《Codename: Freedom》


 Chapter 2 - The Interview

    ¡°What kind of company makes you show up in person for an interview?¡± St3alth said, continuing our conversation as we teleported into the arena.


    A quick scan of the arena told me this was a medium size, square shaped room, with a stone pathway around the perimeter. Dirt paths led down from the elevated perimeter to cross in the middle of the room, with a large open area and a dirt floor.


    ¡°Something about tests that can¡¯t be done virtually. It¡¯s not like our personal AI keep records of our DNA or anything.¡± Chewme said, oozing sarcasm. ¡°Lucius. When are you up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m interviewing for Codename: Freedom this morning. In the vehicle now. Will be gaming with you guys until Destiny gets close enough to dropping me off.¡± I answered, standing there decked out in epic items; a green leather jacket, with a mythalloy chain shirt underneath and my demon spine rapier on my belt. Everything I wore looked rather bland in comparison to most max level items. It was by design. Why advertise strength? I still wore a flashy green-mythalloy Crescent Helm that collected my sweat soaked brown hair like a magnet. What can I say? The stats were worth it. Our guild symbol, three diamonds interwoven with each other currently embroidered the chest of my jacket.


    The comfortable breeze that always greeted new participants to the arena never got old. Such a small detail had become a treat that I had been experiencing daily for just over two years now. I would miss the rush that accompanied it if I was selected for Codename: Freedom.


    All three of us stood at the top of a path leading down. Sticking to the manmade walkways would be best. Heavy overgrown foliage made it impossible to see from one path to the other once you left the stone perimeter. I didn¡¯t even want to try wading through it.


    ¡°St3alth. Stick high and we will go low?¡± I asked.


    He had already gone invisible. An ethereal shadow-cloak rippled behind him as it flapped in the non-existent wind. There was very little air flow in this arena, but items like his cloak were self-animated for the sake of style. He didn¡¯t share my philosophy on style.


    The rest of him was just as transparent, only visible to Chewme and me because we were in his group. His mask was pitch leather, fully covering his face except for his mouth. Midnight¡¯s Kiss, a knife formed from obsidian ice, was held flat against his cheek as he pretended to ponder my question.


    ¡°Really Lucius? Like you will wait for me? You are too focused on gaining fans. Didn¡¯t your AI teach you how to share?¡±


    ¡°Must I teach you a lesson about complaining?¡± Destiny, my AI replied, projecting her voice into the group chat channel that was translated into text. She was currently running my gaming system, as well as directing my car. She had no physical body, but was in my head, literally. Or more accurately, my (mixed reality) MR gear, or headset.


    A boisterous chuckle came from the large man to my left.


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Chewme asked.


    Flashing towards St3alth¡¯s head, a claymore stopped an inch from his skull.


    Crossing his arms, St3alth dared Chewme to proceed.


    Standing about my height, I¡¯d be lucky if my thigh was as thick as Chewme¡¯s arm. With chopped blond hair and a strong jaw, he was our smiley melee brute. Donning a fur cloak over a Mythsidian Mail, a glassy black steal chain-linked armor, he was consistently sparing with the assassin.


    With a shift from his shoulder, the claymore tapped the assassin on the head twice. ¡°Just be ready. It¡¯s not our fault if you¡¯re slow.¡±


    St3alth lunged forward, knife aimed at his throat.


    Chewme¡¯s eyes went wide.


    The knife stopped before it reached the skin.


    Eyes still wide, Chewme pulled the sword in and tapped St3alth on the head once again.


    I choked down a laugh.


    ¡°You see him.¡± Destiny confirmed.


    Spotting movement of a player moving down the opposite path to the arena floor, I took the initiative and left them to their foolishness. ¡°By the way, would you two kindly back me up? I¡¯m moving in.¡±


    There was no longer any sign of the players that had been at the other end of the arena. That could mean many things, but there was a precaution that had to be taken.


    ¡°Possible assassin. Stay back. I¡¯ll be the bait.¡± I group messaged them so I wouldn¡¯t audibly be heard.


    Glancing quickly across the bottom of my peripheral vision was an ethereal status bar that kept me updated on our current stats.


    15,019 Total Viewers


    9, 475 Guild Viewers


    5,544 Group Viewers


    2,433 Lucius¡¯s Followers Viewing


    Lucius¡¯s Fame


    Rank 674 of 263,653,741 Players


    Sadly Gravel didn¡¯t show us how many viewers were watching our opponents. Their popularity might give away how good they were.


    ¡°Focus Lucius.¡± Destiny chided.


    ¡°Yes dear.¡±


    I could feel Destiny¡¯s eyes roll back as opposed to see them. Normally having her appear in a small window at the edge of my vision let me better communicate with her, but now was not the time for that. We had a job to do.


    S3alth wasn¡¯t wrong about my concern for gaining fans. To be a pro you had to do more than play it smart. To be great you had to put on a show. As ridiculous as we acted, all three of us knew what had to be done. Our audience awaited us.


    To the assassin I would look like a delightfully easy target. My rapier was strapped at my waist, fastened over a loose fitting jacket. I fit somewhere between a mage or a monk with a sword. My cool-green sleeves were rolled up showing abnormally large forearms for a magic user. There was no visible armor or magic shield. Yet I walked toward the known threat with assured defiance.


    Reaching the bottom of the path I stopped when I reached the center and let him come to me. Closing my eyes, there was only one sense that would help me now.


    This group that we faced wouldn¡¯t be here if they didn¡¯t qualify as better than good. We were in the legendary class, the highest tier in the arena with only the top 10,000 ranked guilds. There was no chance this assassin would be a push over or have any less than max level gear. My rarely used Spell-Sword profession gave me an advantage. He would underestimate me. They always did; the first time.


    Chewme and St3althL0rd were sitting tight, waiting on the assassin to make his move. We all understood our places in this fight from thousands of similar encounters.


    There was only one direction where sound came unnaturally. The subtle brushing of a boot against dirt, an odd leaf softly crunched under foot, and only the smallest of twigs snapping. The sound slowly shifted around me in a wide 20 meter perimeter.


    Opening my eyes, they didn¡¯t shift, but remained forward. Sound was all that existed. It could be said that my approach was a gamble. That it was possible to hear someone approaching, but it was insane to depend upon it when your life was on the line.


    The feeling of fear and nervousness had long ago been trained out of me with only anticipation remaining as the invisible assassin stalked me. No assassin would attack me from the front. The flank and rear were too tempting.


    To the left came a soft step as he began to close in.


    I didn¡¯t flinch from the realization.


    He was not just good, but exceptional. By this time even the best assassins would have rushed in because they thought I was either easy prey, or had fled because I was acting odd. He stalked me with patience, not succumbing to his own nerves.


    Fifteen feet. His pace slowed.


    Destiny and I had practiced this same situation a thousand of times. It was up to me. She insisted I had ears. Not to use them was idiotic.


    Ten. He stopped and awaited any reaction I might have.


    At this distance, there were a number of skills that could help him close in quickly. If he activated any of them I would only have a split second to react. After a long number of seconds he stepped forward.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Five. I was now in danger of not being able to react quickly enough to his assassin specialty skills. The danger was there, but I had faced this situation before. I knew it intimately.


    My anticipation grew. I felt he was a step away from driving his deadly knife into my ribs.


    Appearing out of stealth, he was behind me, slightly to my left.


    The whole time I had been gathering mana in my gut. With a simple exhalation of breath all of the pressure that had built up let loose. I didn¡¯t direct it. Like a bomb the mana converted into pure force as it left my body, creating a wave of magic erupting in all directions.


    His knife shot forward. The assassin was swept hard by the force. Flying back, he cleared over 10 feet of ground.


    Throwing out my hand, I cast a grand-master level force field just before he landed. His body accordioned in midair as his skull collided against the invisible wall. His neck snapped.


    Bowing my head, I honored him, as well as played to the viewers.


    I withdrew the force field. It was a huge mana sink, but when mastered the use for force fields went far beyond defense.


    ¡°You left your force field active two tens of a second longer than necessary wasting 40 manna.¡± Destiny stated.


    A blur of motion shot toward me. My rapier was out and flicked the arrow aside before it found my chest.


    ¡°One archer,¡± I called.


    ¡°One mage,¡± Chewme added, storming down the path, joining me at the center of the arena.


    Crimson fire hurled our way before I saw the player who had cast it.


    Turning his shoulder, the bolt easily missed my friend.


    Using the foliage to our advantage, we split up, standing to either side of the path they would have to take to join us on the arena floor. Even with their advantage in elevation, they couldn¡¯t see through the greenery. The mage may decide to burn us out, but it would take a while to get a fire started and cost him a lot of mana.


    An arrow landed close to where I stood, hinting that the archer had moved down the path to get a better angle.


    Chewme noticed as well. ¡°Rush?¡±


    ¡°Give them a moment. I want to get an idea how brave or stupid they are.¡±


    When no more arrows or mage bolts came, I peeked around the corner. The archer unleashed an arrow that I easily pulled back from.


    ¡°Three left.¡± Destiny informed us. ¡°They have a battle ax wielder in full platemail. Be ready.¡±


    ¡°I got him.¡± Chewme replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m behind them at the top of the path. Ready when you are!¡± St3alth said.


    Daring another look, I saw their armored tank bounding our way. Both the mage and archer were a good ten feet behind ready to attack as soon as either of us engaged. It was a good basic strategy.


    Looking to my friend, a nod set him off.


    We both rushed forward. I lunged at their tank, my sword doing little against his polished breastplate.


    Chewme took full advantage of the split second I had bought him. His sword tore the wind from below, knocking the warrior back two paces. I had already rushed past, leaving the tank to him.


    An arrow engulfed in blue light and a fire bolt launched toward me at the same time from a distance that was impossible to dodge. With my empty hand stretched forward, my force field appeared momentarily deflecting the projectiles.


    ¡°Better. A tenth of a second too long.¡± Destiny said.


    The mage retreated, but the archer managed to unsheathe a short sword to engage me.


    Jabbing at the archer''s head, I cast an ice bolt of my own, impacting the archer¡¯s foot. It was a low level spell. Most of the spells of a spell-sword were about the same low rank, but it was enough to stagger him to his knees.


    The mage was about to leave my short range, so I cast force field once again. He ran face first into a small wall of energy about the size of a dinning plate.


    My neck tensed at just the thought of how it felt. A tank would have just shrugged it off, but casters were fun to mess with.


    St3alth decided to join us. Becoming visible behind the magic user, he slashed him across the neck, then stabbed him in the back in one fluid motion. For all St3alth¡¯s complaining, it was rare that he wasn¡¯t exactly where he needed to be.


    Too bad they didn¡¯t save the assassin for later. It may have been a closer fight.


    The archer began to regain his footing. His eyes were locked on me. Without his bow his class skills would be limited.


    I bowed slightly, with a flourish from my sword, urging him to stand.


    St3alth just stood back and watched as Chewme and I handled the remaining two players.


    With his short sword in one hand and bow in the other, he stabbed at my waist, holding his bow up for extra cover. He was well practiced.


    I stepped back, his sword just missing, another ice bolt flew from my hand at his face. He twisted wildly, placing his bow between him and the bolt. Impressive agility.


    Thrusting down, my blade pierced between the string and shaft of his bow, jabbing his thigh. Jumping back, I severed the bowstring with a flick.


    Who could help but smile? I could almost feel new subscribers joining my gaming channel. If I entertained them enough, many benefits would follow. More followers meant more sponsors. Those not watching now would watch today''s highlights later. Some followers would even donate money. Enough followers and I could attract one of the big sponsors and get a full ride to game for a living. That was the goal and my high school career was almost over.


    ¡°Focus Lucius.¡± Destiny reminded.


    As cruel as it might seem, I wouldn¡¯t finish this guy off quickly. That would waste an opportunity. Nor would I make the fight look even. He was likely a semipro himself, so defeating him was just another opportunity for him to learn. I had been there before.


    Casting an ice bolt at his feet, I slashed down from overhead. He was too slow to dodge them both. Choosing to take the bolt to the leg, I caught him in the same foot as before. This time he kept himself from falling to his knees. I took the opportunity to leave him a deep puncture wound to the shoulder.


    Spell-swords were popular with new players, but rarely played well. Unlike most professions that had very obvious strengths, we had a larger variety of options due to the ability to cast spells and fight with weapons. Most serious gamers dismissed us entirely. The spell-sword¡¯s spells and sword skills were at the best average, except for one spell that you could max. When used in unison with the right build and strategy, the spell-sword was unbeatable.


    He attacked next, realizing there was little chance to win. I shifted slightly, letting his thrust pierce my shoulder. The stinging sensation was nothing to laugh about because Gravel allowed the legal maximum of 40% pain. I literally felt 40% of the calculated pain for a maximum of five seconds.


    Another thrust came, this one wilder than the first.


    It was all a part of the show.


    Parrying his thrust, I sidestepped as he passed, smacking him on the rear with the blunt of my sword.


    When he turned, I was already casting a bolt, which hit him in the chest.


    Still unwilling to give up, he threw his bow at my head, and slashed at my knee. It would have worked too, but he collided with a quickly cast force field as he lunged forward.


    You fought well.


    My sword pierced him high in the chest, easily exiting his back.


    He met my eyes as his health drained from his body. Knowing what it was to lose countless defeats, I bowed my head to acknowledge him as he disintegrated into pixels.


    Chewme mocked me for honoring the enemy, but I saw no reason to rub a person¡¯s defeat in their face.


    ¡°There he goes again.¡± St3alth joined me after my opponent had fallen.


    Hearing the clang of steel, I knew what he was referring to before I even looked.


    Despite what you might have seen in virtual movies, or games, swords aren¡¯t very useful against full platemail. This VR game, Gravel, had a real world physics engine, so despite magic and special skills, everything was else dependent on natural laws. Few people had the real life strength to pierce steel even with the sharpest blade. Chewme was an exception. Since our game characters were based upon our real life bodies, Chewme was as massive here as he was in the real world. The game had no choice but to throw this into its physics calculations.


    The man he faced barely held onto his two handed axe. It drooped to his side, held by his only good arm. What had once been well polished armor was now dented in from every angle. One arm showed divotted steel just below the shoulder. Blood flowed from the cracks at his elbow. If that was the only damage, then the guy would have been able to continue. His platemail at the thigh and knee was also crushed. Blood seeped out at the knee and boot.


    Chewme spun. His claymore gained maximum velocity. The man braced with his good leg, taking the blow on his good arm. The axe fell from his grip. His armor was damaged near the wrist. Already blood was pooling into a drop at the tip of his hanging gauntlet.


    Allowing the man to forfeit at that point would have been the sane thing to do. The open mouthed smile on Chewme¡¯s face showed he was too far gone to stop now.


    ¡°Stop Chewme!¡± Destiny messaged. Group chat wasn¡¯t the same as yelling where someone could actually hear you though.


    Even with a weaponless opponent, Chewme spun again, this time elevating his sword and bringing it down from over his shoulder. The vicious blow crippled the man¡¯s remaining good leg. He fell hard to his side, landing with his arm unnaturally underneath him.


    It had gone on long enough.


    ¡°Chew!¡± I yelled.


    He tilted his head to the side like a questioning canine. Placing his foot on the man¡¯s shoulder, he leaned on him as he might a footstool.


    ¡°Oh. You guys are already finished?¡± He asked, smirking with mock innocence.


