily on the dais where he had first stood, stumbling from side to side with Lord Crimson¡¯s sword sticking out of one eye, and its own horn sticking out of its belly. ¡°You¡­ How could you¡­¡± The Demon Lord started to shake, it¡¯s internal fires now sparking and streaming out of its mouth, eyes, and nose as it could no longer contain the infernal forces trying to escape. And then, the entire form froze, flames and all. Huh? Connor thought. Was this some new kind of spell? A shadow appeared to run over the entire demon¡¯s form, casting it in darkness even at the same time as it should have been burning. ¡°We¡¯re coming. We¡¯re here!¡± The creature hissed, but not in the voice that it had used before. Instead, the voice was sibilant, higher. More like a lizardman or snakeperson¡¯s voice than that of a gigantic demon. Connor wondered if this was an error, or whether the Demon Lord had been possessed by someone else, a lizardman sorcerer perhaps? But, as strange as the new voice was, it was gone just as quickly as it had arrived, and Connor wondered if he had even heard it at all, or whether his panic and stress had been getting to him. Weird, Connor shook his head as he watched Dar¡¯Thuk start to shake and move erratically once more. The demon was now engulfed in its own hellfire and burned a fierce, bright light before flickering¡ªand then exploding into smoldering sparks. ¡°I did it. It¡¯s over,¡± the hero Lord Crimson staggered back to the nearest pillar, heaving a sigh as he felt tremors run through the entire cavern. Where the Demon Lord had been, there was now a slowly expanding blue glow that raced outward through the chamber, through the Warrior-Bard¡¯s body and beyond. The dark curse that held this place under its thrall was broken. Every foul creature that had been in this place before would be washed away, freeing the realms of the mortals beyond from the evil that had plagued them. Done, Lord Crimson grinned savagely to himself, as he bowed his head, reaching out a hand to draw an arcane sigil in the air. A glowing green rune appeared, and a moment later, Lord Crimson, Hero of the Sethian Uprising, now Defender of Westermere, faded away as if he was made of nothing but smoke. 1.2 - Show Me the Money Connor mentally answered, ¡°Yes,¡± and the infernal cavern faded away. It was replaced with a momentary blackness and a feeling of vertigo washed over him, like it always did whenever he logged in or out of a game. He felt like he was falling for a moment, as his body tried to decide just where it was, or even what. However, in less time than it took to decapitate a goblin, Connor Breen was dumped, rather unceremoniously back into his old life. He suddenly felt the weight of the Vision 500 headset that he wore, and a breath later¡ª ¡°Bleeding Stars of¡­!¡± His legs and lower back cramped, as Connor struggled to get the headset off, releasing the latches behind his ears and fumbling with trembling fingers as he tore it from his head and thrust it toward the waiting stand beside his gaming chair. How do I always forget about the muscle cramps? He thought dully, leaning forward to cough and rub his eyes. It was like this after every long stint in the Vision 500, because even a player as good as he was couldn¡¯t afford one of the Vision TotalMax BodyBoxes. He thought longingly of the top end system which completely enclosed a gamer¡¯s body, gently cradling it while providing essential nourishment, gently stimulating long-underused limbs, and allowing players to stay inside games for days, even a couple weeks at a time. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He coughed again and rolled his shoulders but instantly regretted it as the movement sent his head spinning. The room around him¡ªhis bedroom¡ªwas full of all the trappings of what he affectionately liked to call his lair. The room had been almost completely given over to his desk with hardwired network screens, his pro-gaming chair and Vision equipment, and several lamps. It smelled vaguely dusty and stale in the room, and the hum of multiple electrical inputs was a constant tinnitus whine in his ears. The only thing that marked it as a bedroom was a single bed in the corner. How long was I in this time? He wondered, trying to calculate it by the neon clock suckered to the long, chipped mirror on the wall.
