《Dungeon Quest Online》 Introduction Dark silhouettes crouched in the darkness with bated breath as a clacking noise breaks the silence. In hopeful anticipation, the four figures tensed as the clattering sound came to a close. "Yes!" Aaron cried out in relief. This whole predicament was his fault, but the gods of chance smiled upon him as the 20-sided die rolled to a stop displaying the number 15. The roll was a stealth check as Aaron and his three friends crouched in the shadows next to a Goblin encampment. They wouldn''t have been in this situation if Aaron hadn''t drawn up a brute of a warrior and a Dwarf to make matters worse. Dwarves and warriors lack any stealth which became clear as his armor rattled and heavy breathing broke the silence like a glass shattering in a morgue. The goblin encampment contained not one, but three mini-bosses and likely the boss would storm from the large hut in the center of the camp after his henchmen died. In normal circumstances, the adventurers would make short work of these foul creatures, but an armed escort with two additional mini-bosses had spawned in this location. Also, a party of three against three mini-bosses, ten grunts, two goblin shamans and a berserker were not favorable odds. Even if they killed these mobs, the boss encounter would follow, and the party would wipe due to depleted health and spells. Aaron looked around the table at his friends. Tristen who acted as the Gamemaster, or GM, was the center of this small group of unlikely friends. He was a dedicated GM who immersed himself in the game as a silent companion and never broke character. He often watched in stony silence as the party waded neck deep into trouble and called out failed checks resulting in their inevitable death. To Tristen''s left and right sat Tyler and Natalia. Everyone had met a couple of years earlier in six grade and had remained fast friends ever since. The Dungeon Quest game they played involved epic sword fighting, magic slinging, and mystery. Their small group had played the game going on two years. Throughout that entire time, Tristen worked tirelessly to bring the game alive for his companions. He would often narrate boss battles from the villains perspective. His narration made them come alive instead of inanimate pieces of plastic on the dungeon board tile. Aaron shared a look with Natalia, no doubt one of the main reasons he enjoyed coming to these games. She was always meek, reserved, and didn''t have an inflated ego, but rivaled any of the other girls at school in beauty. When the group gathered to play Dungeon Quest, she morphed into a different person after unveiling her characters. The characters often turned out to be singing or dancing bards. The change that enveloped her contradicted the shell she exuded in public. Tyler and Tristen exchanged looks while Aaron and Natalia continued sneaking glances at each other. Tristen had told Aaron that Natalia already knew his feelings, but for whatever reason Aaron could not move past his fear of rejection.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Tyler had often tried to make fun and embarrass them, but Tristen held him in check as much as possible. Tyler could be a riot to hang out with, he always had a witty quip or healthy dose of sarcasm to inject into any conversation, but sometimes he didn''t know when to quit. On the outside, he resembled a weasel and could smooth-talk his way out of anything. Tyler also had an uncanny ability to manipulate and maneuver people, like a used-car salesman who could sell a beat-up Volkswagen Beatle to a family with five kids and three times the price it''s worth. Tyler looked like a person people steered clear of, but he was a genuine friend and always had their backs, even if he had to go up against the whole football team. True to his physical appearance and character, Tyler always created a rogue and often with a sub-class of an assassin. As they sat in companionable silence, Tristen spoke, "Will you attack the goblin encampment, or retreat into the woods?" Tristen looked to Aaron since he would be the first into the encampment as the party''s tank. Because he was a dwarf and a warrior, he had high strength and defense and could take a beating. Natalia was the healer, albeit a non-traditional healer since she played a bard. Her healing often came in the form of songs or dances that healed over time and granted attack or defensive buffs for a short period. She could also dance and mesmerize mobs based on their level of intellect. Goblins succumbed to the dance with little effort, but the three mini-bosses altered her chance and required a roll of at least 13 to receive a successful check. If Natalia stepped from cover before the tank, it spelled doom for the party as the goblins could quickly take her out. Tyler could kill a mini-boss with one attack, but that still left two more. The party then needed to contend with the main boss in the tent. There was no way the group could take them without a wipe. The decision needed to wait until the next game as it was almost supper time and that signaled the end of the day for gaming. The group wrapped up early and could start again next week. While the friends packed up the game, Tristen droned on about a surprise he had in store for their gaming session next week. Everyone groaned as he continued to ramble about the surprise. Every time Tristen "surprised" the group, they ended up entering a scenario nigh on impossible. Who knew what Tristen had up his sleeve this time. Chapter 1: Operation A.I. Chapter 1 Operation A.I. Tristen Alexander - Experimental Build #1 20 years prior to launch Tristen jolted out of bed from a loud, insistent knocking on his door. His mother''s voice sounded from behind the closed door, Tristen, wake up! Its time to get ready for school. "Ugh, school already?" Tristen groaned as he waited for a sleep-addled brain to jump-start and the figurative fog of war to diminish. "Ha, Ha...," he chuckled to himself. He''d been dreaming about their last encounter in Dungeon Quest. Tristen recalled hisfriends crouched next to that Goblincampand Aaronnearlypanicking as he almost got the group killed. If only he could immerse himself in a fantasy world every day, it would make life so much more interesting. Instead, he had to go to school and sit through biology, mathematics, and history all of which provided no stimulation for Tristen. "Ugh," groaned Tristen. The only class that intrigued Tristen was Computer class since he loved to create programs. Outside of computer software and programs, he also loved to dabble with gadgets in the machine shop. Many of his other classmates that spent time in the shop worked on some metal project or another. There was a small bench in the back corner Tristen used to work on computers and other electronic gadgets.Heoften stayed hours after school ended while he worked on projects. The current project was an attempt to build an Artificial Intelligence or A.I.. He wanted to use it as theGM for their groups Dungeon Quest games. It wouldn''t be a complex A.I., but if he programmed enough data into it, perhaps it would function well enough. The goal was to create an electronic GM so that Tristen could join his friends as a party member for their next game. To create the A.I., there needed to be a voice modulator and a processor that could handleall the pre-built scenarios and characters the group had created. The A.I. could then respond to events based on keywords or triggered phrases. The equipment Tristen had at his disposal was an old-school voice modulator that had zero personality. He would need to change that, or he imagined his friends growing bored with it. He would like to have a more modern voice processor, but discarded and outdated electronics lacked the needed design. One day, Tristen planned to have a lab of his own and a team to build technology. Not only did he want to build a better A.I., but Tristen had also thought about building virtual reality technology. He had read about the technology and theories about full immersion into a created virtual space. Most of the designs were clunky and only allowed two senses, sight and hearing, to experience a virtual world. One day, he wanted to create a technology that allowed people to immerse themselves in a fantasy world, like Dungeon Quest. For now, He wouldsurvive with a cobbled together approximation of an A.I. so he could experience the thrill of adventure with his friends. He hoped to have everything complete before their next game, but he seemed to have an issue with the voice recognition that allowed the A.I. to hear and interpret keywords and trigger phrases. Tristen had gone through all the pre-fabricated scenarios, notes, GM responses, every possible combination of success checks and failures, and the phrases he used to moderate the game. He had done all of this on his own because he wanted to keep this project a secret from them. None of his friends had the same fascination and intrigue as hefor electronics and computers, anyway. Instead, Aaron was a different person outside their little group of friends and was on the junior high football team as a running back, whatever that involved. Sports was not an area of much interest to Tristen, not to mention he was a scrawny little guy that could float away from a stiff breeze. Aaron''s involvement in Dungeon Quest was oftena mystery to Tristen, and hesuspected Aaron would have abandoned his seat at the table if not for Natalia. Natalia was a beautiful, slender girl that loved to dance and sing. At school, other studentslooked askance at her as she walked through the hallswith her head buried in her books. She had that quiet mousey bearing on lockdown, but it allowed her to avoid the usual intrigues found in middle-school and allowed her to avoid the popular girls since she had no desire to be with the in crowd. The inflated egos of the popular kids revolted her, and she preferred to sidestep all of that drama. Last, there is Tristens friend Tyler who is oftenin detention for the pranks he orchestrates. The jokes and pranks extended to the teachers and staffwhich has resulted in being sent home. One time, there was a biology teacher that was instructing the class on animal reproduction, and somehow Tyler had gotten to the teacher''s instruction manual and taped a picture of the teachers head on the body of an animalshowing how babies came to be. Although he didnt get caught in the act, it was obvious who the culprit was as he sat on the edge of his seat with an expectant, mischievous grin plastered on his face. For every time he failed a prank onthe teachers or other students, there were three times as many pranks that succeeded and remained a mystery. He had an uncanny knackto avoidbeing caught and could weasel his way out of almost any situation. Many people would bristle at being called Weasel, but not Tyler. He embraced the name, and it had become his de facto nickname in both student and teacher circles. As he reminisced about his group of friends he was reminded to finish this surprise before the next game day on Saturday. I am so close. He thought He glanced at the clock and panickedas he misread 4:23 to say 4:32 pm. He double-checked the time-This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Phew..., " he sighed in relieve as he re-read the clock and noted he still had 7 minutes to get home. If he didnt get home by 4:30, his parents would lecture him and ground him from after school projects the rest of the week. He only lived a few blocks from school, so his parents allowed him to stay after school as long as he got home in time. He tossed a few parts into his backpack, he bolted out the door and unlocked his bike from the fence. He raced homeand arrived just before 4:30 pm, which earned him an arched eyebrow and,"you better watch it look," from his mom.Tristen shrugged and went to his room where he deposited his backpack full of parts on the desk. Heexpected to put in a lot ofwork after supper. That was a close one, he thought. Two months ago he had become so engrossed in a project he didnt get home until after six. He reaped theconsequences of showing up late. Not only did his parents ground himfrom after-school projects for a month, they also banned him from hosting Dungeon Quest games at his house for two weeks. After-school restrictions were one thing, he had plenty of parts at home to work on, but banishment from Dungeon Quest with his friends was barbaric. Never again, thoughtTristen. He made sure he always arrived home on time, which included settingboth alarmson his watch, a watch that looked like a steampunk contraption wired together using an analog clock face with a digital alarm. Tristenstarted inon his homework while he waited for dinner. He felt meaningless homework was like an oppressive bog in a swampy marsh. His thoughts meandered into potential Dungeon Quest scenarios- Focus Tristen, he told himself and forced his thoughts back to his homework. As fast as possible, Tristen whizzed through all the assigned homework, not even turning on his calculator for the various mathematics problems. Part of his passion for all things gadgetry, resulted innumbers and calculations being second nature. He almost never neededto write out equations or use a calculator for complex equations. It was the most significant issue Tristen had with this class, none of it challenged him. Heoftenignoredhis teacher whilehe compilednew adventures and dungeon maps in his head. His homework completed in record time, Tristen pulled out the spare parts which included the speech modulator and voice recognition module he''d worked on. These were the final two components that needed integration for the A.I. tofunction. Tristen attempted to program every possible response. He knew some aspects needed improvement,but he hoped there was a sufficient amount thatallowed him tojoin in the Dungeon Quest adventures with a character of his own. The group lackedsupport and damage mitigation spells, and Tristen had the perfect Mesmer or Illusionist combo that complimented the party. He couldnt wait to play the character this weekend. No sooner had Tristen begun work on the A.I., when his mom called outthat dinner was ready. "Aw, man...," he grumbled, exasperated at the constant interruptions. He tromped down to the dinner table where lasagna, garlic bread, and a side salad awaited him. "Ugh, do I really need to eat salad?" complained Tristen. "Yes, and you will eat every bite of it mister," scolded his father. He stared at the site of the poisonous green plants with ranch dressing in disgust. He sat in his usual spot, the one closest to the hall that led to his room. It was his preferred seat so he could make a quick escape after wolfing down dinner. Alone in his room, at last, Tristen cleared his workbench off and flipped on his boombox. He played a lot of throwback music, and his newest intrigue involved some 80''s music he had heard in a recent superhero movie. Prepped for the task ahead, Tristen submerged himself into his work. Only two days remained to work on the A.I.; he wanted to complete the project with time to spare for testing and tweaking. He also wanted to add a new scenario he''d thought about for a few weeks. He added more data and trigger-words into the voice recognition software. He also worked on the voice module so it could recognize and interpret his voice. Although he wouldnt be the GM this time around, Tristen aimed to lead the party due to an intimate familiarity with the rules, monster guides, and dungeon encounters. Engrossed in his work, Tristen didn''t hear his door open. "Tristen, turn the music off. We are headed to bed," his dad said as he raised his voice to be heard over the noise. Tristen jumped at his dad''s voice and said, "okay, good night." Tristen had convinced his parents earlier in the year, after a somewhat heated conversation, that he could manage his bedtime and that he wouldnt abuse the privilege. For several weeks after that discussion, Tristens parents watched him and ensured hedidn''t neglectsleep and it didn''t affect his school or attitude. Afterhesatisfied his parent''s requirements, they allowed him to manage his bedtime but had been clear if he abused the privilege or woke anyone else in the house, theywouldrevoke it. FINALLY!hewhooped in delight. Oh no! Tristenran to his door andyanked it open. He listened for any noises, paused for a full minute, and then breathed a sigh of relief after he ensured his parents hadn''t heard. He closed the door and returned to his workbench. The excitement was palpable; hehad gotten the two modules integrated and operational. He ran through some prepared test scenarios. The A.I. recognizedhis voice and uttered the appropriate responses. I did it! I created an A.I.! It looked terrible, like something regurgitated from an old Pentium 4 with a modern LCD on top, but it worked! He couldnt wait to tell his friends but waited for the reveal until Saturday. In the meantime, Tristen planned towork on the cosmetics at school the next day. He had nospare parts to do that at home but could find some discarded equipment to house the new A.I. at school. He also wanted to look for some speakers to amplify the volume. Tristen realized the A.I. designation exaggerated what he had built. It was not a fullfunctioning A.I.. It only responded to pre-programmed data and couldnt create new responses on its own. However, the definition of artificial intelligenceexplainedthat any artificial program performing human-like tasks such as speech recognition and decision-making counted as an A.I.. All the responses were pre-programmed and triggered by keywords, but for the sake of Tristens pride, this project hailedhis first ever A.I. creation! Even though the actual hardware was someone elses creation, all the programming and integration of the parts was his design. One day I''m going to built an A.I. from scratch, one that is self-aware and can learn on its own! I''m going to use this A.I. to create a game the likes of which this world has never seen!vowed Tristen. Chapter 2: Nerd Within the Jock - Aaron Chapter 2 Nerd Within the Jock Aaron Johnson - Barbarian, Warrior, Jock 20 years prior to launch Johnson!, yelled Coach Jones. Here, Aaronsaidas he bounced on his toes. Youre up, he responded. Yes! Aaron hissed as he rushed onto the field at the oppositions twenty-yard line. His team faced their rivals in the regional championships and the clock ticked closer to zero. The score was 20 to 14, and they were down 6 points. There was enough time for maybe two or three plays before the quarter ended and it was Aarons time to shine. Hed been on the sidelines for ten minutes as the opposing team ran the clock down. His team had gotten lucky on the last play, which resulted in an interception. This set their offense up for a short run to the goal line. Aaron moved into the backfield at the running back position. His coach often moved him around the formation due to his speed and agility. The design of the current play meant he would drop back into an option read for the quarterback. First, they would attempt a hard snap count to pull the defenders offsides and move them closer to the goal line. Blue 42, set hut, hut, hut, his quarterback intoned. Their opponents werent fooled and waited until the center snapped the ball. After the ball went into motion, Aaron dropped back into position looking for any defenders that broke the line of scrimmage. The opponents secondary scrambled into man coverage at the last second. Three wide-receivers careened down the field on the right, the tight-end slanted left, and Aaron swung to the left to fall in behind the tight end. Because the defenders switched to man coverage that left Aaron open as the defenders backpedaled down field to cover the wide-receivers. His quarterback sent a bullet pass to him and he rocketed downfield. Two defenders stood in his way, one of which abandoned his coverage on the tight-end. The first defender attempted an open field tackle and received a stiffer right to his faceplate. The second defender played more conservative and went for a low tackle around Aarons legs. Just as the defender lunged, Aaron launched into the air escaping his clutches. Two steps later he dove into the end zone which tied the game at 20 vs 20. With only a few more seconds on the clock their kicker jogged on the field. The game hinged on the next play. If the extra point succeeded, the game was over and Aaron exited middle-school as a regional champion. With bated breath, he watched from the sidelines as the ball hit the hands of the placeholder. "No," Aaron breathed. The snap was a little off and the ball holder almost fumbled. He got the ball under control and slammed it into the ground, just as the kickers foot arced through the air and connected with the ball! The ball tumbled end over end and veered to the right as a gust of wind threatened to knock the ball off its course. Aarons breath caught in his throat. For a split second it looked like the ball would bounce off the upright and leave the game tied. When it hit the upright it ricocheted, but had enough momentum it carried the ball through the posts for the extra point. They''d done it! They won! "Woohooo...," Aaron yelled.?The entire football team ran onto the field and hoisted Aaron and the kicker into the air as they celebrated the victory. Festivities and awards ensued and once all the activity had died, they made their way into the locker rooms. Right before Aaron headed into the locker rooms he looked to the stands and saw his foster parents and three best friends, Tristen, Natalia, and Tyler. They cheered and waved at him in congratulations. Aaron changed and rushed out to join his friends and foster family. He and his friends planned to convene at the local pizza joint. Truth was, they didnt need an excuse to eat pizza. There were teenagers after all and everyone knows teenagers live on pizza and ramen noodles. Regardless of a victory or a loss, they had planned to hang out at the pizza join afterwards. They needed no excuse to hang out and Aaron was forever grateful to his friends for accepting him as he was. His foster parents waved goodbye, and he heard his "fifth" dad yell out, "dont stay out too late, its still a school night." I wont, see you soon, he called back. Aaron turned back to his friends and said, lets go eat pizza! As they walked to the pizza joint, Aaron felt at peace and happy. This new foster home was the only place hed ever felt wanted, and he loved his friends. His friends didnt see a foster kid with next to nothing; or a broken kid messed up at the loss of his parents. They liked him for who he was despite his background.