《Endless Fantasy Online: The Phoenix Kingdom》 Chapter One: Enter the Beta Five-thousand dollars! They¡¯re paying five grand for a month of playing video games? What¡¯s the catch, thought Luke as he reexamined the college job board for the third time. According to the neon flier the company, Vortex Industries, was looking for people to join the first human trials of a new virtual reality game. Luke checked to make sure there were no other obvious choices for summer employment before ripping the flier off the board and slipping it into his pocket. As soon as he got back to his dorm room, he called the number on the flier. ¡°Hello? I¡¯m interested in joining your beta program.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll just need some details from you and you¡¯ll have to sign some documents¡± a customer service rep responded on the other end. After their brief conversation Luke booted up his laptop and checked his email. Sure enough, there was a message marked important from Vortex Industries. It appeared to contain standard legal documents, the kind you¡¯d see for any prerelease game testing program. There was a non-disclosure agreement, a non-compete document and a bunch of other legalese that Luke didn¡¯t fully understand. One thing he made note of was the lack of anything talking about the game. There weren¡¯t any game briefs, screen shots, videos or anything to give him information on what they would be testing. Luke still wanted to sign up, so he electronically signed all the documents and sent them back. He got a response almost instantly with an address and time to show up. Luke ordered an auto-taxi and keyed in his destination when it arrived. The automatic display said it would take approximately an hour, so Luke pulled out his phone and did some research. Vortex Industries has been the leader in Virtual Reality gaming ever since they released their own hardware a few years ago. Luke enjoyed gaming but hadn¡¯t played any VR games. With high end VR hardware costing thousands of dollars, he could never afford their steep entry costs. The more research he did, the more excited he became. The screen shots for their previous VR titles looked incredible. Digging around some tech sites he found a video of the head scientist, Robert Xanders, talking about the company¡¯s recent breakthroughs. He clicked the video and it began to play on the auto-taxi¡¯s viewing monitor. ¡°Our new VR hardware is beyond anything on the market.¡± Robert was speaking at a keynote address in front of a large room of gamers, investors, and industry professionals. He began ¡°The immersion that virtual reality can provide truly is incredible, but what is holding it back from feeling real?¡± The screen behind him displayed images of human ears, mouths, hands, eyes, and noses. ¡°It¡¯s the lack of senses engaged. Imagine being able to go into another world, imagine tasting its food, smelling its flowers.¡± He paused for dramatic effect, ¡°Imagine a new life. The Vortex Capsule will transport you to a new world.¡± Images behind Robert changedto a large white egg-shaped capsule with the Vortex Industries branding on the side. A video started playing showing a cartoon person walking into the capsule. The cartoon person laid down inside the capsule and the camera switched to a first-person view from the perspective of the cartoon person. The man in the video closed his eyes, and the screen went dark. Oversized eyelids opened to a large medieval town. The cartoon person looked down to see that he was holding a sword and a fireball was flaring in his other hand. There was a low rumbling sound and his eyes jolted up, revealing a group of goblins that were charging him. He threw his fireball at one of them and then ran forward to drive his sword through another. The video suddenly changed to the first-person view of a starship captain. The captain began yelling commands at his crew while engaging in an epic space battle. Massive spacecrafts were exploding all around the captain¡¯s ship. He gripped the armrests of his chair until his knuckles turned white. A missile fired from an enemy ship in his direction. Right before the missile made contact, the screen changed, and the man was sitting on a beach enjoying an exotic drink. The bubbling drink had a miniature umbrella in it. Gazing lovingly at him was a woman in a bikini with pink skin. Looking around the beach he saw a wide variety of people with purple, green, and dark blue skin. There were sounds of exotic birds chirping and crashing out of the water were large alien like creatures. ¡°The Vortex Capsule is not just the future of virtual reality gaming -- it¡¯s the future of humanity,¡± Rob continued. ¡°Soon you can have a family trip to Florida without ever having to go through airport security, driving for hours or having to rent an expensive hotel. Imagine tasting the drinks you order on the beach and feeling the sand under your toes. I welcome you to the future!¡± Rob extended his arms in a wide, welcoming gesture and the crowdwent wild. They were all standing, clapping, and cheering as the video cut out. Luke continued to research Vortex Industries as the auto-taxi pulled up to a large skyscraper. The top of the building was adorned by the words Vortex Industries in giant neon glowing letters.¡± Luke entered the building and went to the front desk to check in. A woman wearing what appeared to be a blue stewardess''s outfit gave him a warm greeting. ¡°Welcome to Vortex Industries.¡± She stood up and gave him a slight bow before continuing. ¡°You must be Lucas Patterson. We have been waiting for you.¡± The woman was in her late twenties and he immediately realized why she was chosen for the front desk position. She had incredible posture, was very kind spoken and had a kind smile. Luke blushed momentarily as she stood, revealing her pleasant figure. ¡°You can call me Luke,¡± he mumbled while pushing up his glasses. She smiled, handed him a badge and gestured toward the elevator as the doors opened with a whoosh. Luke stepped inside and the doors closed behind him. He began to grow a little concerned at the lack of buttons to control the elevator. Instead of buttons, there was a box to scan keycards, but he had not been given a keycard when he arrived. Before he could contemplate returning to the front desk, he heard the quiet tones of generic elevator music, and the elevator began descending. ¡°Welcome to Vortex Industries,¡± a monitor in the elevator panel said as it whistled to life. ¡°Vortex Industries is the leading provider of virtual reality experiences. With the recent announcement of the Vortex Capsule, Vortex Industries is bringing the future to the present day.¡± The monitor shut off as the elevator came to a stop. With the lack of buttons and a floor number display, he wasn¡¯t sure how far down the elevator had gone. A man in a lab coat, carrying a clipboard and sporting a 5 o¡¯clock shadow, approached the elevator. Luke recognized the man as Robert Xanders, the lead scientist behind the Vortex Capsule. ¡°Hello Lucas. Please come with me so we can start the scanning process.¡± ¡°Please call me Luke -- and what do you mean by the ¡®scanning process¡¯?