01:43 AM, SAT 13th NOV, 2048
One forty-three in the afternoon? Connor tried to calculate in his mind, swiveling in the chair¡ªthe newest piece of gaming equipment he¡¯d been able to afford¡ªand looking toward the blinds. Even with his bleary eyes he could make out the gleam of neon outside. He groaned loudly. Neon, that meant streetlights, didn¡¯t it? It wasn¡¯t one forty-three in the afternoon, it was one-forty-three in the morning, and he had logged into BattleWorlds! around noon on Friday, hadn¡¯t he? ¡°Thirteen hours straight?¡± he murmured. No wonder his body was rumbling with all the primal needs it remembered it had. It wasn¡¯t surprising that his limbs were shaking with exhaustion and hunger. But a pro like Connor Breen, twenty-six and only a few pounds heavier than he had been at nineteen, was prepared for such things. Or he expected them, anyway. He snatched the now cloggy nutrient shake that sat on the desk. It was a blend of a couple of game performance shakes marketed by various virtual reality multi-player game companies, along with his own personal mix of spirulina, B-vitamins, pea protein, and electrolytes. He chugged the vaguely yellowish mixture down in three long draughts, feeling instantly better as one hand fumbled for his screen. Connor tapped the message he had to send now that he had gotten Lord Crimson to Level 18 and earned the title Defender of Westermere!
GhostEffect: LordCrimsonReignsSupreme, you online? It¡¯s done. Congratulations on your new character, bro.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He figured that the recipient, LordCrimsonReignsSupreme, would probably be ready and waiting for the good news, but right now Connor had other urgent matters to attend to. First, his post-game ritual. The young man with a dark bob of hair ignored his body as he pushed his aching limbs to a standing position. He stretched, gently this time, as he grabbed a black marker and scrawled his latest achievement onto a piece of paper tacked to the wall.
Star¡¯s Fall, Alpha Level ¨C January 6 DeadSiege ¨C May 29 Enemies of Time ¨C August 7 BladeFury Death Match Extreme ¨C October 22 BattleWorlds! Level 18 ¨C November 13
¡°Less than a month?¡± Connor had to grin. ¡°I¡¯m getting better and better!¡± he congratulated himself on yet another satisfied customer as he shuffled to the blinds, rolled them up and pushed open the window. He took a deep breath of city air outside¡ª He folded over in a sudden coughing fit, as the burned tire smell of smoggy pollutants filled his nostrils and made his eyes water. Maybe not such a great idea, Connor thought as he closed the window, still spluttering, and contented himself with just looking at the outside instead. The horizon was a murky orange, cut through with the tall blackened silhouettes of towers and spires that was Tokyo City, 2048. All of the most distant buildings were wreathed in their own veil of orange smog, and each lit up by their own brilliant neon guide-lights that helped the drone postal service find their way. Other objects, like the tripod tower, the dome, and downtown were ablaze with the more brilliant displays of neon lights and holo display billboards. The skies themselves were still dark and ominous. ¡°Freaking smog,¡± Connor groaned, thumping his chest. He really needed to remember that it was imperative to check the current pollution levels before opening a window in the ¡®Greatest Tech City of the World!¡¯ He suddenly felt light-headed and woozy, this time not just because he had sat inside BattleWorlds! for more than half a day, but also the effects of having ARD, or Acute Respiratory Disease, thanks to living in the middle of the twenty-first century in said greatest city. ¡°Yeah, cheers future,¡± Connor sighed, taking short sips of breath as he knew how to do, while he waited for the woozy spell to disperse. It had the desired effect, and he didn¡¯t even need his inhaler this time. The dizzy feelings were replaced with the now screaming needs of his body. ¡°Fine. I hear ya,¡± Connor said, stumbling first to the bathroom, and then the kitchen to rustle up some proper food. By the time that was done, he was even feeling vaguely more human as he got changed into some fresh clothes, then eventually turned back to find a message bleeping for him on one of his daisy-chained screens.
LordCrimsonReignsSupreme: You¡¯re a hero! I¡¯ve just logged in and I¡¯m about a quest away from freaking epic status! Thank you so, so much!!
That kid sure uses a lot of exclamation marks, Connor thought, scarfing down the hasty stir fry of mushrooms, bean sprouts, and white cabbage, all slathered in black bean and chili sauce. But then again, Connor shrugged, LordCrimsonReignsSupreme was also rich enough to hire a professional game hacker to get his account from a measly level 2 all the way up to level 18. It had taken Connor the best part of a month, logging in almost every day, only having to respawn three times, but he had done it nonetheless, and delivered the results.