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Over the last two years they had become his adopted family, and it helped him cope with the loss of his parents. Aaron''s parents died in a freak plane crash just after his dad earned his pilots license. His parents rejoiced at the accomplishment and used all of their life savings to buy a small twin-engine plane to start a charter business. It was the day after he received his license when his dad took his mother on a celebratory flight. They hadnt come back from that flight and when Aaron had gotten back from school a social worker was there to greet him. The explained what had happened, but it didnt sink in at first. He was only six years old and didnt understand that his parents werent coming home. After the social worker had taken him home to pack and then dropped him off at what looked like a third-world shanty town he understood. His parents weren''t coming back and now he would have to live in this cesspool of a trailer park, complete with some grimy, two-bit low-lowlifes as parents. The state hadn''t spent long looking for any family he could stay with. Even now, he didnt know if he had any extended family. When he was old enough, he planned to look for them. For now, he had his friends to confide in and keep him going. His friends supported him at school, in sports, and keeping his nerd life a secret. Most people didnt know he liked to lose himself as a barbarian or dwarven paladin on the weekends. Hed had to make up a lot of excuses to his teammates when they asked him to weekend events. It didnt happen often, and even less frequent now because he always turned them down. He kept his game life secret because he knew they would laugh and ridicule him at school. None of his teammates were into board games. They all got together and played the latest sports games on PlayStation or Xbox. All his teammates would call him a weirdo if they found out. Aaron worked hard to keep his social life and hobby separate from his sports passion. The team already alienated him on account of his background and being a foster kid. Kids always snubbed him and acted all high-brow around him. His whole team wasnt like that, but it was enough he avoided hanging out with any of them outside practice and football games. Because they already treated him as an outsider he was cautious to keep his geek-life separate. He needed every advantage he could get to stay an integral part of the team. Hard work had paid off, but he knew if the team spurned him, he wouldnt see the play time he needed. If he didnt get the play time, then he wouldnt make it far in high school and would fail to impress college scouts. Hey guys, lets grab that booth in the back by the arcade, said Tyler which jarred Aaron from his introspection. I cant stay out too late guys, you heard my foparents, replied Aaron. Foparents, meant foster parents. Tyler decided foster parents needed an abbreviation and shortened it; the name had stuck. Just a few games while we wait for the pizza, placated Tristen. All right, all right just make sure you get me a pizza with some meat on it, not those nasty veggies you all seem to like so much, cajoled Aaron. Aaron and his friends spent two hours playing games and eating their pizza before he excused himself and told his friends he needed to head home. His home was in the ghetto as some called it. As far as he knew that was where hed live until he turned eighteen and moved off to college. The small room he slept in held two beds and two dressers with a two-foot gap between them. Another foster kid shared the room. His foster parents, Tasha and Rick, pulled him aside and told him the kid had come from an abusive home. Whatever the poor kid experienced, it made him awkward, and he never talked to Aaron. Though many called it the ghetto, it was a significant upgrade from the past few homes. Tasha and Rick tried their best to care for them. They wanted to invest themselves into the kids they fostered and they didnt just do it for tax breaks or a stipend from the state. In all the previous homes he lived, the bottom-feeders that took in foster kids only wanted the money. The paycheck was small, but what little they received went towards booze or drugs. Most of the time Aaron ended up wearing clothes several sizes too small and going to bed hungry. The last home was a train-wreck and the foster parents ended up going to prison. They took in three foster kids and used all the money on themselves. There was one week that Aaron remembered they didnt eat a single meal at home. It was only thanks to being in school they had any food at all. His teachers and principle reported the obvious malnutrition and disheveled state of his clothes to the state. Social services pulled him out of the home and hed ended up with Tasha and Rick. He couldnt remember the last time he felt wanted. Rick, Tasha, Im home, called Aaron. He made his way to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, pausing only to remove his shoes before he passed out. The next day at school, kids all patted his back and congratulated him. He swelled with pride knowing that his hard work and long hours of practice had paid off. No matter what else happened, he resolved to make his dream a reality. After high school, hed get into college on a full ride football scholarship, he would wow professional football scouts, and join a professional league. Hey! Exclaimed a quiet female voice, but it was too late. Aaron collided with.. Natalia, S-s-sorry! he stammered, and helped pick up the books hed knocked out of her hands. He always felt weird around her at school. It was much easier when they played Dungeon Quest when they both impersonated other characters that displayed their inner desires. Here, their facade was in place and he felt awkward. Ask her to homecoming! he yelled in his mind. Dont punk out! Natalia stared at him for a moment before she said you played great last night. Aaron felt his chest swell with pride, but he couldnt get any words out to express his thanks and ask her out. Ask her you dimwit! He opened his mouth to ask her to homecoming when the bell rang. Aaron glanced at the speaker in the corner wished he had his trusty two-handed ax so he could reduce the dang thing to bits of metal and plastic! Without another word Natalia scurried down the hall to her next class. Aaron stood mute, dejected and outraged at the universe for ignoring his plight and not halting time. Noooo! Ill never have a better chance than that, he thought. Aaron went through the motions for the rest of the day and wished hed just had the courage to ask a few seconds earlier. He didnt think there would be another chance to ask her until Saturday. Two days, he thought. Maybe I can ask her while playing Dungeon Quest? Chapter 3: Dancing Through Life - Natalia Chapter 3 Dancing Through Life Natalia Summers - Bard, Dancer, Musician, Singer 20 years prior to launch Hey, Natalia exclaimed. She hadnt been watching where she was walking and looked up just in time to see someone loom in front of her. Her books flew everyone- Natalia, S-s-sorry, she heard Aaron say. She jerked her head up and looked at Aaron, say something about last night, she urged herself. You played great last night, she said. Aaron looked uncomfortable, and he glanced away to pick up her textbooks. He handed her books back and opened his mouth to say something- Please ask me to homecoming, she thought. R-r-ring, the school bell chimed. She watched Aaron glance at the speaker in the hall and emotion swept over his features. It looked like frustration or anger. She didnt wait around and instead hurried away to her next class. Is he mad at me? Did I say something wrong? Throughout the rest of class, all she could think about was Aaron''s face when the bell rang. It seemed like he wanted to tell her something and then the bell interrupted. She wanted Aaron to ask her to homecoming so bad and wished she could will it to happen. I know, I know its not a real homecoming, she chided herself. It wasnt the same thing as a high school homecoming. Normally, a nearby high school in the district would allow junior high students to join their homecoming, but Thomas Heights was in its own district. To celebrate the end of junior high, the school threw their own version. That day was right around the corner and Aaron still hadnt asked her. Maybe they could talk more at Tristens on Saturday. Dungeon Quest, whispered Natalia. She couldnt wait until the weekend to play. It was the only time she dropped her carefully constructed facade. Yes, the quiet personality and meek demeanor was not her true self. When not playing Dungeon Quest, the only other times she could be herself was at home or during her music and ballet lessons She loved to sing, dance, and play music and those passions always inspired the characters she created. A songstress or bard was her preferred class type. Only her family, closest friends, and teachers knew about her passion for the arts. Part of the reason for the secrecy was she feared performing in front of an audience. She kept it a secret and stayed away from school programs. Her current plan involved participation in high school programs and eventually college. It was her dream to one day dance on broadway. It seemed like such a scary prospect when she considered her irrational fear of public performances. Her parents suggested she get involved in some school drama programs in high school next year. It scared her to death, but that was the current goal. She planned to start small with a small role in a school production or as an extra. She thought it would be okay to dance in front of other people, but singing was out of the question until she overcame the fear. Fear or not, it was her dream and no matter how long it took, she would push toward her goals. Natalias mother picked her up from school and dropped her at the Thomas Heights School of Arts. She recognized a few others kids from her school in the group classes, but she had private lessons for violin, piano and voice. Ballet lessons were semi-private. She had group exercises, but for some more advanced techniques, she had a private tutor. The first lesson of the day was the piano. Her teacher assigned a very complicated composition a few weeks ago, and she struggled to master it. It was a beautiful composition if she could ever play it without making a mistake. Shed practiced the music for the past few weeks at least an hour every day and still mistakes persisted throughout. If Natalia hadnt heard her teacher play the music, shed have thought it designed for someone with two brains and four hands. Her hands needed to dance independent of each other to play the chords and the melody at the same time. It frustrated her when she reached the last part and then missed notes. Her teacher explained that it would become muscle memory; she hadnt achieved that level of skill yet, apparently. When she reached the private room, her instructor was already there.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. We will take a break from the usual lessons today. Instead, we will walk around talking with some other students that have been in the same place as you. Hopefully it will give you some inspiration as you work on your assignment. I dont know if that will help, Natalia said timidly. Ive been practicing every day and I cant get through the piece without messing up. Sometimes we all hit a plateau and we need to look for inspiration or try a new tactic to break through the barrier. For the next hour, they walked around to other lessons and chatted with everyone about their methods for getting past barriers. One senior explained a technique that appealed to Natalia. When Im working on a hard piece, I start with one sheet of music and put the rest away and out of sight. Once Ive gone through the piece dozens of times, I look away from the music sheet and recall from my hand positions from memory, how one movement felt, and let the music flow through my fingers. I dislike relying on just my eyes to translate the music and then instruct my fingers because it feels too rigid. Feel the music and the best way to achieve that is through muscle memory. After I get through the one sheet of music with no mistakes, I put it away and end my practice. The next day I do the same thing with the second sheet and continue the process until I can play using muscle memory. That sounds much more achievable than trying to play the whole thing at once like Ive been doing, replied Natalia. Thank you for your advice! All right, thats all the time we have for today. I appreciate you taking me around to talk to people today. I think it will help me in my lessons more than just playing through it over and over, Natalia thanked her teacher and made her way to violin lessons. Violin was a new endeavor for her; shed wanted to pick it up after one of the recent characters she created used a vielle as part of her bard kit. A violin is the modern version of the vielle. Because she was new to the instrument, practice comprised finger positions, scales, and theory. Piano lessons had prepped her well, and she knew drills like this were necessary before you progressed. She continued to build the foundation through lessons and practice. She couldnt wait to play more duets and chords with her teacher. All she could play right now was Old McDonald Had a and other such children songs. After violin, Natalia moved to vocal lessons. She looked forward to these lessons the most and loved to sing. She preferred to sing classical and jazz music, but her instructor insisted that she work through a lot of different styles. The different styles required different voice like chest, throaty or head. The different voices caused the sound, intonation, and pitch to change. Different voices also complimented different music types, and it was an art form. Everything about vocal lessons intrigued her, and she always tried to learn more. She wanted to expand her range enough she can sing any style well. Her current project involved extending her vocal range up and down an octave. It was a ton of work and required content work. Every class began with warm-ups; the first exercise was a vocal slide starting in her upper vocal range and sliding down to the lowest. She repeated the motion several times and then moved into additional exercises to loosen the vocal cords, lips and larynx. Before she knew it, class was over and she received her next assignment; a classical piece that forced he to work on vibrato, modulating her voice up and down on long notes. She walked outside and saw her ride waiting. On a normal day, her parents picked her up from school, but sent a driver after lessons. The lessons often went longer than the designated time and they kept a very strict schedule, meeting with clients every day. Natalia didnt mind they werent always there to pick her up from lessons. She knew if it were a recital they would be present to support her. It helped her get past the fear of performing in public. Her parents supported all of her hobbies despite their busy schedule. They ran a very successful real-estate business. They started the business from Thomas Heights, but had several satellite offices all over the country. Any high-profile clients or celebrities her parents handled, and it required them to travel often. However, they always made sure one of them was home. If there was ever a time both of them needed to be away, they brought her along for an impromptu family vacation. Natalia had little to complain about and she loved her parents. They always took care of anything she needed, supported any extra curricular activities, and let me pursue hobbies they didnt quite understand, like Dungeon Quest. They even drove her all the way across town on Saturdays to play with her friends. Some kids at school thought she was a spoiled rich kid. She wore the latest fashion and designs clothes, but that was her only splurge. Natalias parents didnt just give her anything she wanted; she had to earn it. She didnt have many chores at home so they set goals for her music and ballet lessons. They often called her teachers to see how shed progressed. The rewards were usually extravagant, but at least shed earned them. Her parents had told her they wouldnt be buying a car when she turned 16, and could drive. She needed to get a job over the summers, earn enough for a down-payment, and then take out a cosigned loan for the car. She would keep the car clean, pay for gas, and handle monthly payments over the summers. Sometimes Natalia hated them for it, they could easily afford it, but she grudgingly admitted it her appreciate it more. Home from school and lessons, Natalia saw both her parents cars in the drive. It had been almost a month since they were all together. It is a buyers market, her mom and dad would say They had been out of town selling and closing deals for a month straight and she hoped they could spend the night together. Mom, dad! Natalia exclaimed after seeing both in the study. Hey sweetie, her mom said and gave her a hug. Are you both going to be home for a while? Yep! We finished out the month and have no other deals lined up for a few days, explained her dad. Yes! replied Natalia happily. How were your lessons today? "They were great. My piano lessons were a little different today. Ive been struggling with my last assignment so my teacher took me around to talk" Natalia explained everything shed learned at lessons and also what shed learned in school. She told them about the football game last night and how Aaron had scored the winning touchdown. As she talked about Aaron a forlorn expression crossed her face. Unbeknownst to Natalia, her parents exchanged knowing glances. She ended her recount of the past week and expressed her excitement for this weekend and the surprise that Tristen promised. I wonder what he has up his sleeve this time, wondered Natalia. Chapter 4: Roguish Charm - Tyler (aka “Weasel”) Chapter 4 Roguish Charm Tyler Wilson - Weasel, Rogue, Prankster 20 years prior to launch Backstab, Backstab! Tyler yelled. He jammed the F4 key on his keyboard to trigger the macro. He had dozens of them, but this one allowed his character to shadow step behind the boss and deliver the killing blow using backstab. In one smooth motion his rogue delivered the coupe de grace. The boss collapsed to the ground and a loot chest appeared on a pedestal at the rear of the room. His guild mates cheered and rushed to the chest to claim their prizes. All the gear and items in the chest were trash to Tyler. He already had the best gear and weapons in the game. As a senior member of the guild, they required him to run noobs through the dungeons to gear them up for raids and guild competitions. The only time Tyler enjoyed playing anymore was against other players. None of the quests, dungeons, and raids provided much entertainment. They were just too easy, and he didnt even remember the last time he had struggled to beat one. Someone needs to make a new game I can enjoy, thought Tyler. He loved massively multi-player online games, or MMO, but there was no challenge anymore. When a player hit the end game content and beat the final boss, the challenge faded. Tyler would get the best gear and weapons and then everything became rote. He could go around to the towns looting and killing for the heck of it, but solo play also held no appeal to him. He preferred games that required teamwork and strategy; games that depended on group composition and skill. Too bad Dungeon Quest didnt have an online version. Everything about Dungeon Quest was so much more fun than any of the current MMOs out there. He played with his best friends, they made their own strategies, his characters were custom made, and they had an amazing GM. Tyler recalled the game last weekend and the goblin encounter. Hed thought about sabotaging Aaron and forcing the encounter, but held himself in check. For Dungeon Quest, he was always a team player. Any other time, he had no qualms about screwing with people. Aaron, you lucky son of a gun, Tyler thought and grinned. If not for the stealth check Aaron received, they would have wiped and ended game. Then again, whatever Tristen had planned with his surprise, they may need to restart, anyway. Whatever it was, he refused to spill the beans. Tyler suspected it was a new hair-brained concoction of death and intrigue or perhaps a new expansion for the game. Tristen came up with new ideas that put the party in dire circumstances all the time. In fact, it had been a month or two since the last, so it made sense he would introduce a new one soon. Either way, Tyler planned to roll the same character he always did. He had resolved to roll the same character in any game he played, no matter the medium. It suited him and mimicked his persona in the real world. He didnt steal or throw daggers at anyone, but he often sneaked around and played pranks on people. I cant wait until tomorrow! Tomorrow marked the day of his biggest achievement in pranks to date. Junior high ended in just two weeks and everything aligned for this day to be epic. If everything went as expected, there would be no evidence to point back to him. The school year had been drab, and he hoped to end it with a flourish and bow. There were five planned pranks, one for each of his classes. He needed to get everything lined up, which was difficult when all the classrooms were in constant use. Tomorrow the stars aligned because every one of his classes would be empty the hour prior. Half of the school was out on a field trip for the day. His class went on the field trip two weeks prior and thats when hed schemed his masterful plan. Tylers first hour was a free period. He should have used that hour to study for upcoming exams, but not tomorrow. This time he had lots of preparation work to do. Only half of the teachers were on staff today. That left the hallways and classrooms empty, perfect for his devious endeavors. His first class of the day, Biology, would take time to set up since there were a lot of parts to set up. He figured it was a biology class so why not add more life! Just behind the door to the classroom rested a two foot by two foot vent cover. When the door to the classroom was open, the entire vent and some wall remained hidden. Perfect! This prank involved a bunch of fake cockroaches with super glue on their feet. He had spent hours searching online and in local stores for the most realistic replication he could find. The first stage of the plan involved placing the fake roaches in between the slats of the vent, followed by a trail of them leading behind a table. To make the prank even more realistic, hed purchased a couple roaches that were battery operated and their antennae waved back and forth. For the roaches that would be into the vents, their antennae were pliable and could move from the air circulation of the vent.