《One More Round, Rookie!》 [01] This is Otherworld Caramel or vanilla... caramel or vanilla... or hazelnut? "Uh... one hazelnut latte, please." Marcie''s big amber eyes slid over to the desserts box. No. "That''s it." "What size would you like?" the barista who should have pursued a career in modelling smiled. God damn - his eyebrows were almost as perfect as hers. "Large." "Anything else?" "Nope." "Do you have your student card? There''s a ten percent discount." "Oh no, I don''t." "I''ll give it to you anyway sure, just bring your card next time!" "For sure!" she grinned, unconsciously flipping her bleached ashy blonde hair over her shoulder. "That''s four-fifty, then." Marcie held her phone up so the barista could scan her QR code, taking the receipt with a smile. Her drink was prepared at the speed of light, it seemed, for it came out before the others ahead of her got theirs. She ignored the eye rolls and scowls as she took the drink, accepting it with a sweet ''thank you'' and a dazzling smile, satisfied with his bashful expression and heading out. Pooka Books, a mid-sized publishing house, was located in the heart of St. Luca City. It was there she had worked for the last year as a proofreader, jumping ship from her old job selling cosmetics in a department store. She hadn''t really intended to be a proofreader, she''d applied by accident one night while drunk and bored, but got the interview anyway. The pay was much better, her feet less sore, and she didn''t have to dress in a suit every day. Not that she didn''t look good in a suit - she looked fabulous and she was good at her job - but she loved being comfortable and Pooka Books had no dress code. She could''ve sworn her boss came in in pyjamas the week before. "What the actual fuck is this sentence?" Marcie growled, yeeting the manuscript onto her desk and rubbing her eyes. "Is that Minnow again?" her team mate Wendy asked. "How can someone write so pretentiously and be this fucking bad at it? My brain hurts! This paragraph is eleven lines long, it has two sentences and no commas! I swear to-" She stood up, swiping her lukewarm coffee and taking the three strides to her supervisor''s office, knocking loudly on the open door. "What''s up, Martian?" "Have I offended you?" she asked, taking a swig from her cup. "Because Jesus, if making me proofread that asshole''s manuscript is punishment, I''ve obviously done something wrong." "Ah, Minnow?" her middle aged boss, Morton, chuckled. "Why did we even accept him? I don''t understand anything that he wrote - no one is going to buy this!" "Look, he''s the president''s son, you know how this works." "Are you saying that I have to re-write it?" "No, no. Just send him back the annotated manuscript and hopefully that will be the end of it." "Hopefully?" she scowled. "I''m gonna put so many sticky notes and red lines over it he''ll never write again!" "Off you go, then." Morton gestured to her desk, "What shall we write in your obituary?" "Finally!" Marcie sighed, rolling her neck as she stepped outside into the warm evening air, sliding her bag over her head to wear it crossbody and turning to Wendy, who was grinning at her phone. "Any plans for tonight?" "Seafood buffet with my boyfriend. How about you? Any hot dates?" "No, my best friend went back home for the weekend and my roommate is a shut-in, so I dunno. Might go to a coin KTV place." "Didn''t the hot barista downstairs give you his number?" she asked, brushing her bangs back into place as the wind tried to mess them up. "He did, but he''s not my type." she shrugged. "That''s a lie." "Yes it is. Anyway, it''s Friday so I''m gonna go get some ice cream. See you on Monday!" With that, the two girls waved goodbye and Marcie bounced in her step as she made her way down to the front gate. It didn''t take long to reach the ice cream parlour, a fifteen minute subway ride away down by the pier. University students and high schoolers occupied the benches around the area now that classes were over and in a while families would come. A flyer for the monthly fireworks show was stuck to the window of the small pink brick shop, flapping in the breeze as she pulled the door open and ordered her usual - a caramel pecan sundae with cream and a bottle of water to offset the sugary attack. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Marcie sat at the window, half scrolling through her phone, half people-watching. She couldn''t help but wonder about the teenagers and students out there, laughing and having fun with their friends. They''d be taking their final exams soon. She hadn''t really known what she wanted to do after school, so she forwent university and dove into working. It was enough to rile her parents up, but once they knew she was settled and could take care of herself, they had backed off (her dad even sent her money in secret when she was having a harder time). They were thrilled when she told them she''d gone into a publishing company, but left out the drunk application part. Truthfully, she still didn''t know what she wanted to do. She never had a dream, even something as small as getting married or going backpacking, and while others envied her for her gorgeous looks, she envied everyone else for their ambitions. She always thought that by the age of thirty she''d be some career woman with a designer handbag who yelled at people all day, not a step above an intern. She envied people around her who put their free time into learning new skills - Wendy was taking dance lessons and even Morton had gotten into gardening. There was nothing stopping her from picking up a new skill or hobby, but with the wealth of options St. Luca had: professional development exams, language schools, art classes, acting classes, sports, crafting and DIY, makeup artistry courses, jewelry making, music lessons - almost anything you could think of, it was too much. Marcie didn''t know how to choose, it was overwhelming, especially as she had no pull towards anything in particular. What could her thing be? The question continued to plague her as she strolled down the biggest shopping street in the city some hours later. Dadao Avenue was huge, lined with shops and restaurants. A few paper bags from makeup brands hung on her wrist as some blue neon lights caught her eye in the distance, the sound of cheers rippling through the air. Was it a concert? Interest piqued, she hurried towards the lively crowd at the block across the road from the end of the avenue. Her skirt fluttered in the wind as she waited for the traffic lights to change. It wasn''t unusual for events to be held in Citizen''s Square Park, but the sheer size of the display was. OTHERWORLD X AISLING flashed across the screens and video game characters stepping into hi-tech VR chambers and turning into heroes followed. A popular song by Ouyang Dara that was recorded for the game accompanied the impressive VCR. Before she knew it, Marcie had passed through the entrance gate in a trance, only snapping out of it when a young, enthusiastic guy literally jumped in front of her. "Hi there!" he sang. "Can I see your ticket?" "Oh!" Marcie gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn''t