LordCrimsonReignsSupreme: I got you, bruh! I¡¯ve direct-mailed the payment to your account. Let me know you got it!
¡°Hallelujah and thank you most merciful angels!¡± Connor said sarcastically, quoting a line from some funny film he had watched a long, long time ago. With that kind of money, he¡¯d be able to pay the rent for another couple of months and update his Vision 500 firmware, maybe even get another Accelerator to boost his bandwidth status. Or¡­ Connor thought¡ªas always¡ªhe could afford to pay for a week, ten days maybe, in one of the rental BodyBoxes. ¡°Grrr.¡± Connor winced at the frustration of the choice, as he did every time he was presented with it, which was after every contract job. It was always the same: be responsible or play big? Ever since he had flunked out of the Tokyo School of Augmented Design it had always been the same thing. It had turned out that he wasn¡¯t actually the best coder, even if he had won a scholarship to get there, and having ARD had really blown a whole lot of his opportunities to try and improve his life by adding medical bills on top of his student fees. I should make sure I have food and a secure place to live for a bit, Connor reminded himself, maybe even enroll in one of those work-online-courses. Or he could see what he could accomplish by having ten days, twenty-four hours a day, of pure, unadulterated time in a game world. The thing was, that even though Connor was a pro game-hacker, he was still being held back by his equipment. The Vision 500 was top of the line for general players, but for those like him? It was still small fry. ¡°If it takes me a month on an immersive VRMMORPG like BattleWorlds, then just what could I achieve with a week in a BodyBox?¡± he mumbled to himself as, a moment later, there was a ping as his secure payment account updated:
$10,000 has been added to account: Connor Breen.
¡°Boom!¡± Connor punched the air, and, before he had even told himself that he had made the decision, he was already filling out an application for the nearest Vision BodyBox Lounge. Now, all he had to do was to find the next contract worthy of it, and then he¡¯d be raking in some real cash! Luckily for Connor, in the world of 2048, where supercomputers ran most of the industrialized world, there was always going to be someone willing to pay for a pro game-hacker like him. 1.3 - TirNanOg Blip. Blip. Blip¡­ Before, there had been darkness. Now there was light. A small flare of green as algorithms and numbers tripped over themselves and multiplied, grew exponentially in both complexity, structure, and size. To anyone capable of viewing this strange birth, it would have looked like this: a sudden flare of a green neon spark in the void, suddenly growing brighter and brighter and larger and larger. As it did so and the light filled the view, it was possible to see structures and shapes. What had started as a simple process of zeroes and ones, mathematical sums, and multiplications, became a glowing glyph. The self-replicating code growing exponentially. With every passing nano second, this swirling, exact mathematical shape complexified like a Mandelbrot picture, growing bigger as it did so, sending out baby versions of itself which changed, altered, adapted¡­ Lines met nodes, branched into geometric shapes, and from every point more arms radiated out, this time curving on perfect parabolic arcs, with smaller nodes being created and thrown out in their wake. This fabulous, geometry and chaos-theory shape extended not just on the flat plain, but also in three dimensions. It became a swirling, boiling shape of burning green light; a code that could contain the secrets of the universe itself. In fact, such was how the newest of the super-large supercomputers was born, quickly developing its own programming, redesigning its needs and features as it occupied the full server space that it was given. ¡°It¡¯s live! It¡¯s working!¡± said the excited voice of the thin and rather weedy looking lead designer for the newest addition to the digital world. He stood with a self-satisfied grin, surrounded by the tall banks of white and silver machines, feeling at home in their electric hum and whirr. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Of course it is! Of course it is, I never doubted you!¡± the room¡¯s speaker transmitted the words of the awaiting CEO, safe in their booth above the main server laboratory. ¡°Proceed to Phase 2! Input the name.¡± The lead designer rushed to do so, moving to the bank of screens that displayed the constantly shifting code. The central screen was currently just a black screen with a blinking white cursor in the middle of a sea of screens full of the self-replicating green code. He typed in the name he¡¯d been given.