¡± Luke responded, hesitation bleeding into his voice. ¡°We first have to scan you before we can move your consciousness into the Vortex Capsule and sync it with your brain waves. Didn¡¯t you read about this in the package they sent you?¡± The man rose a single eyebrow inquisitively at Luke. Luke explained that they only sent him legal documents and wasn¡¯t sure the full extent of this offer. ¡°Just like those corporate goons to not send all the correct information. All about protecting our trade secrets I suppose.¡± The man seemed to get lost in thought and stopped talking after looking upward and holding his chin. ¡°Sir?¡± Luke called out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. My name is Robert Xanders, but you can call me Rob.¡± The man started meandering down a hallway with multiple doors on either side. He waved to Luke to follow. ¡°Allow me to add some context. You are here to test the new Vortex Capsule. We will need to perform some minor medical examinations of you before and after each of your sessions.¡± Luke¡¯s pace began to slow as he heard this, and Rob turned to him, palms out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it''s all non-invasive stuff with the occasional blood draw.¡± Luke winced at the mention of taking his blood. ¡°Sorry about that, but we need to just make sure you¡¯re healthy.¡± Rob continued to explain the various stages of the beta test and what Luke¡¯s responsibilities would be. Everything boiled down to Luke being medically examined and put into a virtual world. He would be expected and encouraged to play the game for a couple of hours. They would then remove him from that world and, after more medical tests, he would have to talk about his experiences. He would also fill out some customer service response forms while taking a short break between sessions. He would repeat this process a few times a week until the summer was over. The two men reached the end of the hallway and a metal door whooshed open. ¡°You must be Lucas,¡± said a woman with long red hair as she stood from her seat and approached the pair. ¡°You can call me Doctor Judy. I run the medical research department at Vortex Industries. I¡¯m in charge of keeping you healthy and¡­.¡± ¡°Call him Luke,¡± Rob interrupted. ¡°Please get his scans done and bring him to capsule room five.¡± Judy''s face turned red as Rob interrupted her, but she kept her calm as he left the room. ¡°He¡¯s a genius, but not great with social interactions. Definitely the type of kid to sit in his room building models instead of going to the school dance or kissing girls,¡± she commented with Rob gone. Luke shrugged and pushed his glasses up to calm his nerves. Anything to hide the fact that he, too, would skip school dances as a child to build model spaceships. ¡°Pushing that aside, please come in and lay on the examination table.¡± Luke entered the room and laid on a table that looked like a futuristic version of a table he would find at his doctor''s office. Above him, hanging from the ceiling, was a multitude of metal satellite type dishes and a variety of tools attached to curled cords. After a few moments, some of the dishes started emitting a low ringing sound, and Luke felt a low heat emanating from them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Judy reassured. ¡°The scans are completely harmless.¡± About ten minutes later the machines shut off and Judy appeared to be pleased with the results that appeared on her tablet. Judy requested Luke to follow her and they moved back into the hallway following a sign reading ¡°Capsule Rooms¡±. Another mechanical door whooshed open when they approached. The door had a large red five painted on it. Inside, Luke recognized the Vortex Capsule from the online video he had watched, and he noticed Rob sitting at a computer that was extending out from the side of the machine. ¡°Luke! I told you that would be quick.¡± Rob turned back to his computer as he finished speaking and the capsule door opened. Judy walked Luke to the opening and gestured him inside. Luke entered the large oval shaped device and laid on the long black bed-like cushion inside. Although the outside of the capsule was primarily white, the inside was jet black. ¡°Now the log-in process is painless,¡± Judy began to explain. ¡°There are several monitors directly above you that will display basic information for you and track your vitals. We will also be monitoring your vitals from outside.¡± Judy handed her tablet to Rob, and he inserted it into a slot on the outside of the device. ¡°We will link this capsule to your brain waves once you create a secure account with our system and log-in. After that, the capsule will start the sleep procedure for you.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Luke pointed to several holes he noticed on the bed. ¡°What are these for?¡± ¡°Those are for your vital measurements, IV and blood analysis. Small needles will come out of the holes after the machine puts you to sleep. The needles will take blood and provide your body with the nutrients it needs while you are inside the capsule. The capsule also provides small electronic pulses to your various muscles to avoid any chance of developing muscle atrophy in your¡­¡± ¡°Enough shop talk. The kid is probably dying to see the game by now,¡± Rob interrupted Judy again. Judy¡¯s face turned slightly red as she leaned out of the capsule and moved to monitor one of the external screens. ¡°After you log-in you¡¯re going to be in¡­ Well, I don¡¯t think I want to ruin it for you. Good luck and have fun!¡± The door to the capsule shut after Rob made some quick commands on the keyboard. Without the light bleeding in through the door, the capsule was pitch dark and Luke could feel some electronic leads attach to his arms. The monitor directly above him chimed on. It had a black background with white text appearing one letter at a time. Welcome Lucas Patterson. Please speak a character name¡­ Luke thought for a minute. This could be a way to reinvent himself, to be King Arthur, Dragon Slayer or something like Shadow Master. Something that sounded cooler than Lucas Patterson, but after much contemplation, he didn¡¯t think he was clever enough to think of anything better than just ¡°Luke.¡± Processing¡­ Character name ¡°Luke¡± accepted. Please review your physical appearance before accepting. A slowly rotating 3D representation of Luke appeared on the screen. It looked like the same six foot overweight college student he saw in the mirror every day, with short shaggy brown hair and rectangle shaped glasses. The image appeared to be an exact model of him, likely derived from the scans he underwent earlier. On the side of the model were many toggles, sliders and customization options. Luke was again hesitating to think of anything other than himself. The only slider he decided to adjust was the one for weight, deciding to make his avatar leaner than his real world body. That was the quickest and best working diet plan I had ever taken, thought Luke as he hit the option to confirm. Character¡¯s physical appearance confirmed. Please wait while we initiate the log-in process. Log-in commencing in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Luke unwillingly shut his eyes from a sudden onset of exhaustion. When he opened his eyes, he was blinking rapidly to clear his vision from the sudden onset of light. ¡°Hello Traveler.