《Elemental Duelist》 Prologue: Darius "Sigh, boring, boring, so very BORING!" Darius almost yelled towards the end. "You would expect the opponent in the finals of the World Fencing Champpionships to be decent at least. That match was pure torture." He turned towards his assistant, well butler, but he didn''t like that word very much. "Godfrey, you would have been a better opponent than he was, and you never even had any training in fencing. Gah, so frustrating!" "Young master, please calm down. It is not surprising you are so much better than your peers. Fencing is sadly still very much a nobles sport, as it is quite expensive. And, excuse me for saying it so frankly, but young masters of such affluent households are mostly wastrels, spoiled since birth, never having had to do any hard work to achieve anything. And the sad truth is that humans as a species get accustomed to comfort way too easily, and if not necessary will not try very hard." Godfrey looked a little apologetic towards the end, because he basically insulted almost every affluent family in the world. But Darius took no offense, the reason he liked Godfrey was because he was always this frank when they were alone. "Godfrey, how many times have I told you not to apologize for your words in my company? And are you ever going to stop using that young master crap? Why can''t you just call me Darius? You are closer to me, and know me better than either of my parents." "I am sorry, young master Darius, but as long as I am employed by your father I am bound by duty, and as such I have to refer to you as young master." Darius frowned a little, but then his face lit up and he started laughing. He quickly dialed a number and waited for the other side to pick up. "Hello, father. Yes, I am sorry for interrupting your work, but I have something important to discuss. I would like to have Godfreys contract. Yes, that is what is so important. Well, I am sorry but I find this matter important." His father finally said it was alright after a bit of discussion. He just casually mentioned "Oh yeah, I also won the championship." and hung up after hearing a curt congratulation from his father. "Well Godfrey, now you aren''t in my fathers employ, but in mine, and as a friend I request you refer to me by my first name." Darius said with a big smile on his face. Godfrey answered a little exasperatingly. "Alright, you win, youn-Darius." To which Darius laughed proudly and boarded their plane, which took off moments later. They were sitting on the plane with a small feast in front of them, reading the news when he suddenly noticed something which drew his attention. He read that Nevermore Inc. developed a new hardcore VR MMORPG called Supremacy. It would be the first one of its kind in which using real life currency to get any kind of advantage over other players. Of course this was an enterprise and they would have to make money from it, so there will be a monthly subscription. They were also considering adding an option to buy cosmetics, but they hadn''t reached a decision yet. The game would run on the existing Cube Pod, with slight changes but those would be complementary on game purchase. The difficulty would be slightly raised compared to other games currently on the market, though the DEVs assure us that casual players would be able to play, and also that there would be many aspects to the game besides chasing after strength. Those range from crafting professions, beautiful sceneries, gambling as well as carnal pleasures to almost every possible thing you can imagine. Because of that the game could only be played by adults. The DEVs elaborated that carnal pleasures could only be done if both sides agree to it, and they will have to sign a waiver. During the signing the persons vitals would be measured to ensure that it wasn''t forced.