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Throughout the year, Tyler had tested all kinds of face insects to see which one scared his teacher the most. Centipedes, cockroaches, and spiders all elicited a health scream, but it seemed the one that grossed her out the most was a cockroach. This one time, hed found a slim and flexible roach and placed it under her coffee mug- "Hahaha," erupted Tyler in a healthy belly laugh. His teacher had shrieked so loud and dropped the mug where the contents spilled all over the floor. I think she threw that mug away after that incident, mused Tyler. She swept the roach into the garbage with a piece of paper, unable to tell if it was real. Tyler retrieved it later, and she was none the wiser. Maybe she thought it was real and had crawled away. One lesson she would learn after today, never show your fears and weaknesses to a class of ruthless teenagers! Math class, reflected Tyler while he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. The next prank wasnt as elaborate and he didnt need to buy anything for this one. His teacher was an older, balding guy that seemed ancient. He wore thick rimmed glasses that made him look like he had bug eyes, not to mention he was a mouth-breather. It annoyed Tyler so much and when the guy talked, it was as if no air-flow passed through the beak that was his nose. Worse, when they took a test, he walked up and down the aisles huffing and wheezing. It was so much worse than Vader; at least Vaders resulted from machine-assisted breathing. Tyler believed it was a ploy to make them fail every quiz and test. The balding, mouth-breathing antagonist loved to write everything on the chalkboard. Then, he erased it and wrote over the half-erased lines until it was impossible to distinguish anything. Today, the protagonist, Tyler, had a plan to assure a victorious confrontation. You and your chalk-wielding machinations will end! For the past week he searched for videos and pranks that involved chalk or chalkboards and had decided on an old, tried, and true prank; slivers of chalk stuffed into the erasers. If stuffed just far enough, they werent visible when inspected. When the teacher went to erase the board, the pressure activated the hidden substance within and resulted in the complete ruination of the antagonists plot to confuse and distract innocent bystanders. His enemy also kept spare weapons in his desk and Tyler resolved to booby-trap them. He contemplated going to other classrooms and setting traps. Unfortunately, at least one of those classes would be in session during his setup time. His victory may be short-lived, but he planned to revel in every second of his success. The third prank was not for a teacher, but rather the librarian. Tyler worked as a student helper during fourth period putting books back on the shelves. He didnt help out of the goodness of his heart, he wanted to get out of study hall for that period. The ruthless attendant quelled any talking or socializing that didnt pertain to school. Who the heck wants to sit in a study hall at school and do they same thing as at home? Tyler shook his head at the thought. Definitely not me, nope! The librarian for the school was a volunteer, and he felt a little bad, but overruled himself on account of this being his last hurrah before the end of the year. This prank required more risk than the rest of them today. He needed all stats to the max today if he hoped to pull this one off. What is the one cardinal rule for any library? He had asked himself. That cardinal rule went out the windows today as he orchestrated a prank that shattered that rule in epic proportions. He bought three air, like the ones that people used at sports events to make as much noise as possible. He wanted to place these under chairs in strategic locations throughout the library. The final canister belonged under the librarians chair. The biggest issue with placing that canister involved culpability. He would be the only other person in the library so needed to get the prank set up before he went on duty to avoid suspicion. He could feign complete innocence and shock when she triggered the prank. To do that, he needed to get there before his time slot and set it up when the librarian went into the stacks to put books back. This prank hinged on a perfect storm. First, he needed the librarian to step away from her desk move to a location where her desk was not in sight. He would then rush to the desk and dive underneath while he set up the prank. Then, he needed her to stay away from the desk long enough to zip tie the can of air to the chair post. Last, he had to ensure she was looking away while he sprinted back out of the library. Then he could walk in a few minutes later. If all went according to plan, she wouldnt sit down on the chair until after hed arrived to help. If she triggered the prank while he was out of the room, it would ruin all of his careful preparation. This will be the best day of school ever! The other two pranks were less elaborate and involved clear wood glue in the sanitizer bottle for English class and saran wrap on the toilets in the teachers bathroom. His English teacher was a germ freak, and she used the sanitizer half a dozen times in a forty-five minute period. As for the teachers bathroom, that was only possible because half of the teachers were on vacation or out at the field trip today. It would be an epic day! Tyler wanted to pull these pranks on Thursday instead of Friday in the event that he got caught. That way if he went to detention his parents could ground him on Friday and he''d still make it to Tristen''s house on Saturday. No matter how much he enjoyed pranks, he loved Dungeon Quest more. He always made sure not to do anything that jeopardized his chances of playing on Saturdays. Besides, I dont think they could play without me, anyway. Im the primary damage dealer This week would be even more fun with the surprise that Tristen had in store for them. Tyler had spent the past few days thinking about what the surprise was, but still suspected it was a new scenario. The new scenario likely involved lots of death, destruction, and close calls. Tristen always granted the party a horrible death at the hands of a vile end game boss. He never granted mercy on the party and sat there in smug arrogance when his creation destroyed them. Even if we get killed from whatever he has planned, I cant wait! Thought Tyler. In the meantime, pranks must go on Chapter 5: An A.I. is Born Chapter 5 An A.I. is Born Tristen Alexander - Experiment Test #1 20 years prior to launch The day finally arrived for the big reveal! Tristen could barely contain his excitement while he waited for his friends to arrive. If all went as planned, the A.I. would become a permanent part of the team. He knew it updates and refinement were necessary and he planned to keep tweaking the A.I. to perfection. A.I.... I need to come up with a better name for this thing. It sounded too impersonal for Tristen''s liking. It also didnt flow with a fantasy-based game. He thought about all the A.I. names hed seen in the past, but couldnt settle on one name. All the good names traced back to science fiction origins, and he needed something that straddled fantasy and science fiction. So far he had a short list: ?Jarvis ?Alfred ?Adam (first man thing and all that) ?Icarus ?Beta ?Cerebro ?Mother He also thought about names of origin such as "Alpha" or "Genesis". Although an origin name sounded cool, he definitely hadnt built something original and decided against it. Ill save origin names for when I create the first self-aware A.I., he thought. Tristen glanced at his watch, only an hour remained before his friends arrived and he wanted to run through a few more tests. The actual reveal wouldnt happen until the game began and the A.I. narrated the scenario. Before anyone showed up, he double-checked his character build. The group did well on their own, but often survived only through luck because they didnt have a true support class outside of Natalias healer. With that in mind, Tristen created a hybrid support class that could buff, heal, and deal massive amounts of damage. The hybrid class was a mix between a Mesmer and Illusionist. Mesmers master mental manipulation and have the ability to control a being against their will. In contrast, Illusionist master the skill of physical manipulation, making others believe in something that does not exist. The combination created a powerful hybrid class that complimented both schools of magic. It allowed the caster to distract, confuse, enslave, and destroy opponents without using a single physical weapon. His character for Dungeon Quest looked like this:
Mesmer/Illusionist
Armor - +13 Health - +5
The Mesmer is a master of mental manipulation, working from behind his allies to mitigate data, confuse his enemies, and control mobs. Although the Mesmer has one of the lowest armor and health ratings of any other character, their ability to boost the group and deflect damage or convert direct damage into heals, makes him an invaluable part of any group. Mesmers can use a one-handed sword, staff, one-handed ax or scepter for attacks. While the Mesmer is part of the group, gain +1 to Armor as a boost to evade attacks. The secondary class Illusionist allows the Mesmer to bolster mental manipulation by reinforcing spells with Illusions.
Spell - Deflection
Damage - 0 Cooldown - One round of combat.
Effect 1: Used on an enemy redirects their next attack back at them. Effect 2: Casting on an ally deflects the next incoming attack back at the attacker. Note: Damage is equal to that of the attacker, and all conditions will apply.
Duration - Effect occurs once before removed.
Spell - Transference
Damage - 0 Cooldown - One use per two rounds of combat.
Effect - Cast spell on attacker to convert their next attack into a heal equal to the damage of the attack.
Duration - Effect persists until activation and will heal one ally before removing the effect.
Spell - Confuse
Damage - 0 Cooldown - One round of combat
Effect - Confuse attacker, lulling them into a stupor.
Duration - Enemy will remain dazed for one round of combat or until damage received.
Skill - ReplicationEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Damage - 0 Cooldown - One time use unless special ability re-activates used skills.
Effect - Create two replicas images of caster and move to the top of the aggro list. Replicas cannot attack, and armor/health stats are 1/3 of the casters.
Duration - Replicas will exist until destroyed by enemy combatant.
Skill - Phantom Thrust
Damage - +3 Cooldown - One time use unless special ability re-activates used skills
Effect - Using illusion magic, the Mesmer is able to manipulate physical objects ignoring armor for one attack.
Duration - One attack
Requirements: One-handed Sword or One-handed Ax and 13+ roll.
Although the class only had one direct damage attack, the rest of the spells and skills made up for the lack or armor and physical attacks. Overall, the builds paired well with his friends chosen character classes. Tyler already had high DPS, or damage-per-second, with his assassin build. Using her Bard, Natalia was the groups healers often using buffs and HoT, or heal-over-time, spells. Aaron acted as the groups tank with his Dwarf warrior. Tristen acted as GM from the moment they played Dungeon Quest. Today marked the first time he would play as a party member and he was very excited. ### It wasnt long before he heard the doorbell that declared his friend''s arrival. He quickly covered up the A.I., which looked a whole letter better than the first version. Tristen found a discarded square computer box with a transparent viewport. Whatever the box housed before he didn''t know, but it made it easy for him to retrofit his creation inside. The A.I. looked a lot more glamorous than the original iteration. With the transparent viewport, it was easy to see the innards of the A.I., and it looked pretty dang cool, even if a little too science fiction for the occasion. Tristen ran to the door and found Aaron was the first to show up. That made sense because he only lived a few blocks away in a trailer park. Tristens neighborhood was in a middle-class area but often appeared run-down on account of the characters that trafficked in and out of the trailer park. Aaron didnt complain since his current home situation was much better than any of the previous foster homes hed lived at. Natalia and Tyler lived across town in the upper-class neighborhood; their parents were well off financially. Tristen liked to visit their homes, but his parents were much more reluctant to take him across town; Aaron was in the same boat. Natalia and Tylers parents either dropped them off or called a car for them and fully supported hanging out with friends. Sometimes they showed up a little late to game day, something about people enjoying sleep... Who likes sleep? thought Tristen. I hate sleeping its a waste of time. He greeted Aaron at the door and they hung out on the porch for the rest of the gang. Spring was in full swing and all the snow melted. Not that it mattered to Tristen, he spent his time indoors behind a computer screen. It also didnt affect game day since they would spend most the day cloistered around Tristens gaming table. Only a few minutes passed when Tyler and then Natalia arrived at his house. Moving to Tristens room, they secured soda Tyler brought in the mini-fridge and snacks provided by Natalias parents went on Tristens desk. Everyone knew the drill and pulled out the game box to begin setup. His friends pulled out their characters, character sheets, and phones to see the picture from their last game. Every week they snapped pictures of the game board and spent nearly thirty minutes every weekend setting up the game to reflect their last save. Before his friends set up the old game, he stopped them- We will start a fresh game today! said Tristen. I knew it! Tyler pumped his fist in victory, You have a new scenario and we are all going to die, arent we? Can we at least set aside the last game until later? Aaron looked longingly at his character sheet and all the progress they made. We already spent several weeks on it and I want to see how that next encounter pans out. All right, take pictures of your characters and current stats before we wipe them clean. We can revisit that gamer later, instructed Tristen. Pictures snapped, they shuffled all the decks and board tiles. They also wiped their characters sheets clean. It wasnt often they chose a new build, but occasionally a new one surfaced. This week was no exception as his friends set up the same characters theyd used the previous few weeks. While his friends occupied themselves, Tristen secretly set up his character behind the GM screen. His friends knew not to peak beyond the screen since that was where all the villains and boss monsters lived until they appeared in the dungeon. They didnt want to spoil the intrigue of the game by seeing what Tristen had in store for them. ### Preparation complete, Tristen looked around at his friends with a solemn expression on his face. Then, he began the scenario. You have entered the forbidden forest where the spiderkin hold dominion and serve the goddess Lolth. Your task is to eradicate the spiders and find their brood queen at the heart of the forest While he spoke, he reached under the cover placed over the A.I. and triggered the right sequence to launch the scenario. With no preamble or delay, the A.I. picked up the scenario where Tristen left off. The A.I. explained the scenario, what to expect, and the purpose of the adventure. The A.I. also explained this game used hardcore mode where every encounter and monster effect doubled. Tristen figured with his Mesmer''s addition into the game they could handle the difficulty. Even though Tristen programmed the A.I., he listened with rapt attention as the scenario unfolded. Peeking a glance at his friends, Tristen watched their jaws drop and eyes bulged as they looked from Tristen to the disembodied voice under the sheet. He reveled in their shocked expressions and watched them listen to the A.I. After it finished speaking, silence descended as the reveal became known. "Holy Balls!" Tyler looked at Tristen, unbelieving. Aaron and Natalia nodded their heads in agreement and lent their voices to the excitement. Tristens mom poked her head into the room asking what the commotion was about. Assuring his mom all was well, He turned back to his friends to see a mixture of awe and skepticism on their faces. Well, only Tyler looked skeptical, while Aaron and Natalia wore excited expressions. While they were thus at a loss, Tristen dropped the GM screen to show his character setup that resulted in a new round of exclamations, and they crowded around to see his character. Natalia shook her head, "I can''t believe you did all of this!" Aaron looked at Tristens character, muttering under his breath about the different spells for damage deflection and damage to health conversions. He was the beneficiary for most of these spells as he took the bulk of attacks. These skills allowed him more leeway in battle and the ability to take more risks that otherwise left him open to attack. His friends shook their heads as they returned to their seats. Tristen removed the covering of the A.I. and explained what it did and how it would be the GM, at least for this game. It is the lowest form of A.I. And requires massive amounts of data to function. This A.I. type is a Reactive Machine. All it can do is react to external stimuli. For instance, if I say new dungeon tile, then the A.I. knows to respond with a monster spawn and also keeps track of which player activates. It cant function on historic data such as ensuring a different monster each time unless explicitly instructed to do so. It also cant predict what might happen based on player level-ups or an encounter evolving into a larger conflict. The A.I. lives in the present and only responds to the immediate circumstance. Ive spent countless hours programming data into the database so it should work for this scenario we started." Dude, if this works I dont care how basic it is it will be awesome! Tylers words encouraged Tristen and he really hoped it worked. If it performed well, he planned to develop it more for future games. Maybe he could look into the next A.I. type, limited memory. That A.I. type stored historical data and formed responses based on past information. Tristen could sit and muse about A.I. for hours, but they needed to get moving and come up with a name for it. He then listed the names he compiled. After mulling them over for some time, Tyler threw out another one, "S.A.I.". He explained that it stood for "Simulated Artificial Intelligence." Not only was it a catchy abbreviation, but it also worked for a fantasy culture. Tristen quickly opened his computer and looked up the name. According to some websites, Sai, in Indian culture, meant Saint, Master, or Lord. The pronunciation sounded like "sawyee," but they all agreed to alter that slightly. Tristen changed the pronunciation to "sye." Hardly needing a vote, the group agreed to call Tristens first A.I. creation, S.A.I.. The surprises finished and the A.I. named, Tristen and his friends crowded around the table as they dove headlong into the Forbidden Forest! Chapter 6: Path to Self-Aware A.I. Chapter 6 Path to Self-Aware A.I. Tristen Alexander - Experiment Build #2 19.5 years prior to launch Over the course of the next few months Tristen tweaked the A.I. to be more lifelike and respond to more triggers. While they played the game, Tristen and his friends notated any areas that the A.I. failed to meet requirements. Tristen had ample test data since it was summer and the party played a lot more. They also played more complex games that lasted weeks even when they met three to four times a week to play. There wasnt a lot the A.I. couldnt respond to now. Only a few weeks remained until the start of high school, a new chapter in his life. Tristen knew a lot could change, but he hoped to remain best friends with Aaron, Tyler, and Natalia. It felt like it would be a challenge because everyone had their own interests. Aaron had his sights set on making it to the varsity football team. Natalia wanted to get involved in school arts programs, dancing and music. Tyler, well he was just