¡± Luke rubbed his eyes and started searching for the speaker. ¡°Please relax. The first voyage is often the toughest.¡± Luke¡¯s eyes settled on an old man wearing a long red robe, being propped up by a walking stick. ¡°Where¡­ Where am I?¡± Luke asked. ¡°You are in a midway point between your world and mine. This is my study.¡± The man gestured around himself. Luke was in a small room with books lining most of the walls. There was a table, a few chairs, several candles and various writing implements spread out across the table. When he looked at himself he was wearing a simple white cotton shirt and brown cotton pants.The jeans and t-shirt he had been wearing were gone. Luke approached the table and ran his finger across the edge of a book¡¯s page. ¡°Ow!¡± He pulled his hand back and noticed a small cut that began bleeding. ¡°That hurt¡­ I mean, that actually hurt.¡± ¡°Of course it hurt. Paper cuts are the worst.¡± The old man winced at the thought. ¡°No, I mean, I can feel that it hurt. Am I¡­ in the game?¡± Luke asked with a puzzled expression as he sucked the cut on his finger. ¡°Most of you travelers call this a game, but this is my world. You are as real here as you are in your world. What would happen in your world if you got a paper cut?¡± The old man raised an eyebrow. Luke didn¡¯t respond but his expression made the old man feel as if he understood. ¡°I am here to guide you and answer any questions you may have before you fully transition. Once you are in my world, you can not return here. Are you ready to begin?¡± Luke took his finger out of his mouth, checked to ensure the bleeding had stopped, and nodded. The room then melted away and was replaced by an outdoor arena, much like the gladiator arenas of ancient Rome. Sitting on the ground was a dagger, a small sword, a bow, a handful of arrows, a shield and a variety of other basic medieval style weapons. ¡°Arm yourself quickly,¡± stated the old man as the door on the side of the arena slowly creaked open to reveal a wolf. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±, Luke asked frantically. ¡°I thought I made it obvious with, ¡®arm yourself quickly¡¯.¡± Luke dove for the pile of weapons as he noticed the oversized grin on the old man¡¯s face. The wolf let out an ear shattering howl. Wolf Howl. Weakened debuff added. A floating semi-transparent message box appeared in Luke¡¯s vision as he struggled to cover his ears. Luke attempted to click the message¡¯s ¡°OK¡± button, but his hand went through the floating message box. ¡°You can either focus your vision on the button to confirm it or you can mentally ¡®click it.¡¯ Imagine hitting the button with your mind.¡± Luke focused on the button and imagined pressing it. As soon as he could focus his thought on hitting it, the button clicked in and the message box disappeared. ¡°You may want to grab that weapon now. The wolf looks like he¡¯s starving.¡± Luke looked up to see the wolf slowly advancing toward him while bearing his teeth. He¡¯s still far away, I should grab something with the appropriate range to take advantage of the distance. He grabbed the small bow on the ground and a pair of arrows. His gaze went back to the wolf while he slotted an arrow into the bow. He pulled the string back and released the arrow when he thought he had the best shot at hitting his target. The snarling wolf appeared ready to dodge or pounce, foam dripping from sharp fangs, and eyes locked on the arrow as Luke released. The arrow traveled about five feet before harmlessly gliding to the ground like a paper airplane. The wolf gazing briefly at it before returning its focus to Luke. Luke heard the old man laughing as he gritted his teeth and readied another arrow. This time he pulled the string as hard as he could and waited for the approaching wolf to get closer. Again, he released the arrow and, to the surprise of everyone, the arrow struck its desired target in its side. The wolf let out a low whimper when the arrow made contact, and Luke smiled. New skill acquired: Short Bow, Beginner 0. Basic knowledge on how to use a short bow. Increasing this skill will increase the damage dealt with a short bow. This is a passive skill and requires no activation. Effect: Adds 1+x% short bow damage where x = skill level. Congratulations, you have earned your first skill. Skills, spells, and abilities can be used to aid you in your travels. There are both combat and non-combat skills. Skills will level up as you use them from level 0 to 9. Once a skill reaches level 9 and levels up, it will increase in rank. Currently there are five ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Master and Grand Master. Note: This is a one time system message. The new pop-up messages distracted Luke long enough for the wolf to close the distance between them and sink its teeth into his leg. ¡°Ahh!¡± he screamed as he was pulled to the ground. Panicking, he grabbed the nearest object he could find and jammed it into the skull of the wolf. Critical Hit! Attacking weak spots on enemies will result in a Critical Hit. Critical Hits do increased damage. Small Forest Wolf x1 defeated. 50 exp gained. ¡°This hurts! I mean really hurts!¡± Luke was screaming and clutching his bleeding leg. ¡°Of course it hurts, you were bitten by a wolf. I thought we went over the pain thing?¡± The old man approached and lifted his walking stick. The stick glowed a subtle white and another pop-upbox appeared in Luke¡¯s vision. Old Man cast Cure Light Wounds on you, 100 HP restored. ¡°I thought the pain would be dulled or something. I haven¡¯t been bitten by a wolf before, but I imagine this is what it would feel like,¡± Luke spat out as he rubbed his leg. Looking up, he noticed three small semi-transparent bars in the upper left of his vision. The bars were red, blue, and green. He also noticed a small square box under them with an icon of a feeble looking man and a number one. When he focused his vision on the box, a small description of the icon came up. Weakened, 1 stack. You have been weakened and will take 10% additional damage until the status debuff expires. Expires in 6¡­ 5¡­¡± This debuff could stack? What would happen if a whole wolf pack attacked me and they were all howling? Luke worried to himself as he stood and faced the old man. ¡°Not the worst I¡¯ve seen but certainly nowhere near the best. At least you chose a ranged weapon when the wolf was still far away. Shows that you aren¡¯t totally useless.¡± New title gained: Not totally useless. This title gives you +1 agility. Congratulations, you have earned your first title. While you can gain as many titles as you wish, you can only have one title equipped at a time and you will only receive benefits from your equipped titled. Note: This is a one time system message. Luke pushed up his glasses and cleared away all the system messages. ¡°Is there a way for me to check my character? What is agility good for?