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. They wouldn''t reveal much about the actual gameplay, but it was revealed that actual knowledge or ability to do something would be accounted for, but wouldn''t be a major element at skill mastery. Apparently it would only give a slight boost at the start when learning the skill. He looked up at Godfrey and showed him the article. He waited until Godfrey read it through and smiled toothily at him "You are going to be playing that with me. You will be paid as if you were doing your usual duties and you will receive a 20% extra. Do you have anything to say?" The butler just looked at him, basically struck dumb. "But... Master..." He immediately corrected himself when he saw the twitch on Darius''s face at the way he addressed him. "Darius, how would I do my usual duties if I am in game with you? I can not be in two places at once?" Darius smiled and answered "You won''t. Someone will take care of the house and make meals for us. That doesn''t matter. I only want you to be there with me, challenging the world, taking everything thrown at us on. Because this world currently isn''t doing so. And let''s be honest, I won''t be taking over the family business." At this the butlers eyes widened, but Darius spoke further before he could interrupt him. "My brother is much more suited towards it, I would be way too bored and as a result the business would slowly decline." After mulling it over a little, he spoke "Darius, while I do admit that you probably would not find enjoyment in working in your fathers firm, I still think you should rethink this. What field would you work in? What are your plans for your future? I have to ask that you think about this more deeply." "Look, I am barely 20, I still have time. Something will come up, maybe even in gaming. Maybe I could stream, or something along those lines. But lets forget about that for now, are you in or not? I really want you to do this with me, you''ve been taking care of me for the last 10 years, you should think about your future too. You will need a wife, you can''t just take care of me for my whole life. I don''t need someone at my beck and call, I need a friend, and you are the best friend one could ever hope to have." Godfrey was panicking and his eyes were starting to get misty so he quickly accepted and wanted to quickly get to the bathroom before Darius could see that shameful display only to almost be tackled to the ground when Darius hugged him. He probably would have been tackled to the ground if he weren''t built that sturdily, as Darius''s caretaker he had to be versed in many things, defending him included. "Thanks Godfrey, you won''t regret this. I promise." Darius was laughing his ass off just thinking of all the adventures they would go on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few days later he received 2 Cube Pods, as he didn''t have one, they came with the software and hardware for Supremacy installed since they were bought from Nevermore Inc. who offered the option to new users to prevent hassle on both sides. The workers informed him he wouldn''t be able to log in till 2 days later, but he could use the other functions the Cube offered. He thanked the men and tipped them, they tried to refuse but he insisted they take it. Meanwhile Godfrey was walking around the house uncomfortably. He still wasn''t used to this not helping around the house thing, though he was trying to, for Darius''s sake. They discussed it at length that night, and he just couldn''t convince Darius otherwise. He even offered a valid counter-argument, well he thought he did, but Darius landed on his feet and offered an explanation. Godfrey said how contradictory Darius was, he said he needed a friend, but he was being paid to do so. If he were to be his friend it shouldn''t be under such circumstances. And Darius explained how guilds, clubs and studios paid their members in real currency, and he would be paid for playing under him, not to be his friend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 days later, the virtual clocked in front of their eyes finally ticked 18:00 and they both said "System: Launch Supremacy". Colors swirled in front of their eyes and they felt weightless before reappearing in a library. Chapter 1: Character creation "Greetings, adventurer! Welcome to Ianus, the planet where you your adventure will start!" Darius barely gathered his bearings after landing in the library and he was already being barraged by the man standing in front of him. The man was as tall as Darius, so about 1,90m and he was quite slim, with long arms and legs. If Darius had to say, the mans body was very proportional even though he looked really slim, almost unhealthily so. The mans face was almost square, his lips taut, nose and cheekbones high, and his brown eyes framed with stylish glasses. Draping on the sides were locks of matt black hair. "My name is Edric, and I shall be your guide through character creation." "So, shall we start? First off, choose a race. Be aware that choosing a race with a body different to your own may be detrimental, and we don''t offer character rerolls, so choose carefully.