realise, I was just passing by, sorry! I thought it was an open event." "Well it would be but," he leaned in towards her and voice dropped, "Ri is here!" "No way!" she gasped, not having the first clue who that was. "Here," the guy began, taking one of the paper bracelets he had in his hand and fastening it around her wrist. "Go on in, sure, it''s just yourself - oh wait!" He disappeared behind her, running back to the table and returning with a navy blue and gold paper shopping bag. "Some freebies for the event! These aren''t for sale anywhere!" "Thank you!" Marcie smiled. "Go on quick now, Ri will be out soon!" Marcie managed to wind her way into a spot where she could see better. There were big cheers when some characters appeared on screen, fan favourites obviously, all of them demonstrating how to use the AISLING VR Chamber. Even people who weren''t gamers knew that AISLING was the most high-end VR manufacturer around. Doctors recommended them because they had the best spine support for lengthy game play and the ear buds and headsets came in multiple sizes to suit everyone. AISLING was the first company to combine gameplay and rest to overcome the limitations of traditional VR. How it worked, exactly, was a well-kept secret, but since it had been around for so long and there were very few accidents using the machines, people had stopped questioning it. Those who played regularly described it as akin to lucid dreaming, but without the ability to spawn your favourite foods or fly through the air. If you died, you woke up and your game session was over. Some doctors even recommended it for those who struggled to get a good night of sleep since the chamber was optimised to make the player as comfortable and relaxed as possible - the distraction of a game meant even the busiest minds had a chance at rest. Marcie didn''t understand - it sounded terrifying, but she had to admit that the gameplay did look interesting. The character designs were pretty and it would be nice to dress up in some traditional clothing that didn''t cost a fortune. There was no way she could afford a VR chamber, and even if she could there wouldn''t be anywhere to put it in her apartment, She also had a feeling her shut-in roommate would use it anyway - but there were AISLING hotels. "Warrior, Mage, Tank, Medic, Ranger! And now; introducing Otherworld''s brand new class, it''s finally here: Scholar!" Marcie clapped as the crowd around her went wild and a female character whose name was Aoibhe (as displayed on screen and screamed by fans) in long traditional green robes appeared on screen with a golden harp, a simple strum along the strings sending a wave of magic or something towards a group of enemies, slicing through them and turning them into dust. A conversation from somewhere nearby got her attention as she watched the new character class in action. "I can''t believe it took them so long to make an AoE class!" AoE? "I might use my change token tonight!" "Dude, you''re nuts you''re gonna have to start from square one!" "Yeah, but imagine how powerful this''ll be when it''s high level!" "I dunno dude, I don''t think it''s gonna be that different from mage." "Probably not, I''m not gonna give up everything I worked hard for now, but I''m jealous of anyone who starts after this!" "Please welcome our special guest: Ri!" "OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Marcie covered her ears as the crowd somehow got even louder, ducking through the bulk of people and out to where there were less fans. An ordinary looking guy stood on stage in a polo shirt and jeans, a hellishly expensive watch shining on his wrist and a pair of square glasses. She caught excited chatter from the players, most of them unable to believe that Ri was really there and talking about his legendary battles on the team. She turned, releasing her ears, her eyes landing on the AISLING hotel on the corner opposite. The rates could be expensive for one person, and she was wary of spending that much just to try something, especially something that needed hours of play to get into. Clearly Ri had found his calling in playing games. What if this is where her talent lay, too? She reached into the fancy gift bag, puling out a heavy bulky item. "Otherworld Official Strategy Guide." she murmured. She could''ve sworn her older cousin collected these for his console games back when they were kids. She had no idea they were still made - everything was online these days. The art sure was beautiful. As she opened the cover, a piece of silver paper fell out that she quickly scooped back up. It was a sixty-five hour gift coupon redeemable at any AISLING VR Chamber. Marcie looked back at the hotel. Well, if this wasn''t a sign then she didn''t know what was. [02] I am Noob "Welcome to Aisling Hotel!" the perky receptionist behind the sleek white counter smiled. "How may I help you this evening?" It had taken Marcie a week to pluck up the courage to walk into the elegant looking building, especially after finding out that the coupon she received was valid for gameplay only, it didn''t include cost of staying in the hotel itself. She had asked her friends and her shut-in roommate if they had ever tried playing. Some of them had tried it, most had given up because it ''wasn''t their thing.'' Once she was assured it wasn''t a horrifying experience, she had decided she would go on Friday night. And so she found herself there. "Um, I have a sixty-five hour coupon I''d like to redeem." "Certainly! Which game are you lookin to play?" "Otherworld." "Okie dokie!" the receptionist tapped into her computer and clicked around. "We have a standard room, premium room and a suite available. Which one would you prefer?" "What''s the difference?" "A standard room is twelve dollars and has eight capsules, a premium room is fifty dollars and has four capsules and a suite is four hundred dollars but it''s entirely private." "Oh, um... a premium room, please." "And how long will you be staying with us?" "Just one night." "Right-o! That''s a total of fifty dollars, then. Breakfast is included in the price and is served from seven o''clock to nine o''clock, we currently have a new seasonal menu curated by Kaori herself! There are fresh towels in the en-suite for you to use and check-out is at twelve o''clock sharp." the lady scanned Marcie''s QR code, tapping into the computer, activating a key card and handing it over before mumbling into her radio - a staff member appearing less than three seconds after. "You''re in room thirteen-ten, Jin here will take you up!" "Thank you." she nodded, following the young man who politely, silently guided her to her room. The thirteenth floor was decked out floor-to-ceiling in a trippy combination of cracked mirrors, LED screens and pink and blue neon lights. Marcie could barely see where the walls were, never mind where the hell her room actually was and if she didn''t have a staff member escorting her she probably would''ve gotten lost, given up hope, had a break down and died of dysentery. "Welcome!" A girl with bright blue hair greeted her as the staff member left her off at room 1310. "Can you scan your room card for me just