    ¡°End it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    Before he could act, confetti fell from the sky like a colorful snowfall.


    ¡°Winner Guild Nexus!¡± Declared the announcer.


    Chewme¡¯s footstool dissolved, the player had either died from his wounds or forfeited. It also meant that the bloodlust loving, bear of a man, stumbled forward and almost falling over.


    An annoyingly loud cackle came from St3alth.


    Humorous or not, we both looked at him like he was mad.


    Now that the fight was over we had the option to fight again, leave for the spectators lounge or return to our guild base.


    First thing I did was check our viewer stats. Another three hundred people were watching us live. More importantly, twelve more people had followed my channel. It was a nice bump for a few minutes work.


    ¡°How much time you have left Lucius?¡± Chewme asked.


    With a thought, the real world time appeared at the top right of my vision. About 8:15 am.


    ¡°I still have half an hour before I arrive.¡±


    ¡°A few more matches then?¡± St3alth asked.


    ¡°Absolutely. As many as possible. I¡¯ll be going through testing for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to worry about. The hardest part is not getting bored.¡±


    ¡°Be sure to let us know how it goes.¡± Chewme said. ¡°My testing is next Saturday.¡±


    ¡°I thought they have banned all galactic space walruses from trying out.¡± St3alth replied.


    ¡°They did until they saw you. What did they say? Anything would be better than giving a ninja cockroach one of the 100,000 spots!¡±


    Rolling his eyes, St3alth turned back to me. ¡°You think you¡¯re ready for the interview?¡±


    ¡°More than ready.¡± I replied. ¡°Destiny and I have practiced interview questions for more hours than I care to remember.¡±


    ¡°Can I go on a date with her?¡± St3alth asked, again.


    ¡°No for the thousandth time! She¡¯s an AI¡­ And way too classy for you.¡±


    ¡°What Lucius said.¡± Destiny replied.


    ¡°Fine. Then let¡¯s continue. Let¡¯s head to the lounge and try 3 vs 5. If there are any girl players, I call first go!¡±


    ¡°To kill them, or flirt with them?¡± Chewme asked.


    ¡°To fight them first. Then after they are impressed¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think girls find guys that kill them attractive.¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a special kind of girl. Don¡¯t step all over my dreams.¡±


    ¡°Some dreams can get you prison time.¡± Destiny teased.


    I teleported to the lounge, ending the conversation.

 Chapter 4 - The Tutorial

    There was little time before I entered Codename: Freedom. Chewme was the only other person I knew that had been selected to participate in the experiment. It didn¡¯t surprise me with his freakish size and athletic ability.


    We started training. I already ran daily. To be a professional gamer meant you knew the benefits of keeping one¡¯s body in shape. I followed their example. In many ways we were similar to endurance athletes, just not as extreme. I upped the number of miles I ran and added body weight training. Destiny was quick to set up a daily routine for me.


    When the day came, my body hummed in excitement. I was alone, except for the kind curly brunette in a white coat guiding me down an elevator leading deep underground.


    When the sterile metallic doors opened, my mouth dropped. I felt a tingling sensation in my knees. An underground expanse at least half a mile wide extended further than I could calculate. There was a polished steel walkway before me that seemed insignificant to the underground world I had just discovered.


    Humor filled eyes met mine. The female Dr. must have grown to expect this kind of reaction. She placed her hand on my shoulder and motioned me forward.


    The walk way reached out twenty meters before we met a yellow railing stopping us from falling to a painful death below. I didn¡¯t hesitate to approach it and grabbed ahold of it tightly. Looking down, I saw them for the first time.


    Hundreds of house size, black cube structures lined either side of the bunker running off into the expanse of the room.


    My guide led me to a second elevator to our left that was little more than a steel cage. Entering, the creek of steel followed us down.


    The cage opened to the ground level. Following the Doctor¡¯s lead, we approached the first structure. As I neared, it was at least two stories tall, with numerous cords, metal arms and pipes coming out the top and the side facing the wall. It was too high to see the top of it, but there was movement.


    Were these really what I thought they were?


    I was suddenly thankful we had taken the advice to get in shape seriously. After centuries of virtual reality, neuro-linking was ¡°the way¡± virtual reality worked. If you wanted to fight an orc, join a battle, siege a castle, blast some aliens, fly a spaceship, or explore new worlds there was no doubt that current technology would let you do just that. Could this machine do better?


    ¡°Sit here.¡±


    She directed me to sit on an aluminum bench staring up at one of the house size machines. Looking around, there were other benches in front of each structure with players waiting.


    ¡°Impressive huh?¡± The lady said. She was looking at the house size machine-room before us. ¡°We call it the Cube.¡±


    Her eyes closed as she smiled to herself.


    In all seriousness, I suspected that everything I thought I knew about virtual reality hardware I could throw out the window.


    After a long while sitting, the time finally came. My doctor friend directed me through a doorway to one side of the Cube. She had me stand in the middle of the room as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light.


    I soon dangled six feet in the air with countless industrial arms of all sizes hanging from the ceiling and reaching out to me from the walls. They came in all shapes and sizes. I stood on a platform that was compiled of dozens of smaller arms and platforms coming together under my feet.


    To my embarrassment, I had no clothing on, but I had been left me alone.


    There was a sickly, green light running along the wall just above head level that gave the room a haunting feel. Only the silhouettes of the massive mechanical arms were visible. I was surrounded.


    A man¡¯s voice sounded from a speaker in the wall. ¡°We will now begin. First you will feel a slight chill, and then a loud sound will start the countdown. This is nothing to worry about. We are in the final stages of preparation.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t kidding about the chill. I proceeded to try and cling closer to myself for warmth, but it was a losing battle.


    The promised loud siren started to go off like a dying whale. I realized in that moment that I would be spending a year without ever leaving this crazy machine. I held my breath.


    The siren started to sound at a quicker tempo.


    Something was coming.


    It came quicker.


    Then suddenly the remaining light ceased.


    I screamed through grit teeth like a startled animal.


    Darkness everywhere.


    There was no logical threat, but I found myself posturing defensively.


    Light slowly started to brighten all around. There was no light source. It came from every direction at once. Soon I stood in an empty white room with no walls, ceiling, or floor. The texture of the floor had even changed. It felt like I was standing on well hydrated earth. It was soft and smooth like a finely woven sheet.


    ¡°Welcome Lucius Edwards, to Codename: Freedom.¡± Came a kind woman¡¯s voice from somewhere in the distance. No one was in the direction the voice had come from.


    ¡°Today you will be joining approximately 100,000 men and women in the largest virtual experiment in the history of the world.¡±


    ¡°To you Freedom will be a new world, to the viewers of the Metaverse, it will become the next big thing in reality entertainment. You will have no direct contact with anyone outside of Freedom, and all fan comments and messages will be scanned for information that might give you an unfair advantage. Once inside, there are many small starting cities and the total player population will be split between them randomly. Your starting city will be Willingham. I will now appear before you.¡±


    A translucent, colorless face with the consistency of water appeared. She had a long elegant face, but was no doubt an artificial intelligence like Destiny.


    ¡°You can leave Freedom at any time, but if you do leave you cannot return. To do so, go to the city hall of any starting city. Please consider seriously what the consequences of leaving will mean. How will such an act affect your current followers and public image? There are thousands of people in line to take your place if you decide to leave. Lucius, your chances of becoming a professional gamer will be greatly hindered. But if you stay and fight...¡±


    There was no surprise that the game¡¯s AI new about me. All they had to do was scan my social media.


    ¡°It is time for you to choose.¡± She smiled reassuringly.


    ¡°What will be your player name?¡±


    ¡°Lucius Edwards.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Very well. Lucius Edwards accepted. Your body size, weight and facial features have been uploaded. Because of the nature of the experiment you will not have an option to change them. If you want to get stronger, then you must work hard.¡±


    Behind the AI, three large wooden displays with five shelves apiece shot up from the floor. It had been impossible to see the floor because everything was white with literally no horizon or objects to give it context.


    ¡°You currently have 10 silver coins to spend on the items before you. Just look at them for longer than a second and the price will appear. Money works as follows. 100 copper coins equals 1 silver. 20 silver equals 1 gold. 20 gold is equal to 1 silver talon. 20 silver talons are equal to 1 gold talon. You may now proceed.¡±


    Looking down, I wore silver boxer briefs and a sleeveless undershirt. No socks? Immediately I felt the fabric of my shirt and at my waist. The shirt was more finely woven than the boxers, so the only difference I felt was the texture. How was that possible? Literally moments ago I had been without clothing. When had I been dressed? How had it happened? It seemed the Cube I was inside was also my personal assistant.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Stepping forward, I was immediately fearful I would fall off the platform. I stood 6 feet off the ground. My senses swore I was in a virtual world, but I knew my consciousness had not been placed into the normal dream state that allowed deep dives. Logic told me the Cube had already been activated and I was safe. I reached out one foot at a time and tested the environment. After I had gone ten feet, twice as far as I needed to go to fall off the platform, I started to relax.


    With a deep sigh, I walked the rest of the way. Somehow the Cube was simulating my real world steps into this world. There was no treadmill and every step felt as solid as walking on real ground. My toes clenched at the ground and felt a rubbery surface.


    At least I wasn¡¯t as cold as before. My newly acquired boxers and shirt blocked the appropriate amount of air and radiated my body heat back at me.


    I hadn¡¯t felt this uncertain about technology or a virtual world in a long time. I was a newbie. There was also a vividness to this place that wasn¡¯t a visual thing. I couldn¡¯t place it.


    My heart thundered in my chest. My pulse quickened.


    Standing before the three displays, I found myself unsure how to proceed. The left display held clothing and armor. If I spent all of my coins I could get a thin leather vest and leggings. It was the best armor on display, but I didn¡¯t believe it was worth the cost. The sand colored, cotton tunic and pants were only 2 silver and seemed fairly durable. A pair of leather boots came with the set.


    The next stand held a number of purses and bags, sleeping bags, and hats... Why hats? On a single shelf sat canteens and pouches of a variety of dried fruits, seeds and nuts.


    Finally, there were weapons. Even though they were all rather worn, the bronze swords, spears and axes stole my attention.


    I grabbed a used bronze short sword and examined how it felt in my hand. The texture, weight and balance were pretty good. A single swing was all it took to feel the difference in feedback my muscles gave in comparison to normal virtual reality. Normally deep diving bypassed the nervous system and spoke to your brain directly. When you swing a sword in deep dive, the motion is always perfectly smooth. Almost too fluid to be real. The variables increase significantly when your own arm is involved.


    Grabbing the heavy cotton clothing I got dressed. The sword had cost me 4 silver and the outfit 2. With 4 silver left I grabbed a well fitted hemp backpack that went over each shoulder and tied across the chest, filling it with a pouch of mixed nuts and raisins on top of my new sleeping bag and a canteen of water. After that I was left with a single silver.


    Since I had no idea what Freedom would throw at me, I thought being prepared for anything would be better than just being ready for a fight. All this talk about survival, and looking at the items offered, made it seem insane to pass up this opportunity to not take advantage.


    Not seeing anything else I just had to have, I kept the final silver as a trade item in case I had not chosen well.


    ¡°Your total is 9 silver. You will find your silver coin in the coin purse on your belt.¡±


    With my backpack on my shoulder and sword at my side, I turned to face the AI. Though the pack really wasn¡¯t too heavy, I didn¡¯t expect to feel it at all, which set me off balance. I easily caught myself, but my moment of clumsiness clarified for me what the vividness of this world really was. Not only was I experiencing this game with my waking consciousness, but my real world coordination came with it. It was not something a deep dive could measure or simulate. I was really in the game.


    Looking down, a small leather pouch was now fastened to the side of my belt.


    ¡°That finalizes your purchases. Now it is time to reveal to you a few things that have been hidden until now.


    First, there is a leveling system in Freedom just as in the role playing games, but that is where the similarity ends. In Freedom, the system is based off military grade mixed reality. Similar technology is used by you every day in the real world. Mixed reality warns you with information about your surroundings that can save your life in an emergency. This has revolutionized the battlefield by giving individual soldiers the ability to see things that they normally couldn¡¯t and hear things impossible for the human ear. This information makes them super human.


    Imagine seeing the threat before it presents itself and being able to spot any ambush before it happens. This is what Freedom¡¯s Leveling System is based on. You will have the most advanced military tech become available to you as you level. It will be implemented like a normal gaming system and keep true to Freedoms fantasy setting. Choose wisely.


    Side note. All of this tech is available in the real world under a different name. Master these systems and you will have a set of skills to add to your resume.¡±


    ¡°Here. I am unlocking your two starting systems, the Personnel Condition Monitor and Metaverse Access Hub. There are a few hidden systems we will not speak about to encourage you to explore the MR menu.¡±


    As she was saying it, the Personnel Condition Monitor popped up to the left in my peripheral vision. It was ethereal and only lost that status when I looked directly at it.


    No surprise, it was basically a red health bar with a large round circle above it that shown green. There was no advanced training needed to interpret it. Green meant I was healthy. To its left there was an outline of a person. This should indicate what part of my body was injured if I took damage in the future. Clicking on the person brought up a very basic Character Status screen. It resembled parchment in color and texture, but was really just a digital display.


    It read as follows.


    <h1>Character Status</h1>


    Player Name: Lucius


    Level: 1


    Combat Level: Unknown ?


    Strength: 28 ?


    Dexterity: 40 ?


    Endurance: 33 ?


    Abilities Unlocked: Personnel Condition Monitor (Basic), Metaverse Access Hub.


    What was with the question marks and combat level unknown? The stats themselves were also fairly high for level 1 weren¡¯t they? It sounded like my stats and level really wouldn¡¯t have any direct relationship, so these must be a numerical estimate of my strength, dexterity and endurance that my real body was capable of. So my stats would grow as I got in better shape. Very nice.


    ¡°As you see, this menu is basic just as its rank suggests. Your height and weight are not used in the calculation. A tall person with the same stats as a shorter person may have less powerful movements because it takes more strength to move longer limbs. Although, the tall person maybe faster than the short person with the same stats because they have longer legs. As you level you will unlock higher levels of detail and numerous tools to help you plan your training.¡±


    Closing out of the Character Status screen, I removed my focus from the Personnel Condition Monitor, (health bar) and looked back to my AI guide.


    ¡°Very good. You can access the Metaverse Access Hub in two ways. The first is with a verbal command. Say ¡®activate Metaverse Access Hub¡¯, or Hub for short.¡±


    I did just that.


    A Game Menu popped up in the same parchment style window the Character Status screen had. There was a list of different options.


    <h1>Metaverse Access Hub</h1>


    Personnel Condition Monitor


    Lore


    User Interface


    Metaverse


    Everything was grayed out currently except for Personnel Condition Monitor and Metaverse. The rest must be things that I would unlock as I progressed. Clicking on Metaverse a very familiar list of options jumped up from the scroll as a holographic user interface. It was a grid system where I simply had to touch the option I wanted and it would allow access to that part of the Metaverse.


    Find a Mentor


    Freedom News


    Player Channel


    It was pretty straightforward, and we were locked out of the majority of the Metaverse as expected. They took no chances with us cheating


    Find a Mentor was as it sounded. It was currently grayed out, but there would be mentors available to teach different skills and martial arts.


    This aspect of the game had been highly publicized. Hundreds of famous names and faces had been advertised. Every form of martial arts and fighting system would be available.