Name: Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og
The lead designer still thought it a bit of an odd name, and vaguely remembered it having something to do with a mythical realm or something. He wasn¡¯t a part of the Concept and Marketing Team, though. He was just the Lead Designer, responsible for correcting lines of code and making sure the infrastructure was right. After inputting the name, the algorithm seemed to glow a deeper green, as if taking on its identity made it somehow more solid. Before that moment, there had just been six of the super-massive supercomputers in existence, each one running a number of game-worlds that kept the known world occupied and entertained. Now, with the arrival of Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og, there were seven. ¡°Do we have our game ready to initiate?¡± the distant CEO bellowed lustily. ¡°Of course, of course, but¡­¡± the nervous lead designer said. There were checks and tests that he wanted to perform first. He longed to take a few days to stabilize the mainframe, to make sure there were no glitches. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about going live. I¡¯m talking about loading the program, so we can go live!¡± the CEO bellowed, buoyed by their own unworked-for success. ¡°Do it! Now!¡± As a lowly employee, the man knew he had no say in the matter and reluctantly complied. He typed in another command and a new message appeared on the screen.
Loading: Legends of the Six Realms¡­
There was a flicker and a ripple across the giant digital glyph that was a map of the supercomputer itself. A tiny glitch, as it updated itself. Neither the lead designer, nor the CEO, or anyone else in that room could ever conceive of what had just happened in that tiny instantaneous flicker. If they had, they would have realized that their multi-folding programming technique was far more miraculous and ingenious than even they had thought. Reality, after all, could be described by numbers. And numbers were a language, and that language, in the right manner, could be used like a key. The world¡¯s newest, largest supercomputer had just opened a door. 1.4 - Arianna and Mr. Grey Connor woke to another early Tokyo evening, after having slept, eaten, and then slept some more. The skies outside his unblinded window now an unhealthy¡ªbut fairly appealing it had to be said¡ªmixture of pinks and turquoises. From somewhere outside, there was the sound of energetic, fast-paced Z-Pop wafting up from the streets below. Connor loved these moments, right after a payday, when he felt once more as if the whole world was open to him. He was no longer the flunkie drop-out student, afflicted (along with millions of others) with ARD, but instead he was GhostEffect; at the top of his game, known and feared throughout the gaming world. With a few hand gestures he had activated his screens, booted up his private server and navigated to the premier Game-Hack sites, scurried away somewhere on the Dark Web.
The Hack Leagues! Updated every 45 minutes!
Game-Hacking was the practice of selling your skills as a gamer, coder, and hacker to anyone wanting to get somewhere in any of the super-massive virtual reality games. It was technically legal in Tokyo, but in a whole lot of other nations around the world is was very much considered a criminal activity. That was one of the primary reasons Connor had stayed there after being booted out of college. ¡®Only a single-use player can register, join, and receive the in-game credit rewards¡­¡¯ stipulated many of the game-worlds. That was because most of the supercomputers allowed players to be rewarded real-time credits from the in-game experiences. Just last month, in fact, Connor had heard of yet another start-up firm selling magical items online making its first million dollars of revenue in very short order. With all of the super-storms, pollution, targeted wars, and countless other maladies that afflicted the middles of the twenty-first century, entire companies, schools, even communities had moved most of their work online. Kids just as often logged into their school simulations to ignore their pre-generated teachers, and corporate boardrooms could be found styled on spaceships or the Tower of Sauron in the virtual world. Tokyo, essentially the birthplace of true VR tech, was at least saner than most other places. Connor didn¡¯t have to jump through too many hoops in order to be sitting there, looking at the latest league charts for people just like him. Game-Hacking still had that underground, edgy vibe, however. The anonymous community prided themselves on being outcast, piratical even, as they tested and probed the weaknesses of the newest games. ¡°What the actual living f-!¡± Connor burst out when he saw the updated rankings.