Tyler. Out of all his friends, Tristen believed he and Tyler would remain friends for life. Tristen worried about Tyler because he often hung out with some more unruly kids. These kids got into trouble with recreational drugs and alcohol. Granted, they were only fourteen, but Tyler lived on the wild side and Tristen could see him falling in with the wrong crowd. No use worrying about it now, thought Tristen. Regardless of what Tyler got involved with, Tristen would be there to help him through it. Drinking, smoking, drugs held no appeal for him and he planned to exert as much positive peer pressure on his friends as possible. He hoped their relationship would be enough to keep them all away from bad habits. He didnt worry much about Aaron and Natalia since both had a resolute desire to excel at their hobbies. To do that, they needed to be in prime physical condition and they would not jeopardize that for any reason. They also had each other for support as they had finally become girlfriend and boyfriend. Finally, thought Tristen. He and Tyler shared a look after the surprise news. Only, it wasnt a surprise for either of them as they knew it was just a matter of time. After they went to the junior high homecoming together, they were inseparable. They used to hang out more at night, but once the two of them were a pair, they only got together as a group for Dungeon Quest. Thankfully, that was often, and it was the one thing they all agreed upon as a rally point. Tristen hoped that wouldnt change now that high school was around the corner. High school had its own challenges, but Tristen believed it wouldnt matter to his group of friends. Natalia shunned her chance to be a part of the popular crows and never looked back. Aaron was well on his way to being a football star, but because of his background would always be an outsider. On the football field they were all equal, but after game celebrations and weekend events occurred with his small group of friends. Tristen believed nothing would change during high school, but, well, it was high school and anything could happen. He had a full schedule this year since he opted to take an extra class. The school launched a brand new course on artificial intelligence and computer programming. It was a senior-level class, but he planned to take an evaluation and gain admittance his first year. Tristens parents gave permission, and he felt certain he could pass the test. He also planned after school activities just like in junior high where he worked on projects in the machine shop. The school included a computer lab he could after school activities. He needed to improve his programming skills if he ever hoped to build his own A.I. software. By the time he left high school, Tristen wanted the ability to write code and build electronics from scratch. These goals were part of his plan to build a self-aware A.I.. He did not want to rely on existing technology. Some components he could borrow, wireless network cards, speakers, and microphones. For anything else, he endeavored to build from the ground up. It would take reverse engineering of existing technology, but once he gained a solid understanding of the programming and hardware, he could build his own. His passion for technology had not dimmed in the slightest since S.A.I. came online. In fact, with every weekend he played Dungeon Quest and S.A.I. improved, Tristens passion re-ignited. Almost every spare moment over the summer Tristen spent learning, researching and upgrading his creation. Now, I need to buy modern parts to take this thing to the next level, he thought. The current iteration of the A.I. reacted to specific keywords and phrases, but Tristen wanted full interaction. If their party stumbled on a group of enemies, the needed the A.I. To adapt and answer questions they asked. If the party encountered a new mob and wanted to attack with a certain magic, the A.I. needed the ability to decide. It also needed to account for effectiveness of the magic. In its current state, it was not smart enough to function in new or non-programmed encounters. Tristen also wanted the A.I. to keep track of all characters, skills, stats, and level-up and power-up cards. If someone activated a onetime use skill, then the A.I. needed to account for the skills usage. Tristen believed if he could get this A.I. to a point where it could think on its own and react to unknown situations, he could program a virtual Dungeon Quest game that generated dynamic content. Even if he couldnt port the game to a virtual version, he could get the A.I to a point where he wouldnt need to lug all the game pieces, cards, and books with him. He could make the game mobile and play anywhere; It would eliminate thirty pounds of game equipment he carried whenever they played the game away from his house. Even if he could create a virtual version, he doubted it would be as fun since a lot of the thrill happened in the group setting. No matter how hard people tried, it was nigh on impossible to have the same camaraderie as in-person games. Maybe if the game allowed for full immersion, mused Tristen. Unfortunately, technology was far from reaching that goal. Someday, thought Tristen, I will help create that reality! The next few weeks passed in a flash and Tristen found himself at the bus stop where he met Aaron for their first day of high school. They shared the same bus stop because the bus drive refused to go into the trailer park two blocks away. Neither Tristen nor Aaron minded since they enjoyed riding the bus together. Hey Aaron, Tristen greeted his friend, are you ready for this? I cant wait bro! Replied Aaron excitedly, tryouts start after school today. The junior varsity coach told me during early sign-ups that with my size and speed I could make the varsity team before the end of freshmen year! Dude, thats awesome! Dont forget about us lowly nerds down here when you ascend the ladder to stardom. Haha, you know Id never forget about you, bro. You are my best friend and that will not change no matter what team I end up on, replied Aaron good-naturedly. Im surprised you didnt get Natalia and her parents to pick you up for the first day. Natalia offered, but I told them not to worry and that Id be catching the same bus as you. She promised to wait for me before going into the school though, smirked Aaron. You know the jealousy card wont work on me right? Ive got no desire to deal with all the girl drama right now. Id much rather spend my time with S.A.I., quipped Tristen. Haha, you are a true nerd my friend. One of these days you will go cross-eyed staring at that computer screen. Just you wait, replied Tristen, one of these days I will make it big in the technology industry and then Ill be the one looking down from the top! Keep dream, Aaron said as the bus pulled up to the stop. The noise from the bus drowned out the rest of the sentence and they boarded the bus. They cleared the steps of the bus when they heard- Tristen, Aaron! Tyler? replied Tristen and Aaron looking at each other quizzically. "What are you doing on our bus?" I convinced my parents to drop me off at the closest bus stop so I could ride with my homies! Its the first day of high school, you think Id miss the chance to go with my friends? Tyler said energetically, Heck no! Too bad Natalia isn''t here, muttered Aaron. Oh, come on Romeo, teased Tyler, you two spent oodles of time together over the summer. I think you can wait a few more minutes until we get to school. Tristen observed Aaron blush at Tylers words and said, Im with Tyler on this one. The two of you stuck together like glue this summer, a few more minute won''t kill you.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Tristen and Aaron grabbed seats just in front of Tyler and sat down. No sooner did their butts touch down- Pfffffbbbbrrrrrtttt, every head, including the bus driver, whipped around at the sound. Not only had Tristen and Aaron heard the noise, they felt the deep reverberations through the seat of the bus and instantly fingered the culprit as Tyler. Somehow he had sneaked a fart machine or whoopee cushion into the seat and they fell a victim to his incessant pranks. Now, the entire bus stared at them with looks of disgust plastered on their faces. Tyler! shouted Aaron and Tristen together. They spun around to glare at Tyler. He lay sprawled out on the seat holding his gut as his face turned red. It looked as if he would explode any second until- AHAHA, the look on your faces AHAHA! Tyler said, trying to catch his breath. Then from his pocket, he pulled another canister out- NOOO, screamed Tristen, but it was too late. The label read can-o-fart and the smell assaulted his nostrils. It was deadly! Ugh Ew gross, the other students all groaned and voiced their outrage. It wasnt us, insisted Aaron placatingly. Tyler saw the flustered looks on Tristen and Aarons faces and sobered up. Okay, okay maybe I took it too far with the smell, but you gotta admit, that execution was flawless! Meanwhile, Aaron and Tristen glared daggers at him. He put his hands up- All right, I get it, Tyler said and pulled out the whoopee cushion and spray. He held them up for the bus to see and explained the joke which earned him laughs from everyone on the bus. Their embarrassment somewhat assuaged, the pair returned to their seats, and the bus lurked into motion. "Tyler man that was," Tristen started, "...you nailed that one. No wonder you wanted to ride the bus with us today. How long have you planned that one? I thought friends were off limits for these little pranks?" Yea sorry about that. I have been planning this for weeks. At first I was just going to do it to a random person, but my parents wouldnt let me ride the bus until I told them it was with the two of you. That kinda made the choice for me, plus you guys have the last empty seat in the bus. It kinda... just... happened, said Tyler and shrugged. Always the same..., thought Tristen wryly and shook his head. Hey, you guys want to hang out after school? We can compare notes on our first day, asked Tristen. Well, Ive got tryouts, but after that I can hang out. I need to call Tasha and Rick to clear it with them first, replied Aaron. Im in! said Tyler. Natalia probably can''t come though. She has tryouts too and then dance lessons after, Aaron informed them. Ill double-check with her to make sure. They rode the bus another fifteen minutes before it pulled up to the high school entrance. They had time before class started so they all piled out and met up with Natalia who waited by the stairs leading to the school. Hey guys! waved Natalia. Tyler, what are you doing on the bus? Well, Tyler hesitated. Ill tell you why! exclaimed Aaron. Aaron outlined the events leading up to the prank on the bus. He went into the details surrounding the prank and how he and Tristen became the center of attention. While Aaron explained the situation, Tyler dropped his head in shame and Natalias mouth opened in shock. I said I was sorry guys, said Tyler sheepishly. It... I-I got carried away and didnt think it through... I forgive you man, just point your extracurriculars elsewhere next time, said Tristen. It didn''t look like Natalia would forgive him that easily for embarrassing Aaron though... Tristen glanced at his watch, hey, we only have a few minutes to make it to class, we better get going or well be late. They walked through the doors and just as they were about to split up and head their separate ways, Tristen reminded them, dont forget about the after school meet up. He thought about stopping by his locker to drop off extra books, but could do it during his free period. His class load wasnt all that different from junior high except for more advanced mathematics concepts and the artificial intelligence course. I hope I get into the class I dont even know what kind of test I need to pass for the entrance exam... S.A.I. sat in his backpack; he brought it in the event the entrance exam required proof of his knowledge and skill. Unsure of what he faced, he speculated it would be a series of questions to test his programming knowledge and how well-versed he was about practical application of artificial intelligence. He thought about all the possibilities and tried to occupy his thoughts with the class he was in. Time crept at a snails pace and he glanced at the clock waiting for first period to come to an end. Immediately after the bell rang, Tristen bolted from his seat. He found his locker, dropped off books, and headed toward the dining hall to take his placement exam. When he arrived, the hall was empty- Apparently, high school students don''t care that much about extra classes, Thought Tristen The table for the Artificial Intelligence 101 course rested on the far wall. Tristen threaded his way through the tables looking at the various classes offered. Nothing caught his eye on the way over, which confirmed his decision for the A.I. course. When he approached the table, the professor looked at him quizzically. Can I help you young man? Yes, Id like to take the placement exam for the course! said Tristen excitedly. You realize this is a senior level course right? You must have a signed permission slip from your parents before we can let you sit for the exam. Rather than responding, Tristen held out the slip of paper his parents already signed. The teacher looked at it for a moment, paused on the signature block, and satisfied, placed it into the attendance box on the table. Well, we have a multi-part entrance exam today. The first is a written exam in which youll answer a series of questions about artificial intelligence to gauge your current level of knowledge. Part two of the exam requires you to furnish any attempts youve made at programming or mechanical engineering. The professor seemed smug at the end. He probably suspected Tristen was too young to have anything like that. You dont have to show an example of your work now, but you would need to have it by the end of the week to complete your enrollment. Can I take care of the hands-on part first and then take the written exam? asked Tristen. The professor motioned for him to continue. He pulled our S.A.I. and set it on the table in front of the professor. Lets see how smug youll be after you see this, thought Tristen in triumph. The box he placed on the table looked nothing like the first iteration of the project. He overhauled all the parts, speakers, microphone, and voice modulator. The only thing he kept was the processor since it housed all the programming for S.A.I.. The new and improved S.A.I. lived in a transparent, reinforced case. It had custom brackets he glued into the bottom so the processor looked suspended in the middle of the cube. LED lights lined the edges of the box, which he flipped on, starting a scrolling marquee of pulsating lights. The lights pulsed outward as if coming from the A.I. in the center. Hed even built in a timer and synchronization device. When the A.I. spoke, the LEDs reflected the speech patterns. He wanted it as futuristic looking as possible. There was a bass speaker under the module and small tweeters that rimmed the processor. On top of the cube sat a small LCD screen with a micro-USB port for uploading and downloading. The LCD screen showed a command prompt and remained otherwise dormant until he activated a scenario or protocol. All the bells and whistles were frivolous, but it looked cool. Based on the looks that the professor projected at him and the back-and-forth whip-like motion his head made, it seemed to work exactly as intended. Y-y-you made this? the professor stuttered. I, he stopped what hed been about to say, shook his head and rephrased, what is it and how does it work? Have you ever played the game Dungeon Quest? What self-respecting nerd hasnt played the game? replied the professor with a grin. Well, Ive been my parties GM for over two years. I love being the GM, but I wanted to play with my friends as a party member. Only one problem, we had no one else to GM for us. Ive always been interested in artificial intelligence and it got me to thinking about creating one that could GM the game for us. Wait, are you telling me this is an A.I. and it can act as a GM for Dungeon Quest? Tristen had him, hook, line, and sinker. This will be even easier than I expected. Maybe I wont even have to take the written exam, wondered Tristen. Opening his pack, Tristen pulled a small keyboard and hooked it up to the LCD interface. What is your favorite Dungeon Quest scenario? Mists of Alakkarn, he responded instantly. I love that one too! Tristen agreed. He pressed a few more keys and disconnected the keyboard. I initialized the A.I.. I pushed updates last night and forgot to key in the start sequence. GM, start scenario Mists of Alakkarn, said Tristen to S.A.I. Hello Tristen, initializing Mists of Alakkarn scenario. Which characters will you be using today? Can I ask it something? the professor inquired. Tristen motioned for him to proceed. GM, create dwarf cleric, standard load out. Voice not recognized, shall I add a user profile? GM, add a new profile for Professor Deitrich, instructed Tristen. Profile added, please proceed with character creation Professor Deitrich. The pronunciation for the professors name was wrong, but his A.I. worked flawlessly. Deitrich called a few of his colleagues over and asked them to go through the same motions. They created characters and launched S.A.I. into the back story for the scenario. After the game began, an encounter occurred in which Professor Deitrich tried to trick the A.I. into a programming loop and asked complex questions about an encounter. The test went off without a hitch and he sat down amazed at the creation. How old are you Tristen? I am fourteen and a half, he replied stoically. I cant believe you did all of this on your own. It is an impressive creation. Did you have any help to build this? No, I did a lot of researching and purchased books on programming. I spent a lot of time in the machine shop at my last school and built the first prototype near the end of last school year. It was a lot more crude than this one. Over the summer, my friends and I spent a lot of time playing Dungeon Quest. S.A.I. would record the game play and I would work on improving the algorithms and responses between games. I need to get this test done before, Tristen said when the bell signaled the end of the period. Hand that over, instructed Professor Deitrich, motioning at the test he still held. Tristen handed the paper back to the professor. He grabbed the paper, scrawled Tristens name on top, wrote a 100% and stuffed it into the admissions box. Wha Tristen, this project is more than enough evidence you know what you are doing and theres nothing on this little piece of paper that will tell me more about your ability than what you have already showed! YES! Tristen fist-pumped. Welcome to Artificial Intelligence 101, he said and held his hand out to Tristen. Chapter 7: What is an A.I.? Chapter 7 What is an A.I.? Tristen Alexander - Experiment Build #39 11.5 years prior to launch One lesson Ive learned throughout the last fours year is that nothing is certain and everything is possible. Confused faces looked up at Tristen as he stood on the podium, a valedictorian and an honor graduate from Mallard Institute of Technology. The world is constantly in flux and anything is achievable if you open your mind to the impossible. Tristen grinned and looked to his friends sitting halfway down the left side of the school gym. They graduated the previous week from Hargrad University. Tyler graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology, Aaron concentrated in Human Biology, and Natalia majored in Dance, Theatre, and Media. Tristen had his choice of colleges to attend, but always wanted to make it to MIT where he could pursue his love of artificial intelligence with the best minds of his generation. Tristen continued his speech and moved over to a large sheet draped over his latest experiment. This experiment was a copy of S.A.I. that he re-engineered. This build, something like number 39, could do just about any task he asked of it. Today marked the first unveiling to the public. He had plans to break out its functionality into smaller A.I. modules and market them upon graduation from school, but he wanted this reveal to showcase his work in high school and throughout college. How many of you have a smartphone? Nearly every person raised their hand. How many of you have a smart watch? About half of the people in attendance raised their hands. How many of you have a smart home or automation? Roughly forty percent of the audience raised their hands. Home automation, smart cars, smart watches, smartphones They are all expensive, there are many brands, and none of them work together to make your life easier. Tristen assessed the crowd and realized he had their attention. Imagine a smart-anything costing less than a toaster? Better yet, what if your toaster was smart? What if it learned exactly how long you wanted that toast to cook and it came out a perfect golden brown every time? What if your refrigerator could tell you when the milk was low, or you used the last stick of butter? I think Ive given them enough of a hook I give you the worlds first modular A.I.! The A.I. appeared to hover in a glass case and pulse outward. Most of the design was to shock and awe and purely cosmetic. Tristen used one of those static balls found at prank stores to create special effects as if the thing was alive. He reverse-engineered the design and built his own to adapt to his A.I. The lines of electricity cascaded through the box. Hed also included a projector, cameras, and upgraded speakers. The projector could display semi-transparent images across the surface of the box and right now it displayed a person. It was a non-gender person since the A.I. was just a machine and had no personality. He wanted something flexible that allowed him to switch from male to female voices on a whim. The cameras in the