    Freedom News was a link with a number of well-known gaming news celebs who had talk shows and internet channels. They didn¡¯t completely cut us off from the outside world.


    Player Channel gave me a portal to read comments by my fans. There was no way to respond to them sadly. I currently had 260,447 followers. The number had only grown since it became public knowledge I would be a participant in Freedom.


    Already there were 72,581 people watching me live! It was no surprise since it was the first day of Freedom. It was a personal record and all I had to do was show up! I knew opening day for Freedom was going to be a big event, but this was beyond all expectations.


    Unsheathing my sword, I stood in an open stance, my arms open to fully display what I now wore. After a few moments, the camera angle was exactly where I wanted it and a new 3D selfie was created.


    Immediately after my image was posted as my main profile pic, over 2,000 new viewers started watching. A countless number of people were scurrying around online trying to find out all the information they could about Freedom. I had to take advantage of every photo op. It wasn¡¯t exactly communicating with my fans, but it was close.


    ¡°The other ways of accessing your Access Hub is through the hand gesture¡­¡±


    Bringing her hands together in her lap, like an open book, the AI brought them to her face. This gesture also brought up the hub as she said.


    ¡°That is it Lucius. We are finished except for one final thing. If you get injured while playing you will feel pain. Injury simulation is also at 100% realism with no time limit. If you die in the game, you will feel 100% of the pain associated with that death. There is little doubt you will survive the experience, but there is no guarantee that it won¡¯t harm you psychologically. The study of such trauma, and how people rise above it, is one of the focuses of the Codename: Freedom experiment. You will also drop all of the equipment and money you were carrying, and then respawn at the inn in your city of residence. Thank you for participating.¡±


    Wait what? 100% pain from injuries? Pain stimulation wasn¡¯t a new thing, but the most any system could simulate legally was up to 40% for 5 seconds.


    My gut tightened like a fist. I wracked my brain to search for any information related to this.


    Nothing. They had hidden this aspect on purpose. What was I getting myself into? What other surprises did they have waiting?


    I dangled six feet in the air with dozens of mechanical arms surrounding me. Such machinery could tear my body in pieces and now I knew it was designed with a very sadistic ability. To perfectly simulate pain.


    A cold sweat broke out on my back and chest. I clenched my fist trying to keep myself from feeling woozy.


    My reaction to the news had made me oblivious to a new countdown. When the voice reached zero everything went black.

 Update - Read While You Still Can! And Everything Else!

    Make sure to read/skim to the bottom of this post! There is alot going on!


    And free stuff below!


    Codename: Freedom


    So its official! This Sunday 07/02/2017 is going to be the last official day that Codename: Freedom - Survive Week One is going to be on RRL for free. Read it now while you can!


    Last day to read is this Sunday! 07/02/2017


    Also Click HERE to Pre-Order! 07/12/2017 is right around the corner.</a>


    The first 10% of the novel will still be up, but because so many LitRPG readers use Kindle Unlimted it just doesn''t seem wise to not take advantage of that medium. The rules under that program is that I can''t have the story posted anywhere else. That is where the 10% rule comes in.


    Book 2 will start being posted here soon. If you are a long time follower, then I will continue to provide the future chapters here. I will likely post them on my new website, that is in the works, a week or two sooner than they will show up here, so stay tuned.


    Underworld - Level Up or Die! Fans!


    I am finalizing the first twelve chapters of revisions, which will be reposted soon! You thought I forgot about you didn''t you?


    Chapter 13 and on will be a much more extensive rewrite. The balancing issue, that a lot of people balked at, I am working on now. That will be fixed! Also, I am changing things where magic books can''t teach someone another pillar of magic. They will have to earn that and I think you will like the direction things are going to take.


    As for the time table, after Codename: Freedom goes live on Amazon, 07/12/2017, my full time focus will be put into rewriting. I expect to have this book completely done in about two month to be ready for Amazon. There is so much I have learned through the process with CF. Thank you for your patients!


    New Chapters are coming! Some of the last couple chapters in the current draft might end up being entirely different, although the main arc should be the same. I think its time for some crafting too.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    New Series!


    Anyone like zombie apocalypse novels? The market is saturated with dark over the top comedies and the same old escape by the skin of your teeth in a messed up world plots. My take is a little different. What happens if a guy loses everything he has and instead of just trying to survive like a wounded puppy, decides to take matters into his own hands? Note: This is not LitRPG. I''m still considering whether I should make it one yet.


    Read: Hope in the Dead - Alone!</a>


    I started writing this series just to keep myself fresh. Rewriting all the time isn''t a very good way to stay motivated, so I needed something to stay in practice. I have actually sit down to write this story multiple times over the last ten years and I think I''m finally to a place where I can do it justice.


    Free Stuff!


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    The Land - Founding - Read for Free!</a>


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    I¡¯ve teamed up with several other authors¡ªBlaise Corvin, Travis Bagwell, Michael-Scott Earle, Michael Chatfield, J.A. Cipriano, R.M. Mejia, Isaac Winter, Sam Witt, and Domino Finn¡ªto put together a MASSIVE, crazy-pants giveaway. One lucky winner will receive an enormous crate filled with twenty-two signed novels, worth over $450.


    Yep, twenty-two signed books¡ªthis is seriously like two-feet of reading material, folks¡ªincluding three novels from yours truly: Viridian Gate Online Cataclysm and Crimson Alliance, plus a copy of Strange Magic. This is a super-sick deal and its free. Just click on the link below to enter. Even better? It¡¯s a viral campaign: after you sign up, you get a fancy link to share. Pass that link along to all your fantasy book loving friends or your video-game pals, and when they sign up, you get extra entries. Which means even more chances to win. Easy-peasy. Now go, let your feet be wings and your fingers type like the wind.


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 Codename: Freedom is Published!

    Surprise!


    Codename: Freedom dropped a day early on Amazon!


    Now available in its final, edited version!Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Available on Kindle Unlimited!


    Purchase on Amazon Here!</a>


    It is already being really well received. Thank you all for your support and feedback. You have been a big help in cultivating me to improve the story and as a writer. You guys are awesome!

 Codename: Freedom - Free Ebook Promo! (09/21-10/01)

    Hey there!


    This is the first ever sale on Codename: Freedom - Survive Week One!


    FREE from 09/27 through 10/01!


    If you haven''t read it now''s your chance! If you have, please share!


    I told you guys this was coming! "> If you read the version before I published, this one is more than cleaned up. Some pain points and plot issues were fixed, and it was editted by a machine! Nah, shes not really a cyborg, but she is awesome! Enjoy!Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    <h1>Get it here! Codename: Freedom - Survive Week One</a></h1>


    4.7/5 Stars out of 85 Reviews on Amazon! 4.8 for Scifi Fans!


    ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï "I don''t think I''ve ever read internal struggle like his in an indie book before, props to Apollos for an awesome job, I can''t wait for more!" AJ Larson


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    <h1>Facebook Page</a></h1>


    <h1>Author''s Website</a></h1>

 Book 2 - Prologue

    June 19, 2387


    I fear I have been found out. Not only is there no new information about who is in charge of bringing the criminal element into Codename: Freedom, but I have been summoned to make the trip to Washington with no information as to why I must be there in person. Every meeting I have had with the government up to this point has been done virtually. The only exception was when I was first invited to hear about an exciting new job opportunity. During that meeting I had to have all mixed reality devices turned off including my access to the metaverse. It was classified as top secret at the time. So either this is another top secret meeting or this is the last trip I will ever make.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Even if my AI is cut off from the metaverse, I have relayed the information to a few external bots. The information will be leaked if my death is reported in any way during my trip.


    Sr. Director of Game Development


    ---


    Updated January 5th

 Book 2 - Chapter 1 - The Training Hall

    Hundreds of people wearing bronze mail, intricately fashioned leather, or the odd athletic garment were crowded around the training hall as they were slowly funneling inside. The aroma of fresh bisques, gravy and hash browns hung in the air only drowned out by everyone''s nervous energy.


    Getting here an hour early had given me the luxury of taking my time to finish my own breakfast and better understand how training was going to work here. I leaned against the wall of the bank across the street as I watched the crowd try to fit through the two double-wide entrances of the training hall.


    It was the only modern building in all of Willingham. Standing one story tall, its outer walls shone like a polished pearl. It was a seamless structure all around. The roof wasn¡¯t shingled, but a low, sea-blue dome at its peak that flared out over the top of the building like a bubble. It was just like the solar roofs of the real world.


    There were far too many people to fit inside the building the building at once, so I suspected they were teleported to different training areas depending on the trainer they choose. The quest notes we had received for finishing the main quest Survive Week One even implied as much.


    Note: Porting into a Gym or Training Room requires you to go to the physical location of a Training Facility. If an enemy army of more than 100 enters your city gate you will be ported out of training immediately and will spawn at the Training Facility.


    It felt like we were all here for a sporting event. Men and women were rolling their shoulders, stretching where they stood, and trying to loosen up. There were still only rumors as to what to expect when you entered the Training Hall. A few players from the early classes had already left, but I hadn''t spoken to any of them.


    I didn''t know what to make of it, but the gamers and athletes had started to blend together in a way I had never seen before. Sure there was still the physical difference, the gamers were mostly thinner or chubbier than the athletes who were in better shape, but the groups I saw had more of a mixture of the two than I had ever thought possible; and it had only been a week. I wouldn''t say the rivalry had died, because there were still many obvious gamer and athlete only groups. Still, something about this place was changing us.


    Taking a bit of my half eaten burrito, I was happy for the food since nearly everyone had brought their breakfast. The temptation would have been too much and I would have spent my coin at one of the merchant stands. That was a sure way of spending too much.


    The term burrito may not have been entirely correct. This thing had weighed nearly a pound when I had first started chowing down on it. Either way, you can''t go wrong with eggs drenched in cheddar and layered with bacon bits all wrapped in a massive flour tortilla.


    My breakfast was more practical than most of the players. People carried plates filled with country fried streak, steaming bowls of soup and even roasted chicken. Trying to clean up last minute might prove difficult. One exception was the biscuits that were everywhere, coating the entire area in a fresh baked, buttery smell. Then there was another group that had found fresh produce and was chomping on apples. I would have almost traded my burrito for a couple. Almost.


    My purpose in being here was the same as everyone else. Today was a Saturday June 20, just the sixth day since we had entered Freedom. It was the day that the Training Facilities opened giving us access to some of the best martial arts and skill trainers the real world had to offer. Even though I didn''t trust the game developers for a second since they had allowed 100% pain to be an aspect of Freedom, they, with the government''s backing, had spared no expense in providing for us masters in the combat arts and survival. There was time to protest later. Now I would take advantage of all the help I could get to grow stronger.


    Cornelius, the only Combat Arts master that had agreed to participate directly in Freedom, had recommended I find his friend Achilles to train me. Achilles was a legend in his own right, but had received fairly bad reviews from the people he had trained before. It wasn''t just him that people were lining up for but dozens of different training classes had orientation at the 9:00 am timeslot. The first classes had started as early as 6:00 am and more would open up at the top of each hour for the rest of the day. Since they had spread the start times out there were only hundreds of players here and not thousands.


    I noticed a man who walked passed me, going around the outskirts of the crowd. He was a specimen of a man wearing nothing but a dust colored outfit who was dragging himself toward a two story, gray-brick building. The doorway arched well above his head even though he was tall enough to be considered a small giant.


    What had made him stand out wasn''t just his destination or size, but it was the same look I had seen on the faces of two other players since I had gotten here ten minutes ago. His shoulders sagged forward and his eyes were downcast. This was the last trip he would make in Codename: Freedom. Today, he was quitting.


    Even after we had been victorious defeating the goblin''s western army and finishing the first major event, Survive Week One, it was estimated that close to five thousand people had quit in the last week since the opening day. There were other gamers and athletes joining for the first time and taking their place.


    Most people ignored him, not wanting to cause him embarrassment, or perhaps trying to ignore their own doubts of staying here. Shamefully, a few shook their heads at him in disgust.


    Another player had made the same trip just minutes before. He had worn the same dust colored clothes, likely leaving all of his items and gold to a friend or group before he willingly leaving for good. Just a week before I would have looked down upon the both of them, but after my first night here I had experienced the worst pain of my life. A hulking hobgoblin over nine feet tall had shattered my back with a club the size of a small tree. It had taken me hours to recover and there was nothing in Freedom that dampened pain except maybe alcohol. I couldn''t look down on the man. Instead, I secretly wished him better luck elsewhere.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The danger in leaving wasn''t just that you would lose the opportunity to participating in Freedom. Everyone playing was either a pro or semi-pro athlete or gamer. There were billions of people viewing us as we played. Quitting could lose you fans and even cause sponsors to abandon you. It could hurt or even ruin your careers.


    My fan base had wavered for a time, but after the fight battle of the Survive Week One quest I now had approximately ninety four million followers. Even now there was close to a million people watching me and I was just standing here waiting. Many of those viewers were probably bots here to keep a close eye on me and inform their user if anything interesting was happening. As amazing as that was, it was also nerve wracking. The only time I knew no one was watching me was when I was in the bathroom.


    This was my first time in this part of Willingham. The rare brick building the defeated man headed toward was the town hall. Above the arched doorway on the face of the building were two large windows with deep green shutters, still open this early in the morning to welcome the sun before its heat became too much. The roof peeked at its center, a bell tower stretching even higher overhead. Though the building was meant to be a thing of pride and accomplishment to its people, for those leaving this virtual world it had to be rather intimidating.


    The Training Hall was cattycorner to the town hall and across the street from the bank that I leaned against now. Finishing my burrito, it was time. Pushing off of the wall, I crossed the packed dirt street and funneled in behind a stocky girl wearing polished bronze chainmail and a tall skinny guy with leather armor from head to toe. Only his face was protruding out of his leather hoody.


    Even with the rather large crowd it was only fifteen minutes before I made it inside.


    Passing through the entrance on the left, I found the floor was a textured silver stone that was too perfect to be natural. The walls were just as artificial, lined with modern digital wall panels that had many different functions like producing light, and acting as interactive monitors. They glowed with a soft white giving the room a clean feel.


    I only walked a few meters before the rest of the crowd disappeared. It had been a seamless transition, but I had obviously been ported to an identical room without any other players. At the far end of the room, only a handful of steps from where I stood, an elderly man examined me with squinted eyes. He had a bald head and silver goatee reaching down to his chest, resting on a black long sleeved robe similar to a gi still used in many traditional martial arts. The only difference was the upper garment reached down to his knees.


    ¡°Welcome Lucius. You are here very early for Achilles'' class. Were you interested in looking the range of trainers available to you while you wait? There are many different kinds of combat and it is possible to choose more than one trainer if you can afford the cost. If you are interested in crafting or testing the advancement simulator, those options are now available to you.¡± The old man said in a deep baritone that seemed to belong to a much younger and larger man.


    Any question as to whether the man was really a person or AI was answered when he had mentioned Achilles'' name. It was expected that an AI that had been surveilling the player base would know that I would pick Achilles. They would have watched my reactions with all of my dealings with Cornelius.


    ¡°I would like to view the list, please.¡±


    He nodded and a large window appeared before me as wide as my arm span and as high as I could reach.


    It was the same list that had appeared under the new option that had appeared in my menu. Still, I had it in front of me and I had time. Might as well give it a scan.


    The list itself was little more than what it sounds like. There was an image of the trainer on the left, followed by name and some basic information. If you clicked on the name or picture more information would popup, including reviews from people that had trained with the person outside of Freedom.