there... great, thank you! You''re in capsule A, so here are your headphones and headset. Would you like to book a wake-up call?" "Um... no?" "Okay! The login screen is right here on this panel, just enter your player ID and it''ll confirm your face ID and you''ll be all set!" "I don''t... have an ID yet." Marcie admitted sheepishly, jumping slightly at the girl''s dramatic gasp. "Oh my God! You''re a baby! Okay, come on in then and I''ll explain it." Surprisingly, the actual hotel room was very ordinary compared to the insane decoration outside. It was dimly lit with four pristine white capsules, three of them with purple LED lights and one that was off. "Okay, basics first... the locker for your clothes is actually on the back part of the capsule, you can scan your key card to open it. This bathroom behind you is a private one for your use only." "Right. Got it." "Okay, so since you''ve never played before, when you get into the capsule you''ll need to enter your coupon number and then try your best to relax. Don''t worry if you don''t log any hours this time, you won''t be down any hours on the coupon if the game never starts. Do you have any questions?" "Just one." Marcie pulled the Official Strategy Guide out of her tote bag and showed the girl. "I keep hearing that Otherworld is an RPG, but others say it''s a MOBA game, so... which is it?" "It''s both! The guide you have there is for the MOBA game. You have to play the RPG first, then once you finish it, you''ll be able to have access to the MOBA edition." "Why can''t I just play the MOBA first?" "Oooooh, you wouldn''t want to dive in there." the girl laughed. "You can''t, actually. See, how strong your character is in the MOBA game depends entirely on how well you increase your stats and skills during the RPG stage. The RPG is a linear ga- do you know what that means?" "No." "So in the RPG there''s a storyline and you have to play through it, all the while increasing your skills. If you don''t increase your skills, then you won''t be able to finish the RPG! So to get really good at MOBA, it''s worth it to spend time grinding - uh - doing some repetitive tasks - in order to level up your character. But you have to be careful - don''t just speedrun the RPG - once you complete the RPG part of the game, your base stats are fixed at those values for MOBA." "Oh, right. Sweet." Marcie smiled unconvincingly. "Look, if you wanna get good at this game, you need to put the time in. But lucky for you joining now when there''s a new scholar class! Lots of people would kill to be AoE." the girl assured her. "Plus their clothing choices are the prettiest so far in my opinion! Although you''re free to buy all kinds of outfits later on." This was one verifiable fact Marcie knew to be true, as she had discovered when she studied the guide. Scholars did have the prettiest clothing choices, but Mages came pretty close. Of course the one thing that had stuck in her mind were the pretty drawings of the characters, but with that stuck the information about tailor stores being the only place where you could buy new outfits. "So, the important stuff - the exterior open handle is here," she began, pressing on a small panel with ''open'' embossed on it. "The interior open handle is that green one right there. The capsules don''t seal shut or anything, so there''s airflow all around the edges. If you want to end the game at any time, there''s an option in-game that''s accessible by tapping on your left hand. I''ll come and wake you up if you want to quit. Otherwise, you can set the amount of hours you want to play after you enter the coupon code. Just don''t forget to save your game before you exit." "Left hand for exiting the game, save before exiting. Okay, got it." The capsule was much more comfy than she had anticipated, that was for sure. Maybe it was the ambient music playing through the headphones, or how weightless she felt leaning back at a forty-five degree angle. Whatever it was, it made her relax so much that she could be melting into the capsule and would have no idea whatsoever. She could absolutely understand why some people invested in one if they... The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. if they... [Welcome to Otherworld] [Please enter your desired player ID] ["MrsOuyangDara" this ID is unavailable.] ["MrsOuyangDara1" this ID is unavailable.] ["MrsOuyangDara99" this ID is unavailable.] ["IncrediblePantaloons" this ID is unavailable] ["L¨ªBan" this ID is available!] [Confirm ID Selection?] [Confirm / Let Me Think] [Welcome to Otherworld, L¨ªBan!] [Please choose your class. Note! This cannot be changed during the game] Light gradually lit up the scene and Marcie found herself standing in the middle of a circular tower room with six stained glass windows and a different class of hero in front of each. It took her point-three seconds to figure out that facing a character would make them perform a cool swishy-swashy move and so she span around as fast as she could to see if they would all perform their move at the same time, stopping once she succeeded. The first stained glass window had ''Warrior'' inscribed at the top and a fairly average looking hero in front, sword and shield in hand. Nah. The second window was green and was for the ''Medic'' class. The third window was purple for the ''Mage'' class. The fourth was red for ''Tank'' class. The fifth was blue for ''Ranger'' class. The sixth was yellow for ''Scholar'' class. Marcie looked between the Mage, Ranger and Scholar heroes. Casting spells was pretty fucking cool, but so was using a bow and arrow or other long-range weapons, and after thinking about it she supposed that they were probably quite similar in some ways. The Scholar class was what everyone was losing their shit over. She looked back over to Mage, a pretty female hero with long flowing hair and a flowing dress with pretty pink orbs floating around her and a staff in her hand. The Scholar hero was holding a harp in her hand, her green robes flowing too in some imaginary wind. Her mind kept traveling back to the VCR where one shot took out a whole group of enemies. That was pretty damn cool, too. Would it be better to go with the Scholar class? If anything, it would make her feel less like a complete dipshit if she didn''t get the hang of this gaming stuff right away since it was new for everyone. Hmm... "How the fuck do people make this choice?" she whined. "Fuck it." [Choose Scholar?] [Confirm / Let Me Think] A bright white flash blinded her for a split second, bright enough for her to cover her eyes with her arm until it died down. When it seemed safe, Marcie opened her eyes slowly and stood up straight. A town? [Welcome to Hamletville] "Hamletville? Creative geniuses, these lot." Marcie snorted, swinging her arms as she set off down the main street. The cobbled road was filled with villagers in ye olde clothes, selling fruit and vegetables and clothing. A few buildings had open doors with highlighted signage, the other shops and houses had their doors painted on, it seemed. "Liban! Liban! Mom is looking for you! She says you''re in big trouble!" a little boy, presumably her brother, sneered at her. "You''re really