1st: PaleRider 2nd: IkigaiMoon 3rd: DeathStormBeBop 4th: BadEgg 5th: ShakeYourMoneyMaker
He had to actually scroll down to find his name, GhostEffect, all the way down at number twelve. He had dropped down seven league places overnight, from where he had previously been enjoying fifth place. ¡°I mean, what the hell!?¡± Connor hissed. ¡°Have they even updated their board rankings yet?¡± But the super-fast, direct-beamed wi-fi had indeed been updated. There was no way to NOT update in a world where wireless internet was beamed down to mass transmitters, straight from satellites in space. ¡°I mean, what did I do wrong?¡± He groaned, already suspecting what the play had been, and yet unwilling to admit that he had been so stupid to admit it. Game-Hacking, due to its shady nature, was a hard gig to correctly assess. The clients that Connor worked for liked to claim that they had done all the serious leveling up in their respective games and kept the general public and adoring fans none the wiser. But there were work arounds. That was why it took time and money to get anywhere in the professional game-hacked world. You had to run your own anonymous servers, operating out of a Dutch non-extradition supercomputer, from which you could securely log your screenshots and game IDs, and upload them to the Hacked Leagues. I¡¯m sure I did that last night, didn¡¯t I? Connor checked. He had. That only left one option: LordCrimsonReignsSupreme, that rich kid from Missouri who had hired him to crack BattleWorlds in the shortest time yet wasn¡¯t real. The only explanation was that LordCrimsonReignsSupreme was themselves just a fake account for another game hacker like him, and they had sent their updated game IDs along with Connor¡¯s hard-worked hours of gameplay. ¡°Rat-Womble,¡± Connor swore. He should have seen it coming. It wasn¡¯t unheard of in his world, it just wasn¡¯t generally the done thing. Pff. Honor Amongst Thieves, huh? Connor cursed himself for being such an idiot. He was sure that the Hacked Leagues would be looking into the double set of game IDs, but it would require them to get direct access to BattleWorlds admin server to truly sort out. Connor knew that was probably too much of a pain in their ass to just sort out rankings, not to mention highly illegal. ¡°Urgh!¡± Connor groaned, collapsing back onto the bed behind him with a moan, and wondering how screwed his job prospects looked now. He had still got paid, which was a good thing, but the contracts on offer to those game hackers outside the top ten were in an order of thousands of dollars less than those offered to those inside. Goodbye BodyBox, hello three months of measly rent payments. Brrp! His screen blinked with a new message. An incoming video call, actually. ¡°What now,¡± Connor didn¡¯t move for a moment. If it was going to be some kid asking him to get to the next level of Candy Crossing FunPark then he was going to lose it.
GhostEffect / Personal Message Board 49 New Messages... 1 Awaiting Video Call: Arianna¡­
Arianna. Connor¡¯s lip twitched in a ghost of a smile. At least his oldest friend would understand the crapstorm that he was being put through. ¡°Yo, Ari!¡± he slumped forward, accepting the call with a wave of his hand. The image of the girl he had almost grown up with suddenly appearing from on the other side of the world. ¡°Hey, Loser. Looks like you¡¯re losing that magic touch on the Hacked Boards, am I right?¡± The image of a girl with long dark hair and tanned skin gave him a look that was a mixture of playful mocking and genuine sympathy. Arianna Moore was like that, and Connor told her where to jump as was customary, before they both snickered with a throwback to teenage glee. It had always been this way between them, from the very first day that a fourteen-year-old Arianna had marched into their ¡®study¡¯ classroom in New York School of St. Anthony¡¯s, to find Connor trying to get a faintly unimpressed team of callow youths interested in an Advanced Fantasy RPG game played with actual paper and dice. She had merely said, ¡°If you think that you lot can be a bunch of heroes then, quite frankly I think you should give up now,¡± then had slammed her Advanced Players Manual on the table, before taking several hand-painted figurines from her pocket. ¡°Let me show you weirdos how it¡¯s done.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. After that, Connor had fell instantly, and annoyingly in awe of the dark frizzy haired girl, who was the first of their group to get a piercing, a date, a tattoo¡ªnot to mention the first to get a Vision 100 headset, though that was much later than New York St. Anthony¡¯s. ¡°So, now that you have brought shame on your line kiddo, when are you going to leave the land of the rising sun and come back home to New York, flunkie-boy?