    Bringing up Achilles, I had to admit I wouldn''t have picked him after reading the reviews.


    I will start this by saying that I am a huge fan of Achilles and nothing will change that, but training with him is like a really intense philosophy lesson. I just want to learn to fight.


    If I wanted someone to condemn me I would go to church. As much of a legend as he is I wouldn''t recommend this class to anyone.


    Achilles focus on basics was annoying for someone with a decade of fighting experience, but mixed with the lectures I couldn¡¯t make it past the first week.


    You get the idea. It looked like I was in for more than just training drills. The reviews weren''t entirely negative. About fifty percent of them sung his praises.


    Achilles doesn''t just train you in self-defense, or for a career in the Melee Combat Arts Association (MCAA) but in the discipline of life.


    I wasn''t really sure that I knew exactly what the ¡°discipline of life¡± was supposed to mean, but at least it sounded like there was a purpose behind the lectures everyone warned about. Honestly, Achilles even surpassed Cornelius, so if there were parts of his training that people didn''t like, it was probably those things that separated him from the other masters. I hoped.


    Something the old man had mentioned came to mind.


    Turning to him I asked. ¡°What is the advancement simulator?¡±


    ¡°It allows you to test out possible character builds before you spend your Advancement Points. Although, it is limited. You can only test the next tier of Abilities. The ultimate level Abilities will not be available through the simulator until you unlock them.¡±


    Well that seemed to be both helpful and a waste of time. I was a low enough level that I could get a better idea how to spend my next Ability and Advancement Points, but if I couldn''t use the simulator for the highest level Abilities then I couldn¡¯t test end game builds. When I got the time I would use it to plan ahead.


    I had a feeling I knew why they were hidden from us though, and it wasn''t just to build suspense for the billions of viewers. If what Victoria had hinted at about when she mentioned she wanted to be a combat general was true, then these abilities were comparable to the highest level of military grade augmented enhancements. Some of those things were still top secret and unknown to the public. Would that allow such things here?


    As an example, combat generals were plugged into the highest levels of the military¡¯s version of the Metaverse and had the ability to watch a war from the eyes of any soldier, vehicle or drone. They watched over the battlefield and ultimately directed their armies. They were the all-seeing voice in the head of every soldier. It was like the game of chess with a billion different pieces, each with their own capabilities.


    In other words, there probably wasn''t a single high level ability that wouldn''t blow your mind if they really allowed the best military tech.


    ¡°Is it too early to enter the training meta?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. Achilles won''t arrive for twenty seven minutes, but people are starting to arrive for tryouts.¡±


    ¡°Tryouts?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Achilles has elected to train only those that pass an initiation phase.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Cornelius had said that I might have to mention his name to get Achilles to train me. Until now I hadn''t taken that as literal.


    ¡°Okay. I am ready.¡±


    The old man nodded.


    The walls and ceiling faded away.

 Book 2 - Chapter 2 - Achilles

    With the floor as the only thing left, it reached indefinitely in every direction beneath a perfectly blue sky. New pine walls shot up from the floor creating a wide open area in a large rectangular room. The roof grew from the walls meeting at its peak. Cherrywood rafters joined together with panel lighting faceted to their bottoms and filling the room with clean white light. The floor faded in color from silver to grey and its make up transitioned from solid stone to foam matting.


    At the head of the room was a long wooden desk that could fit ten people sitting shoulder to shoulder. It looked like the typical dojo.


    Over a dozen players were already there, appearing with the room. A number of them stood around the edges, leaning against the wall and eyeing their competition. Some had already decided to take a seat of the matt before the desk and were starting to stretch.


    There were only a few athletes in the group making the majority gamers. I didn''t know if that was a good or bad thing.


    May of those stretching were wearing athletic gear instead of leather or bronze. This wasn''t athletic clothing from the modern world, but long cotton baggy pants and similar shirts. Many of the shirts were sleeveless. At least, two thirds of us still wore armor of some kind.


    I walked off to the side, but made my way to the front of the room and found an open place on the wall.


    Most everyone here seemed to be in good spirits considering what we had just been through. I doubted any of them had gotten through the goblin''s attack on our city unharmed. Although, I wouldn''t call it a friendly environment, there was no athlete/gamer hostility and the competitive vibe seemed like a healthy one.


    Then I noticed an Asian guy sitting Indian style wearing a black kamishimo, or the traditional samurai outfit. It looked great, but had to cost a lot of money for all that fabric. He had a long sword in a leather sheath sitting across his lap. It wasn''t his outfit that caught my attention though.


    He sat there perfectly still with a scowl on his face. It was as if he had filled the room with eggshells and any wrong move could be seen as a challenge. It wasn''t as easy to tell how he was built in his outfit, but I had no doubt he was an athlete.


    A blond guy sat in front of him with the exact opposite countenance. He was also an athlete. The light stubble on his chin put him around my age. Nodding at everyone he made eye contact with, he seemed ecstatic to be there. Instead of a kamishimo, he wore baggy blue pants and a sleeveless white V-neck.


    Perhaps, I could get some information while I waited. I opened my inventory and removed my gear.


    With my armor off, I changed out my under trousers for a fresh pair of dark-green baggy ones and a light-green tank top with the guild Prodos logo. There was an open treasure chest with five shafts of light shooting out from its contents. These formed a semi-circle above it. Our guild name was written underneath it.


    As I sat next to the friendly guy he immediately greeted me.


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Mel.¡± He said, nodding cheerfully.


    We talked for a bit, but mostly just agreed that we were anxious for everything to get started. The fact that this was a tryout was a surprise to him as well.


    More and more people started to join us as we got closer to 9:00 am. When it was about time to get started at least one hundred people were now in the crowded room.


    ¡°Please be seated.¡± I heard a rough, kind voice from the front of the room before I saw anyone.


    All those standing found a place on the floor, which seem to accommodate the number well enough. It would have been too small for us to train in the room together though.


    Achilles appeared sitting on the edge of the table with his arms crossed. He was big like all the Combat Masters, but even Cornelius looked normal in comparison. How the table held up his weight I didn''t know. If I had to guess he was about six foot eight. His arms had bulging veins, but he wasn''t as sickly thin as a bodybuilder. Most people''s torsos weren''t as thick as his forearms let alone his legs. His hands and feet only seemed slightly larger than mere mortals, so his form tapered to make him look natural, buy massive. He was dressed oddly compared to what I had expected, with a long sleeve, seamless white shirt, and black athletic pants with white lace-less cross trainers. He had a strong jaw with a thin brown goatee which faded behind his gaze as it passed over us.


    ¡°You are here today because you are looking for someone to train you. I am here to see if you would be a good fit for my program. There are many others that will train you that have little to no requirements. Remember this, because few of you will continue training with me after today.¡±


    A number of murmurs were echoed throughout the training hall.


    Well, he doesn''t waste time. I mentally prepared myself the best I could for whatever these tryout might end up being.


    ¡°My methods have been developed over decades from my own experience and borrowed from the best trainers in the world. Not only will I teach you to fight, but I will teach you to win.¡±


    An encouraged clamor sounded from the players.


    ¡°There are many other trainers that could prepare you for a career in the MCAA much quicker than I will if that is your goal. For those of you interested in military or special forces, there are programs out there that are very efficient in getting you physically ready for what will be expected of you. If you just want to get in shape or learn to fight, you are also in the wrong place. Even if you are desperate to get stronger to help survive here in Freedom, this is not the best class for you.


    I only know how to teach one thing. How to completely dedicate your entire self, day in and day out, to becoming physically and mentally the best you can be. How to show up on days that you are not at 100% and still absolutely dominate anyone that dares to step in the arena with you. My process can take decades of work and absolute dedication. Most importantly, it never ends. Training and progression never ends. To be the absolute best, your goal is to find a way to do more than any human being has ever done before you. To train harder and smarter, pushing what scientist and AI tells you is possible. There is a danger that you may push too hard and threaten your health or even your life. But push you must. I will put the single greatest tool a person can have within your reach. True self control.¡±


    When Achilles paused there was no clamor in response. The pressure of anticipation we had all been feeling had been torn away from us and all that was left was awe. He wasn¡¯t exactly a great speaker, but his level of conviction as he spoke captivated us.


    ¡°First, here are my rules:


    No cursing


    No dueling outside of your prescribed training


    No sexual activity while in basic training


    No dishonesty


    Participate in every exercise to the best of your ability¡±


    I was left wondering why the rules were generally moral in nature. There were no traditional requirements like call me master or sensei, bow when greeting, etc.


    ¡°Ah $#!%¡± Teased a player tearing the moment apart.


    Without hesitation Achilles replied. ¡°You can go now.¡±


    The player immediately phased out and disappeared from the room.


    There were a few fearful whispers that followed, but no more outbursts.


    ¡°As I said before, self-control. Now. If you agree to these basic rules, then we can proceed with the interview. If not, then feel free to leave. You can port out through your game menus.¡±


    Only one person did as he instructed. I suspected he was a friend of the person who had been booted.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Good.¡± He continued. ¡°First question. Are people good in nature?¡±


    There was no specific format for answering his question offered, so a chaotic chorus of answers followed. As you might suspect most of us, if not all including me, answered yes.


    ¡°Everyone who answered yes to the question can leave.¡±


    My mouth dropped open. Was he serious? I had even been expecting something odd to happen but this left me baffled.


    Some people stirred where they sat and moved to open their menu, but then one brave player near the front asked. ¡°Wait. You only train people that think people are evil?¡±


    There was a hint of anger in the way he asked the question.


    ¡°I train people who are internally honest. Here, I¡¯ll give you another shot. Do you believe you are good in nature?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He insisted.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t be able to finish the training even if I was to allow you to continue.¡±


    ¡°But, I want to learn!¡± The player replied, forgoing any effort to hide his frustration.


    ¡°Why do you want to learn?¡±


    ¡°I want to be the best I can.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He patiently asked.


    The player opened his mouth to answer, but slowly closed it when he found he didn''t know the answer. After a few moments, he replied. ¡°I want to be the best so that I will be loved by others.¡±


    ¡°Honesty. Very good. Is that morally good or evil?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not evil.¡± He blurt out.


    ¡°Is it selfless and for the good of others?¡±


    ¡°I.¡± The tension in his neck built. ¡°No it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s selfish.¡±


    Shaking his head, he objected. ¡°But if I get famous I could give the money to charity. Or use my fame to spread the word about good causes.¡±


    ¡°Is that what really motivates you?¡±


    Even though I couldn''t see the man''s face, I could tell he had just turned bright red. With a sigh, he flicked open his menu and left without another word.


    Looking around I saw a number of people left. Still the majority of people were still here.


    ¡°Pride is often a person¡¯s greatest weakness. That is why I said he wouldn¡¯t be able to complete my training even if I allowed him to continue. As the last guy demonstrated he was more concerned with defending how he saw himself than training. If you honestly want to be here to be loved by others, than that is fine, but be honest about what it is. Selfish.¡± Achilles said, letting silence linger after.


    ¡°Now. Someone else who believes that they are good in nature, explain to me why.¡±


    As he asked I was considering my own motivation. Before, I would have had the same answer as the guy who left. But after facing the creature that had shattered my back and caused me the worst pain in my life, I had found that my selfish motivation wasn''t enough to keep me fighting. Protecting my friends had been what really drove me further.


    I was relieved that we hadn¡¯t all been forced to leave.


    Honestly, only recently had I even considered such things and didn¡¯t mind sitting through a lecture or two. Besides, the philosophy of the greatest fighter of modern history should have some worth, even if I didn¡¯t end up agreeing with him. There had to be aspects of his thought process that would help me.


    Another player raised his hand and said. ¡°I try to do what is right.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Why do you try to do what is right then?¡±


    ¡°Because I feel guilty if I don¡¯t. I have a conscience.¡± He said genuinely.


    As if knowing the answer before it was given, Achilles immediately followed with a rebuttal. ¡°So basically you try to do what is right to keep yourself from feeling bad? Isn¡¯t that selfish?¡±


    The player hadn¡¯t been expecting that response. He shook his head back and forth. ¡°You¡¯re just as selfish and self-centered as anyone here! If following your conscience isn''t right, then what is?¡±


    ¡°Following your conscience is right, but your motivation for acting, not just doing the right thing, is what makes something truly good. Just as a person can take someone¡¯s life out of anger, they can also do it to protect the people they love. It is your motivation that makes it right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to control your motivations!¡± Someone called out from the back. ¡°I knew it would be a waste of time to come here after reading the reviews. I''m out!¡±


    Another dozen players joined him in leaving. A little over half remained.


    I really didn''t see why people were getting so upset. He hadn''t even gotten to the point yet.


    ¡°You are right, though. I am just as selfish as anyone here.¡± Achilles said, wrinkling up his brow with empathy. ¡°That brings up the next question. Are people entirely evil?¡±


    There was no answer. Everyone was afraid to face the inevitable scrutiny. The faces of those I could still see had a variety of emotions. Some players were angry at what had been said and were on the brink of leaving. Others were contemplative.


    Looking to Mel who had been almost giddy to be here before, he was now downcast, staring at his hands in his lap.


    I could possibly accept that people were naturally selfish, there were too many positive things people did to accept they were strait up evil. We were capable of helping others and even sacrificing ourselves for good causes and other people.


    Before I realized what I was doing, I spoke up. ¡°No.¡±


    Then I was faced with the next logical question.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Why had I just answered? Knowing I was most likely going to be rebuked, I gritted my teeth and answered. ¡°We can choose to do what is right even if we desire to do something else.¡±


    To my surprise his answer was, ¡°Good. I don''t expect you to be perfect, just to know that you are not.


    We are at a good number to start the next stage of the process. This next part is up to you. I didn''t tell you that there are other trainers who might be better for you just to whittle down your numbers. Seriously consider what you want out of training and only return if you are looking to dedicate your life to this. You can go a long way without the dedication necessary for my class.


    If you do decide to return, I will require you to write a few paragraphs and message me your answer to a question you will receive via your Metaverse Access Hub. If you decide to continue, send me the answer before you show up tomorrow. If I have not received it the Training Hall will now allow you to port in. Any questions?¡±


    One hand shot up from a player who still seemed to be fuming in frustration. ¡°Why did you choose such questions for the interview?¡±


    Sharp lines showed around his eyes and at the edges of his mouth as Achilles grinned for the first time. ¡°For two reasons. I demand that you are internally honest. In order to reach your full potential you must be honest about the world around you but most important about yourself. If you believe something false, then it can affect the decisions you make, and how you react. Secondly, I am not going to teach someone to fight if they are morally inept. With the training I offer comes the ability to hurt people. I too have a conscience. Understand?¡±


    The player who asked the question nodded that he did.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Achilles clapped. ¡°Some of you I will see tomorrow. For the rest of you, take care.¡±


    With a nod, he vanished before our eyes.


    Mel was still looking down at his lap, while others mocked the very idea of returning. Others just left, or started up conversations to get other people¡¯s opinions.


    After getting hurt and having to figure out what I believed was worth fighting for I think I understood why Achilles took this approach. How many times had he been hurt or face incredible odds? In the last week I had been force to consider things because of hardship. He had likely faced those same questions, the same fears, and was still fighting, maybe decades later. I needed to know what he knew.


    I heard someone behind me declare. ¡°Who is next on the list?¡±


    Personally, I wasn''t sure what I would do.