gonna get it now!" "Is that right?" "Are you scared? Are you gonna cry?" he teased, mocking her with dramatic sobs, and that was all it took for her to start towards him, breaking into a run as the little shit legged it through the streets. Being out of breath was still something that could happen to you in a game, it seemed, as Marcie nearly found herself on the ground gasping for air by the time the boy led her back to their family home. "Liban! How many times have I told you to close the upstairs windows? The cat escaped! Go find him before I box your ears in!" [Mission: Find Chester the Cat. It looks like he might have left a trail of destruction in his wake...] Before Marcie had a chance to even look around the modest wooden house, she was shoved unceremoniously out the back door where a wreckage of flower pots formed a path leading towards a shady forest. Great. Marcie started towards the forest but stopped at the end of the garden where the gate was wide open. What if there were enemies in the forest? She didn''t even know how strong she was. Tapping her left hand, a menu popped up: [PAUSE] [SAVE GAME] [STATUS] [BAG] [CRYSTAL GRID] [EXIT] [STATUS: NORMAL] "Normal? As opposed to what?" Marcie tapped the X and tried again. [CRYSTAL GRID: LIBAN] [HP: 30] [STRENGTH: 10] [SPEED: 15] [ATTACK: 10] [MANA: 15] [DEFENSE: 10] [EVASION: 5] [ACCURACY: 10] "My speed is fifteen but my evasion is five? What the fuck does that even- aren''t they the same thing? Surely if I''m faster I can evade more attacks? Fuckin- whatever, let''s just do this." Marcie flipped her hair over her shoulder and marched towards the forest, wondering if it was even possible for her clothes to get dirty in game world. [You have entered Leafy Forest] "Leafy forest? Wow, it gets better." she commented, now following the conveniently perfectly shaped paw prints in the forest floor and decided to try calling the cat''s name, just in case it happened to answer: "Chester? ...Cheeeessssstee-JESUS CHRIST!" [Enemy: Forest Sprite] A small green, planty looking thing jumped towards her and in a panic, she swatted it away, sending it flying back to the forest floor where it hopped back to the centre of the path. [Tutorial: Use a Normal attack against this enemy. To execute a Normal attack, use your hands or feet to subdue your enemy.] "It''s just a plant..." Marcie mumbled, though raised her fists when she remembered the damn thing jumped at her. It was too low to punch, so maybe a kick would do the trick. Worried that she would startle it, she slowly shuffled towards the Forest Sprite, hands still raised in case it jumped again. It only reached half-way up her shin and so without hesitation, she swung her right leg and booted the plant as hard as she could, her foot flying high in the air as the plant remained rooted to the ground, bending back as it took the hit. A vine shot out from the Sprite, slapping her in the arm hard enough to make her yelp and in her surprise she stomped on the damn thing with her boot, jumping back as it squealed and fell, in her opinion, a tad over-dramatically to the forest floor before fading away. [Tutorial Complete: Victory! You have gained 4 EXP] "Sweet." she nodded, disappointed that her Crystal Grid didn''t show any change in her stats, but it did show that she only needed 6 EXP to level up. "I''ll be a pro in no time." [03] First Fantasy "So, then I met this elf in Leafy Forest who had Chester and after I got him back, the elf was all talking about how he needed to get some... what''re they called? God, I''ve totally lost it, what the hell is this word... the stones with letters on them? Like the ones themmuns uh, the Vikings, used to have? And they''re not really letters I guess; they look like a bunch of lines and-" "Are you talkin about runes?" "Yes!" Marcie sipped on her milkshake as she sat opposite Wendy, whose gaze had never left her phone as she messaged her boyfriend. "Go on." Wendy urged, a smirk appearing on her face the more she typed and Marcie didn''t even want to know. "Elf boy, runes, then what?" "Oh right, so like, I was all - where the fuck am I gonna find runes? But then I was like, well it''s game so they can''t be that far away, and right enough there was one path I could go down and I opened a chest and there they were inside, so I gave him the runes and he gave me the cat and I tossed the cat back into the house and then the elf was all ''My brother is in New World, do you wanna join me on the journey?''" "You got hit on by an elf?" "Fuck off!" Marcie cried, pouting as Wendy cackled. "So that''s where I left off. I was fighting some plants before I ended the session. I forgot that I lost HP when I got hit and didn''t use the potion so I got booted out when I died." "You got killed by a plant?" "I know." Marcie huffed, slurping more of her milkshake. "Nightmare. What time is lover boy coming to pick you up?" "He just got here." "What?" Marcie''s big amber eyes zeroed in on the tall guy with impeccable hair who dressed exclusively in buttoned shirts and well fitted suits as he waltzed through the diner door. His name was Ethan, he was the son of a locally famous restauranteur, and Marcie didn''t trust him. The stories that Wendy had shared about him being a hero and reporting his own colleagues for their wrongful actions - colleagues he had worked with for years - never went down well with her. In Wendy''s eyes, Ethan was really upstanding for being so honest and good and that made him stand out from the others she had dated. Marcie thought he was a greasy little rat. She had no evidence to back up her harsh judgement of this guy, but her gut hadn''t been wrong in all her thirty years. Something about him was off, though she couldn''t quite put her finger on it, and she supposed if she was closer to Wendy she might stage some kind of intervention, but she didn''t want to overstep. "Afternoon, ladies!" the snake himself greeted them as he slid into the chair beside Wendy, throwing his arm around her shoulders as she beamed at him. "I thought you''d never come!" Wendy whined, booping her nose against his cheek and Marcie wished she had a bucket to hurl into. "How''s yourself, Marcie?" Ethan asked smoothly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as soon as he met her death glare. The way she smiled at him with no warmth at all was enough to trigger his fight-or-flight response and he couldn''t wait to get out of there, but he didn''t want to let it show. He couldn''t let Marcie know he found her scary as hell and really, for the life of him he couldn''t figure out what she had against him. He didn''t even really know her, but it unnerved him how it seemed like she knew his darkest secrets. "Couldn''t be better." she replied after a pause that was a beat too long. "Anyway, I have an appointment today, so I must get going first." "You do?" Wendy asked, finally looking up from her phone as Marcie stood. She didn''t notice how her boyfriend stared at Marcie''s long legs that were suddenly on full show right in his direct line of sight. Her butt was only covered by a pair of solid black hotpants. A long, sheer black shirt sat loosely around her shoulders and fell