¡± ¡°You simply need to think of your character and your sheet will appear. Since this is your first time looking at it, I will provide some additional details. If you want to see additional information in the future, just focus on a particular section of your sheet and it will reappear.¡± The old man waved his hand indicating Luke should give it a try. As Luke thought of himself and his character, a large pair of transparent windows appeared. The left showed an outline of a human with small boxes on most of the various body parts, with labels for where various pieces of equipment could be placed, a list of his attributes, and his current status. The right box showed a list of his skills. Name: Not totally useless Luke. Class: Beginner (+3 attribute points per level & +1 skill point per level) Primary Profession: None Level 1: Exp :50 Exp to next level: 950 (calculated at 1,000 x current level) Hit Points: 50/50 (50 base + 10 per point in Constitution) Mana: 50/50 (50 base + 10 per point in Intelligence) Mana Regen: 1/sec (.25 per point in Wisdom) Stamina: 35/60 (50 + 10 per point in Agility)( Stamina regenerates 5% of max per second while out of combat and 1% of max per second while in combat) Attributes Base (Modifier) Strength: 1 Modifies damage done by melee weapons, strength based skills, your carrying capacity, and the ability to use heavy armor effectively. Agility: 1 (+1) Modifies max stamina, damage done by ranged weapons, agility based skills, stealth, travel speed, and the ability to use medium armor effectively. Intelligence: 1 Modifies max mana, damage done by spells, and spell learning speed. Wisdom: 1 Modifies mana regeneration and skill learning speed. Constitution: 1 Modifies max hit points and resistances. Social: 1 Modifies social abilities and rate of reputation gain. Luck: 1 Modifies your luck and chance of finding rare or hidden items. Skills, Spells and Abilities Short Bow (Beginner 0): Basic knowledge on how to use a short bow. Increasing this skill will increase the damage dealt with a short bow. This is a passive skill and requires no activation. Effect: Adds 1+x% short bow damage where x = skill level. According to the left screen, he was only equipped with a basic shirt and basic pants, offering him no armor value. Luke closed all the windows and faced the old man. The old man waved his staff around and the arena melted away, being replaced by the old man¡¯s study. ¡°Did you enjoy using a bow? Is that how you want to proceed in this world?¡± Luke thought hard. On one hand, he rarely played an archer in games but on the other hand, if it meant he could avoid getting bit by wolves, he was in. Luke nodded and a bow with a quiver appeared on the desk. Luke reached out and grabbed the bow. A pop-up of information appeared. Basic Short Bow (Common). Adds 2-3 blunt damage when used as a melee weapon. Basic Quiver of Arrows (Common), quantity 25. Adds 2-5 piercing damage when shot from a bow. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I will throw you a bone. To be honest, I think you need it,¡± the old man gestured with his free hand. Quest alert! New born baby: Learn the basics of using a bow. Hit a target 10 times. Reward: Learning should be its own reward, but here is some experience. Exp: 150. Accept / Decline. Congratulations, you have earned your first quest. Quests are offers to perform a specific task or set of tasks for a reward. Rewards can be monetary or otherwise. Note: This is a one time system message. ¡°Thank you. So, whats'' next?¡± Luke looked eagerly at the old man as he accepted the quest he offered him. ¡°Next you enter my world. Welcome to Endless Fantasy Online.¡± Luke¡¯s vision went dark for a moment until large letters spelling out ¡°Endless Fantasy Online¡° came into view. A few moments later his vision blurred, and he was in the middle of a city square. Disoriented he stumbled a bit, knocking over some stacked barrels of hay. ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re walking, kid.¡± A man who, based on his clothing and pitchfork, appeared to be a farmer picked up the hay and threw it in the back of a wagon. Looking around Luke saw a massive medieval city, castle and all. He could feel the cold breeze on his exposed arms, smell a nearby bakery¡¯s bread being baked, and hear the flies buzzing around the farmer¡¯s wagon. Pushing up his glasses, he made a firm declaration. This game is amazing! This really is the future and I can¡¯t wait to explore this world! Chapter 2: Baby Steps The Vortex Capsule was powering down as the capsule door opened and light flooded inside. Looking out of the capsule Luke saw Rob and Judy looking expectantly at him. ¡°It was amazing! It was so lifelike. Maybe sometimes too lifelike¡­¡± Luke rubbed his leg where the virtual wolf had bitten him. There was no mark, scar, or wound, but his mind could have sworn there was supposed to be one. Judy pulled a tablet out of the capsule and began reviewing data. ¡°Your medical output looks great. No lingering effects and¡­¡± ¡°And how was the game? I take pride in my programming. Was the wolf real enough or should I add more foam in their mouths?¡± Rob quickly interrupted Judy. ¡°The wolf was plenty real, trust me. I can see why you kept this game under wraps. A breakthrough like this would disrupt the gaming industry. It would probably disrupt all entertainment industries.¡± Luke was speaking fast, stumbling over himself in excitement. Rob smiled from ear to ear and nodded his thanks. ¡°Honestly, I just want to know how soon I can go back in?¡± Rob¡¯s tablet, much like the one Judy stored Luke¡¯s vitals on, came out of sleep mode and started beeping. There were warnings and messages filling the tablet¡¯s surface. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s something I have to tend to. If he clears his scans, Judy, let him back in if he wants, but I want a full write up of what happens to him.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just monitor me? I mean, you knew about the wolf.¡± It confused Luke. Why did he have to write a report about what he experienced when it appeared they were watching everything? ¡°We can see what''s going on, but that''s different from experiencing it firsthand. We can¡¯t feel what you feel, smell what you smell or taste what you taste. We aren¡¯t gods of the world. Think of us as silent observers. With players actively connected, we can¡¯t modify the world or we would run the risk of modifying your brain waves. That''s not something the top brass would even let me think about doing so the system is on full lock when even a single player is logged in. It''s a safety...¡± The beeping coming from Rob¡¯s tablet increased in volume and frequency. He glanced at it briefly before abruptly leaving the room. Judy and Luke shrugged and Judy began performing the necessary scans of Luke. Once all her scans came back showing no negative effects, Luke visited a bathroom and then quickly reentered his pod. He felt the same medical devices attach to him and the monitors turned on. Sleep quickly took him as he read the system message and slightly cringed at his name. Welcome Not totally useless Luke. Preparations complete. Log-in commencing in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ In a few moments Luke was standing back in the medieval city square where he had logged out just a few minutes ago. The farmer''s cart was gone and there seemed to be a lot of foot traffic. Ok. I have a bow, arrows, and a quest to learn how to use them. Looks like I have a plan. I should look for a barracks or some monsters to fight. Luke walked around for a bit until he found a man who appeared to be a city guard. He was wearing heavy plate armor, holding a spear, and his chest plate had a phoenix crest on it. Luke recognized the crest from all the flags around the city. ¡°Excuse me. Do you know where I can find a barracks?