    ***


    I found myself with a lot of free time. Even though that had been many training sessions starting as early as 6:00 am, few of them had finished by the time Achilles had let us out. I had expected to be there at least an hour, but it had been no more than ten minutes.


    As I headed inside the nearest tavern, I pulled up my system menu and searched for Achilles question. I took a seat in a booth along the back. It was little more than a wooden bench against the wall.


    The rest of the tavern was filled with square tables set at a diagonal like a giant checker board. It wasn''t as well designed as many of the other taverns, but it was larger with room for more people. This time of the morning after the breakfast rush it was almost empty.


    I ordered some hot tea and biscuits so it didn''t look like I was loitering. Not that I thought they would kick me out, but I didn¡¯t want to be rude.


    Finding Achilles'' message, I pulled it up. It read as follows.


    What is your greatest moral weakness?


    I was going to contact my group and see if they had immediate plans, but first I would answer this question in the case I decided to return tomorrow.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I realized I didn¡¯t have an answer. Destiny had always kept me focused. I had learned a lot about my bad habits and natural tendencies through her instruction, but we never talked the morality of an issue. The focus was always pragmatic. What was my goal, and what did I have to do to achieve it. That was all. It allowed me to depend on her in some areas while putting all my effort into what most needed my attention.


    What were my moral weaknesses? How people saw me? Girls?


    Achilles had spoken about motives, not just actions as what determined what was right. What were my motives, then?


    I had to admit what brought me to sign up for Codename: Freedom had been that desire to be the best gamer I could be. No, that wasn''t true. I wanted to be the best gamer in history. I didn''t want to have any peers, but to rise above everyone that came before me. My friend Chewme was as much a rival as a friend. We were so different, both physically and in personality, but our goal was the same. A large part of me wanted to surpass him, leaving him at a level where he could never compete with me again. I knew it was the same for him. If he reached that level I was sure I would be jealous, but I would also honor him. I knew he would do the same for me.


    There was more to it than that, because recently my motivations had been challenged. What motivated me now? My old observations weren''t exactly gone. Instead, they had been fractured at the foundation, unable to stand alone. After my injury, I found pain was a much greater enemy than being mediocre. Fighting so that no one would have to suffer made a lot more sense. Was that morally wrong?


    It seemed right, but then again, was I really being selfless? It had taken my own suffering to turn my attention to the suffering of others.


    I didn''t have a conclusive answer, but the messaging app''s AI had been observing my thoughts and listed them in paragraph form.


    I hadn''t exactly answered the question though. What was my greatest moral weakness? Prideful ambition might be the closest thing I could come up with. If so, before getting hurt I would have been more apt to get what I wanted without considering others, but now, I don''t think I could be very callus.


    It was lunch time before I knew it. After a little editing I sent my answer along to Achilles, still unsure I would show up.


    Well, that should be sufficient. It was honest, and the best I could come up with.


    I left without getting lunch. I was sure Kline would probably be around some kind of food if he wasn''t busy. I just had to find him.


    ---


    Updated 1/05/2018

 Book 2 - Chapter 3 - Magic?

    Hey ladies and gents!


    Sorry for the delay in posting chapters. I have got the opportunity to write over the holidays, but my time has been limited. It gets crazy around here. As a late Christmas gift, I''m going to be posting the first 20k words over the next couple days. They are still rough, as I''m still tweeking them, but Chapter 2 has been redone, so it might be worth a read.


    Cheers!


    ---


    The entire group was there that night at the OverEatery. It was the tavern with four boar busts that stared down at you. It didn¡¯t take long for mouthfuls of meat to make you forget their beady eyes were watching you.


    Kline¡¯s wolf pup, Lulu, and Wink, my white eye patched pup, were having a playful game of who could take the biggest mouthful of boneless beef briquette from their saucers on the floor between to our chairs.


    Reclining back, with his hands resting folded over his full stomach, Kline had been trying his best to follow the conversation without nodding off to sleep. His chest rose and fell, proving he had failed.


    I leaned forward to help keep me from doing the same, but soon I found my elbows resting on the table. My chin soon found my hands and my eyelids grew heavy.


    Victoria and Peter were discussing today¡¯s meetings and the politics that went with them. I wasn¡¯t interested in the least, but I wanted to try to stay awake for their sake.


    Before the goblin¡¯s had attacked Willingham, Victoria had seemed distant and depressed when we weren¡¯t busy. That had changed with the founding of our new guild named Prodos. She hadn¡¯t stopped having meetings with group and guild leaders in the last two days. Even now her silver streaked green eyes were focused and alive. Her posture was always refined, as you would expect from a politician¡¯s daughter, but she sat forward on the edge of her seat with every hand gesture and nod of her head filled with subtle excitement. It was good to see her like this. She was in her element.


    Peter wasn¡¯t sharing the same level of furor, but to say he wasn¡¯t enjoying the process wouldn¡¯t be true either. The meetings wore on him, unlike her, but there was something about it that must have enthused him. He was constantly aware as an alpha wolf watches his pack. What motivated him was what I couldn¡¯t place.


    Quiet as ever, Oliver was even more of a mystery than Peter. He wasn¡¯t nearly as large as Cornelius had been, but he was still one of the most well-built men I had ever met in person. He was quiet, like normal, and didn¡¯t really seem to be paying attention to the conversation either, but instead of drifting like Kline and I, he was sitting up straight, wide awake, and looked perfectly content.


    I was just about ready to excuse myself to go train one more time before bed, when there was an unexpected silence from the background noise. Looking up I saw that Mia, one of the primary gaming commentators that had been selected to report on Codename: Freedom, was uncharacteristically serious.


    Mia¡¯s purple hair rounded her face and turned in just below her chin. Normally any of her reactions, especially while giving serious news, would be over the top. Quirky was one of the main selling point to her brand. All of her quirkiness was gone during that moment, leaving nothing but the concern in her eyes.


    ¡°Ladies and gentleman¡­¡± She said, shaking off her shock. ¡°There is breaking news from inside Freedom.¡±


    After another delayed silence, she shook her head and mouthed silently. ¡°Wow.¡±


    With a deep breath she returned to her normal self. She wiped her hand across her forehead and started panting as if she had just been through and ordeal.


    ¡°So, one of the most common criticisms against Freedom has been the lack of a magic system. Not that it has stopped anyone from watching. I can¡¯t be sure, but I think that concern has just been answered. Watch this.¡±


    I pushed at Kline¡¯s shoulder, jostling him awake.


    ¡°My food!¡± He growled, as he sat forward, startled.


    Chuckling, I pointed at the screen taking up an entire wall at the far end of the room, where Mia was grinning back wildly.


    A man wearing tarnished bronze chainmail ran franticly through knee high underbrush, with palm trees sprouting up sparsly here and there. The sun''s insense rays made the green tinted armor shine more than it would have in normal conditions.


    Everyone in the tavern was suddenly silent and watching intently. This was the first time any of us had seen a tropical setting in Freedom.


    ¡°Lulu, remind me to start looking for a bathing suit.¡± Kline jeered.


    Even though Victoria was in front of us, I saw her head turn down as she tried to hold back a giggle.


    The man looked back. It was also immediately apparent from the perspiration running down the sides of the man''s face that wearing armor in that setting might not be the wisest thing to do. His eyes darted about. It wasn''t just one enemy chasing him, but many.


    As the view drew back, we saw what was after him. Bald, or balding, olive green heads darted after him. They had long skulls with strong jaws and bulky, muscular builds. Unlike even the largest goblins, these creatures were as tall as men and moved at a speed that pushed the man to his limit. They were orcs.


    There was safe destination in sight. He was simply running for his life and there seemed to be no hope for him. They were slowly gaining and showed no sign of fatigue, but he had gone as far as he could.


    In a surprising move, he turned to face the five burly orcs who were moments from running him over.


    With a weaponless fist risen, he took a step toward the closest orc in a desperate move. The orc''s bone-split spear was thrust toward his chest. It was about to skewer him, when he lunged to the side.


    The move saved the man from the spear, but a second orc trampled right over him. A large foot landed in his gut. His life was at least spared momentarily as the orcs sped passed, then slowed to double back.


    The man first struggled to get to his knees, pain was stitched across his face. As he made it to one knee, it happened. A faint, but wild red light seeped out of him as if it was erupting from the pores of his skin.


    He looked up at the approaching enemy with a maniac glare. The first spear shot toward his knee. Instead of dodging, he caught the spear along the neck one handed, and twisted as he stood with little other than his wrist. The spear snapped.


    The orc was standing his ground and when he saw what had happened he jabbed the jagged shaft that was left of his spear into the man''s side. It did little against his chainmail.


    Swatting the stick away, the man wasn''t able to pursue the orc, as another spear point was aimed at his chest. This one he swatted away, but another pierced him high on the thigh.


    The red energy radiating off of him flared as he grabbed the spear and yanked it from the hands of the orc.


    Another spear jabbed him around the heart, but the chainmail saved his life. Blood started to seep slowly out of the wound down ringlets of bronze.


    When the next thrust came at him, he pulled the spear out of his leg, and bashed the attack aside, using the shoulder height spear like a club.


    Part of me wanted to laugh, but then he twisted, sending a backhanded swing at a vicious speed. The orc in its path looked to have caught the blow with his spear, but it drove through his two handed block and cracked against his skull.


    I don''t know if I would call this magic. It was more like a berserker''s rage skill. Still, it completely contradicted everything about Freedom. There had been no magic and no skills, only your real life ability to fight that determined your outcome in battle. If this really was an experiment to see how people would survive in crazy situations, then how did adding magic and skills now help with realism? Not only did it seem unfair, but it also felt out of character.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The man swung again, making the orcs take a step back to avoid the blow. As if finally regaining his senses, the man grabbed the shaft with his other hand and turned it right way around to take advantage of the spear''s sharp end. Could he win?


    Then from off screen, a broken shaft smacked across the back of his head. He fell to his knees and dropped the spear. The energy that had been pulsing off of him faded.


    One spear and then another struck the man in the chest. They still had trouble piercing his bronze coat, but it would soon be enough.


    In one last move of desperation, the man targeted an orc and red energy surged from all over his body and shot up his arm, firing off a short ranged burst, the energy flew through the air and knocked the orc onto its backside.


    A final spear entered the man''s neck and finished him.


    When Mia''s shocked face returned, there was an explosion of voices throughout the tavern.


    I immediately through of Victoria and the white light that I had thought I saw come from her hand when we had first met. It wasn''t clear enough in the playback I had seen if it was real or not.


    She glanced at Peter, who nodded slightly at her glance. Sitting behind them or not, I was now almost sure she knew something about this.


    ¡°You got to be kidding me!¡± Kline said, shaking his head in protest. ¡°Are they going to blaspheme real fighting here too? What''s the point if it¡¯s not real?!¡±


    Turning to me, I winced in acknowledgement of his point. To him, restoring the glory of real martial arts was one of his primary reasons for being here. A lot of the combat sports had been overrun by virtual versions, watering down the sports and overlooking the real athletes that have had to deal with the real pains of fighting.


    I felt for him, I truly did, but on the other hand, I knew if things became more like a virtual games it would work in my favor. I didn''t think that was the case though. After glimpsing what Victoria had almost done and seeing this, my gut told me it was something else going on here. But what?


    Victoria, Peter and Oliver had all known each other before entering Freedom. That meant that it was likely if one of them knew what this was, all of them would.


    I waited to see how they would respond to Kline, but no answers came.


    ¡°Has magic finally arrived in the land of Freedom?!¡± Mia''s words broke my train of thought. ¡°There is bound to be a massive amount of speculation in the next few days. Did this player unlock these abilities through some quest, or special circumstance? With so many players searching the continent for new monsters to hunt after the goblin attacks have stopped, will other abilities also be unlocked? Was this magic, skill based abilities, or something else entirely. Stay tooned. I will be on the front lines to bring them to you as soon as the answers are found...¡±


    ***


    I had been planning on trying to train after dinner. Nothing more than a little running, but with the new revelation I needed to find out what was going on if I could. If there was an added skill or spell system, it may have been more important in the long run, to unlock my abilities than start training right away. I could always come back and train with Achilles at a later date.


    Kline was already asleep on the couch, with Lulu on lying between his feet. I paced back and forth in the cabin style living room, sliding my socks across the smooth wood floor to keep the noise to a minimum. After dinner, Victoria and Peter had both gone back to the guild hall, and Oliver had followed. It was close to midnight now and they still hadn''t returned. I doubted they would sleep over there, since they would have to set up a place to sleep for each of them. If they were now purposely avoiding us though, they would have the resources there if they wanted to.


    A foot knocked against the steps outside, followed by a rustling of many footfalls. Looking at my minimap, I saw that it was indeed the three of them.


    Swallowing down a guilty knot in my throat, I realized I had been assuming they were hiding something from me. I stood there for a long moment, not sure if I should go to the couch so that they didn''t notice I had been waiting for them. It was foolish. Unless they knew what I was thinking there was no reason for them to suspect I was awake to see if they were up to something.


    I hurried to the door and opened it for them.


    Peter looked up at me with an outstretched hand. I had just beaten him to it. With a friendly nod, he walked past while putting his hands in the air to stretch.


    ¡°Hey Lucius.¡± Victoria whispered as she followed him in.


    Oliver closed the door behind him.


    ¡°6:00 am?¡± Peter asked.


    Victoria and Oliver both nodded that they agreed to the time, then they started to head down the hall toward their rooms.


    Without having to ask, Victoria lingered behind and turned to me after their door had closed behind them.


    She motioned with her head that we should go in the kitchen.


    I pulled out a chair and offered it to her, just out of courtesy. The moonlight shone down on us from the biggest window in the house that sat above the kitchen sink. As unrealistic as it was, there was running water here.


    The silver in Victoria''s eyes lit up in the light. Her black hair was back in a pretty intricate braid that reached to the middle of her back. She wore a leather vest that offered decent protection, but also freed her arms and neck, by hanging on her shoulders like a loose tank top. A blouse in our guild''s green was over that, making it almost possible to forget she was ready for a fight. A green knee-high shirt covered a bronze plated tasset that reached down the side of her legs nearly to her knees. Just below the knee were the laces of her leather boots that looked feminine, but would work well against glancing blades.


    I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.


    She looked around, as if to keep the mischief between the two of us. My grin matched hers.


    ¡°You look like you had a good day.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Things are going really well. Over 50% of the leaders we are speaking with are seriously interested in our player run bank. Everyone else wants to join our coalition because they think we are going to lead the invasion in the goblin city. We were in the top ten guilds in the city the moment we founded Prodos because of our accomplishments, but after Cornelius''s support, we are easily in the top three and the other two are courting us for favors.¡±


    She danced back and forth in her seat by dipping her shoulders from side to side.


    Her enthusiasm was a potent medicine for the concern I had after the new revelations. Still, I had questions that had to be answered.


    ¡°That''s great. Just don''t offer them Kline''s food. That might not go over well.¡± I teased.


    ¡°Too late.¡± She replied sarcastically. Looking across the hall into the living room where he slept, she smiled.


    ¡°Afraid he heard that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Terrified.¡± She giggled.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°If its about sneaking out, it will probably be a few weeks before the necessity comes up again.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t surprise me.¡± I said. ¡°But, it¡¯s about the energy that came from the man facing the orcs earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You might not be able to answer this, but since you knew about the augmented system offering combat general abilities later in the game, do you know anything about this?¡±


    ¡°I.¡± She hesitated, looking off to the side, as if considering something seriously. ¡°I don''t. I''m sorry. Isn''t it similar to what you are used to in the games you play?¡±


    Was she hiding something?