down to just below the shorts, giving the ''no-pants'' illusion, and with a decorative black bra lined with gold chains underneath that was partially on show, he was on the verge of malfunctioning. "Yep, hair appointment." "Who do you go to by the way? I meant to ask you, your hair always looks amazing." "Here, I''ll send you his contact." she offered, pulling her own phone out and forwarding the business card to her their chatroom. "He owns a salon in town, but I just go to him directly in a private studio... You might wanna bring your man along, though." Wendy raised an eyebrow as he looked at her unusually sweaty boyfriend. "Why?" "He''s a relentless flirt." "With you, probably." Wendy sighed, well aware of how most men became idiots around her, especially when she dressed like that. "Anyway, I don''t find him attractive - he''s not a bog-dweller, like, but not my type - and you know how flirting gets you discounts and shit?" "Of course." "What?!" Ethan interjected, pouting as the women continued to ignore him. "Just play along and he''ll knock twenty percent off." she shrugged. "If it was anyone else I''d just find another stylist, but he''s really fuckin good at his job." "That good?" "Y''know Jeon Enda? He used to be in-" "Everyone knows Jeon Enda, Marcie, be serious." "Yeah, well, he did his hair for his latest editorial shoot with Mode magazine." "No way!" "Yes way." she folded her arms, looking down at Ethan. "Oi, you''ll have to go with her - Wendy''s too pure to go to him alone, understood?" "Yes, miss." Ethan nodded seriously. "I am not!" Wendy cried. "Not really something you wanna say in front of your boyfriend, Wen." Marcie added, pocketing her phone. "Anyway, gotta go. See yous!" With that, she waved and wound around the tables, exiting the diner. All she had to do now was get her roots done, flirt her pants off to see how much discount she could get, and then it would finally be time. [Welcome to Otherworld, Liban!] [Load Save File?] [Load / Cancel] [Leafy Forest] "You''re back!" the elf, whose name was Levi, beamed as he stood up from a tree stump in the middle of Leafy Forest, where you had gone back to level up some more before continuing. "That I am." she replied, dusting off her red-orange robes that faded down to green. "Hey, do you know where to get potions?" "Potions? Of course, in fact, I have some here - take them!" The elf pulled out two plain glass bottles with green liquid inside, handing them over to her with a pearly white smile. She accepted them graciously and popped them inside her pouch, automatically adding them to her inventory that she had learned she could access any time. It was a nice touch that the bag remained weightless and that everything could fit into it, like some kind of Mary Poppins type shit. [Levi has gifted you Potion x 2] [Potions restore 20HP] [You can access potions through [Bag] while roaming or through [Items] during battle] If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "So, shall we head back into town and get those tickets?" Levi asked, checking his quiver for arrows and testing the string on his bow - an action he often did while they weren''t moving, Marcie noticed. She took one more look around at the forest, trying to spot anything else that might be possible to interact with, but as she had covered all the bases possible, she was happy enough to leave, Levi following her in tow. He was a perky character, and from what she had read about him in the Official Strategy Guide for the RPG, he was the first member of her party that would be made up of seven interchangeable members whom she would meet along the way. She had tried to study up on the first area of Hamletville, but since it wasn''t possible to bring anything into or out of the world, she had to rely on her memory and that wasn''t great at the best of times. Well, as long as she took the time to explore every nook and cranny, she supposed she would be able to find everything she needed and so she spent the next hour wandering around all the available buildings and streets, opening doors and interacting with whatever she could to see what she could find, and to her surprise she managed to score more potions, some gold and a bottle of something that looked like a potion but was blue in colour and called [Found: XP UP] [XP UP will increase your experience points by 10] "XP... experience... XP... Oh! Oh no, that took way too long." Marcie scolded herself, uncorking the blue bottle immediately but stopping dead as soon as the scent of roses hit her. You could taste in this game too? She did die after getting slapped one too many times by those plants, she figured, and she could feel the impact of those hits without being in pain - so being able to taste and smell didn''t seem so farfetched. Without another thought, she downed the blue liquid, her face scrunching up as the last of it slid down her throat. "Hey, are you okay?" Levi asked, noting her reaction. His silvery white hair shone in the sunlight, contrasting against his tanned skin as he leaned down fast enough and close enough for her to jump back. "I''m fine!" she assured him, going to toss the bottle, but discovering it had literally disappeared from her grasp. "That didn''t look too good." he commented, standing up to his full height. "Are you the only elf here?" she asked as they headed towards the ticket office towards the docks, running her tongue around her mouth as the strange sensation persisted. The liquid had no taste, but it did leave a weird feeling, like she''d just swished a whole load of mouthwash. "There''s a handful of us here, but my people are from Senlin." Senlin? Really? Who the fuck hired these writers to name these places? What would be next, the Sea of Water? "Is that far away?" she asked, brushing her arms against her loose robes as they stood in the queue, moving a pace every thirty seconds or so. "Oh yeah, it''s right on the other side of New World! It''ll be a bit embarrassing for an elf like me from such a small town to go back to the motherland, but I have to see what''s out there." Marcie found herself smiling at his optimism. She was never that curious about the rest of the world. St. Luca had everything you could ever dream of, so it never even crossed her mind to go outside of the city, nevermind the country. "Two tickets for New World." Marcie smiled at the clerk who had the same reaction most service staff did when they saw her for the first time. "Sorry, we''re sold out for the next few days." the clerk drawled, her expression falling completely. "What!" Levi protested. "We have to get there today!" "You know what? The Mayor has two tickets himself. Why don''t you ask him?" "Okay!" Levi cheered, much too cheerfully as he pulled Marcie aside with his ridiculous strength and she wondered just how high his stat was. "W-wait!" she stammered. "Levi! Where are we going?" "Why, to find Mayor Man of course!" he explained, letting go of her arm. "He lives over there in that big house in the town square. I bet he''ll give us the tickets if we explain to him." "Ah..." information about a tutorial boss battle popped into her head as Levi bounded towards the house and it was all