¡± Arianna asked, throwing her head back with a playful laugh. Behind the grown twenty-something woman was a much lighter, much plusher apartment than the one he lived in. Connor could see actual house plants, wall-sized windows, and in the corner a whole selection of screens and hard-drives. And something that looked suspiciously like a BodyBox. ¡°What the ever-loving son of a . . . I mean, how the hell could you afford a damn BodyBox!¡± Connor, although he admired his friend to death and back, could also hate her right now. ¡°And no, of course I¡¯m not going to leave Tokyo. The only city where what I do is legal, I hasten to add! Why would I go to crappy New York, and get my connections limited, or worse, locked out completely!?¡± ¡°Because there is more to the world than being some other player¡¯s gopher,¡± Arianna said with a smile that was probably meant to be teasing but was in fact a little too hard. Connor had the suspicion that she was veering toward the ¡®friendly advice intervention¡¯ category. ¡°And that BodyBox you see there? It¡¯s on loan from Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og, They want me as an Early Tester for their new game-world, you heard of it? Legends of the Six Realms?¡± ¡°Never heard of it. Nor Teer ¨C Teayer ¨C Tare ¨C Terrible Nana, or whoever they are,¡± Connor lied. He had definitely heard of Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og, but he was playing it cool. He¡¯d read in the latest industry announcements that a new supercomputer was expected to come online any day now, based somewhere in Old Europe, and that it already had its own game-world in construction. ¡°Hrrmph!¡± Arianna laughed, her previously parental tone broken. ¡°Liar,¡± she called him out. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that even one of the lowest-ranking professional game-hackers doesn¡¯t know when a new supercomputer and world opens up, and Legends is going to be six worlds. Six, all rolled into one!¡± ¡°Bah,¡± Connor groaned, but of course she saw right through him. She always could. A new supercomputer¡ªor, to be precise, a new super-supercomputer¡ªwas a big deal, not only for the gaming community, but also for the entire world. There were only six, and now seven, of these behemoths in existence, each of which was accompanied by their own networked connection of smaller supercomputers. These programming, data-crunching giants were literally what powered the world, and everyone knew that. These servers provided the space for every application, business, community and government on the planet, and they rented out vast quantities of their space to the various game-worlds like BattleWorlds, StarsFall, and now, Legends of the Six Realms. The thing was, that nearly everything was done in the virtual these days, and just about everyone with some electricity had an avatar. Because of the ravaging storms, toxic smog, wildfires, and worse outside of the cities, citizens were actively encouraged to lead their lives online. All of which came with the added bonus that, while the players conducted business meetings or decapitated goblins, the game algorithms also worked to crunch data, with every supercomputer specializing in different projects. Connor knew that the Russian super-supercomputer used its players and citizens network activity to help crunch the next Mars mission. The US super-supercomputer used its online participants to help prop up the international stock market. People logged into Copenhagen mainframe powered the efforts to find a cure for cancer with every sword thrust and avatar profile change. Which is why the game-worlds are so widely encouraged, and why in-game experience can be traded for actual money, Conner knew. It was also why game-hacking was deemed pretty illegal, too, he figured a little warily, before quickly shying away from thinking about that too much. ¡°Alright, Terrible Nan¡¯s then?¡± Connor asked. ¡°And this Legends. Why¡¯d they hire a cheat like you?¡± ¡°Pot and kettle!¡± Arianna shot him a sharp grin. ¡°Look, Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og¡ªteer-naaan-ohg to you¡ªis different from the others. They¡¯re only running one virtual reality game world. Just one and one alone, no more.¡± ¡°What, they¡¯re not leasing space to the others? Then they¡¯re fools, clearly,¡± Connor pointed out. ¡°Legends is too big,¡± Arianna insisted. ¡°That is the kind of commitment we¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s not a case of you spend a couple months logging in and then you¡¯re at Level 20 or whatever.¡± ¡°The new fantasy game-world is so large that it is six game-worlds all together. What other mainframe has space or processing power for that? We¡¯re talking about, like, a year at a time, two maybe, of unrepeated gameplay before they even have to release updates and patches. And that¡¯s for the hardcore gamers out there, who log in every day. For the rest, the weekenders and evening crew. . .