    ¡°It is,¡± I replied, ¡°but normally the person has activated the skill on purpose. If that guy did activate it, it looked as if he was just as surprised as we were to see it happen. This could change everything about Freedom. I''m just not sure whether I should train with Achilles, or put that off and try to figure out how to access those new abilities.¡±


    ¡°I see. I don''t know then.¡±


    With a pat of her lap, she stood and said. ¡°Well, I better get some sleep.¡±


    That was sudden.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said, taken aback.


    As I stood, she grasped me in a hug.


    We had grown close, but this was the closest I had ever been to her. Her warmth and spell filled my senses. All of my suspicion vanished and all I wanted was to hold her longer.


    I felt her breath on my neck, as she turned up her head. Looking down, her eyes were so large and clear. My weakness to her charm was immediately apparent. Everything about girls that Destiny had warned me about was true, but I didn''t care. It wasn''t just a beautiful girl I held, but a person I was growing to care for.


    She motioned that she wanted to tell me something. Leaning down her mouth found my ear.


    ¡°It is not magic. It is real.¡±


    Pulling away, she called as she walked toward her room. ¡°Good night Lucius!¡±


    What she had said hadn''t really registered. The surface of my body where I had held her, and especially my neck and ear, was tingling from the foreign experience.


    I found myself sitting down on the couch where I slept. As much as I didn''t want to change my focus, she had obviously broken the unspoken barrier between us for a reason. We were alone where no one in Freedom could have heard her, yet she still waited to say it. She could have just leaned forward and whispered it to me, but then it would have been obvious and anyone watching may have tried to decipher her words. Instead, she adverted everyone''s attention, including mine, by creating an uncomfortable, but enjoyable tension between us.


    I shook off the feeling with reluctant finality. What had she said, ¡°It is not magic. It is real.¡± What she was saying didn''t make sense. The man fighting the orcs was illuminated with red light. How could that not be magic, or a part of the game system?


    I was ready to except that the white light that was possibly coming from her hands before was a skill or spell given to her character when she entered Freedom. It was the same with the man who showed super strength and the ability to shoot an energy bolt, except he had unlocked his abilities. But what Victoria was implying was that this didn''t have anything to do with the game system at all, but that it was real; real as in something that you could use outside of Freedom?


    It didn''t take much imagination to know how incredible it would be to have super strength or a super ability in the real world. And what was Victoria''s ability exactly? If I had to guess it was some form of healing ability.


    Wait. If that was true, when I had gotten hurt, that means that she would have been able to heal me. But that didn''t make sense either. I had seen her tears and the way she sat next to me willing to help anyway she could. Remembering her hit Peter, it did make sense. If she had to hide her ability to protect her parents who she admitted had gotten her in Freedom, then...


    Could I be angry at her if that was the case? No. Despite all my pain, if it was true, I had seen her struggle.


    This was just conjecture. I had already spent most of the night being suspicious of her. It needed to stop. What was important is that I now knew there wasn''t a hidden skill or magic system for me to unlock. That meant that training remained the priority.

 Book 2 - Chapter 4 - Training Begins

    Reminder - Chapters are still rough and need editing.


    ---


    Entering the Training Hall that morning was easier than the day before, although the stream of players leaving was much higher than I had ever seen it.


    The players were leaving in groups wearing seamless tank tops. There were multiple colors and different logos which I assumed depended on who their trainer was. On the other hand, everyone''s shorts were the same style and glossy silver in color. They were shorter than what was comfortable for most, being cut off at mid-thigh. The material was a bio-alloy that allowed natural air flow without the necessity of weaving them into a mesh common in gym shorts, but also allowed a superior surface for reducing drag while running. I had a feeling running was something we were going to be doing a lot of.


    The bald old man in his dark robe, greeted me just as he had the day before.


    His voice rumbled, as he said, ¡°Welcome Lucius. All documents received. You have been granted access to Achilles'' training class. Would you like to pay the 1 gold for the first thirty days of admission or pay at a later time? You have a full week of seven days from today to pay the fee. If the payment is not made, then your access will be revoked until the fee is paid.¡±


    ¡°I''ll pay today. What about...¡±


    ¡°With your 20% discount that will be 16 silver.¡±


    I moved to open my inventory, when he added. ¡°Do I have permission to take the funds from your purse?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Just as he said, I saw that the 16 silver was removed leaving me just over 4 gold.


    ¡°If you are ready, I will port you in.¡±


    No use waiting. ¡°I''m ready.¡±


    The walls faded away and the dojo from the day before was constructed before my eyes. There was already over thirty people there waiting. Achilles had yet to arrive, but that wasn''t a surprise. It was 6:45 am, fifteen minutes before class was supposed to start.


    I found Mel, the friendly blond guy I had met the day before sitting approximately in the same place he had been the day before. I took a seat next to him. Today I had mimicked his dress started off wearing my green tank top and darker pants.


    Surprisingly, the samurai grabbed guy had shown up as well. His scowl was still as apparent as ever. Showing up after listening to Achilles'' lecture, maybe he wasn''t as mad with the world as he looked?


    While I waited I opened up my new Character Status screen. I had been second guessing my decision to level up use one of my rare Advancement Points on Personal Training Tools.


    Character Status


    (Character Status ¨C Intermediate)


    Player Name: Lucius


    Level: 27


    Health: 985.85


    Endurance: 1812.46


    Combat Level: Rank E ¨C Level 1


    Strength: Rank F ¨C Level 96


    Endurance: Rank F ¨C Level 81


    Quickness: Rank E ¨C Level 11


    Speed: Rank E ¨C Level 6


    Intelligence: Rank E ¨C Level 7


    Measurements


    Fast Twitch Muscle: Rank E ¨C Level 33


    Slow Twitch Muscle: Rank F ¨C Level 66


    Flexibility: Rank F ¨C Level 90


    Cardiovascular: Rank F ¨C Level 86


    Anaerobic: Rank F ¨C Level 96


    Memory: Rank F ¨C Level 97


    Calculations: Rank E ¨C Level 17


    Even after the battle with the goblins, I woke the next morning and saw very little change to my stats. All that had changed was I received a few more Health and Endurance Points. The next day I started seriously training on my own. I mostly ran and did body weight exercises. The morning after I woke up and finally saw some results. My anaerobic measurement had leveled from Rank F Level 93 to 94 and Speed leveled to from Rank E Level 4 to 5.


    Such a little bump, it was nice to see progress, but it was also discouraging that it was so low.


    It was after working out again yesterday afternoon that I really saw results for the first time. Literally all of my measurements leveled up as did my stats. Even my Combat Level reached Rank E Level 1! That was more like it. Now I just had to study them to begin figuring out what kind of working out my body would respond the best to.


    ***


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Called Achilles'' voice, cutting through the light conversations that had been taking place. He appeared at the head of the class before the long table wearing a sleeveless tank top similar to the ones I had seen the players wearing that had been leaving the training hall earlier. None of them had mountains for shoulders or boulders for biceps though. Instead of the silver shorts, he wore dark pants of a similar material.


    Mel sat forward, as if ready to spring up at any moment.


    He wasn''t alone. It was as if the entire room shift at once. The nervous energy was sticking to the walls.


    It was hard to say for sure, but about a third of the people that had returned from yesterday''s tryouts. According to the tension in the room, it seemed like those that did show up were ready.


    ¡°I hope each one of you seriously considered if this class would be the best for you after our discussion yesterday. If not, we will find out soon enough.¡±


    With a nod, Achilles swiped his hand up, bringing up a augmented console window and clicked.


    Almost everyone from the room disappeared except for about ten players. Thankfully Mel had stayed with me, but as I turned and looked, it seemed like the samurai of perpetual scowls was still here with us.


    Achilles glowed subtly, indicating that he was no longer present in this room, even though an avatar was that mimicked his movements. Breaking us up into groups and giving us our own training rooms would speed up drills. He was probably remain virtually visible to all of us via avatar, but would be present in one room at a time while viewing the others through console windows.


    ¡°You have all been split up into groups according to personality and ability. This will be your group during basic training. Basic will last the next thirty days. We must use our time wisely. First, you will warm up by running a full lap around your player city and come back.¡±


    Your player city? It made sense that it wasn''t just Willingham he was training students in. No wonder he was using console windows to keep track of us. If there were only five thousand players in Willingham and one hundred thousand players in all of Freedom, than the thirty five from our city was only a fraction of his students. There was likely hundreds of us.


    With another couple clicks, the clothing I wore changed before my eyes. I now wore an identical red tank top to the one Achilles wore and the short silver shorts I hadn''t been excited about.


    Getting a close look at the logo, it depicted an outline of a large fist grasping a leaf-shaped spearhead. Blood ran down the blade from the fingers and palm on both sides. Everything was black and white except for the blood which was an intense red.


    ***If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I found myself running with my group doing our warm up lap with Mel at my side. One lap was more than I would have guessed. With what I knew now, I''d estimate that it was close to two miles around the city.


    Dozens of other players were also running around the parameter of Willingham and most of them were not from Achilles'' class.


    As we rounded the last corner of the city wall, I decided it was time to get a better gauge on what our group was capable of. It looked to be a good split having half gamers and half athletes in our group.


    ¡°I''m going to stretch out a bit.¡± I called out to Mel.


    He nodded, but didn''t seem to understand my purpose.


    Extending my stride, I started to pull away.


    Mel was right there with me, but it was the Asian guy that had been dressed as a samurai that pushed even harder and caught us, starting to pass us both.


    Increasing my cadence, I met his pace, not letting him pass. Then another player, a black guy that was a few inches taller than me with an athletic build, but not the mass of either Kline or Oliver, caught up with us and pushed the pace even harder.


    My hamstrings and quads were starting to burn. With only about fifty meters left until we reached the open gate to the city, it was as good a time as ever to find out what they got.


    I extended to my full stride.


    The newcomer and I started to pull away from the Asian guy. He was able to keep from falling back further for a moment, but I continued to push the pace.


    Soon he faded and it was just the newcomer there with me. Hitting my top speed, we sat neck and neck for two seconds until he started to inch ahead.


    I wasn''t slowing. I dismissed every thought and focused on the finish line.


    He was faster.


    As we reached the edge of the open gate, we had to slow before we reached the foot traffic.


    My heart skipped as I nearly slid to a stop.


    A shout of laughter came from my competitor. He had come to a stop and was bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.


    ¡°Good run.¡± He said, standing to offer me his hand.


    I shook it and agreed.


    ¡°I''m Lucius.¡±


    ¡°Barrell.¡±


    The samurai pushed past, entering the town ahead of us.


    Barrell looked to me with a snort.


    I just shrugged.


    ***


    With the warmup finished we returned to the training hall. A surprise waited for us.


    We stood in the middle of the dojo type room, but this time there was old fashioned work out equipment littering the space. Appearing at the front of the room was an area of mats that were about 20 feet by 10.


    ¡°Welcome back gentleman. Now that your blood is flowing, it¡¯s time to continue warm up. Jumping jacks. Twenty. Go!¡±


    He continued to talk as we did the first set, pacing back and forth like a professor lost in thought. He shone, indicating he wasn''t really there, but giving this lecture to multiple groups at once. Every so often he would stop, as if distracted, only to continue a few seconds later. He was obviously communicating with the other training groups.


    ¡°Why do you want to train? Why do you want to improve? Consistently reminding yourself about your ultimate goal will keep you motivated to reach it. Everything you do starts in the mind.¡±


    When we finished the first set he had us rest for about a minute. The pace was enough to keep us busy, but not overwhelming so that it was easy enough to follow what he was saying?


    ¡°If a police officer comes to your door and tells you a loved one has died, what comes first, sorrow or do you first have to listen and understand the information you are given before you have an emotional response? Emotion is a reaction to information. Something must first enter your mind, before your heart can react to it. Everything starts in the mind. 20 more!¡±


    And so we continued.


    ¡°Emotion is not evil, but your feelings can deceive you. As an example, if a loved one dies and you feel numbness instead of sorrow. You may even want to mourn, but your heart won¡¯t allow it at the time.


    This is why you must not let your heart determine your actions. Numbness may lead you to do nothing, but others need you to be there in their time of need. As time passes, your feelings about something can change. Like a lovesick teenager who finds himself on an emotional roller coaster you may find your emotions are unpredictable and even dangerous if followed. One moment you are happier than ever and the next you are contemplating how depressing life is. Why continue...¡±


    We rested for another minute.


    I had never been the lovesick teenager type because Destiny, one of the best AI''s on the planet, had always been there to literally observing my situation and offering me guidence. But now, after just a week without her, I was really starting to understand the danger and marvels of such feelings for the first time. My time with Victoria, seeing that there was more to Drool, then her reputation of ruining guy''s careers, not to mention the steroid cocktails we were being given all proved to me how intense emotion could be.


    Thank you Destiny.


    ¡°When it comes to fighting, the person with the greatest self-control wins. This translates to two areas: physical and mental.


    Train your body and you will find you have more tools for your mind to use to win a fight. It all starts in the mind. The mind controls the body. It is logical that the person that is physically superior will often win the fight.


    The exception is if someone uses their mind to come up with a better strategy to utilize their physical skills and the advantages they possess. The power of the mind can overcome the limits of the body to an extent. There are situations that the mind cannot overcome. Knowing your limits is something only experience can teach you.


    Along with your physical weaknesses, there are also mental ones. Emotion must not be allowed to rule the mind. If your emotions rule you, you may win a few fights, but a wise fighter will find a way to take advantage after observing you. When you''re driven by anger your mind takes a back seat to desire. Any of your natural tendencies, to overextend when throwing a punch for example, can and will hand the win to your opponent.


    You are warned. Your emotions will seek to rule you. Your job is to rule them and use them as fuel for your benefit and not your harm. Squats. 10. Go!¡±


    After squats he moved on to arm extensions, mountain climbers, toe touches, push-ups, and cooled down with standing torso and neck stretches. He repeated his lectures, often word for word at least twice before warm up was finished.


    Already feeling the exhaustion of muscles that weren''t use to such attention, I followed the group as we were moved over to the squat rack. It was a piece of equipment that had never really disappeared from the weight room since its inception a few centuries back. The one before us was in its most primitive form just as most of the equipment here. It was a simple steel design without any logos or d¨¦cor. A metal barbell sat on the steel pegs to either side of the rack. The large round weights available were some kind of metal dipped in a coating of plastic that had a number on its side. Two 45s were racked on the bar ready to go.


    ¡°Now. Each of you is at a different level of fitness. For the first two weeks of our month together you will do nothing else but strength and endurance training. This will include weapon drills, but sparring won¡¯t come until the last two weeks.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± A voice from my group blurted out. It was the Asian guy.


    He held out his hand, stopping me short.


    ¡°In a perfect world I would train your strength and endurance for six months to a year before we seriously started combat training. With sufficient strength, endurance and weapon coordination you will be able to win most of the fights that come your way by simply overwhelming your opponents.


    Since we don''t have that option, we will shock your body out of apathy. For the next two weeks we will do three-a-days. Only after that will we mix skill and strength training for the last two weeks. After this first month, I will recommend private skill training for at least three days a week.¡±


    He stopped pacing, and looked passed us.