Race Perks
Human Diplomacy- All reputation gains are increased by 10% Human Spirit- +5% to all resistances
Elf Quickness- Increases chance to dodge all attacks aimed at you by 2% Magic Acuity- Learning magic is easier
Dwarf Might of the Mountain- +1% to both Strength and Endurance Dweller of the Deep- +5% damage dealt when underground
Gnome Tinkerer- +2% to Dexterity Escape Artist- Harder to hit(1%) and gives a 1% chance to escape your bindings (10min CD)
He was about to go into the lore behind the races but I just wanted to jump in and play, so I told him to stop and just tell me what choosing each race entails. After thinking for a bit I chose elf, because I felt it fit me best. I was pleased with my appearance so I didn''t change anything and I might have also just wanted to get straight into the game as soon as possible.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "What would you like to be known as?" I didn''t have to think about that, I was proud of my name. "Darius" "That would be all when it comes to character creation. I just have a few more pieces of information for you and then you can be on ayour way, unless you have questions. First of all, everyone can choose a class whenever they want, you just have to visit a trainer in one of the villages. There are all kinds of possible classes but those are evolutions of basic classes. For example a warrior can evolve into many different classes like spearman, swordsman, duelist, berserker etc. As you level those classes up you will receive skills corresponding to your class. Besides those, you can also learn 10 additional skills. Most production skills don''t count towards this, but there are always exceptions. Upon each level up you will also receive 5 stat and 3 skill points. Each skills maximum level is 10. And the only way to level skills up is spending said skill points. Achievements grant you additional skill points, the number of which depends on the rarity of the achievement. Hmm, now, I believe those are all the important bits of information. Any questions?" "Uhhh, yeah, how do you unlock duelist?" My eyes were most likely shining. That would be the perfect class for me. "One of the requirements to unlock the duelist class is that you must win 10 fights one one on one against opponents who are of the same or higher level as you. Sadly that is the only piece of information I am allowed to share with you. But I am sure you can figure it out yourself. Any other questions?" "I guess that''s all. Thank you for your help." I thanked the AI though I wasn''t sure if that was necessary. Some basic courtesy can''t hurt. "You are welcome. I will send you on your way now! Good luck!" The world spun around me and all of a sudden I was standing in the street of a city called Eversill, the last standing elvish city. Chapter 2: Settling in I looked around and instead of seeing wonderful sights of people in suits of armor or robes, carrying various weapons, all I could see was misery. Yes, everyone around me was an elf, and they were beautiful, just... They all looked underfed, dirty and everyones clothes were torn in at least one place. I know they want to make the game different but this seems a little much. I looked down at my body and noticed I looked no different than them. The buildings were also in similar shape. "Hmmm, well no point gawking, let''s see what can be done." I checked out my status screen and saw nothing special. All stats were at 10, and what each stat did was pretty self-evident. The skills list was also empty as of yet, since I learned none and I had no class. Something was blinking in corner of my vision, and when I focused my gaze on it, my quest log opened.
The world has been razed by wars with the beastman tribes and the hordes of beasts they command. You have been summoned in an effort to protect one of the last enclaves of the Alliance. But you are still weak, and thus need protection and training. You will have 3 months time before the barrier, protecting the area where the last stand will be made, disappears. The barrier will keep all monsters above level 10 out,it will weaken weekly, and the restriction will rise by 10 levels, until it eventually disappears. Your first assignment will be to find the trainer for your class. It is recommended you walk around town and talk to as many people and especially trainers so you can make your choice after being properly informed. Be aware that you will be able to select a subclass when you reach level 30.
10 XP per Class Trainer spoken to 5 Copper Coins Weapon beffitting your class
I walked around the town and found quite a few Trainers, though I doubt I found them all. The ones that interested me were the Warrior, Mage and Rogue. At first I didn''t even consider Rogues because I thought they all used daggers, but that was just a misconception I had based on other games I played or read about. Since I wanted to be a speed type sword user I decided to go with Rogue. "Greetings, sir Khatar! After careful deliberation, I have decided I wanted to become a Rogue." I said cheerfully with the brightest smile I could muster. The latest games usually had very lifelike NPCs so it would be safe to assume Supremacy had it too, based on what I had seen by now. It dissuaded many people who were serious about gaming from treating the NPCs as anything other than equals or people with higher standing. You could hear about such events every few months, where someone got angry and did or said something that would piss the NPC off and his life in the game became living hell.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Very well, Darius! I hope you will be able to persevere on this path. Many have chosen it thinking only of the benefits, and not sparing a single thought towards its detriments. Go and outside of city walls and challenge a boar with this short sword and bring me proof of your victory. Be wary of their charges, otherwise you are likely to be gored, like many an adventurer that came before you."
Rogue Trainer Khatar has offered you a class promotion quest! Slay a boar and bring back proof of your exploit.