she could do to follow behind him before he got himself smacked into next week. The front door of Mayor Man''s house swung open as soon as they approached it and inside there were some servant staff walking around and a kid running up and down the stairs. "Is the mayor here?" Liban asked the woman nearest the door. "He''s in the study at the back of the house!" she informed her and so they made their way through the house to the back, the door to the study swinging open as they approached it. Mayor Man''s study was a large, circular room lined with tall windows that allowed plenty of light and air in. Comically large stacks of books were pushed up against the edges of the walls nearest the door and only as it swung closed did the man himself spin around in his chair. Levi and Marcie looked down as the tiny man dressed in a full three-piece suit, top hat, monocle and a huge bushy moustache hopped off the chair. "Liban? Levi? How can I help you kiddos?" "We want to go to New World to see my brother! But the clerk at the ticket office said there are no more tickets and to ask you." Levi explained. Mayor Man hummed, looking between the two of you. "I remember your brother. Gad is a real noble man. So, you want to join him? You do know that once you leave Hamletville, you won''t be able to come back, don''t you?" "Yes." they nodded. "Well, you two are both very important to the town, but I understand that you want to go on and see bigger, better things. I myself have always wondered about what lies beyond the great blue Ocean of Waves." Seriously? The pair watched as Mayor Man clasped his hands behind his back and looked wistfully out the window to the forest behind his home. "New World is a huge continent full of possibilities. I was always hoping to go myself one day, but the years have already passed by and I''ve never managed to muster the courage. So, why don''t you help me make my decision?" He spun on his heel with determination all over his expression: "If you can defeat me, I''ll give you the tickets!" [Boss: Mayor Man] [Defeat Mayor Man to get tickets to New World] [Tutorial: Use a Skill attack against Mayor Man. A Skill attack requires MP. Try equipping a Bracelet] [Tip! You can equip items during battle by going to [Items] and then [Equip]] Marcie tapped her left hand and chose the items option, tapping into ''equip'' and locating the bracelet. Tapping on it made a bright silver bangle appear on her wrist. [Tutorial: Try using the Skill ''Lecture''. To use a Skill, say the name of the Skill you wish to use] "What the fuck is MP?" Marcie muttered, noting that Mayor Man had yet to make a move, but was sure as heck prepared to fight from the looks of it. "Okay... God this is so stupid... Lecture!" Marcie''s bangle shone brightly, a yellow glow appearing around it and she felt the urge to sweep her arm in an upward motion, jumping back as some invisible force sent loose papers scattering all around the study as Mayor Man was thrown back against his chair with a yelp. "I got it!" Levi chimed in, cheerfully rushing the old man and delivering a powerful uppercut that sent him flying up so hard he bounced off the ceiling and fell face down on the wooden floor. Marcie didn''t know whether to be concerned or not, but she couldn''t stifle her laughter any longer at the cartoonish sight before her. In fact, she spent so long bent double that she didn''t see Mayor Man springing to his feet and charging towards her, not until a strong force knocked her back against the door and pushed all the wind out of her. "Liban!" Levi cried, reaching his hand out to help her up and get her back into position. Something she had learned while fighting the plants in Leafy Forest was that during battles, a green stripe would appear on her right forearm, growing smaller or bigger depending on how much HP she had. It held a value of 40/50 so she knew that she didn''t need to use a potion just yet. There was now a blue line under the green one, and she supposed that must be the MP line, whatever the hell MP meant. She had learned that this game used a ''turn based'' battle system, which meant she wasn''t going to die if she couldn''t fight like Ip Man and had plenty of time to think about what to do next. Her MP line was 19/20. So... she could use that skill a lot. Fuck it, why not? Another swish and dramatic cry from her sent Mayor Man into the book shelf this time and Levi shot him through the chest with an arrow, pinning him to the books for a few seconds longer before it vanished and he dropped back down to the floor, moustache fluttering in the wind as he landed with a thud. He went for Levi this time, who threw his arms up just in time and while he still lost HP, it wasn''t as much as she had. Huh. Round and round they went, Marcie using one of the Potions halfway through as Mayor Man''s HP continually got lower and lower, seemingly unable to use Potions himself and it was with a burst of Lecture that he finally groaned and fell flat on his back. [Victory! You have defeated Mayor Man] [You have gained 40 XP] In the literal blink of an eye, Mayor Man was standing by the window again, all the papers and books back where they were before they ever went into battle. "Very well..." he hummed. "Take the tickets." [You have received Steamboat Tickets x 2] "Liban, Levi." the mayor turned to face them. "You two are braver than I ever was. You deserve these tickets. Thank you for helping me make up my mind. I hope you find everything that you''re looking for in New World. It is a dangerous continent, so please take these, too." [You have received Potion x 5] [You have received a Wooden Targe] "Get some rest before you go. You can have dinner with us tonight and leave on the first steamboat in the morning." "Thanks!" Levi grinned, scratching the back of his neck. "I''m starving." "Me, too." Marcie agreed, following Mayor Man and Levi back into the main house where the smell of braised lamb filled the air. [04] Remember to Save (Face) Don''t offend him... Don''t offend him... Marcie''s hand rested on the door handle to the meeting room. The president''s son was inside waiting for her to give feedback on the manuscript he had submitted. Morton had stressed that she wasn''t to offend the guy, otherwise their lives (the free snacks the company provided) might be at stake. The snacks were pretty damn good, she had to admit. She knew this day was coming all week and deliberately dressed in calming colours - a lemon yellow oversized plaid blazer, high waisted denim shorts, white tank and heels. Okay. She took a deep breath, shaking her head of long wavy hair and calming herself down. As much as his manuscript was complete and utter garbage, it wouldn''t be kind to rip it to shreds in front of him. Okay. She raised a fist, gently knocking on the door and pushing the door open once a deep voice on the other side told her to enter. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Mister Minnow, I-" Marcie froze for a second as there was only a kid who couldn''t have been older than twenty sitting at the table, bright eyed and practically radiating optimism. He looked like an idol singer. "Oh, I''m so sorry. Have I-" She doubled checked the meeting room. No, this was the one. "Are you Marcie?" he asked in a register that didn''t quite match his face. "Y-Yes." she nodded, moving to the table and shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you Mister Minnow." "You can call me Daniel!" he smiled. "We''re probably about the same age, so let''s speak more comfortably." "As you wish." she nodded, taking a seat. "May I ask how old you are?" "I''m twenty-two!" Good God he was practically a child. "Okay well-" "Is that my manuscript?" he asked, his doe eyes widening at the sight of all the red pen and post-it notes sticking out between the pages. "I- Yes, it is-" "Is it that bad?" he cried, sliding it over towards himself before Marcie could stop him. "Wait, wait!" her hand flew out, managing to grab his attention. "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves, okay? They''re just notes." "But there''s so many of them!" She was going to fucking kill Morton. "I think your idea is really good." she lied. "We just need to tidy-up and refine some parts and... make other parts more concise, but the story itself has potential!" "Really?!" No. "Of course! Would I be here if it didn''t?" His face fell into a pout. "You have to say that because my mum is the CEO." "Well let me ask you something, Daniel." she shifted in her seat. "Is writing the career path you want to go down? Or are you doing this as a hobby?" Daniel hummed, adjusting his fancy watch and running a finger around his shirt collar. He glanced back at Marcie, his eyes falling lower down and immediately diverting his attention elsewhere before any heat could reach his face. She buttoned her blazer, waiting for him to respond. "I mean, I kinda have to take over the company one day." he said. "I guess, I want to try publishing a book so that I can know the industry better. My mum published a lot before opening this company, so I think I should do the same." "Then, wouldn''t you rather try an agent at a different company?" "You said it was good!" he huffed. "I-I did say that, it is good, Daniel!" Marcie clarified. "But for the sake of total neutrality-" "So you''re not being objective?" he interjected and before Marcie could get another word out, he snatched the manuscript and stood up, gearing up to leave. "I am!" she protested. "I''m just saying that regardless of what you write and how great it is, people are going to know you published under your mother''s company and they might think negatively about that and focus on that instead of how good your book actually is." Daniel stopped by the end of the long table, manuscript in his hands. He set his jaw for a moment, long eyelashes shadowing the smooth skin on his cheekbones as he thought it over. Marcie stood up slowly, wondering if it might be better to go and get some coffee so he could cool off, but he spoke before she could suggest it: "If I query with an outside agent and get a deal with a publisher, will you help me edit this?" "Of course!" she nodded with her dazzling smile. "I would be happy to help." "In that case, I''ll go with your suggestion." "Okay!" she nodded, holding her hand out for the manuscript. "May I have this back?" "What for?" "I need to revise some parts." "No need, I''ll review your notes first and then we can meet tomorrow evening to go over it." Tomorrow evening? "Tomorrow afternoon, perhaps?" she suggested. "Afternoon doesn''t really work for me, I have classes until three and campus is across town." "Mornings?" "Nah, I don''t do mornings." Marcie grit her teeth and smiled. "Then I suppose evenings will have to do." "Great! What time shall I pick you up?" "Excuse me?" she frowned and a mild panic ran through Daniel''s spine. "Sorry, force of habit." he smiled sheepishly, scratching his neck. "I can try to make it for quarter-to five tomorrow, how about that?" "Wonderful." "I''ll see you tomorrow, then." he raised a hand in goodbye and disappeared from the meeting room, not seeing how Marcie dropped to the floor, hugging her knees as the relief of it finally being over sank in. "Morton!" she yelled as she spotted him beside Wendy''s desk, chatting up a storm. The middle aged man retreated to his office at the speed of light, his butt touching the chair the second Marcie came thundering through the door, long nail pointed right at him. "You-!" "I''m sorry!" he interjected. "There - are you happy?" "He''s a CHILD!" she cried. "You let me write all those harsh annotations and didn''t think to tell me he''s barely out of diapers?!" "It slipped my mind." he shrugged. "And he''s already in university, he''ll be graduating soon, Martian. So don''t talk about him like he''s a literal kid." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "No, but he''s nailed the ''Bambi just saw his mother got shot'' look!" she retorted. "How was I supposed to break the news that his manuscript is terrible when he looked so hopeful?" "Well, that''s not my problem." Morton shrugged. "I warned you, I said it would be your funeral." "I sAiD iT wOuLd Be YoUr FuNeRaL." Marcie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the kid is making me work after hours because he has to go to school so I''m gonna need that overtime rate applied from tomorrow." "Now that, I can do." [Welcome to Otherworld, Liban!] [Load Save File?] [Load / Cancel] [Shippy Port] "My brother will meet us at the edge of town and it won''t take long before we reach the Dusty Highroad." Levi greeted her as she logged in. "The Dusty Highroad?" "It leads to Lake Lough, and then we take the boat across to Town Number Three." "How long is this going to take us?" "A week?" "Oh, okay." Marcie nodded, leading the elf into the tailor shop she''d locked on to the moment she spied it. "Let''s get some new clothes!" "Oh that''s okay, Liban. I don''t need new clothes." he assured her as they stood on the shop floor, an assistant standing by the register with her hands clasped in front of her. A simple tap of her hand told her she had ten-thousand gold to spend, the result of grinding in Leafy Forest, their win against Mayor Man and the weird monsters they''d fought down below the deck of the Steamboat as they traveled across the Ocean of Waves. How much could a new outfit cost? Her attention was drawn by a deep blue and rich orange ensemble made of shiny material. All of the garments looked the same in shape and style, but the colours were wildly different. The sets came complete with a headband, shoes and bangle accessory. With a smile on her face, Marcie picked the set off the wall, the price appearing above it: [Clothing Set: Who Reads The Stars: 15,000G] Great. She looked down at her own clothes. The colours were fine, but she was hoping for something a bit more jazzy, something to show she was progressing. Was it normal to have that much gold at this level? Placing the outfit back, Marcie sauntered around the shop, picking up the individual items from the set available that were priced much lower. A headband cost 1000G, the bangle cost 2500G, the pair of shoes 5000G and the robes 8000G. Maybe the bangle? It looked a lot nicer than the one she had equipped. "Excuse me!" [You have quipped: Starry Sky Bangle] [Starry Sky