¡± Luke asked politely. The man turned around and inspected Luke thoroughly. ¡°A barracks? What do you want with the barracks?¡± The man¡¯s voice was rough and aged. ¡°I¡¯m looking to get some training with my bow. I¡¯m new around here. Aren¡¯t you supposed to guide me or something?¡± The guard burst out laughing. ¡°Guide you? Why should I waste my time on you?¡± Luke was down right puzzled. Isn¡¯t this a game? he thought. Non-player characters are supposed to guide the real players. That¡¯s always how it¡¯s been. Luke waited for the guard to stop laughing before he responded. ¡°I¡¯m a¡­¡± He paused for a minute to remember what the old man called him. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you are. I¡¯m on duty and you''re bothering me.¡± The guard''s response was curt. Luke pushed up his glasses and lowered his ever-reddening face. ¡°Leave him alone. He¡¯s clearly new you blockhead.¡± Luke raised his head to find a man, not much older than himself, wearing mismatching leather armor. He was taller than Luke and sported a buzz cut. ¡°The name¡¯s Thomas.¡± He extended his hand toward Luke for a handshake and Luke detected a hint of a southern accent. The two exchanged pleasantries, and the guard went on his way, happy to have the new traveler off his hands. ¡°Aren¡¯t guards and NPCs supposed to help us? This is still a game isn¡¯t it?¡± Luke asked. "As you probably know, this game is different from anything you¡¯ve played before. The NPCs have real personalities, history, feelings, thoughts, dreams, and aspirations. They feel as real as you or I and respond the same way,¡± Thomas explained. ¡°How is that possible? I know games have come a long way, but that seems a little too far-fetched to be real?¡± ¡°I asked Rob once, and he said because they are real. He said the Alpha test of this program involved scanning the minds and personalities of thousands of people and imprinting them on the NPCs. It was a way to both test their hardware and improve on the realism of the Beta.¡± Luke pondered the ramifications and possibilities of that but his head began to hurt. ¡°I think I can feel a headache coming on. Would have been nice if they left that guy out of the programming.¡± Thomas laughed and Luke continued. ¡°Do you mind showing me to the barracks?¡± Thomas nodded and began walking down the street. He was kind enough to point out some important places in the city such as the inn, general goods store, the bank, and a couple specialty stores before they reached their destination. ¡°Here we are, the barracks.¡± Thomas pointed to a tall stone building nearby. The barracks was located toward the city¡¯s primary gate and was impressively more crowded than the town square. A hundred or more people were traveling in and out of the gate at any given moment. Some looked like adventurers, while others seemed to be farmers and workers. New friend request: Thomas, the bunny killer would like to be your friend. Accept / Decline. ¡°The bunny killer?¡± Luke snickered. ¡°Not totally useless?¡± Thomas snickered back. The two of them laughed before Luke accepted the friend request and he and Tom parted ways. Luke continued into the barracks looking for someone who could help him or someone in charge. It didn¡¯t take long for him to find a group of guards and someone barking orders at them. ¡°You maggots! I want you all running double duty. You three on the wall, and you two relieve the men at the gate and the rest of you train. You look like a bunch of worthless, inbred maggots!¡± The leader was wearing a more intricate set of armor and had a long rapier tucked into his belt. ¡°YES CAPTAIN HOLTZ!¡± The men shouted in unison as they ran to their assignments. Note to self, don¡¯t get on this guy''s bad side. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Sir?¡± The man turned on his heel to face Luke. ¡°I¡¯m looking for some¡­ bow training¡­ Can you help?¡± Luke pushed his glasses up to calm his nerves. The man opened his arms wide and addressed the new traveler. ¡°Welcome to the City Barracks my boy!¡± Luke¡¯s gaze turned to one of utter confusion. The man chuckled before continuing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t bite. My name is Captain Holtz and I¡¯m here to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I saw you with your guards a minute ago and¡­¡± ¡°I have to give them a hard time or they won''t shape up.¡± He inspected Luke up and down, much the same way the previous guard did. ¡°If I were a betting man, I would say you''re a new traveler?¡± Luke nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with a lot of you as of late and have taken a liking to your lot. Most of you travelers take on a lot of tasks that free up the guards to train and stop crime. Thanks to you travelers our crime rates are the lowest they have ever been.¡± That would make sense. New players would want to go on lots of quests to gain experience and to loot, thought Luke as he introduced himself to the guard captain. ¡°Bow training you say?¡± Captain Holtz pointed to an archery range on the other side of the barracks. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to use the various targets there. If you manage to hit a bullseye, I¡¯ll even grant you a reward.¡± Quest alert! Hitting a bullseye: Captain Holtz wants you to hit a bullseye and prove you¡¯re a marksman. Reward: Variable. Exp: 100. Accept / Decline Luke thanked the captain and moved toward the range. When he got there, he watched the other archers practice for a while, trying to pick up on their techniques. He noticed a lot of them, to his surprise, kept both their eyes open and on their target. When Luke was fighting the wolf, he closed an eye thinking it would be the best way to aim. After a few minutes, he found an open target and decided to test his skills. Pulling an arrow from his quiver he loaded it on his bow, pulled back, kept both eyes on his target, and released. His shot went wide by a foot or so, clanking on the stone wall behind the target, but he was still happy with the result. The target was much farther away than the wolf was and being so close on the first try made him smile. He repeated the process and released another arrow. Quest alert! New born baby: 1/10 Luke grinned and reached for another arrow. He continued this activity until he shot his last arrow, only stopping occasionally to allow his stamina to regenerate. Quest alert! New born baby: 9/10 Skill up: Short Bow, Beginner 1. ¡°My skill leveled up already?¡± Luke muttered to himself. ¡°Of course your skill leveled up. You¡¯ve been at this for a while.