¡± Arianna shrugged. ¡°Some of those kids are going to grow up in Legends, probably spend the best years of their lives in there. That is what makes the game, and Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og, so different!¡± she ended on a flourish. ¡°Okay, okay, gimme a look¡­¡± Connor said, relenting. He had to admit, at least to himself, that it did sound promising. Arianna¡¯s hands flew over her screens in distant New York, and an instant later, there were in-game shots and short cut scenes, all in first person, of a lush fantasy marketplace. The town itself was mostly classic medieval fantasy, but with a few differences. There were also elements of gaslight, steam, ether-tech, from what Connor could gather. Buildings that were made of stone and wood with peaked roofs, and in the distance a tall, white stone tower that elegantly curved skyward in the glow of morning mists. There was a flicker as an iridescent butterfly with purple, orange, and green wings fluttered past the camera. A shadow crossed the streets as a sleek airship in the skies crossed overhead. The ship had no balloons to support it, but instead canvas sails stretched out to the side of a gleaming metal hull, while a giant steel ring which emitted an eldritch blue glow propelled it forward and kept it aloft. The details were intense, Connor had to admit. Of course, he expected such things from a virtual game, but everywhere he trained his eyes, he could see small, distinct features. He saw the drift of blown leaves from a majestic sycamore tree where birds flitted, and some purple-furred mammal type creatures chased each other in the treetops. He could see the dirt and dust of the roadway, replete with puddles from a recent rain. Even in this, a mere recorded scene from the game, Connor could almost feel the sharp tang of the air on his face. ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± he breathed, admittedly awed. ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it,¡± Arianna agreed. ¡°Legends starts with all the usual fantasy races, and it¡¯s developed its own virtual simulator extensions. It¡¯s going to be the most immersive game ever!¡± ¡°I see you¡¯ve drunk the Kool-Aid,¡± Connor laughed, as Arianna pulled the in-game shots back. She shrugged. ¡°I guess I have. Call it professional interest. Like I said, Tir¡¯Nan¡¯Og sent me the BodyBox in return for being a first adopter tester.¡± She said it like it was no big deal. ¡°I start at level 0, same as everyone else, then just throw myself into traps and quests, and provide feedback. Easy, huh?¡± Connor had to admit that he was certainly jealous of that. ¡°Payment?¡± He asked. Arianna grimaced sheepishly. ¡°Not great, but¡­¡± ¡°How much?¡± She blew out a breath. ¡°I get that BodyBox for as long my contract lasts, though¡­¡± Connor watched as his friend dithered. ¡°You are getting paid, right?¡± he pressed. Arianna¡¯s face fell a bit more. ¡°Hundred forty dollars a week,¡± she admitted. Connor burst out laughing. ¡°Does that even cover your rent?¡± ¡°Barely,¡± Arianna admitted. ¡°But I get the Box. I figure it will look great on my resume, being an official reviewer and all.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Connor shook his head. ¡°If I signed up for your deal, I¡¯d have a month tops, and then I¡¯d be back to square one. It¡¯s just not worth it.¡± ¡°It means there¡¯s no chance of Feds coming for you, or of getting juiced in the Hacked League tables,¡± she pointed out, once again sounding a little serious. In fact, she sounded not only serious, but worried for him. ¡°C¡¯mon, Connor, how long are you going to keep doing what you do, anyway? When are you going to start putting your health first?¡± The sympathy in her voice suddenly made Connor angry. ¡°Maybe I like what I do, Ari!¡± he stormed. ¡°I¡¯m one of the best in the world at levelling up.¡± ¡°Number twelve, you mean, and dropping every hour you¡¯re not grinding out some other schmuck¡¯s experience¡­¡± his friend, always just as hot tempered as he was, started to say. ¡°Oh, do me a favor,¡± Connor cut her off. He was angry at her for even suggesting that he give up on his career. Like she thought he was always going to be that sickly drop-out kid, hacking coughs over Fantasy Rule Books at the back of class. Why can¡¯t people see that I am GOOD at this?! ¡°I don¡¯t need your sympathy, Ari,¡± he snapped. ¡°Thanks anyway¡­¡± ¡°Connor, wait¡ª¡± she tried to say, but Connor had already cut the connection, and sat back, fuming. ¡°Drekk!¡± He punched the bed blankets, futilely. He didn¡¯t know what made him angrier: the fact that his friend had valued him so low, or that a part of him wondered if she might be right. No way, he told himself. He was just still smarting from getting burned on the League tables, that was all. It was only a small setback. He¡¯d be back in the game in no time. Wouldn¡¯t he? Of course he would. Connor already had a plan of what he was going to do with that $2000. He furiously began swiping up some new windows.