Rogue class 5 Copper coins 25 XP
NotchedShort Sword
Damage: 3-5
I thanked him for the opportunity and made my way towards the town gates. In most games when you go out of the beginner cities you would be faced with lush forests, fields stretching into the horizon, the unending oceans or something of the sort; but in Supremacy the sight was a little different. In the distance you could see the shimmering blue film making up the barrier. There was once a probably lush forest inside the barrier, like the one on the other side of it, but it had been burnt when the barrier was erected. There were many beasts inside the barrier, and I could see some players already killing them, mostly the critters like rabbits and foxes. The boars I was looking for were a little further in the distance. I couldn''t spot any that were by themselves, most were in groups of 2 though some were in groups of 3. I inspected them and they were both level 3 which was probably too much for me as I am right now, with no armor to speak of and 2 levels below both. I figured I would look for other teams but I had a little too much pride to lean on other people I don''t even know. I took a rock from the ground and threw it as hard as I could at a boar, it missed. I kept trying and the fourth one finally hit. The boar let out an enraged howl which triggered the other one and they charged towards me. I quickly evaded them, and slashed at the one I had already injured with the rock as they were passing by, which only further enraged it. At the next bypass the other one nicked my leg and applied a small bleeding debuff. After 2 more bouts I bled the one I had been targeting the whole fight to death. As it let its dying squeal I could see the other receive a visible enraged buff, its body grew larger, the muscles swelling. I tried the same tactic but this time the boar was faster and severed the tendon, I lost the control of my right leg and had to kneel on my right leg. It charged again, but this time because my right leg was basically unusable I had to dig in, aim for the eyesocket with my sword and hope it doesn''t move its head out of the way. It didn''t, and I was sent sprawling but the sword pierced its head though the back, and it died on the spot. Its hulking mass on my legs, my HP was blinking red, I was left with barely 10% HP. I tried to yank the sword free but it was firmly stuck in its head. Thankfully they had looting enabled in the game, otherwise the battlefields would become very crowded. I got a head from one, tagged with "Quest item", 4 tusks, a pelt and 5 chunks of boar meat. I slowly made my way back to town before I got killed by some wandering monster. I wasn''t in the mood for turning the quest in just yet, so I logged out, I had been in the game for 6 hours now. Chapter 3: Class and Profession While on the outside I made myself a quick bite to eat, nothing fancy, just some eggs and sausages. I wanted to talk to Godfrey but he hadn''t logged out yet so I looked up Supremacy''s forums. The posts were basically just people complaining how hard it is. All monsters besides the critters fight in groups, which makes playing solo "impossible". In my opinion, these people don''t really want to play solo otherwise they would welcome the challenge. These are the people who aren''t good enough to make it into the top teams in guilds, so they choose to play "solo" just so they have the moral highground when they pick fights with people who are skilled enough to do so. With nothing else to do I logged back into the game. I made my way to the Rogue trainer and handed my quest in. "Congrats Darius, I think you may have what it takes to succeed." And with that I cleared the first 2 quests. Congrats! Your primary class has been changed to Rogue! For every level in your primary class you will receive +2 Agility, +1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina and 1 free stat point. You have learned the basic class skill Slash ?. Slash ? level 1- Slash at your target dealing weapon damage + damage equal to 10% of your Agility. This attack can critically hit. Costs 11 Energy to activate. You have cleared the quest Make your choice. You receive 110 XP, 5 Copper coins and Beginner Short Sword. You have cleared the quest Prove your worth! You receive 25 XP and 5 Copper coins. Hmm, I didn''t receive any XP for killing the boars. Must be because of not having a class at the time. Haha many are probably banging their heads right now. Almost all off those I saw earlier fighting the monsteres were classless. I guess it doesn''t matter right now anyways, it''s only 2 boars worth of XP. "Thank you, sir Khatar. I look forward to further guidance from you as I thread my path!" I felt like I overdid it with the drama, anyone in the real world would have thought I was mocking them, but I could see him beam at me. "No, thank you, young one! Not many of your kind have shown us much respect. Some act as if they were descended from human nobility, looking down on everyone." He leaned forward to whisper the rest of what he had to say. "If we didn''t need the help of