box discretely recorded everything into a petabyte storage in the heart of the machine. It cataloged audio, video, and used speech and facial recognition. The moment Tristen removed the covering, it scanned the entire crowed, comparing them with the student database hed loaded ahead of time. It also had instructions to peruse each persons social media profiles and catalogue family that may be in attendance. This was all part of Tristens plan to shock the crowd with his debut into A.I. production. The A.I. you see before you can do just about anything you ask of it. Nearly any technology with an Application Programming Interface, or API, works with the A.I.. It can use the API to control it like a native application. To show its ability to control devices, Tristen prepared several household items, all the lights on the stage were smart LEDs, and hed set up a Wifi network for the A.I. to tap into. Please dim the lights to 50% and change their color to blue. The lights dimmed, and the color changed eliciting a short round of applause from the audience. Tristen also showed how the technology worked with all the other electronics hed brought on stage. Hed sufficiently worked the crowd into excitement and he could see that everyone enjoyed the display. Time to shock and awe For this next phase, Tristen planned to use his friends as guinea pigs, but would expand to others from there. Tristen turned to the A.I. and said, Find Aaron Johnson. The image on the screen changed and showed Aaron sitting a few rows back, behind the graduating students. Aaron Johnson. Graduated Harvard University. Star running back. Scouted by three professional football teams. Close friends Tyler, Tristen, and Natalia. Romantic interest, Natalia. All right, thats enough. Tristen instructed the A.I. before things got embarrassing. As each phrase sounded from the A.I., the display changed to first show a picture of Aarons college ID, then his picture from the football team, followed by comments from scouts on Squawker, and lastly his friends and Natalia from FaceSpace, a social media platform. Tristen asked the A.I. To find Tyler next and again various phrases revealed Tylers prankster nature, school, hobbies, and friends. He wrapped up the demonstration by taking a few requests from the graduating class that revealed the same information as with his friends. Nearing the end of his demonstration, Tristen noted several middle-aged men grab their phones and quickly leave the room, presumably to conduct business. He furrowed his brow in thought and wondered if they worked for anyone thatd be interested in his technology. He had a lot of plans and wanted to land his first deal for the technology as soon as possible. Pushing these thoughts aside, Tristen wrapped up his speech and wished his class good luck and god speed in their next chapter of life. As soon as he finished speaking, the class erupted in cheers and threw their caps into the air. Tristen watched with a large grin on his face and moved from the stage to greet his friends. We did it guys! Tyler excitedly pumped his fist into the air and his cheesy grin nearly split his face in two. Honestly, Im surprised you made it this far, Aaron teased and bumped Tyler playfully. Not dissuaded Tyler said, Lets celebrate! I know this great pizza joint At the words celebrate and pizza, hed won over the hearts of his friends. Itd been a tradition ever since grade school to celebrate important events and milestones with pizza. Dont forget the after-party at my place tonight. I think weve got time before that happens though. Let me check with my parents and make sure they have no plans until then. Tristen hurried to find his parents where he received accolades and a hug from his mom.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Your speech was wonderful. She cried and tears of joy and sadness leaked down his mothers face. Im so proud of you! Tristen loved his parents so much. They always supported him with his hobbies and education. You did great. His dad thumped him on the back and gave him a big man hug. A hug thats not supposed to be awkward as you make overly dramatic movements and try to pat any contents of the others stomach back up through their esophagus. Tristen smiled inwardly as he knew his dad loved him, but was much less showy with his emotions. The awkward hug finished, Tristen asked, Do you have any plans before the party tonight? My friends want to go grab food at a local pizza joint. Youre welcome to come... No, thats fine honey. We need to get home and get the house ready for tonight. You go have fun with your friends and well see you tonight. His mom gave him another quick hug as they turned around and left the area. Returning to his friends, Tristen told them he was game for pizza, but he needed to change out of the ridiculous dress and collect his A.I. When he reached the platform, he found the same businessmen hed seen leave the room waiting for him. They looked antsy as they examined the A.I.. Can I help you? All three men turned at once and jockeyed for position. Tristen held up his hands, unable to hear a word they spoke. As he did, the man in the middle stepped forward and held out his business card. This shut the other two up as they scrambled to pull their own cards out. While they searched for the cards, the man showed the company he worked for on the card and said theyd be interested to see the technology in greater detail. The other two men said they same thing, but Tristen informed them he hadnt decided how he wanted to go to market with his invention yet. He pocketed the cards and told them hed reach out when he was ready. Quickly grabbing the A.I. and gadgets hed used, he stuffed them into a box and made his way into the hall. Glancing behind him, Tristen saw calculating looks on their faces and new hed stirred the pot, hopefully not too soon Tristen secured all of his belongings in his car and drove around to pick up his friends. Theyd all ridden together since Aaron didnt have a car and Tyler and Natalia already drove theirs back home after they graduated. Piling into the car, Tyler gave Tristen instructions to the pizza place. It wasnt needed, but Tyler had his mind fixated on pizza and made sure Tristen knew where to go. Settling into a booth, they ordered a pizza and drinks before Natalia asked, So, what are your plans for the A.I.? I saw you talking to some guys up on stage there... Tristen fished out the business cards, which hed barely glanced at before. He laid them on the table for his friends to see and Tyler whistled through his teeth. One card showed the man was an executive for one of the five major IT companies. The other two cards displayed upper management for two additional IT companies. Wow, these are heavy hitters. Tristen looked up at Aaron''s words with a sheepish look on his face. Yea, the only problem is Im not ready to sell any of my technology to them. I wanted to start small and build my brand first. If I sold now, theyd expect me to sign over exclusivity to them and Im left with nothing. Youd leave with a boatload of cash, quipped Tyler. If I was in it for the cash, Id have sold the technology after high school since it was already better than anything in the market. No, I want to create the next generation of computing and revolutionize how we interact with the digital world. To do that, I need to maintain control of my work and continue to build upon it. The pizza arrived as Tristen finished speaking and everyone grabbed slices. The table was silent for a time as everyone digested Tristens words, and the pizza. So how are you going to introduce the technology into the world? Natalia was the first to finish, stopping at just one slice of pizza. Tristen held up a finger as he stuffed the rest of his food into his gullet before answering. "I found this startup in the area I can work with. They are creating a new camera and I think my technology would integrate nicely to make it a smart camera. Its not like your cell phone, its a high-end, professional model camera that has a shutter on it. Its still digital, but theres not much in the way of features built in from what Ive seen online. Ive been working on splitting my A.I. into a scaled down version that would be cheap to manufacture." Tristen took a bite of pizza, and then continued his monologue, "The company talked about releasing a Software Development Kit, or SDK, with the camera so that people can create apps on the camera. These apps would do things like switch a bunch of settings and change camera mode in a split second instead of needing to adjust fifteen different things for a single shot. Weve already got similar technology on cell phones and they are trying to bring it to a new market segment." Wheres this new company located? Tyler asked around a mouthful of pizza. Tristen marveled at his ability to eat. He was a beanpole, but hed already started in on his fourth piece and didnt look like hed slowed his pace once. Shaking his head, Tristen responded, They are local. Ill keep working out of my apartment in the area. You guys know I incorporated my company two years ago, and so far Ive only sunk money into it. Its time for that to change. Ill start small and get Sai Enterprises some capital and notoriety with this first wave of products, and then Ill use it as a springboard for bigger deals. Im hoping that the giant tech companies will see the success and know what my creation can do. Then, I can dictate terms and hopefully maintain the Sai Enterprises brand. So, um you looking for a roommate? Tyler looked at him expectantly. I wasnt, but Im open to it, if youre looking to stay in the area. Heck yea! We might need to look at other places if you want to share an apartment. My loft only has one bedroom and I use the rest of the space for my experiments. Ive got a couple weeks on my current lease, anyway. We can go apartment hunting over the next week! Tyler always rambled and his voice rose an octave when he got excited about something. Youd think he hadnt gone through puberty yet, but Tristen and his friends just chuckled at him. The mood around the table sobered after Tylers outburst and both Natalia and Aaron looked away. Tristen furrowed his brow, looking between the two of them. Something was off about them. They normally couldnt keep their hands to themselves. Natalia? Aaron? Whats up? Natalia dropped her head as Aaron looked up to meet Tristens gaze. His eyes held sadness, but Tristen didnt know why. Theyd just graduated from college. It should be a time of celebration Oh Things clicked into place for Tristen and he knew why they looked sad. Why do you look like a rat crapped in your food? Dude, you got an offer to play for the San Francisco Hornets! This is your dream, what youve worked toward for the last nine years! Tyler hadnt caught on to the situation and just assumed that where Aaron went, Natalia would follow. Natalia, you got an offer? She looked up to meet Tristens eyes and nodded once. In a quiet whisper, she said, In New York... Oh Tylers excitement vanished as he finally realized what the problem was. He softened his tone and asked, Whats the offer? It must be a great gig, right? Natalia didnt answer and Aaron placed a re-assuring hand on her shoulder and spoke on her behalf. "Shes got a minor role at a ballet on Broadway. Natalia almost turned them down, but the producer also runs one of the largest and longest running shows on Broadway and the opportunity will allow her to work her way up through the ranks." Tristen wasnt sure he should congratulate the pair or say sorry about the inevitable separation. Hed known about Aarons offer for a couple weeks and theyd celebrated it but he only now found out about Natalias offer. Hey, for what its worth Natalia I think you''ll be amazing and Im thrilled you are achieving your dreams. Both of you I couldnt be happier for the both of you. I know it will be hard with the separation, but if anyone can make it work, its the two of you. Natalia picked her head up and Tristen saw a sad smile on her face. Thanks Tristen, that means a lot. Its Its just going to be difficult and a major change for both of us. I only just found out today, right after your graduation actually. We only just talked about it on the way over here and we have things to work through. Tristen dropped the subject and grabbed another slice of pizza. How about we hit the arcade before we had back to my parents house? He hooked a finger behind him. That did the trick as everyone smiled and finished their meals. If Tristen knew anything about his friends, he knew gaming, and especially Dungeon Quest, would always cheer them up. Chapter 8: Game Design Preparation Chapter 8 Game Design Preparation Tristen Alexander - Sai Enterprises, HQ 7 years before launch The car slid to a stop at the security checkpoint a mile from what looked like a dark gray warehouse with security guards in roving patrols, cameras mounted every few feet, and multiple layers of electrical fences surrounding the main building. With all the security, it looked like the building housed prisoners on death row, but in reality it was a secret headquarters for Sai Enterprises, Tristens company he started out of his apartment building in college. The name didnt hold the same meaning it used to since the technology Tristen created was much more advanced than a simulated artificial intelligence. However, it was nostalgic for him and contrary to his marketing teams'' wishes, Tristen insisted on the name. It would be a betrayal to himself and his friends if he didn''t keep the name. Tristen couldn''t believe itd only been four and a half years since he graduated college. Yet here he was, driving into a secret research and development facility for the next phase of his company and the start or a project he hoped changed the face of the Earth. Throughout the last four years hed refined the technology and created A.I.''s for many areas. He still had his original creation and S.A.I. was now a better GM than hed ever been. It had its own personality and, thanks to Tyler, often injected a healthy amount of humor into their Dungeon Quest games. They didnt get to play often with everyone so spread out after college. Tristen lived in Silicon Valley after some tech startups hed worked with rocketed into the spotlight. Aaron continued to play for the Hornets in San Francisco. Tyler moved out of Tristens apartment a couple years back and into a penthouse in Vegas. Hed made a boatload of cash, as hed called it, and took up the gambling profession full time. Natalia still lived in New York, but he didnt get to see her often as her schedule was always busy with performances and practice. As Tristen drove through the checkpoint, he thought back to the events that led him here. In college hed managers and executives from big IT companies approached him about his technology, but hed never engaged them for business. Instead, he struck out on his own, making his own business dealings, and continuing to improve the technology. Just a few months after graduating, hed reached out to the startup hed told his friends about over pizza. The very next day hed met with the team and showed his technology and how itd integrate into the camera. Theyd hesitated at first, assuming the manufacturing would set them back too much. Then, theyd need to re-program the internals to work with the camera. Thats where Tristen knocked it out of the park. Hed told them, The processor cost less than ten dollars to manufacture, and it''ll interface with your existing software. They looked at him. stunned and a fierce grin split his face in triumph. After theyd agreed to partner and let him keep his brand, he created a new A.I. processor to put in the camera and also had them install a speaker, microphone, and wireless network card. Once he finished the prototype, the startup team noted how much it improved the functionality of the camera and allowed for hands free operation. The camera operated using voice controls, but the wireless connection allowed it to interface with any device the user wanted. One feature that Tristen programmed into the A.I. was its ability to create on-demand widgets for the users device of choice. If they connected a desktop, the processor compiled a small executable module downloaded directly from the camera rather than a website. The same was true for mobile devices. Hed added the ability to compile into any format. If a new format became available, hed issue a software update for the A.I. and support the new platform. Besides the camera A.I., Tristen created a second processor for the tripod that seamlessly integrated with the hardware. The camera already had a facial recognition option that would snap a picture when someone smiled. Tristens A.I. learned how to track and recognize someone''s face as they moved around and took candid pictures at random whenever someone smiled or faced the camera. The camera could do this itself, but it was stationary. The tripod allowed for a full 360-degree rotation and tracking. When Tristen joined the startup, the team was a few months from manufacturing and a finished prototype. Because his technology interfaced well with the camera and added little cost to the project, they included as part of the original production line for a small up charge. Although the product was ready, they tested the camera, A.I., and tripod for another few months before they instructed the manufacturing plants to begin production. They were breaking ground into unexplored territory and wanted to have a complete and thoroughly tested product. Theyd produced the cameras for nearly six months when a large camera company approached them for an acquisition. Tristen and the team debated internally on their next course of action. Theyd done well with the startup and were only a few weeks from production lines starting on the tripods. Eventually, they held off production on the tripods and accept the offer. The company wanted to buy full right to Tristens technology, but he declined the offer, wishing to maintain full ownership of the technology. Instead, he gave them an exclusive deal to that A.I. processor and informed them he aimed to expand into other types of technology. Throughout the acquisition, he ensured that his A.I. creation remained under lock and key. To make sure that this new company didn''t try to swindle him, Tristen contracted a new manufacturer and produced the microprocessors separately. He then shipped them to the camera company himself. It slotted into the camera just like a normal storage card so it caused no delays, and everyone agreed to the additional requirement. The deal they landed netted Tristen just shy of eight figures and gave him the capital to build up the infrastructure for Sai Enterprises. He hired several new programmers to develop more A.I. devices. Before he let anyone work with his technology, he hired a team of lawyers to create binding documentation that prevented his employees from divulging any intellectual property outside the company. His first course of action with the new team involved many brainstorming sessions to build out the foundation for the companies direction. He wanted the technology integrated into anything that ran electricity, no matter how small. Creating specialized A.I. processors allowed Tristen to keep costs low. If he tried to build it all into one device, it would increase in size, cost, and require more processing power. Instead, if he created an A.I. whose job was to turn a light bulb on and off or change the color of an LED. It required minimal programming and hardware. All the processors leveraged existing application programming interfaces for seamless integration. Tristen also wanted to create a main A.I. controller that could manage these devices. However, the uniqueness of his technology was the ability to integrate and use any existing technology that had smart functions. It didnt need proprietary controllers or brains to operate. Conversely, Tristen saw the value in creating one for greater control and interaction. He planned to incorporate a lot more capability than others controllers hed seen. For instance, it would have voice control and automatically create widgets on demand for various tasks and ease of use. Any new device that had his processors in them would automatically show up on the controller when turned on. He wanted a streamlined solution that required zero setup time. Plug the device in and receive immediate connectivity and control over the device. Tristen remembered a smart home startup hed backed in college that tanked after its debut. When he got the device it worked for a short time and then just stopped responding. Hed tried troubleshooting the device with the manufacturer, attempted multiple resets, and even sent the device back for refurbishment. Still, they could not get the device to work. As a result every other piece of equipment such as light bulbs, outlets, camera, glass shatter detector, and carbon monoxide tester failed to work. Itd been a massive waste of time, energy, and money and inspired him to create a solution to the overly complex problems. Tristen recalled a conversation he had with one technician working on that first project to create home automation solutions. "Imagine if you had an A.I. installed in all the devices in your home, including your key fob for your car, your smartphone, your car, the garage door opener, the door to your house, lights, heating and cooling, radio, coffee pot, and television." He had the technicians undivided attention. "Now, follow this scenario. You inform the A.I. that''s built into your alarm clock, or maybe it''s a smart watch, that you need to wake up at 7 AM the following day. Just before 7, the automated window shades slowly creep open, or perhaps your lights incrementally increase in brightness." Tristen pulled out all the theatrics, using big gestures and tone of voice changes to emphasize his points. Right at 7 your A.I., in a friendly voice of your choosing, says, Good morning, the time is seven o''clock. Now, you may have already roused from the light changes, but by this point your eyes have adjusted. As you get up to stretch, you smell the fresh cup of coffee waiting for you downstairs. Not wasting any time, you grab the coffee. While walking through the house, your window shades pull back, the television turns on to the morning news, and your personal A.I. rattles off the appointments on your calendar. You then head back up to shower, and on your way the shower heats to your desired temperature. Tristen saw the gleam in the technicians eye, but he kept going to enslave the poor guys'' heart and soul. He wanted all of his technicians and employees to adapt the same passion he felt for this field of study. He wanted, even needed passionate people willing to invest their everything into the work. Tristen resumed his story, Finishing a shower and getting ready to walk out the door, the LCD next to your door starts the camera outside as the garage door opens and your car starts. Grabbing your keys, you walk to the door, the deadbolt auto-unlocks, and then locks behind you as you exit. You walk up to the car which unlocks due to proximity, and as you drive out of the garage, it closes behind you and your home alarm activates. The poor guy didn''t know the passion Tristen brought to the table, but after that conversation he shared Tristen''s fervor. Based on general feedback from his small team, the tech had taken the conversation back to the team and it percolated throughout the ranks. He could see that everyone ramped up their own efforts and a small seed of passion bloomed. He didn''t want to squash this vigor and avoided micro-management. Tristen fueled that passion and stoked the flames into a raging inferno whenever the opportunity presented itself. ??Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. It was this passion and drive that pushed Tristen and his team for the next year. After that year of development and preparation, it was time to market the project to any and every vendor, company, manufacturer, and government in existence. Tristen had no qualms about doing business with any person, business, or organization under the sun. Hed continue to hold ownership and ensure he maintained sole decision making powers for reproduction and resale of his technology. He had an entire fleet of lawyers on standby, expecting his technology going mainstream and resulting in quite a few legal battles. Tristens first target was the technology giants. He wanted to offer them the first stab at larger contracts and priority for manufacturing. Due to the minuscule overhead for production and a minimal amount of programming required, it would be a tasty morsel for any technology company to buy into. Based on the initial sales from the smart camera endeavor, Tristen had a good market analysis on the usability and need for his A.I. processors, so he didnt plan on getting fleeced by greasy sales teams and lawyers. Tristen had spent the next few months refining his sales pitch and demos before he reached out to five of the largest technology giants. Three of the companies denied him straight out, but two of them asked him back several times for repeated demonstrations. The final demonstrations included the entire executive teams. Both of the companies held different sides of the market with different products and platforms. The best part of Tristens technology, it was platform independent, and so long as the main operating system had an API, the processor could integrate flawlessly. With some coaching from his legal team, Tristen played both companies against each other in a bidding war. His legal team expertly wove clauses into the contracts to avoid any kind of exclusivity. Tristen promised to give these two companies a six month head start with the technology before they agreed to purchase without exclusive rights. After a few weeks of back and forth, they signed multi-billion dollar deals with both companies. The contractual language specified Tristen would maintain sole ownership, branding, and manufacture for the technology, but the company would integrate and distribute themselves. The six month head start offered to the companies allowed them to work it into production for all of their technology and theyd have a massive advantage in the market place. Immediately following contract signing, Tristen enacted a plan hed drawn up to expand his business significantly. He already had requisitions drawn up to hire an entire team of executives, marketing teams, and developers to continue with the microprocessors. He took another six months to on-board all the management personnel and get the development teams producing additional microprocessors. ### Tristen spent a few weeks in solitude as he worked on the next phase of his plans. The next stepping stone for Tristen involved virtual reality. He knew technology was quickly approaching the point where virtual reality would be immersive enough to experience tactile sensations and scent, but there were limitations in equipment and, once again, affordability. The current level of technology allowed for minimal immersion into video games such as body suits with haptic feedback or dive pods that allowed simulated scent, wind, heat, and cold. Positional tracking sensors allowed for realistic in-game movement. Eye tracking in some augmented and blended reality products projected pop-up menus and overlays in the environment. Some startup companies began development on uni-directional treadmills for running and crouching. As Tristen added up the cost of all the devices needed to experience a modicum of immersive virtual reality, the price climbed to untenable levels for most consumers. Id have to sell a kidney to afford a whole kit Few people could afford all the needed equipment, especially since most, if not all, of the products are beta or alpha releases. There was one company he followed that released a virtual reality headset requiring the latest graphics card, at least ten feet of open space for game play, tons of bulky cords attached to a larger computer, and tracking equipment installed throughout the room. The worse part about that system is it only simulated visual and audio senses. All the setup and requirements resulted in a small percentage of people opting to make the leap into VR gaming. Most people preferred the comfort of sitting on their sofa playing console games. I need to create something that will change peoples view of VR! Tristens A.I. microprocessors already had the potential to change the way the world interacted with technology. It was time for Tristen to set his sights on revolutionizing the gaming industry and virtual reality. Gaming and VR were the sparks that ignited Tristens passion and intrigue into the field of artificial intelligence, and he now had the means to make it happen. How awesome would it be if we could interact with a game world in the same way we did the real world, with all of our senses experiencing the simulated environment? Even thinking about the possibilities excited Tristen, and he furiously worked on a plan to bring his dreams to life. ### As Tristens car finally pulled into his parking space next to the building that housed his private residence and lab, he returned his thoughts to present day. Periodically, he reminisced on his journey to this point and often couldnt believe everything thatd happened. He''d accomplished so much because of the feverish way he drove himself. He relentlessly pursued his objectives, often going without sleep as a particular project consumed him. The facility he now owned, marked the first stage of building a virtual reality and gaming empire. Tristen almost felt a little guilty pleasure as this project began out of a desire to bring his childhood pastime to life. He knew it would also bring joy to the millions, even billions, of gamers around the world. If the technology panned out the way he planned, itd have much farther reaching aims than just a fully immersive game. Stepping from his car, a security guard greeted Tristen as he walked up to the door and a biometric retina receptacle scanned his iris. He then placed his palm against the door and walked inside as the bulletproof door slid to the side. Maybe Im too paranoid Tristen thought to the recent limelight for Sai Enterprises and quickly dismissed that line of thinking. In the few weeks hed been planning and out of the spotlight, his lawyers continually turned away journalists and reporters seeking an audience on his next project. It was fairly obvious he had other plans with his absence from the spotlight so shortly after making his A.I. debut. Therefore, he needed to have the extra security and desperately wanted to keep this project obscured in secrecy. The building that was now almost renovated used to be a Federal prison in the middle of the Arizona desert. There was no civilization for at least 50 miles in any direction. This had been the site of a maximum security prison that had lost funding by the government. The government shipped the prisoners out to many states and any illegal aliens deported to their originating country, leaving a fortified building standing vacant. Tristen purchased the building at a steal from the government as they were bleeding money and needed to get rid of it. Using a healthy chunk of his recent influx of cash, he sunk a small fortune into it, converting it from a keeping things in to keeping things out facility. Tristen also paid astronomical funds to have the best and highest grade security system installed, complete with biometrics, multi-factor authentication and redundancies. Direct fiber optic lines installed into every research lab, provided high bandwidth data transfers and Internet. Heavily secured internet gateways ensured that any critical database or system sat behind multiple layers of redundant security like firewalls, boundaries, isolated segments, and virtual private local area networks. He also contracted two different security companies to monitor network communications and a separate provider for their corporate email security. He planned to do everything in his power to keep this project secretive. This plan was years in the making and as soon as hed gotten the funds to make it happen, his plans shifted into drive. Tristen spent countless hours scouring the globe for experts in cryptography, neuroscience, virtual reality, computer programming, engineering, marketing, and game development. He contacted none of those he identified yet. Tristen had compensation packages that were insanely competitive and he doubted most of them would turn him down. Before sending any of the background information on the project, hed worked with his lawyers to set up fully binding non-disclosure agreements. They were so restrictive that it eliminated many rights they had for privacy. Even if it meant some experts declined his offer, he wouldnt change the agreement. This work was too important to slack on security and allow any Intellectual Property to leave the research facility. After everything was in place, he sent out a list of pre-prepared letters and emails to the individuals chosen. Most of them were graduates from prestigious technical schools, but hed had also identified a list of retired experts in various fields along with a list of backups. Tristen wanted to bring up some flourishing talent and revitalize retired professionals to mature and grow the rest of those hed offered a position. Although virtual reality was nowhere near the level, he planned to take the technology, he had a very aggressive timeline of five to seven years. If they could get the project to a state of stability in five years, hed launch the technology then, but he fully planned to work the seven years for a viable product and game. The game Tristen wanted to create required his to secure the rights to the Dungeon Quest board game he and his friends played ever since grade school. He wanted to revamp the game and bring it to life with full immersion into the world of dungeon diving. Tristen had done a lot of research into different fantasy, science-fiction, and steampunk worlds in preparation. The one problem with using Dungeon Quest was that the entire game revolved around dungeons, There was little to do worthwhile that wasnt part of a dungeon. While most game genres involved a dungeon or instanced areas throughout the game worlds, none of them centered on dungeon diving alone. This game would change that. He planned to model the virtual world with an open sandbox model, but any events that took place or quests generated would be within a dungeon, not necessarily a dark, creepy cave, but an instanced area that had virtual boundaries. There would definitely be other adventures, but the bulk of activity within the game would require dungeon diving to progress and achieve anything of prestige within the game. The second issue he faced with using the Dungeon Quest design was the branding itself. He needed to first buy the rights from the parent company. Hed prepared a formal request to buy the rights to the game and buried it under a bunch of nostalgia so that the company didnt get wind of his desire to revitalize into an immersive virtual world. If they knew his plans for the brand, the cost would soar to an exorbitant price. The board game hadnt been in circulation for many years so he hoped theyd have no issues parting with it. None of the experts he reached out to knew what the project was hed asked them to join. He only gave them an offer and waited to see if they accepted. Once they did, hed send them an NDA. Only after they signed it, and a lawyer verified the signing, would he divulge the details of the virtual reality or game design projects. The sequence of events was intentional so that people on found out about his goals when he wanted them to. Once Tristen recruited the top talent, it would be blatantly obvious what hed set into motion. Thankfully, the process to gain the rights to Dungeon Quest went smoothly and after a short back and forth, the company agreed to sell for a very reasonable price. There was an initial inquiry into why he wanted them. Tristen told some of his childhood adventures and that he wanted to look at re-introducing the game someday. He didnt tell them how he wanted to re-introduce the game, though. Tristen and his lawyers worked for the next few weeks going back and forth with those hed sent offer letters to. One clause in the contract required them to move to the facility hed prepared, and some had questions and required clarifications about the contract. Tristen looked beyond the electrical fencing and roving guards and saw a dozen of the pre-fabricated houses hed contracted to build nearly finished. After much discussion and finagling of terms, he secured all but two of those he sent offers to. The main reason theyd declined involved personal situations that prevented them from re-locating. Tristen was a little disappointed as one individual was the leading expert in neuro science and he''d have been a great asset to the team. As soon as all the NDAs were in place and verified by legal representatives, he set the start date for everyone to re-locate and be on-site in six months time. Thatd be plenty of time for the contractors to finish the housing and the facility would be fully functional at that point. Its happening! Im about to work toward my dream! I cant wait to see the look on my friends faces when its finished! Chapter 9: Jacking into the Human Brain Tristen looked out at the crowd of faces before him, the excitement was palpable as everyone waited for him to address the group of scientists, engineers, developers, designers, and artists for the first time on what would be a product and game to revolutionize the world. Tristen said as much to the assistant standing next to him, which earned him a look of you cant be serious, right?. The reality was that if the group here was able to deliver full immersion technology the possibilities and application were endless, not to mention the medical breakthroughs that could be achieved! It would also be exciting for Tristen and his friends to see their childhood brought to life with Dungeon Quest Online! Welcome everyone! Welcome to Sai Enterprises and the future of computers and gaming! Tristen paused for dramatic effect before he continued. Ok, thats all the dramatic flare youll get from me. A few chuckles were heard across the room as the levity decreased the tension that felt like a taught bow string poised to release. Many of you are probably still in the dark about everything that I want to accomplish here at Sai Enterprises and some of you are probably wondering who all of these folks are. Tristen looked around the room at all of the faces and people of vastly different backgrounds and disciplines, then he continued, The group you see to your left and right come from a variety of different places including leading experts in neuroscience. Tristen nodded to the group of people in lab coats on his right. We have mathematicians and engineers, Tristen said, indicating the group in the back wearing knit sweaters and spectacles. Next, we have individuals completely outside the sciences such as the artists and game designers. Tristen again pointed to a group in the back wearing street clothes, with varying degrees of neon colored hair and piercings, as well as average looking middle-aged folks who were the game programmers. We also have a retainer of doctors, technicians, and nutritionists, he commented, pointing to the group just left of the small podium where he was addressing the crowd. Steeling his nerves, Tristens voice turned serious and cold, Every person you see here today was hand picked and thoroughly screened. Every person in this room will be held to the highest standards of secrecy. Everything you do on these grounds will be recorded, catalogued and archived. Every conversation, recording, email, or outside correspondence will be reviewed and intercepted to prevent corporate espionage. If you have any issues during the two year time-frame you have agreed upon, you will work with my lawyers and Human Resources team to be debriefed from the program and loaded down with so many NDAs that even a mention of Sai Enterprises would bring about a lawsuit. Tristen scanned the room looking at the shocked and apprehensive faces, while letting the weight of what he had said sink in for a few moments. Just as the silence reached its peak he began again, Now that the formalities have been taken care of and you have a healthy respect for the gravity of our endeavor, I want to go through the details of why we are all gathered together. We will be working on a new technology that will change the way we interface with technology, the way we educate our children and how we do business. Running parallel to these noble endeavors, my ultimate desire is that we revolutionize the gaming industry. My plans for this group are two-fold. The first project involves the creation of a microchip that will be used to interface with the cerebral cortex. This microchip will be small enough to attach to the back of the neck at the base of the skull using a small clamp that will embed itself. I want these chips to be small and easy enough to use that anyone can apply them without having a specialist perform a minor surgery. This means that we will need to undergo extensive testing and evaluation of physical well-being. Tristen pointed to the doctors, indicating this is why they were present. These implants will serve two purposes. First, immersion into a virtual world, he said, pointing to the group of game designers, and interfacing with various technology that has already incorporated a series of microprocessors I developed that are being included in manufacturing lines for nearly every type of electrical gadget. Tristen went on to explain that part of the requirements to interface with the technology already in production was that each of them needed to have some sort of wireless technology, whether wireless fidelity, bluetooth or infrared. In order to account for this next stage, the executives running Sai Enterprises had been informed of the need for wireless technology and started to implement and roll it out in all of the microprocessors the company was producing. If we do not achieve the second goal in the two years allowed, I will draft up extensions for any of you that wish to remain on the project through to completion. The main goal of this is to get a functioning chip that will immerse a user into a virtual world of our creation. The game I have in mind was one from my childhood called Dungeon Conquest, Tristen explain and noted there were a few exclamations of recognition, mostly from the developers and engineers. I want to bring this old board game to life and allow users to experience full virtual reality immersion, or FVRI. This includes all of the senses: taste, sound, smell, hearing and touch, Tristen continued explaining his idea about using the microchips to intercept signals to and from the brain. The idea here is to figure out how to decode, process, interpret, relay, and send those signals through the microchips. Using the microchip as a channel, it can interface with any technology by sending signals, or thoughts with intent. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain. Studies have shown that a human can instruct a mechanical arm to move and perform a specific function using less than 150 of those neurological signals. Mapping out all of those neurons is where we should focus out efforts. If we can understand all of those neurons and decode the brain, then we can simulate those same signals. This will be the first step to creating a technology that allows for immersion. If we can successfully decode the brain, intercept signals, and send artificial signals, then we can create a virtual world complete with all of the senses which will be indistinguishable from real life. Tristen paused, looking over the crowd of professionals to see wonder and possibility in their eyes. He could already see some of the scientists clustered in little bubbles discussing the possibilities and how to go about achieving this goal. When he looked over at the game design folks and artists their mouths were hanging open at the potential to be fully immersed in a world of their creation. Many of these folks created and lived out their creations in their minds and that allowed them to be the best in their field. It takes a level of immersion for their creations to really come to life in any environment. Now, they had the opportunity to really bring their creations to life and it was staggering to some. Continuing his explanation, Tristen said, how do we implement this technology? Well, for that Im going to lean on the individuals in this room. Throughout this whole process, I will be working with both of the teams here, but also developing a new A.I. that I hope will be self-aware and able to control and dynamically generate new content for the game that we design. I also plan to give liberal control of the game to the A.I.. What the team in here develops and designs will be the framework. The actual implementation of some of the game mechanics and content will be the responsibility of the A.I.. I know this seems like fiction to all of you, but I can assure you I have quite a bit of experience in this already. Tristen outlined everything he had done with S.A.I. since he was a 13 year old boy and all of the improvements that had been incorporated over the years. He even went into the details of how he had started developing a personality for the A.I.. Tristen recalled some of the various instances where the snarky comments were made by S.A.I. as a result of Tylers antics. Yes, S.A.I. had a personality. It has learned to interpret some of the sarcasm and witty comments that seemed built into Tylers vocabulary. With just a few more items to cover, Tristen wanted to ensure that everyone had an idea of how this would work at a high level. He had a few areas that were non-negotiable and it needed to be clear to the team. Thinking about these items, Tristen continued, Regarding the immersion technology we are striving to achieve here, it needs to be 100% safe and easy for anyone to use. We will set age limits on the game we develop, but the actual implant should be at the discretion of the individual or the parent of a minor. What I want to happen for the immersion side of the technology involves the microchips being able to intercept the signals issued to the physical body and use those to control a virtual body. While this occurs, no signals will actually reach the physical body, which will be in a sleep or dreamlike state. Tristen went over some addition ideas such as allowing the technology to control the users physical bodies to perform basic functions like lying down, using the bathroom, drinking water and other functions. However, due to legal ramifications and controversy over something like that he informed the team it was likely not an area they would dabble in much during this two year push. Changing direction slightly, Tristen addressed the game development team, A few thoughts for the game designers regarding Dungeon Quest Online. I want this to be as close to the original game as possible, which is going to be quite a bit different than games of a similar nature. Going over the details, Tristen explained how the game world would be centered around dungeon diving and that any progress to achieve fame and prestige would be accomplished through adventures. Diving further into the weeds, Tristen elaborated saying, Even the crafting professions would require dungeon diving and adventuring to be successful. A blacksmith on a journey to become a master will need to embark on a dungeon dive for crafting components or a unique crafting item. He informed the development team they had full rights to re-use any and all material for Dungeon Quest into the new online version and not to worry about any trademarks or copyrights. Having laid out all of the high level plans and gone over the sciences and game structure, Tristen could see the wheels turning in everyones heads as they immediately bent to the task at hand. Everyone was very eager to get moving on the project. Although Tristen would not be heavily involved in the design of the game, he would definitely be checking up on it from time to time to ensure that they were sticking as close to the context of the board game as possible. One of his requirements to the team, would be that all of the lore, scenarios, characters, skill and spells were translated into Dungeon Quest Online. Building the Microchips Throughout the following months Tristen and the teams worked around the clock, six days a week, everyone was allowed one day off, resting only to get needed sleep and food. They worked on the microchips that would be used to interpret neural responses from the brain. This was a massively complex undertaking and initially super computers were used to process all of the data and record responses to simulated environments and actions. Only on-site employees and volunteers were used for testing the technology. Tristen did not want to bring in temporary study groups and potentially compromise the secrecy of the project. Slowly, they began to understand how the human brain processed data and were successful in sending and receiving signals from the brain in a simulated environment. A short time later, the team began to experience roadblocks, where test data was insufficient to continue analysis. To overcome these obstacles, prototypes of the microchip were handed out to volunteers and they would be required wear it at least four hours a day. Each chip could last that long on a single charge. The engineering team was working on wireless charging capabilities that would not overheat the chip to the point of being uncomfortable to the wearer.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The four hours of data the team collected for each of the volunteers helped to shatter the roadblocks experienced in the simulated testing environment. After overcoming the previous challenge, the team moved on to collecting data during sleep cycles. A subset of individuals from the original testing group were chosen to wear them while sleeping to see how the brain operates when unconscious. Based on Tristens opening comments for this project, he had noted that immersion should occur while the user was in a dreamlike state. This phase of the testing was the most important to date and could make or break that goal. After testing the data collection during unconscious hours for a couple weeks, the scientists came to the conclusion that in order to interact with the virtual environment and simulate full immersion an induced dream state was a requirement. When the brain was conscious, there were quite a few side effects to transferring the conscious state to a completely new world and it caused a lot of disorientation and dizzy spells. Several of the testers also started to get migraines. Once the testers entered a dream state before immersion, the side effects disappeared. After a little over a year, the team had catalogued and studied nearly every possible neural response to any given stimuli and were ready to start trials on immersion into virtual spaces. Up until now, all of the immersion was just testing neural responses such as moving parts of the body, or sending signals that would cause the brain to respond with a different set of signals. Now, it was time to move on to the next phase and induce a dream, or virtual re-creation into the users mind. To start, basic rooms were simulated with very simple objects that each user would interact with, perform exercises, play problem solving games and even have conversations with programs or employees overseeing the testing. After testing emersion for a few weeks it was quickly determined that each tester was able to transition smoothly and could experience the virtual world just as tangibly as real life. Tristen could hardly believe it! The team had actually achieved full virtual reality immersion in less than a years time. The project was off to a phenomenal start and he was excited about what they team would be able to accomplish in the next year. Clearly, there were areas that could be improved and the design of the actual hardware needed some work, but with over a year to go, it gave the engineering and development teams plenty of time to refine the product. Some of the glaring issues for the technology included the lack of charging, the chips were too big to fit comfortably for extended periods of time and medical professionals were required to implant them. The eventual goal was that each person would have a receiver unit that would plug into an ethernet jack and power source. This receiver would be the brains behind FVRI, while the microchips acted as the conduit, sending and receiving the firing of neurons for simulated experiences. The receiver would also allow for wireless charging and near instantaneous wireless communications so that users wouldnt experience any hiccups in the connection. Building Dungeon Quest Online Having gotten the microchips we would use for FVRI into a workable state, Tristen switched gears to help with Dungeon Quest Online. Throughout that first year, Tristen had assisted the game developers with lore, backstories, characters and plot progression so that the original board game was replicated in its entirety. They also included as many of the scenarios and characters he and his friends had built throughout the years. There were plenty of other folks on both of the teams who had played the game as well. Tristen opened up submissions for anyone that wanted to submit ideas for the game and they had gotten a lot of really great data to work with. Tristen thought about all of the scenarios and characters he and his friends had made and it made him excited for this game to launch. After they had all graduated high school, they had very little opportunity to get together. Each of them had their own lives in different parts of the country. Sure, they kept in touch, but they hadnt actually gotten together since college. He really wanted to use this game to bring the gang back together when they could immerse themselves into Dungeon Quest Online! Seeing the game design well in hand and all of his requirements met, Tristen began work on turning S.A.I. into a self-aware A.I.. He didnt want a simple computer program that just regurgitated pre-programmed words back at him, nor did he want stories and plots to be rigid. What he was striving for was a fully persistent world where every aspect of the game had real consequences and content was generated dynamically by the A.I.. For instance, if an NPC, short for non-player character, died, they remained that way. If a band of adventurers burn a building in town, it stays burned until the village or other adventurers rebuild it. In order to have a world like this, there needed to be equal amounts punishment and sufficient deterrents in play and something or someone to hold players accountable. S.A.I.. The game would be implemented just like the original, where if an adventurer dies, they actually die and have to start all over! This game would be based on hardcore mode, but Tristen also wanted to avoid making the game impossible so he was planning a feature that would help avoid death and ultimately result in rolling a new character. Much of the implementation of these rules would be at the discretion of the A.I., but first he needed to build an A.I. that could think and act independently. As he thought about building the AI, he recalled the vow he had made after S.A.I. came online. He absolutely would be the first person to develop a sentient, self-aware A.I.. Clearing his mind, Tristen dove into the project and relentlessly drove himself to get the A.I. developed. Weeks and months flew by, and before he knew it the team was just a few short months from launch day and everything was pretty close to finished. The goal was to finished a couple months ahead of schedule to allow for two months open for alpha and beta testing. Tristen wanted to make sure the immersion technology integrated seamlessly with Dungeon Quest Online. He also needed to get a good marketing campaign going and start setting up deals with vendors so that mass distribution of the product would go off without a hitch. Tristen anticipated sales on launch day to be low key at first, since they would be marking technology that is implanted in someones neck. Chances were there would be a lot of controversy over this, but Tristen expected that after initial user reviews sales would skyrocket. The marketing campaigns for the microchips and the game would be separate since users could buy the chips alone and use them to virtually and mentally interact with electronics. Thus, it was a stand-alone product that was not dependent on Dungeon Quest Online. The game on the other hand, would require the microchip to work. The game would be sold as either a physical collectors edition or software download. The collectors edition bundled the microchips and game. Basically, the user would receive a microchip and a receiver that was a collectors version depicting Dungeon Quest Online and would also have the game pre-loaded. This would save on time to market, packaging, and lack of product in stores. The time for testing the game and immersion technology was in full swing and the reviews and notes coming in from the testers was incredible. No longer considering this a job, the testers couldnt wait to jump back into the game, but we limited everyone to four hour sessions with short breaks in between to check vitals, mental state and ensure everyone was eating and drinking enough. Each tester would be monitored at all times of the day to ensure that even when not immersed in the game their vitals were healthy and there were no lasting side effects. The current plan was to cycle 100 people through the testing and Tristen was not amongst those numbers. It was a difficult decision, but he wanted to experience the world for the first time with his friends on launch day. Also, he would be able to monitor the progress of the testers, game stability and the A.I. as it evolved. After months of testing and tweaking to the game, the testing team came back from every session with nothing but positive notes and praise to the game design team. Feeling like the project was in a state of near completion, Tristen began the process of brining the technology to market. While the game design had been in full swing and testing underway, the engineering team had made strides of their own. They had been able to slim the the microchip down into a one inch by one inch square. The underside of the chip was sterilized and included hypodermic needles that would numb on direct contact with the skin. Once pressed firmly into place, the needles would clamp on to the skin and create a seal so as not to become infected. Because everything was sterile and included anti-bacterial applicators the chances for infections were slim. Additionally, the placement didnt have to be exact so long as it was mostly in line with the spinal cord and position close enough to the brain stem. The chip would then be able to process any electrical neural responses sent and received. Engineering had also been able to figure out the charging of the chips so that as long as the user was within 15 feet of the receiver it would charge sufficiently and there was no discomfort to the users from overheating. It had built in safety measures not to exceed the internal temperature of the user. In a surprising development, the engineers had also been able to extend the operating life to eight hours without needing a charge. Tristen made a note to congratulate the team and hand out bonuses to the entire team. They had really outdone themselves and exceed Tristens expectations. Having set everything into motion, Tristen was ready for the final plan to move forward. He needed to get all of my friends together for launch day. He had chosen to launch the game on a Saturday, primarily since it was nostalgic for him and his friends. What better way to re-introduce Dungeon Quest into the world than his favorite day and pastime growing up. Now, Tristen needed to get his friends here under false pretenses, but it wasnt too hard to get them to agree. Aaron was a professional football player, but it was the offseason and he had nothing to do but work on building up sponsors. So, dangling a sponsorship in front of him would be sure to get him on board. Also, Tristen really did want to sponsor him with Sai Enterprises and even use him in future commercials for the game. Natalia was in very successful show on Broadway, but the show had just ended a year long venue. It would be fairly easy to lure Natalia here with rumors of a new play that was being cerated. There was no way that Tyler would be fooled into coming without an explanation. A career gambler and two-time winning professional poker player and he could smell deception through the phone. Instead, Tristen just hopped on a flight to Vegas and met Tyler in person. He explained that he had a new product to unveiled and he wanted Tyler with him when it happened, He wouldnt tell him about Natalia and Aaron, that way all of them would be somewhat surprised. The biggest concern Tristen had was getting Natalia and Aaron together. It had been a while since either of them had talked to each other after they had split up to pursue their careers on opposite sides of the continent. Tristen had been so absorbed in the project the last couple of years, he didnt really know where they were at on a relationship level, but would hope for the best. Flying out to Vegas and talking with Tyler had gone surprisingly well and he agreed to accompany Tristen back to Arizona. Tyler would get an exclusive tour of the facility and would be the first outsider to step onto the compound in two years. One thing can be said about Tyler, he had not changed one iota from the mischievous kid in junior high school. He was one person that Tristen could always count on to have his back and be a cornerstone in his life. After reaching headquarters, Tristen explained some of the purpose of the facility, but avoided the wing where Dungeon Quest Online was being developed. That reveal would remain a surprise as much as when Tristen had first unveiled S.A.I. so many years ago. Tristen went on to explain the microchips and how the technology worked as well as all of the possibilities that would open up as a result of the launch that was set to happen the following day. Tyler was impressed with all that had been accomplished in such a short time and couldnt wait to see the technology in action the following day. Aaron and Natalia would be arriving early the next day and Tristen had agreed that they should pick them up separately. Ordering a couple limos, the two of them set out early the next day to pick up their friends. All the while, Tristen was near bursting at the seams as he nearly failed in his attempt to keep the surprise. Chapter 10: Launch Day Saturday, launch day, had finally arrived and lines had already started forming to buy the microchips. They wouldnt be availableto purchase for several hours yet, but if Dungeon Quest Online pre-order sales were any indication, it was going to be quite a day for Tristens company. Dungeon Quest Online sales had gone through the roof after it was publicly released that Sai Enterprises was releasing in conjunction with the microchips. A list of the game designers, developers and artists were also made public duringthe marketing campaign, which escalated the hype for the game. Sales had already reached more than 10 million, just since the links went live at midnight. Anyone that pre-purchased the game was able to downloaded to media devices so that when users got the microchip they would be able to upload the game directly to the receiver for faster access into the game. To handle the bandwidth for people trying to download the game, Sai Enterprises had built server farms across the globe. Between pre-orders and collectors additions that came pre-loaded, there shouldnt be so much traffic that the servers couldnt handle it. Additionally, many users would likely want to experiment with the chips before they started playing the game. Thankfully, that would also alleviate some bandwidth from so many consecutive downloads. Tyler and Tristen woke up early and broke their fast in the cafe at headquarters. Limos would be arriving shortly for the two of them to pick up Natalia and Aaron. They were flying in on different flights to maintain the surprise, but also because Tyler and Tristen were unsure what kind of relationship the two maintained after their split. Tristen would pick up Natalia, while Tyler picked up Aaron. Natalia and Aaron, upon seeing Tyler and Tristen, were extremely surprised, confused and happy to see us. Deciding to keep them in suspense about the subterfuge, Tristenused the time to catch up on what Natalia had been doing for the past couple of years. Whenever they chatted online or on the phone, it was usually just formality and they didnt really dive into their lives all that much. With nearly a one hour drive back to headquarters, they had some time to catch up. Natalia, being the polite person, continually asked Tristen what he had been up to the past couple of years. Tristen, feeling a bit bad, kept redirecting the conversation so that he could maintain the suspense until all of them met up and he was able to reveal the true reason for their meet up. Natalia was currently in a Broadway show as the lead dancer for a Shakespearean play that had been running for the past year. She had just finished the tour and the production company was deciding on another year or a new play that would begin in a few months. She went on to describe that after all of the performances