GhostEffect / Personal Message Board 48 New Messages... Search: Legends of the Six Realms¡­
He was going to show Ari, and everyone else, what he was capable of. And he was going to do it right there, with his old Vision500. He didn¡¯t need the damned BodyBox at all. He was going to make more money than ever when he aced this new game and this Terrible Nana computer or whatever dumb name it was called. There. Just like he knew it would be, like he knew it had to be. There were already three offers from clients wanting to game-hack the new game. With the release of every new game-world, there was always this flurry of activity. People wanting to get virtually famous by being the first to get to Level 10, 15, 20; the first to work out the solution to this problem, or complete that quest. Normally, professional game-hackers like himself held back a month or so before jumping in. There was more risk of doing spectacularly badly in a game where you had no idea what the cheat codes were, or where the boss triggers were. Game-Hackers were a bold lot, but they also liked avoiding failure. Well, prudence can go fish, Connor declared to no one but himself. He was good enough to work it out all on his own, without any tips or cheats at all! The first couple of messages were ridiculous offers, even for him. Someone from Cleveland and another from somewhere called Lowestoft were offering worse than Ari was getting paid a week. He grimaced at how bad the jobs were now that he was way down in the rankings. But the third looked promising, if a bit unorthodox. Connor read through it once and immediately clicked ACCEPT. 1.5 - The Offer FAO: GhostEffect Offer: Legends of the Six Realms [IMMEDIATE START] Sender: Mr. Grey Message Begins: Dear GhostEffect, thank you for your interest. I would like to extend to you the offer of immediate employment in the new game franchise Legends of the Six Realms. You will forgive me if I have noticed that your recent rankings are, shall we say, unfortunate? Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Being a businessman and entrepreneur in a fairly cut-throat market myself, I sympathize entirely with the vagaries of fame and fortune. However, this is precisely why I have chosen you for this offer. I believe that you and I will share a common desire to fight, and to prove ourselves to those who deem themselves better than us. It is a trait that I find uniquely admirable. I have received a tip regarding the whereabouts of a powerful magical item in the new game, called the RING OF TANTOR. As yet, no other player knows of its existence. I want you to enter the game and steal it for me. It is imperative that this is done as soon as possible. Do not waste time completing quests or gaining experience, we cannot afford to wait for this item to fall into the hands of another player! Further details on the location of the item will be sent to you once you have spawned in the game. If you complete this job, you will receive $5000 straight away. After that, you are free to play the game as you wish, with $500 per level gained, indefinitely. You may choose any race, class, and description you see fit. Just deliver to me the ring, when I and my associates enter the game. Awaiting your prompt confirmation, Mr. Grey 1.99 - Story Update I wanted to say thank you to everyone who supported this story and gave me feedback. It wasn''t all pleasant, but it was all very much appreciated. So, here''s the scoop, I''ve got 120 chapters done, but some of you have pointed out that Connor isn''t much of hero. While I love him and think there is a great deal of development going on that will turn him into a hero, I have heard what you''re saying and I''m going to send him out for some hero training. While he''s gone, I''ve been working on another series (more on that in a minute). When Connor gets back, we''re going to improve some of his less than heroic behavior and update the story, both here and in the audiobook. Now, you may have caught that I mentioned another story. While I was researching hero boarding schools for Connor, I came up with a new idea and couldn''t stop myself from diving into a new series. It''s called the Integrated Universe, and it''s a good old fashioned, but kicking adventure. In a nut shell, Earth has been selected to join the Integrated Universe which means everyone gets a Personal Enhancement System which eliminates disease and aging while essentially giving everyone the ability to gain superhuman powers. Great, huh? Well, there are also monsters now, and a winner take all competition to become King of the World. It''s a lot of fun and I think you''ll like it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. You can check out the Integrated Universe here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/59767/integrated-universe-a-litrpg-adventure