    ¡°Someone just asked, ''Since, you are only in Freedom for a year, will ther be enough time to finish the recommended training? The answer is, no. You could train every day for ten years and you would never finish the recommended training. The secret to becoming the best is that there is no hidden secret to becoming the best.


    If  that is what you want I can set you on the path. But know that any progress you make will be done the same way it has always been done by all of the fighters of the past. Nothing replaces time and hard work.


    Another question?¡±


    He waited in silence as the question was asked from another class.


    ¡°It was asked, ''Is there a more advanced class?''. The answer is no. Such training won''t start until after basics, and then it will only be via private lessons. If you don''t finish my basic training, you will not have access to the private lessons. This is to guarantee that those that do have private lessons with me are at a minimum fitness and skill level. For those of you that already are, I''m sorry, but I won''t make an exception. There are just too many students. The private lessons are a reward to those that complete the first stage of training.¡±


    The knuckles in the Asian guy''s hands popped as he rolled them into fists. His jaw flexed and didn''t relax for at least a minute.


    I wasn''t sure he was going to last much longer. I could understand why some people might be upset, but for me, I was sure basic training was exactly what I needed.


    ***


    After Achilles showed us the correct form for a perfect squat, I was the lucky student to go first.


    Mel gave me a hesitant smile as I took my place under the squat rack. Using real barbells was something of the past. The weight machines of today would quickly scan your bodies build and respond to your movements, and then added pressure to simulate weight as it tracked your movement for safety. This would be my first time with old fashioned physical weights.


    Numerous critiques to my form were issued as I executed the exercise.


    ¡°Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull down slightly on the bar to build a platform with your traps for the bar to sit on. It will also help you stabilize your back as you bring the weight down and up.


    Stick your butt out. It might not feel natural yet, but you will put too much pressure on your knees if you don¡¯t. Good.


    Keep your eyes forward. Not down and not up.


    There you go. Go as low as you can without letting your back round out. You should feel it in your inner thigh, quads and hamstrings.


    Drive with your heels!


    Good. Now do two more. We will do 10 sets of 3. This weight should be light for you, but heavy enough to practice form. Focus on nothing else but your form and what I am saying.¡±


    And so it began. Since, there was no variance in weight it didn''t become a competition to see how much everyone could lift. The morning was filled with two full hours, including warm up, of learning the correct form of what you might think are basic lifts. Not only did I find out they weren¡¯t necessarily simple, but why certain aspects of my form was important.


    Achilles explained that full and deep squats in addition to deadlifts and calf raises would be the foundation for our leg exercises. Bench press, lat pulls, pull ups and military press would be the foundation for our arm work out. These were the most fundamental of all exercises and activated the most muscle fibers as complex movements.


    Any moment I was thinking a skill would popup saying that I learned a new workout related ability, but it never came.


    ***


    ¡°Line up¡± Achilles commanded.


    Everyone hobbled over to the mats at the front of the room. We hadn¡¯t even lifted heavy weights, only focusing on form, but there wasn¡¯t a single one of my muscle groups that wasn¡¯t bulging from excess blood flow and worked to its limit.


    ¡°Now we will break for lunch. You have two hours for rest and food. I recommended eating before rest, because if you eat last you will likely throw up your food when we start again.


    Make sure you eat plenty of meat and carbs. You will need the protein and the energy for this afternoon. We will go over diet later today before you leave.


    Finally, focus your mind on the answers you observed in the assignment last night. We will use what you learned when you return.¡±


    Achilles once again phased out and disappeared.


    Food sounded so good.


    ¡°Hey. There is a special at the 9 Lives Tavern. Want to head over with me?¡± Mel said as I turned to leave.


    Finding Barrell, I called to him. ¡°Want to join us?¡±


    My group didn''t expect to see me until tonight around dinner time, so this was a good opportunity to get to know some of my new group.

 Book 2 - Chapter 5 - Meditation?

    Reminder - Chapters still need editing.


    ---


    With a full belly and heavy limbs, Mel, Barrell and I entered the training hall to find the dojo had once again changed. Ten humanoid shaped, life-sized training dummy stood in the middle of the long rectangular room. Along the walls before the pillars were racks of a variety of weapons, shields and armor made of modern alloy and mesh. We took our seats on the matt near the center of the room. I admit I was tempted to grab a sword and test out the dummies.


    A few minutes later, Achilles clapped his hands together to get our attention and said. ¡°You have all returned. The next thing on the agenda is meditation.¡±


    A couple murmurs were came from behind me. Achilles ignored them.


    ¡°Someone tell me, what is the goal of meditation.¡±


    Mel raised his hand and replied when permitted. ¡°To clear your mind?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Achilles replied with a smirk.


    Mel''s slowly lowered his hand.


    ¡°But that is a common practice. When I speak of meditation I don¡¯t mean the religious practice from eastern religions. Instead of clearing your mind, I want you to fill it. For the next hour you will further consider you moral weaknesses. In addition to trying to figure out what they are, I want you to try to figure out the practical ways they can hurt you.


    The trick here is to be close minded.¡± He said, stopping for a moment as if expecting an objection. ¡°Only allow your mind focus on what you desire to think about. Close your mind to everything else. It is natural for your mind to wander or focus on things that are emotionally simulating. Don¡¯t let it. If you lose focus then reign it in your thoughts and start again.


    You will find your mind is like a muscle. The more you exercise it the more control you will have. Now start.¡±


    Looking to Mel, he had the same idea as we both took an Indian style position I had seen in pictures of meditation.


    Immediately, I had a problem. With a full belly and a body that yearned for rest, I was drowsy and growing more so. After about five minutes I had soundly failed any attempt at meditation and was nodding off.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Achilles rebuked, although there was an undertone of humor in his voice.


    Startled awake, I looked at him, snorting air in defeat. How could he possibly think trying to do this after a full morning of working out and eating lunch was a good idea?


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°If you are tired then stand up, pace, talk to yourself out loud. Meditation is about focusing your mind. It doesn¡¯t matter what you do with your body.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    He grinned.


    At least three other people in my group stood up at the revelation.


    Well I felt stupid. I had been so focused on imitating what I thought meditation was that I had missed the point entirely. The basic principle behind the meditation Achilles was talking about finally clicked.


    As I stood, Mel joined me.


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡± He said under his breath while stretching his arms up over his head.


    Taking Achilles'' advice, I stood up and started walking around the parameter of the dojo. Turning my attention to the assignment, I found that as I thought I lost track of what my body was doing and where I was at in the room. Pacing seemed to be a natural way for me to focus my mind, and the activity kept me from getting tired.


    My moral weaknesses...


    Yesterday I had admitted that my desire to become the best gamer, that prideful desire, had put me in a position to choose what would further my career above other people. How many times had I purposely embarrassed another player to gain followers? If I was honest it was multiple times a day for about two years; maybe more. It was true I didn''t enjoy the other player''s destruction like Chewme, instead, I was only as ruthless as I had to be to get what I wanted.


    Part of me really started to not like what I was learning about myself. My first reaction was to deny it, but Achilles had mentioned that we needed to be internally honest. His reasoning was sound. If I really wanted to be the best, then I didn''t think something so foundational could be ignored.


    I stopped walking. I was about to run into a gunmetal wrack of weapons. Their overall design had the traditional shape, but these weren''t designed to look like historical pieces. The blades had mirror finishes, with a synthetic mesh material on the grips. The spear shafts were the color of blue-tinted skin. It was a biomaterial weaved into a solid structure that gave superior flex and spring for ultimate durability. It also had a limited ability to self-repair.


    What, had it been a minute? I was already distracted. Close your mind, Lucius.


    Achilles hadn''t given us this exercise to just tear ourselves down. Where was I?


    What were some practical ways my weaknesses could hurt me?


    My next thought staggered me. I leaned back against the closest wall.


    Even though my actions in the last battle against the goblin''s western army had been to protect the other players, I had abandoned my group. It had been to overcome the fear that was hanging over my head in regard to facing another hobgbolin, the creature that had injured me. It even worked out okay, and they were free to come help out in the end, but my actions could have been determental to them. What if they were attacked by a large force after I took off to fight the hobgoblin, or when they had come to help me they were overwhelmed? It would have been my fault. The other players, and especially my group deserved more than that.


    My ambition could be an enemy. I determined right then to protect my friends from it.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    What about Chewme? When the time came we would compete, I was sure of that, but I wasn''t sure I could continue our rivalry in the same way. I could no longer disregard others in the way I once had. Not now that I was aware of it. He might not accept that. What would I do then?


    The hour passed surprisingly quickly. I didn¡¯t want to stop once my mind was fully engaged.


    An odd revelation presented itself to me. This kind meditation was liberating. Though the questions were uncomfortable and not something I would normally think about, I couldn''t help but feel that I was progressing to better understand my own mind.


    Achilles stopped our meditation. ¡°That''s enough for now. I recommend everyone make a practice of meditation as a daily part of life. Finding time to focus your mind is critical for every part of life. Now, everyone come over here.¡±


    He stood with a spear in either hand in front of a practice dummy. The dummy glowed with him, meaning it was in a different training room and being augmented before us. Mel had been standing leaning against a pillar with his hands across his chest while meditating. I had ended up on the far end of the dojo, still in the middle of pacing back and forth.


    There was an intense apprehension that Mel and I shared.


    Barrell came up beside us. A large grin told me he had been waiting for this as well.


    It wasn¡¯t spoken, but it could be felt in the room. There was no hiding it. Everyone was thrilled to be able to finally get to some weapon training, even if it was just on dummies.


    ¡°Sit.¡± He motioned with his hand before him.


    We obeyed, looking up at the massive man. In that moment I realized how easy it would have been for him to kill us. Perhaps, the greatest warrior alive stood over us, a master of the weapons he held. Turning my focus to his bearded face, any imagined fear faded. He held the spears with gentle grace. I realized he had probably spent more time holding a spear than I had been alive. Maybe two to three times that. Something told me that it was more than a weapon to him and less. I didn''t understand where that feeling came from, but I also knew there was no reason to fear him.


    ¡°Ladies and gentleman, what weapon would you like to use for your main weapon?¡± He asked, pointing to Mel.


    ¡°Sword.¡± Mel replied like it was obvious.


    Achilles face didn¡¯t give away any judgement. He asked other players, some in our group, some outside of it. He opened up the auditory system to let us hear a girls voice cast her vote, then other players outside our room followed.


    There were a few votes for axes and spears, but sword was the most common answer.


    When he came to me I answered. ¡°Spear.¡±


    There were only a few others after me, then he continued.


    ¡°Those of you that picked spear, was it because I happen to be holding two?¡±


    He raised his brow in question.


    ¡°In the majority of situations, swords hold no advantages over spears. The opposite is true. The one exception is in close corroders where you can¡¯t utilize the spear''s length and versatility. This does not mean that the sword is superior when your opponent is close to you necessarily, but in the tight spaces where it can¡¯t be maneuvered. Mark the difference.¡±


    After the goblin battle we had just been through I thought it was pretty obvious you needed both a spear and sword, but you should always start with a spear. After it gets stuck in a goblin, then you unsheathe your sword.


    ¡°Do not take this as an excuse to neglect sword practice. It has its place and use like all tools do. I merely want to make sure you are not intoxicated in the illusion that myths and legends give to weapons like the sword. They can be amazing weapons, but real fighting is more a calculation of angles and advantages. The spear''s utility is farther reaching, literally and figuratively.


    Fighting is like any job; with the right tool it becomes easier. It is true that a person with a sword can defeat a person with a spear, but as I said before, to be the best you must seek to see things the way they really are. Reality is much different than our imagined fantastical version of the world.¡±


    Leaning one spear against the dummy he continued. ¡°This is traditionally called a Dory.¡± He slid the shaft up and back in his hand, feeling its weight and texture. ¡°It is the spear that the infamous Spartans used. When you go to buy a spear, I recommend it become your weapon of choice.


    The main spearhead is leaf shaped. It gives you the options of a sharp point for thrusting, or razor edge for slashing. It also causes a lot of damage due to the wound inflicted from its wider shaped spearhead. Traditionally, the shaft is made of a dense wood bringing the spear from 7 to 10 feet long. You will start out with 7. The butt of the spear has a spike, or sauroter, meaning lizard killer. It''s very good at piercing highly durable targets like armor. Because of its overall effectiveness and versatility it will be your main weapon while in my class. Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    We were each directed to grab a spear from the wrack. These were not like the traditional one''s he described but made from the blue biomaterial.


    Standing before one of ten training dummies close to the back of the room, I was armed with both spear and shield. My stance had my feet comfortably apart with my shield foot forward, as I thrusted at the chest of my target.


    ¡°Let the turn of your torso drive your spear arm forward. Don¡¯t make your arm do the work. Not only will you lose power, but also tire quickly.¡±


    My body was exhausted already, but the small rest during lunch and medication had helped enough for another go. It was too early for soreness to set in, but I was dreading tomorrow. The round Spartan style shield called a hoplite was nearly 30 pounds(13.6 kgs). It was very similar to my own bronze shield, but a little larger all around. It was truly amazing how far I had come in six days. The first day it had been so difficult for me to even hold up my spear for extended periods of time, but now my body had started to adapt to the weight and understand how to manipulate it.


    ¡°Do not let your elbow lock, or fully extend while striking. In theory you never want the angle of your elbow joint to reach 0 degrees. Forget theory. If you extend your arm too far it will hurt. Your body will naturally teach you through that pain what to do and what not to do.¡±


    As the spear blade entered the dummy, I felt the blade seep into the flesh like gel torso. When you drew the spearhead out of the dummy, it immediately repaired itself.


    ¡°You will slowly learn weapon presence. Without thinking you won¡¯t just be able to hit your target, but you will be able to control how it hits and how deep it penetrates. The muscle memory you are building will work with your mind in the execution.


    Every blow does not need to be a kill shot with all of your strength behind it. You will find it easier to let the spearhead do the work on an opponent instead and save energy in the process. A shallow piercing takes finesse not brute strength, in addition to less strength to pull the spear point out of the target. You want 3 to 6 inches of the blade to pierce the target.


    Even when you do go for a killing shot, if you have mastered weapon presence then you won¡¯t throw all your strength into the thrust, but only what is required. You will also only pierce the target with the spear blade and not ram it up to the shaft, making it even more difficult to remove.¡±


    It was fascinating at first to experiment with how the dummy reacted to different depths of attack. A shallow wound took little strength to remove. A deep wound took more. When fighting goblins winning had been the only thing on my mind. Having a stationary target was helping me part the feel of my action with the result of the strike. In the past, this had been an important thing to understand in Virtual Reality Gaming as well. Understanding the physics of your skills and spells was one of the things that separated a good player from a great one.


    After a while I started to get an idea how deep the spearhead could penetrate without making it too difficult to remove. There seemed to be a sweet spot of sorts and anything past that was much harder.


    We learned only the most basic thrusts from an over hand and under hand position. The practice lasted for two full hours. There were a few breaks, but, despite them, it turned into a time of grueling effort.


    When he had us sit I was ecstatic.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for today. I will send you a message with a full break down of your recommended nutrition plan. It will inform you of which foods your body will best respond to and how much protein, fat and carbs to eat. Bring any questions with you tomorrow.¡±


    Achilles seemed to be considering us for a moment before he suddenly faded out again and disappeared.