¡± Captain Holtz approached. ¡°Beginner one already.¡± He seemed pleased with Luke¡¯s progress. ¡°That means you have a while to go, boy. Why don¡¯t you collect your arrows and I¡¯ll give you some pointers?¡± Luke ran and collected his arrows before returning to the captain and dropped them on the ground near his feet. He grabbed one and got ready to take aim. ¡°You have a lot of the basics down, but you need to raise your pulling arm up more so it¡¯s level with your face. Then rest the bow string against your cheek to better anchor yourself. Keep your eyes on your target, breath in, and release when you let your breathe out.¡± Luke did everything the Captain suggested and his arrow hit the inside edge of the bullseye. Quest alert! New born baby: 10/10. Quest complete! Reward: 150 exp. Quest alert! Hitting a bullseye: 1/1. Quest complete! Reward: Tattered leather Gloves (common). Adds +2 to physical resistance. Captain Holtz screamed with excitement as he gave Luke a few hearty pats on the back. The captain hit him hard enough that he lost a few hit points and staggered forward. After recovering, they both laughed together. SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! ALL TRAVELERS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CASTLE. I REPEAT, ALL TRAVELERS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CASTLE. Luke tried clearing the message but every time he closed it, it just reappeared. While he was reviewing the system message, a messenger ran up to Captain Holtz and handed him a scroll sealed with the wax stamp of a phoenix. The captain broke the seal and a look of fear crossed his face. ¡°Luke. I need to get to the castle immediately.¡± The captain¡¯s stern and less friendly voice had returned. Luke was getting worried. ¡°I just received an alert to go to the castle too. Do you mind showing me the way?¡± The pair of men ran as quickly as they could down the city streets toward a towering castle. When they arrived, the captain told Luke to wait out front with the other travelers as he went past the line of guards toward the entrance. Luke, confused about what to do, started listening to the surrounding conversations. Someone said, "they killed the king?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I heard travelers did it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think a traveler could get past the guards and kill the king, could they?¡± Citizens started arriving and an ever-growing crowd was now forming. After a few minutes, Captain Holtz reappeared and addressed the crowd. ¡°Hello Citizens. I have some dire news to break to you and the travelers. I don¡¯t have all the information yet, but it appears that King Henry passed away a few moments ago.¡± The crowd broke out in shouting, fear, and panic. Captain Holtz gave a subtle nod to the guards, and in unison they began to clang their spears against their shields. The loud clanging cut through the noise of the crowd and they began to simmer down. ¡°I have more news to share with you.¡± He paused to collect himself. ¡°The queen and princess are also missing.¡± The statement shattered any semblance of order Captain Holtz regained. He repeated the process with the guards to capture the crowd''s attention, taking much longer to silence them a second time. ¡°People! People! Please let me get through my announcements. I¡¯m offering an open quest to anyone willing to accept it. Find and return the queen and princess and we will reward you han¡­¡± Captain Holtz froze mid-sentence, and the world seemed to freeze around him, draining of all color. The travelers were the only ones who maintained their color and movement. A semi-transparent Rob appeared next to the captain and began to address them all. ¡°Everyone, I have some unfortunate news to share with you.¡± The travelers all looked puzzled, but Rob was able to grab their attention. ¡°There seems to have been a sophisticated attack on our servers. It appears that a hacker group managed to turn off certain safety protocols and procedures using a very sophisticated virus.¡± ¡°What safety protocols and procedures?¡± questioned a random traveler that Luke didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Well¡­ primarily the ones allowing you to¡­ well¡­ log out¡­¡± The travelers looked around at each other, unsure of how to process the information. After a few moments of no one replying, Rob continued. ¡°Basically, they locked all of your consciousness into Endless Fantasy Online. In other words, we can¡¯t log any of you out¡­¡± Luke noticed multiple travelers looking at system screens that he couldn¡¯t see. He opened his own system menu by thinking ¡®settings¡¯ and a new system box came up with a variety of options, including one labeled ¡°Log Out¡±. He tried to mentally click it and was only awarded with a system message. SYSTEM ERROR!!! Some functions are currently unavailable. Maybe I thought the wrong thing or didn¡¯t mentally click it hard enough, Luke thought as he mentally hit the button again. SYSTEM ERROR!!! Some functions are currently unavailable. Panic then descended upon the crowd of travelers. Everyone started screaming at once, and several tried charging Rob, but they couldn¡¯t move their feet. ¡°People, please stay calm.¡± ¡°Stay calm?! You¡¯ve locked us into a game! My wife is expecting me home tonight!¡± screamed one of the travelers that was attempting to charge the scientist. ¡°I understand, I understand. This isn¡¯t ideal.¡± ¡°Ideal? Unlock my feet and I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s ideal!¡± shouted another traveler. ¡°I don¡¯t have long to address you. Freezing the world and manipulating the code like this is extremely dangerous for all of you who are currently logged in. We have moved the game¡¯s code to a localized server and cut it off from the outside, so whoever is behind this can¡¯t do anything else. We have a staff of hundreds working on this and are doing everything¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to murder you and sue Vortex Industries for everything they have. I¡¯m going to own you when this is done!¡± an angry woman wearing a robe and holding a staff shouted. Another figure of a man, this one wearing what appeared to be an expensive suit, then materialized next to Rob. ¡°Hello everyone. I am the corporate attorney for Vortex Industries. I was hoping you would all handle this better, but I¡¯m here to remind you that you all signed extensive legal documents before joining our beta program. In those documents are clauses that give up your rights to any legal action in the event of something like this happening. Vortex Industries will still pay you and we¡¯ll take care of your health needs while we work out this issue.¡± The travelers got louder and louder with shouting and cursing before the attorney spoke again. ¡°As Rob explained, it is dangerous for us to interact with you like this. For now, we will give you time to absorb this information and contact you again as soon as we deem it safe to do so.