bangle: +2% HP +5%MP] "Sweet!" Marcie examined the shiny silver bangle on her wrist. There was nothing very special about it other than having little stars embossed all around it, and it was nice that they gave a little boost to her stats, too. "Okay, let''s go find your brother." "Let''s go!" Unlike Hamletville, Shippy Port was a bit larger with an early industrial feel. She wasn''t sure if they were going for a steampunk or Victorian style, the costumes of the characters seemed to be a mix of both, but whatever it was meant to be, it fit the feel of the town. But like Hamletville, most of the buildings were inaccessible, those that could be had doors wide open. There were vendors on the street selling food and items, all of which had varying degrees of healing properties. "Antidote?" Marcie cocked her head in question as she picked up a fancy looking dark green bottle. "That heals you if you''re poisoned!" Levi chimed in. "Why would I be poisoned? How can I get poisoned in this damn- How?!" "Snakes, venom sprites and a number of other plant-based enemies are over on the edge of town. You''d better keep a bottle or two because if you don''t have it, you could pass out!" [You have obtained Antidote x 10] [Antidote nullifies the effects of poison attacks, but it does not restore lost HP] "Hold on, I need to check the manual again." she muttered, tapping on her left hand and finding the section called ''Status Effects'' [If poisoned by an enemy, your HP will continue to deplete with every turn and will continue to do so after battle. Use an Antidote to nullify this status effect. Some items can be bought or modified to defend against poison type attacks. Conversely, Miasma weapons will inflict poison damage against enemies, but the poison effect will be ineffective against enemies who inflict poison attacks.] "Makes sense." she shrugged, closing the notice. "Let''s explore this town first, find all the things and then go find your brother." "Sounds like a plan!" It took quite a bit longer to run around Shippy Port than it did Hamletville. They backtracked to the docks and began a methodical sweep of every street, every nook and cranny, every barrel and crate, every door and manhole was checked. They ran into some minor tasks; resolving an argument between a kid called Justin and his mom who owned a seafood restaurant, reuniting a couple who got the location for their date wrong and were waiting for each other at different spots, and returning a lost book to an old man who rewarded them with a Potion. "That seems like everything, let''s go find your brother!" "Are you sure you got everything you need? We might not be able to return here." Levi warned her in the friendliest way. "Twenty Potions and ten Antidotes, some bread, candies... yeah, all should be good!" "Alright, then let''s go! Oh, you''re gonna love my big brother, Liban! He''s the best." "What''s he like?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Well, he''s bigger than me and he loves to go fishing and he''s super strong!" "What does he do?" "Well out in the big city he does manual labour jobs where he can use his strength. He got married recently and his wife is expecting a baby!" "How wonderful." Marcie smiled, idly swinging her arms as they chatted some more, finally reaching the edge of town where they were met not with Levi''s brother, but a massive barricade. "Road''s closed." a strange, faceless guard barked. "How do we get out?" Levi asked, worry all over his face. "How should I know?" "Well, when''s the barricade coming down?" "When Deacon Pollo says so." "Deacon Pollo?" Levi jumped back in surprise. "He''s here?" "No." "Oh. Why did he order this barricade?" "Look just keep walkin'', okay?" With that, the pair exchanged a look and approached the next identical faceless guard who hushed his voice when he spoke to them: "There''s another route through Foliage Forest, you need to head west past the seafood restaurant." he whispered, his stomach grumbling on cue: "I''m gonna head there on my break! Only two more hours..." Poor guy. "Gad is waiting for us over there. If we hurry, I''m sure we can make it before nightfall!" Levi assured her as they made their way through the town again. He sure was cheerful, no matter what the situation was. "Levi, is Foliage Forest dangerous?" "Don''t worry, those plants will be no match for us!" Somehow Marcie doubted that. [Foliage Forest] Marcie and Levi looked around as the atmosphere instantly darkened upon stepping foot inside the murky forest. Purple and deep green vines wound around the thick trees, hanging off the branches and above their heads. Marcie kept a look out for any side roads they could take, and sure enough the moment she found one, an enemy jumped out at them. It didn''t take much to defeat the Venom Sprite, the main difference seeming to be that they had a slightly higher HP than the regular ones back in Leafy Forest. Being poisoned didn''t hurt, but a green tinge appeared on Marcie''s skin and every few steps after battle, her whole body felt like it was twitching. Before she knew it, Marcie had already downed half of her Antidote supply and a quarter of her Potions. The liquid was purple and had a strong heady scent like pollen, though like the other items, had no actual taste. For a few battles she asked Levi to use his Guard ability to take damage on her behalf while they pummeled the beefier enemies, and he was more than happy to do so - though she wasn''t sure he had a choice. "Let''s rest for a moment." she panted, nearly collapsing onto a tree trunk. "Just how big is this place?" "We''re almost through!" Levi beamed. "It won''t be long now." Levi was a fucking liar. It was with one Potion and no Antidotes left that they emerged from Foliage Forest, drained but with their stats having improved considerably at least. By the the time they got to the last stretch of path leading out of the forest, they had taken the initiative to engage enemies first, guaranteeing that both of them could attack first and since their Crystal Grids had developed since they began, their strength was high enough to finish the vicious little assholes off before they could get a single hit in. Marcie blinked as a tall, buff figure emerged near the water where the sun was setting. Was that Gad? "Hey, bro!" Levi called, whistling and waving at the giant man. "Levi?" Gad spun on his heel and jogged over to where they stood, finally on the other side of the barricade. Aside from his height and tanned skin, Gad didn''t look much like Levi. His hair was short, blazing orange and spiked up and he wore yellow leather work overalls with a worn white t-shirt. He looked like he ate anvils for breakfast. "You look rough, I thought my little brother was tougher than that." "Hey, I made it out, didn''t I?" Gad threw his head back and roared in laughter for a few seconds before slapping his brother on the shoulder and introducing himself to Marcie. "Gad, this is Liban! She''s from Hamletsville, too. She''s a Scholar who''s going to The City." "Is that so? Well, lemme get you two healed up. There''s an inn just up ahead we can rest at. You''ve had a hard time, Liban!" Wasn''t that the truth.