    The suddenness of it all was lost on me because of my exhaustion. Part of me missed the days when VR was as simple as putting on a head set and relying on your characters stats to determine your endurance. Normally practice with my guild could have lasted 8-12 hours. Today we had done maybe 6 hours and he had given us time between to eat and rest. Endurance in the real world was painful.


    Next on the agenda? More food.

 The Upcoming *Giveaway*

    Where did all the chapters go?


    Codename: Freedom - The Goblin Siege is going to be published later this week!


    Once again, that means I had to remove most of the chapters because of Kindle Unlimited rules. That doesn''t mean you can''t keep reading!


    Want free copy of the book?


    Be ready for the next post later this week!


    Later this week, after the book goes live, I will give you an opportunity to win a copy of the final version of the book. It will go a little something like this... On Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, if you share the link and hashtags I post that day, you will basically get a free copy. This will only be limited if we get like over 100 shares. Meaning I''m going to hook up just about everyone who participates. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I repeat, be ready for the next post later this week!


    When?


    That''s the hard part. I have the editing done, but there are a few revisions that may take me one or two days to do. After that, I was going to do a final read through. I''m hoping it should be out on Thursday or Friday!


    Patreon!


    If you are really serious about reading early chapters without the chance that they will ever be taken down, Patreon will be the place for you. I will be focusing on Underworld - Level Up or Die over the next couple months, then possible more of Codename Freedom after that. I expect to have the first chapters up next week unless there is some kind of delay.


    What now?


    Be ready for the next post later this week!

 - The Giveaway! - Thank You RRL!

    Codename: Freedom - The Goblin Siege is Live!


    First of all, thank you all for reading! The encouragement and feedback over the last couple years has been outstanding!


    As a way to give back, I''m giving away a number of copies of the final product of The Goblin Siege!


    Even though I am giving away a number of eBooks, 100 of them, they are in limited supply, so don''t wait too long to participate! (I''ll update this post if they are all out)


    If you prefer to support me by purchasing the eBook, then here''s the link!


    Buy Book Two Here!</a>


    Buy Book One Here!</a>


    Haven''t Read Book One?


    No problem! Just follow the guidelines of the contest and when I contact you, just let me know if you would prefer a copy of book one for your prize.


    The Patreon!


    Become a Patreon!</a>


    For early chapters, I will start posting on Patreon a few weeks before RRL and much more consistently. There will also be things like artwork and bonus chapters you won''t see anywhere else.


    And no, I''m not abandoning RRL. Codename: Freedom may have never been published without it!


    The Giveaway!


    There is no purchase necessary.


    What I ask is that you share the new book on social media. We''ll use Facebook or Twitter, because I can track what is posted there and find you. Below, I will give you some hashtags to add to the share so that I can find you easily. Also, make sure you make the post public, or I might not be able to see it!


    Simple as that.


    What to Share?


    I''m going to try to make this copy and paste friendly! Of course, if you have already read it, feel free to add your personal touch to the post.Stolen story; please report.


    [Personal touch... There is room on facebook for a full review, but on twitter you''ll have to be more creative. (This part is not necessary, but appreciated.)]


    Book two in the Codename Freedom Saga, The Goblin Siege is Live on Amazon! #Published #CodenameFreedom #KindleUnlimited https://goo.gl/smHwnm</a>


    And that is all folks! I should be able to find you easy enough with the #codenamefreedom tag.


    What Happens Next?


    I''ll send you a friend request on facebook or follow you on twitter. Make sure you accept on Facebook or follow me back on twitter. This is just to open the lines of communication. You can unfollow/unfriend afterward if you like after you hear from me... if you don''t like me. Lol. Seriously though, feel free to if you like to keep your account more private. I get that. Afterwards, I''ll contact you and send you a link for a free copy!


    You''ll hear from me at the end of the day. I don''t want you waiting around for me.


    I ask, if you would be so kind, that once you finish the book, leave a review! Amazon might not be an option, but Goodreads is easy enough!


    Amazon - Review Book Two</a>


    Goodreads - Review Book Two</a>


    Summary


    Copy and paste the information above, possibly leave a little something personal, and you''ll hear from me later in the day. I''ll send you a friend request/follow you. Accept and you''ll hear from me soon after. I''ll have your free ebook ready to go! Enjoy, and leave a review! Reviews aren''t manditory but they help!


    Once again, thank you all!

 The Goblin Who Stole Christmas

    ¡°Shinies. My shinies.¡± Whispered the lust stricken goblin to himself as he dug through his large, steel framed chest filled with coins and gemstones. As he did every night before he went to work he watched them as they shimmered in the lamp light.


    Sleezog was his name and sneak-thievery was his game. Well, it was more important than a game. Much more important. His pa-goblin and granpa-goblin had also been sneak-thieves and had taught him everything they knew. It was family business.


    Pa and gran had both been caught and dis-employed. Gran was hung like a common thief, but pa had elevated the family name when catch and dragged through the street by an angry hob. Hobgoblin for the unsophisticateds. He was later tortured but never gave up his prized shinies. It was a down right honorable death for a good and honest sneak-thief.


    With care and precision, Sleezog made sure each of his shinies were facing the right direction to catch the lamplight as he closed the heavy lid to the chest. The lock was then securely latched and the key hidden between his first and second layer of socks.


    If he was to get caught, no one that was to dis-employ him would take his socks, only his shoes. It was the safest of all places to hide keys.


    The second lock, the one to the hidden hatch was also secured as he made it up the ladder and to his shabby hovel. The toilet pan was placed directly over the top of the hatch to discourage any onlookers. Not that he had any gob-lasses to his hovel recently.


    The wood to his place was still a few seasons from rotten, so he was happy as a plump pig.


    Grabbing his dull grey-green cloak, belt of tools and refilling his lamp with extra oil, he snort-grinned and headed out the door. It was rumored that entire towns of humans had arrived from the west and had a number of new settlements ripe for the picking.


    It was nearly a mile and a half before Sleezog arrive at the human city. Its walls were tall and strong, but they were nothing for a true sneak-thief.


    Stashing his lamp in the forest, he approached the wall far from the city gate, out of sight of the many human campfires and watchtowers.


    Reaching back, he unlatched his rope from the back of his belt and lassoed it with an expert hand. Encircling the top of a wooden post was done and tugged tight in a single toss.


    With just as much easy, Sleezog pulled himself up the wall. Though gob-lasses were fond of roundness in the gut, he had long ago forsaken popular fashion for sneak-thief practicality. When asked what was more important, snuggles or shinies, shinies won out any day!


    He lay atop the wooden wall motionless. Stupid humans didn¡¯t even bother to sharpen the top of the wall into spikes. It was like they had invited him in.


    In the dark there were lights from windows, and outside lamps, but even though he was partially visible, no one was there to look.


    Jumping to the nearest roof, his feet found purchase on stone shingles. It was time to work.


    Finding a window to spy in, he found a comfortable position atop a sign with a good view of the street and down into the room inside.


    The first window to one side of the sign was dark and hinted at a workshop of sorts.  The other he found an odd sight stared up at him from room below. A tree of many pines was choked by shiny white stringed beads wrapped around it from top to bottom. What blasphemy! Who would treat shinies in such a way?!


    Many other shinies were evenly hung from the tree all over with candles lit illuminate the travesty. Atop the tree was the brightest shiny of all. A star with a small candle inside to make it glow.


    The humans sat next to the tree, which was safely to the side of the fireplace. There were two normal size humans sitting on rocking wooden stools, and two goblin sized ones lay on the floor. These must have been childrens.


    Sleezog decided then, after just a few minutes, that humans are entirely boring. The only thing he saw that was interesting at all was that the smallest child was laying on the floor with her head in her hands looking up at a shiny. She was no doubt the smartest of the lot.


    Not once did he see any humans outside of the building on the street. It was a perfectly quiet part of town. After a few hours of muscle trying waiting, the humans finally went to sleep.


    In one smooth motion, the thin wasted goblin leapt to the ground. His fingers found his thievery pick and handled the lock to the door like the master he was.


    He snuck in with only a slight creek to the door and was himself as silent as a booger in the nose.


    It opened to the workshop, which didn¡¯t interest him. He had to hop over a counter of solid wood and through a side door that didn¡¯t latch or lock. To his delight, there were more shinies in the room than he had seen through the window where he had perched.


    Most of the lamps had been put out, but the moonlight and coals of the dying fire produced enough light to make the room sparkle. It wasn¡¯t just the tree, but the mantle had figurines and shinies skirting it from side to side. For some reason, four massive socks hung from the mantle over the fireplace.


    Fear jarred him like a rock from the heavens. Was it possible they had giants? Or worse¡­ orges? He looked around frantically but saw no sign of such monsters. The doorways here were small, and the stairs were designed for someone the size of humans. Relief settled him.


    Without any more delay, he began to work. His actions were hasty, but not hurried. Precision and patience was what separated thieves from true sneak-thieves.


    The mantle was the first thing he bagged, taking only the shiny stringed beads and figurines. In moments he had moved to the tree. He fancied the stringed beads so he started there. As soon as he had finished bagging them a sudden creak came from the stairs.


    Thinking quickly he hopped behind the tree, standing motionless.


    The sound of tiny feet scurried down the stairs. If the feet found him, he was ready to escape.


    Then came a squeaky voice. ¡°Is that you Santa Claus?¡±


    Santa Claws? What is wrong with these humans? Ogre socks and now someone called Claws?


    With great timidity Sleezog didn¡¯t dare move. There was something strange about humans and things he didn¡¯t understand could hurt him.


    It wasn¡¯t fear alone that drove him to stillness. His father taught him about the greatest of all teachers, the mightiest of sneaks, the possum. How they went unseen and naturally mastered the sneak-freeze.


    Sleezog had once seen one in action. Walking through the forest on a well moonlit night, the possum had stopped moving at the slightest sound. Its skill and grace in doing absolutely nothing was a wonder to behold. Only when it had continued moving did the owl pluck it from the forest floor and fill the night with its squeals of death. All sneak-thieves dreamed of such a marvelous dis-employment.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Santa Claus?¡± The little voice came again.


    In that moment, the muscles in his legs tighten. He was prepared to bolt.


    A tiny face, with big shiny eyes, stopped Sleezog from his flight. She smiled up at him while peaking around the tree with a full faced grin.


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t Santa.¡± She looked him up and down without losing the joy behind her eyes. ¡°You must be his helper.¡±


    He let out the breath he was holding and his shoulders relaxed. The cloak¡¯s hood fully shaded his face. It was the smallest human that had been starring at the shiny. He was second guessing how smart she was.


    ¡°Wait a moment here Mr. Helper.¡± She asked happily. ¡°Santa gives out so many gifts, but he never gets a present in return.


    She pulled out something she had stashed under the tree. ¡°Here. Can you give this to him? And this one if for you. This hat is more fitting for your job.¡±


    She reached out with a finely wrapped box. Secondly, a funny looking red and white garment was offered personally to him.


    With one hand, he held his bag over his shoulder filled with his new found shinies. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he swallowed to wet his throat reached out his other hand. The little girl placed the gifts neatly, one on top of the other, on his palm.


    Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Never before had he been given a present by anyone but his parents. Even then it was only necessities or things he needed to help with the family business. Goblins don¡¯t give gifts. It made his chest hurt.


    ¡°Well I better get back to bed, because my parents told me the rules. Santa can¡¯t put presents out if any children are watching. Merry Christmas!¡±


    The tiny human scurried up the stairs and once again he was alone.


    Never before had Sleezog felt the way he did in that moment. Forgetting why he was there, he left the home, scaled the city wall and found himself heading back home, deep in thought.


    Once home, he had come to a decision. Never before had sneak-thievery given him so much joy as receiving the gift from the little human. Instead of giving gifts, he took things from others. He saw the evil of his ways and knew what he must do.


    He found the biggest bag that he could and took his outer layer sock off on both feet retrieving his keys. Through his hidden hatch and with his chest of shinies open, he started to transfer his treasure into the large bag. It wasn¡¯t until every last shiny was transferred that he stopped.


    First he had to go back to the human city to return the shinies he had taken. Before he went, he lowered the hood of his cloak and put on the red hat, with white trim and a fluffy white ball on its top. The human had given it to him so he was honored to wear it. She had said it was more fitting for his job. She was right. The smaller wrapped package he didn¡¯t open. It he would return with the shinies he took.


    It was a slow trek because of the weight of his bag. Even the sun started to rise and he was still a distance from the city.


    Voices stopped the ex-sneak-thief in his in his tracks. They weren¡¯t just any voices, they were human voices. Normally he would hide, but he was a sneak-thief no longer. It was a human that gave him his first gift, so he couldn¡¯t discriminate against them.


    He trotted out to meet the humans with a jolly heart. The beams of light met him in a clearing as did the shocked faces of four fully armed humans. Well at least they didn¡¯t attack him immediately. He had an opportunity to explain to them why he was there.


    He turned to the biggest of them all, which he suspected was their leader.


    ¡°Snort snort. Snorty-snorty-snort. Snort Snort. Snort.¡± Of course they would listen to reason.


    The man¡¯s shocked face turned to confusion, and then¡­ Sleezog knew that look. It was the same look the hob gave his father right before he was dis-employed.


    Sleezog held out his hand to plead with the man, but the speed in which the attack came was too fierce. The spearhead shot through his chest and out his back. In that moment, he thought of the possum. His dis-employment no longer gave him the joy he thought it once would, because he didn¡¯t get to spread the greater joy he had learned through a single gift.


    ¡°That was easy.¡± Said the large man.


    ¡°What¡¯s in that bag?¡± The only female said excitedly.


    ¡°What kind of goblin dresses in a Santa hat?¡± Questions another.


    A dark skinned man kneeled down and opened the heavy bag next to his friend who had just killed the goblin. The four of them looked together.


    For a moment they were silent.


    Then, like a tidal wave the girl jumped up and screamed. ¡°We are rich!¡±


    The largest man just scratched his head.


    ¡°Well this will come in handy to help fund the guild.¡± Said the man holding the bag open.


    Putting his hand in he started to comb through the coins. Many of them were simple copper, but a few here and there were silver, and even rarer was gold. There are also many small gems of green, blue, red and yellow. It was truly a small fortune. Then he came upon something odd.


    ¡°These look like. Christmas decoration?¡± He said lifting up the stringed beads.


    Their leader than spoke up. ¡°We will just have to have a Christmas party then.¡±


    They all cheered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± He added. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the tavern and see what they will charge to rent the whole place. I need someone to contact all of our allies.¡±


    ¡°Can I get some presents for our guests?¡± Asked the girl.


    ¡°Sure, just keep it reasonable. We will be saving most of it for the guilds future, but there is no reason not to share in our good fortune.¡±


    Unbeknown to the recently dis-employed goblin, his dream of spreading the joy of giving would soon be realized even if he wasn¡¯t there to see it through. Also, a group of players got the best mob drop in the short history of Codename: Freedom.


    So what is the moral of the story?


    1)      If you are a goblin and you face a group of heavily armed humans, it is best to run or hide. Even if you are dressed like Santa you will get speared through.


    2)      Goblins are rather dumb.


    3)      Teach your kids to scream if they see Santa in their house in the middle of the night... After all, everyone knows it¡¯s not uncommon for goblins to eat humans.


    ---


    Authors Note:


    The first trilogy base in the Codename: Freedom universe has been published! The second trilogy should begin in 2020! Find it on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!


    Start the Codename: Freedom Trilogy!</a>