¡± With that, the attorney vanished and Rob began to fade. As he faded, the world began to return to color. Luke could see him mouth the words ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± As the world regained motion and color, Captain Holtz began speaking again, but Luke didn¡¯t wait for Captain Holtz to finish his speech. Once the bomb was dropped on the travelers they just added to the chaos and he feared violence would break out. He needed to get out of there. The only issue was that he wasn¡¯t sure where to go or what to do next. He wasn¡¯t even sure how to feel about the whole situation. He may be on summer break, but he still had his mom to worry about. They would have to call and tell her about it right? They would have to tell her. Luke was lost in thought so he didn¡¯t notice the older woman until he bumped into her and her papers spilled all over the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The woman looked frustrated but started picking up the fallen papers and he immediately started to help. He reviewed the documents as he collected them and they all appeared to be various wanted posters and quest fliers. Luke handed over his stack of papers. ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°These are for the job board. Anyone can take them and complete them for rewards. Are you interested?¡± Luke pondered. Well, for now I could use a good distraction. ¡°Sure.¡± The woman got up and walked with Luke to the main city gate where she began sticking the fliers up on a large wooden board. It¡¯s my college job board all over again. This is what got me into this mess. Reviewing the fliers Luke wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed. There were quests for gathering materials outside of town, finding a lost cat, killing a desired amount of a desired monster, and more. ¡°Am I allowed to take more than one?¡± he inquired. ¡°Of course you are. The more you want to help, the better. Please keep in mind that you need to complete the request in the desired time limit or you will face the penalty listed,¡± the woman hanging fliers responded in her best customer service voice. Luke took another look at the requests and finally settled on two. He reached out and pulled them from the board. Quest alert! Herbs, herbs, herbs!: Gather enough medicinal herbs to make a few healing potions for the local alchemist. The alchemist wants as many herbs as she can get her hands on. Because of her high demand, there is no time limit or penalty. Herbs 0/25. Reward: 5 gold and added reputation with the local alchemist. Exp 50. Quest accepted. Quest alert! Controlling the fox population I: The city guards want help controlling the fox population. Eliminate 10 foxes within a week. Failing to complete this quest on time will result in a loss of reputation with the city guard. Reward: 5 gold and added reputation with the city guard. Exp 150. Quest accepted. Coral blue flames gathered at the edges of the fliers after the system messages appeared. He flinched and dropped the papers but they burned away and vanished before touching the ground. The woman covered her mouth in a failing attempt to hide her giggling. ¡°The flame doesn¡¯t hurt. It just stops anyone else from taking your quest. For common quests like those we post several a day, but the magical protection system comes in handy for unique quests.¡± Luke nodded and made a mental note to be careful around this board. It appears that pulling a flier off the wall automatically accepts the quest and starts a fire in his hand. He thanked the women for her help and started toward the town gate. When he arrived, he greeted the two guards with a wave and proceeded outside. ¡°Wait!¡± shouted one of the two guards. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you. So I¡¯ll give you the same warning that I give everyone. Be careful outside, and we lock the gates come nightfall. Once the gates are locked they won¡¯t be opened again until first light.¡± ¡°Should I get some camping gear?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to be out there at night. Someone as low level as you won''t survive the night out there.¡± the guard cautioned. Luke thanked the guards, checked his arrow count and headed out. The contrast in environment immediately surprised him. The dark stone town had such a lack of nature compared to outside the gates. The biggest difference he noticed was the change in smell. The city didn¡¯t have a bad smell per se but the air outside was leaps and bounds better. Looking around, there appeared to be primarily farmland surrounding the city walls and a handful of barns. There was a packed dirt path heading out of the gate that opened up to be wide enough to fit several wagons side by side. The land was flat and Luke could see a large forest in the distance. ¡°I should probably head to the forest if I¡¯m looking for herbs¡± he said aloud as his feet took him in that direction. As he walked, he noticed the road had paths coming off it for each of the farms and several roads leading off in various directions. He also found it odd that none of the farms appeared to have houses. Did all the farmers go into the city to sleep at night? The road got less and less compact as he got to the forest and became more of a mud path, so Luke walked on the grass next to the road. When he got 20 feet away from the forest, a wooden post with a sign was sticking out of the side of the road. The sign read "The Howling Forest.¡± Luke pushed up his glasses and an involuntary shiver came over his body, a body now covered in goosebumps. Howling probably means wolves, was the only thing going through his mind. He looked up and saw that the sun was only reaching its mid-point and it hadn¡¯t taken long to get here. He should have most of the afternoon to explore before having to head back. An issue popped into Luke''s mind: he has no idea what a medicinal herb looks like! He bent down and looked at the nearest cluster of leaves, and a system message popped up. Identification failed. Herbalism skill not high enough. He plucked the leaves anyway and pocketed them. He continued to pluck all the various plants he could find as he continued deeper into the forest. His progress into the forest was slow because he stopped for every plant he could find, but he continued this until a new system message appeared. New skill acquired: Herbalism, Beginner 0. This skill allows you to identify various plant life. At higher levels, this skill will allow you to highlight various herbs in the wild for easier collection. Quest alert! Herbs, herbs, herbs!: 8/25 Emptying his pockets on the floor he gave all the plants another deep look. Identification successful. Basic herb (common). Used in crafting weak healing potions. Identification successful. Dandelion (common). A common yellow flower. Identification failed on the other handful of plants, so he discarded them to make room for herbs in his small pockets. Looking for herbs went quicker now that Luke knew what he was looking for, so he continued deeper into the forest. Luke¡¯s stomach began to rumble, which surprised him. How am I hungry? I¡¯m still in a game and this body is just 1¡¯s and 0¡¯s inside a computer¡­ He resolved to head back to the city and get some food. Besides, the sun was setting and he wouldn¡¯t have much more time to explore anyway. On the way out of the woods he grabbed as many basic herbs as he could find. In the end, he had over twenty and as an added bonus, his herbalism skill leveled up. He continued to walk in the shadowed forest, watching the light come in between the leafy tops of trees and just taking everything in. There were worse places he could be stuck right now, he thought as he contemplated his current position in life. He was startled out of his thoughts by five bunnies running under his feet and out of the woods. Target practice. Luke pulled an arrow from his quiver, grabbed his bow and took aim. Following the tips Captain Holtz gave him he anchored himself, took in a breath, and while letting his breath out, he released. Forest Bunny x1 defeated. 