your kind, they would have gotten banished from our lands a long time ago." "Now, you had best be going, there are others waiting their turn to speak to me. I wish you all the best, and may Odins wisdom guide you." Keeping in character I responded with "And Odins wisdom to you too." Now, I seem to have seen an enchanter around here while I was talking to the other trainers. I walked aroudn but couldn''t find it, so I spoke to some citizens who were just as glad for my courteousness as Khatar was. By the time I had reached the enchanter, I had stopped to chat with 3 more citizens "asking" for further directions and I received a pop-up. Congrats! You have received +100 Fame for your actions! The Fame gain has unlocked the Charisma stat. The Charisma stat has been set at 10. Every 100 Fame from now on will increase your Charisma by 1.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Hmm now that I think about it I haven''t really seen my stats since I started playing. Name: Darius Race: Elf; Traits: Quickness, Magic Acuity Primary class: Rogue- Level 0; Secondary class: Locked Strength- 10; Agility- 10; Stamina- 10; Intelligence- 10; Wisdom- 10; Constitution- 10; Charisma- 10 Crit chance- 1%,Resistances: Physical- 1%; Magical- 1% Strength affects your carrying capacity, speed and general muscle strength. Agility affects your crit chance, damage and muscle flexibility. Every 10 Agility equals 1% of your crit chance. Stamina affects your Energy resource bar and its regeneration rate. Every point of Stamina equals 10 Energy. Energy is used up when performing taxing activities like running, swimming, climbing etc. or as a resource for activating certain skills. Intelligence affects your Mana resource bar, spell damage and your ability to learn new spells. Every point of Intelligence increases your Mana by 20 points. Wisdom affects your Mana regeneration rate, spell damage and your ability to think clearly in the heat of battle. Constitution affects your Health pool and increases your resistances. Every point of Constitution increases your HP by 10 and your resistances by 0.1%. Charisma affects how other people perceive you and when first meeting someone increases the odds of them having a good impression of you. No changes there except for the Charisma stat as of yet, but I''ll get there. Now then, let''s greet my future profession master. I crossed the doorway and was about to offer the hearthiest greeting with the biggest smile I could offer but noone was there. Just as I was about to call, I saw a sign that said "Please, do not yell. I know you are there, I will come as soon as I can." I waited for a good 10 minutes before someone finally came out from the back of the store. "Oh, finally someone with manners..." The next part he added a little more quietly. "... and thee ability to read. What can I do for you, young man?" Haha when are those idiots going to understand that this isn''t a game where you can behave how you want just because it isn''t "real". Woops, better stop this train of thought, he is already looking weirdly at me since my first burst of laughter. "Greetings, fine sir. How may I call you?" He was schocked for a second there, but quickly got his bearings. " My, my, finally someone with proper behaviour. I was just going to dismiss you like the rest, but now I am genuinely interested. My name is Alwin Aevyre, and I am the proud owner of this establishment. And, you are?" Yes! Hook, line and sinker! "My name is Darius, and I have come to ask if you would be willing to teach me your noble craft." Laid a little thick, but judging by how his posture got even straighter than it already was, he liked it. "For someone as courteous as you are, I am willing to consider it. But you will have to learn the basics yourself. Are you willing to do so? It will not be easy, but the path is very rewarding. As you can imagine, I hold my work in high regard, as does everyone else, and I charge accordingly." He spoke a few more minutes, and I just nodded along and added a few lines of praise here and there, but I don''t want to bore you with the details. Learning the ropes. Master Alwin Aevyre has tasked you learning the basics of Enchanting yourself before he can start mentoring you himself. He values his profession highly, and requires that you have enough determination, focus and intelligence, otherwise it would be a waste of his, as he stated it, precious time. You can find the reading materials in the library. And you will have to get other materials yourself, either by buying it off someone or hunting for it in the wilderness. After enchanting an item, bring it to Alwin so he can grade your knowledge and work. While there is no time limit for this quest, your speed will be enough of an indicator for the aforementioned requirements. Rewards: The Enchanting profession will be unlocked for you, 100XP and a professional Enchanting kit. "Master Alwyn, I graciously accept your offer, and shall do my best to complete the assignment you have given me within the shortest timeframe possible!" Upon which he beamed and sent me on my way.