10 exp gained. Yes! A huge grin crossed Luke¡¯s face as he stood up to collect his arrow. A sharp pain suddenly shot up his leg. He let out a loud grunt while grinding his teeth and looking down. There was a fox attached to his right ankle, and several more headed his way. He panicked and started bashing the fox with the end of his bow. He gazed to his upper left and watched as his health was slowly being depleted. He was missing at least 10%. In the bottom left of his view he noticed a combat log that made him panic more. You surprise attack a Forest Bunny for 10 points of damage (5 * 2 surprise). Forest Bunny is defeated. A Fox bites you for 6 points of damage. A Fox has lodged itself on you. You will continue to take damage until it is dislodged. You hit a Fox for 2 points of damage. You hit a Fox for 1 point of damage. Luke went to hit the fox again, but another fox lunged at him and began to claw at his chest. His health was now down to 60% and there was still another fox headed his way. Reacting too slowly, he grabbed the tail of the fox on his chest and tossed him away. The fox didn¡¯t appear to take any damage and was quickly back on his feet. The fox went back on the offense, leaving no room for Luke to recover. He raised his bow to guard against the lunging fox, but the third fox took that opportunity to attack Luke¡¯s back. Luke let out another scream of pain and involuntarily dropped his guard. Luke looked forward, knowing a fox was descending upon him. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± A large blade, double the size of most swords Luke previously saw in video games, struck down the fox and split it in two. The figure holding the large blade swung around and used his momentum to drive his sword down into the body of the fox clamping onto Luke¡¯s ankle. ¡°Lay down! Now!¡± He screamed at Luke at the top of his lungs. Luke immediately complied and fell flat on his stomach. The fox on his back was still scratching furiously but looked up to hiss at the newcomer to the battle. The man took a baseball-like swing at the Fox, slicing it apart. Fox x3 defeated. Partial exp rewarded for partial participation with a non-party member. 25 exp gained. Quest alert! Controlling the fox population I: 3/10. You are Bleeding. Bleeding debuff added. You will continue to take damage until you are healed or the bleeding stops naturally. Luke looked at his health and he was below half. Every few seconds he saw that his health was reduced by a small amount and that the small square icon below his health, showing a blood drop, would blink. ¡°You¡¯re new and you decided to go into the Howling Forest alone? That''s either really brave or really stupid.¡± The man reached a hand down and offered to help Luke up. He took the man''s hand and when he was on his feet, he recognized him instantly. ¡°Thomas? How did you know I was out here?¡± Shaking his head, Thomas replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was out here doing some quests and heard someone screaming. I guess it was your lucky day.¡± Luke nodded and winced when the bleeding debuff hit him for another point or two of damage. Thomas pulled something from a small satchel at his waist and handed it to Luke. Small Bandage (Common) x3 obtained. ¡°Wrap one of those around your ankle to stop the bleeding. You will fail the first few times but it will eventually work and you should gain the first aid skill.¡± Luke nodded and wrapped the first bandage around his ankle as tight as he could and looked at his work. The bandage quickly became a deep red, and it slipped down his foot, not taking hold. He repeated the process two more times, and on the third attempt he was rewarded with a system message. New skill acquired: First Aid, Beginner 0. Basic knowledge on how to apply basic first aid and use basic bandages. Increasing this skill will increase your knowledge of first aid techniques and increase the speed at which you can apply this skill. ¡°I got the skill. Thanks.¡± Luke pushed his glasses up and glanced at the status bars to confirm the bleeding icon had disappeared. ¡°No problem. I was new once also, so I get it. Consider it southern hospitality.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see my health going up now though. My stamina is going up, but my health seems to be sitting around 20%.¡± Luke was gazing at his system screens. ¡°Your health regens at an insanely slow pace. Imagine if a fox bit you like that in real life. You wouldn¡¯t magically have your wounds close up and your blood replenish would you? This game is a lot like real life when it comes to these types of things. I would toss you a healing potion, but they aren¡¯t cheap and I¡¯m not rich. Everything involving magic in this game is expensive, and healing potions take mana to craft.¡± ¡°You have done plenty. Thank you.¡± Luke hesitated before continuing. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to group up, would you? At least until we head back for the day?¡± Thomas considered Luke¡¯s proposal for a long moment and finally responded. ¡°Ok, but only till we get back. No offense but I¡¯m still much higher level than you and the monsters I¡¯m going to be fighting aren¡¯t as friendly as these foxes were. Understand?¡± Luke nodded and smiled. Thomas, the bunny killer has invited you to join his party. Accept / Decline Luke hit accept and under his status bars appeared three new status bars. They were smaller than his own and the label at the top of them read Thomas, the bunny killer Lv 5. It looks like I can see my other party member¡¯s status and level when we party up, he thought as the two continued around the outskirts of the forest looking for enemies to fight. ¡°Are we looking for anything in particular?¡± Luke asked while keeping an eye out for herbs or threats. ¡°I have several quests for a variety of monsters, but with you in your current condition, we¡¯ll stick to the foxes. They are still easy prey for me and you can provide some ranged support.¡± Thomas pointed to Luke¡¯s bow. ¡°One thing I would highly recommend is delaying your system notifications. If you open your settings, you can set them to build up until either the end of the day or when you choose to see them. It helps not to have large boxes pop-up in your face during a fight. Just trust me on this.¡± Luke opened his settings and found the area for notifications. He modified them per Thomas¡¯s suggestion, closed his menu, and nodded. ¡°Now let¡¯s get some experience and head back before they shut the gates.¡±