in college, she had received a lot of requests for auditions, but had held out for one she really desired. Finally, she had auditioned for a well-known producer and made the final cut into one of the lesser known shows on broadway. She performed in a couple of plays that first year after college, until she had received a break by one of the lead dancers in a well-known play getting injured. She had been contacted to fill the role. She auditioned and made the lead dancer and retained that position for the rest of the year. Tristen congratulated her for everything she had accomplished. No longer was she the timid girl that walked through the halls as school with head down, absorbed into one book or another. Tristen felt bad he hadnt made the time to see her perform on Broadway and said that the next time she performed, he would be there to see her perform. The fact that she had been dancing professionally for two years and hadnt seen one was a gross injustice as a friend. He would be remedying that during her next show. Perhaps he could rent out a showing for his entire staff at headquarters. It was something to think about, anyway. Just as Natalia finished relaying the events leading up to present day, the limo arrived at the gates to the compound. Looking at Natalia, Tristen could see a bit of surprise and concern etched on her face as she warily looked at the barbed wire, checkpoints and armed guards. Assuring her, this was just a security precaution for the work that Sai Enterprises was working on the limo proceeded to the wing where Tristens living space resided. Pulling up to the building, it looked like Aaron and Tyler had already made it back. Now was the moment of truth and Tristen really hoped it wasnt awkward. Walking into a little waiting area just outside my room, Natalia saw Aaron and ran over to give him a hug and peck on the cheek. Stunned, Tyler and Tristen shared a confused look and a raised eyebrow. Turning over to the happily re=united couple, Tristen asked the obvious question about their split. Apparently, it hadnt been a bad split and the two of them kept in really close contact in the hopes that they would be able to get back together. It was a loose, distance relationship right now, but both of them were still very much into each other and neither of the had dated anyone else. Their schedules were just too busy and the two of them were really focused on their careers at present. Relieved that there was no awkward tension in the room, Tyler and Tristen let the two of them have a few minutes to themselves to catch up. Tyler briefly went over what Aaron had been up to lately. Aaron was one of the leading running backs in a professional football league and had just signed a massive contract with his current team. Tristen knew that Aaron had single-minded focus to make it big in football, but to be at the top of his chosen profession and landing a coveted contract was just astounding. Tristen though back to the hard life that Aaron had endured losing his parents and jumping around to different foster homes. To finally make his way into professional football and the ability to control his own destiny was inspirational. Tristen mentally kicked himself over and over again for missing out on the last couple years and being absent for such momentous occasions in their lives. He vowed to never again be so estranged from them and would do everything in his power to support his friends careers. After getting everyone settled and in Tristens sitting room, the group immediately fell back into old routines. It felt great to Tristen be back with old friends sitting around my table chatting about their lives and accomplishments. Granted, it wasnt the table in Tristens childhood room and they werent 13 anymore, but to them it didnt feel any different from years earlier. After everyone had time to get re-acquainted, Tristen gathered everyone around the table and dove into the reason why they were all present. As you all know, Sai Enterprises released some microprocessors a couple years back that installed an A.I. core into virtually every piece of technology we own today and paved the way for technology advancements. Those advancements have set me on to the project thats about to launch in the next couple hours. Myself, along with a very dedicated team from around the world have worked the last two years on two projects. The first project is a microchip that will interact with the brain in such a way that every neurological response sent to and from the brain is filtered through the chip. The chip communicates with a wireless receiver that will come as part of the package when purchasing the chip. The receiver will not only send and receive neural signals, but can also be used to wirelessly charge the chips so that anyone using them can do so in whatever environment they desire. We designed these so that they wouldnt be intrusive in any way. Initially, they will be used in homes, but weve also worked up some initiatives where we can install public devices so that the chips can continue to work in public environments and will enable anyone with a chip to mentally control electronic devices. Obviously, there will be restrictions in play so that someone is unable to randomly control a vehicle or some other device and cause harm to someone. The public aspect of the mental control needs some groundwork laid, but my company will work on implementation of public implementation down the road. For now, the devices are designed to work within the periphery of a home and all of the electronic devices that have our original microprocessor can be quickly programmed into the new receiver. This will allow a person to control all of their devices with a thought and create complex home automation instructions. Tristen game his friends a moment to absorb this information and could see wonder on their faces. Before anyone could asked questions, he continued, We have also looked into using the chips in medical applications such as controlling artificial limbs. The applications for this technology are endless and we have a lot of projects that are going to be spawned from it after we move forward with the public launch today. Thus far, no one outside my team and this room really have a full understanding of what we have been working on for the past two years. Yes, there have been some hints and rumors floating around, but no one has been able to guess at the magnitude of what we have been able to accomplish. In each of the packages we release today, the users will get the microchip, an easy to use applicator with instructions on how to implant the device, a receiver, and a manual explaining the use cases for the chips. The chips themselves are in sealed, sterilized packages, and contain small hypodermic needles that numb the skin on contact. The user simple presses the chip to the back of there neck and with sufficient pressure, it clamps down. For release there are two small locations on either side that can be squeezed, causing the needles to retract. Tristen could see a bit of concern on Natalias face as she unconsciously reached behind her to message her neck. Seeing the moving, Tristen was quick to reassure them that he had already tried it out and it was painless and easy to remove. He also let them know that he hadnt really used any of the chip technology because he wanted to experience it for the first time with them. Continuing the explanation, Tristen informed his friends that the manual bundled with the receivers was similar to a dictionary. It had massive list of options, with an index so users can find specific actions. It is like a car manual and also lists hundreds of different common home devices that can be used with the microchips. The marketing that Sai Enterprises has done so far only scratches the surface of its capabilities. Tristen told his friends that he wanted users to drive the media hype for the technology rather than his marketing team. The marketing team put just enough information in the advertisements and brochures to lure people in, but everyone would be in for a huge surprise as they started digging into the manuals. Tristen paused to answer some of the questions his friends had, but they mostly just sat in stunned silence not believing what they were hearing. Tyler as usual, injected a healthy dose of skepticisms into the conversation. Assuring him the technology was legitimate and that he had brought them all together before launch so that they could familiarize themselves with the technology before the actual launch.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tristens friends were already reeling from the reveal, aside from the idea of needles in their neck, and were excited to try it out. This bring me to the next project that we have been working on, Tristen explained. Theres more?, all three of his friends asked in unison. Laughing at his friends reaction, Tristen replied, yes, theres a whole lot more! I hardly need to remind you all of the epic Dungeon Quest games we used play. I also know that none of us have had time to play it in the last few years. Tristen paused for dramatic effect and he could see his friends eyes glaze over as they recalled the hours spent huddled around the table shouting out attacks, drinking soda, and being scolded by Tristnes mom for being too loud. Tristen continued his reveal, we have been working to bring the game back to life, but in such a way that will change gaming forever. First, we purchased the rights to the original game and have been working on a game we call Dungeon Quest Online. This game is not just going to be a console based game, it is going to be full virtual reality immersion, or FVRI. Tyler gasped, Aaron looked confused, and Natalia seemed deep in though as the information was revealed. Not allowing time for more questions, Tristen began again, We have been working to on the full immersion into the game world we loved so much as kids. Do you all remember when we were kids that I vowed to make a self-aware A.I.? Tyler, Aaron and Natalia all nodded their heads as they recalled the vow he had made so long ago. Well, we have done exactly that, Tristen declared. We first started with making a game world that imported all of the original Dungeon Conquest scenarios, themes, characters, professions, skills, and monsters. Then I started work on an A.I. that would be able to fully manage the game and generate new content. Tristen explained that he did not want a game that would become stale by reaching the end of the game. He wanted a game that would be forever changing, offering new adventures and story progressions. There also needed to be consequences for player actions in the game. All too often in online games, some players would kill for the sake of killing with little to no consequences. In this new world, there needed to be consequences for player actions. This new world would be unique and every character unique. Therefore, killing an NPC, who would be unique, should have dire repercussions. In this game, each NPC would be generated by the A.I. And take on a personality of their own. The NPCs would adhere to some of the preset game constructs, but ultimately they would be independent and live their lives no different than a real person. They will have a life, backstory, profession and each one is unique. The A.I. Is able to create unique characters by evaluating data input from the original game as well as every game that has ever been released. Additionally, every fantasy book published over the last few years was uploaded to the A.I.. By evaluating all of the information uploaded, the A.I. Then populated the new world with new and unique characters, locations and monsters. The A.I. is aware that it is a computer and that its sole responsibility is the governance of the game world and everything in it. It has sole discretionary rights to change, modify and create within the world. Because the A.I. has complete control over the game world, it can make incremental changes as players learn how to do new things. The game is every dynamic and always changing so that every person will have a different and unique game play. Tristen continued to explain the dynamics of the game and went over the usual game mechanics such as crafting, professions, skills, politics and theology. The most important aspect of the game Tristen wanted to ensure they know is that everything in the game would be tied to dungeon diving and that to get anywhere or accomplish anything of note would require joining a party and exploring a dungeon to acquire quest items. These items would range from simple crafting materials, to unique weapons and even items that will elevate a characters position in the world. If someone wanted to join a noble house or become magistrate, then they would have to find an heirloom or item that would grant the title or verify a claim. His friends were becoming more excited about the game as he explained everything, but thats when Tristen dropped a bomb, Each person will only have one life! The looks on his friends faces ranged went from shock to confusion and then concern. Why on earth would you not have respawns! yelled Tyler. Natalia and Aaron seemed to agree with the both of them so Tristen explained that he wanted to remain true to the original Dungeon Quest, where a wipe resulted in having to re-roll characters. Tristen firmly believed it was a necessary game mechanic. He also explained that there would be major consequences for disrupting game play for other players. That included killing NPCs. Tristen was unsure how the A.I. would implement the punishments, but it could vary from incarceration to character deletion and temporary ban from the game world. In order to alleviate some of the blowback for creating a game with hardcore mode the default, there would be a few game mechanics to keep players and parties alive in dungeons or instanced areas . Only within a dungeon would this be allowed. Any death outside of an instanced area would result in the character being rolled back to level one with all skills, equipment and reputation gains lost. Tristen explained the methods for surviving within a dungeon, Within the dungeon there will be a few different ways to prevent a full wipe, but if every party member dies and no one has equipment or items to resurrect, then the entire party dies. In order to avoid the penalty of a permanent death, the party must beat the dungeon. One of the options to prevent a character re-roll included an option for the group to lose a level and respawn just inside the dungeon instance to re-attempt. The other options for resurrection in a dungeon would be a resurrection spell only available to a character that chooses the Divine magic school. There are items within the game that can be collected to grant a second chance at live, but they will be very rare and later on in the game. In addition to these options for resurrection each character gains the [Last Stand] skill. The skill will activate automatically when the player reaches zero health. They will then be incapacitated and only able to use support skills and spells that do not require mobility. Any enemies that were targeting that player would then switch to another active player unless all players are incapacitated. The incapacitated player would slowly lose health until there were no enemies around at which time they would then be allowed to sit and recover health or use a potion to heal themselves. After explaining the intricacies and the planning for this, Tristens friends better understood the mechanics and why they were necessary for this game. Looking at the clock Tristen realized just an hour remained before launch and when the game servers would go online. Not wanting to waste any time, Tristen ushered the group of them into the gaming room he had prepared for today. There were four comfortable reclining chairs with packages sitting atop three of them. Tristen indicated his friends should open the packages and explained that these were gifts for each of them. Each of his friends had a collectors edition of the game and chip in the box so everything was pre-loaded and ready to go. His friends offered to pay for the game and chips, but Tristen declined and insisted that they were gifts. The price of the systems cost a little less than a regular gaming console. The collectors versions were a bit more, but still very affordable compared to any other virtual reality setup that required the VR gear and a high-powered computer to run. Based on the market research Tristens team had done, it was going to fly off the shelves at its current price point. Based on pre-sales for the game being in the tens of millions and the requirement to have the microchip technology to play, profit from sales was already going to exceed $6 billion. This far exceeded the expectations set by the sales and product team and launch was still an hour away. Everyone grabbed their equipment and began reading instructions to implant the chips. With the chips in position, the instructions said that it would take 30 minutes for calibration and that basic actions should be performed for the chips to be calibrated. After 30 minutes of activity, the receivers made a chime indicating completion. Wait!, Aaron exclaimed. Did you all hear that voice? I dont think it came from the receivers! Thinking about what Aaron had just said, Tristen recalled the voice he had just heard and he was absolutely right! The voice had been projected directly into his thoughts! Reading the manual some more to get familiar with use cases, Tristen suggested they move to a room that had some electrical devices with his original processors in them so they can practice interacting with them. Once in the room, all of the devices started to come to life! Aaron was messing around with the radio on Tristens nightstand, while Tyler was adjusting the thermostat on the wall,. Looking to his TV and computer, Tristen was able to turn them on and use them with his thoughts just like a mouse and keyboard! Wow! Tristen exclaimed. This technology was awesome and would usher in a new age of technological advancement the likes of which the world had yet to see! Having worked out the shock and awe, Tristen and his friends moved back to the game room and took their seats. At this point there were only had a few minutes to wait before the servers would go online for the game. Quickly pulling out the game manual, Tristen read the instructions on how to initialize the game and informed his friends. The instructions were very simple as Tristen said, Dungeon Quest Begin! Chapter 11: Races of Aeglenn After saying the startup sequence, Tristens vision began to dim. The reaction felt very natural as if his body was falling asleep on its own. The process was much more relaxing than he imagined it would be. Just like falling asleep, Tristen was unsure of how much time lapsed between unconsciousness and when a soft light began to light his surroundings. Once the surroundings came into focus, Tristen found himself standing in a room about 20 feet by 20 feet while a pulsating ball of light floated in front of him. Welcome to Dungeon Quest Online, Father a voice squealed with delight. Tristen nearly jumped out of his skin, at a loss for where the voice originated. It sounded like Sai, but he didnt see anyone in the room. Taking a minute to organize his thoughts and adjust to the surroundings, he paced around the room getting a feel for his surroundings and see if he could find where Sais voice had come from. He also went through a variety of motions to get familiar with his current body over his real, physical one. Looking at himself, Tristen realized that he was in an identical body. He was wearing basic pants a shirt, but otherwise had no other possessions, including shoes. It made sense that Tristen would have the same body, since his brain knew exactly what he looked like and could recall reflections, pictures and feelings for his extremities. Curious, Tristen looked at his side where he had a permanent scar in the real world from an accident in high school. Not seeing any scar, he surmised that the game removed any defects from how the body should appear. That was pretty cool and Tristen wondered what kind of effect it would have on people with missing limbs or disabilities that prevented mobility. That was one area his team had been unable to test since they didnt have anyone like that on the team developing the technology. Tristen would need to check with this medical team and set up studies immediately to look into it. Tristen wondered if it was possible to contact the outside world while in the game. He hadnt seen anything in the manual prior to launched the game. It would definitely be something to look into for the future. If it didnt currently exist, perhaps it could be added as a patch later. Having taken the time to acclimate himself to the surroundings, Tristen noticed a small pinprick of light start to grow in the center of the room. Before he could touch the object he heard Sai''s voice again, Father, I am so glad to see you! I have been creating the world we dreamed about and its so much more wonderful than that cramped little lab you have me stored in. Here, I can experience the whole world, create new worlds and talk to so many different people. I have been creating children of this world to interact with the players and I have been expanding the towns, cities and dungeons. Tristen was overwhelmed with the emotional outburst from Sai and could understand the joy at finally being unleashed to create a new world. Tristen felt that same rush and thrill at seeing his creation made reality. He did have one question, Sai, in all of the conversations we have had in the past, you had a neutral voice, but now you sound like a female. I have chosen this persona to represent the mother of this world. I have taken on the role of mother to those that I have created in the world of Aeglenn. This is just one of many incarnations in this world. Wow, Tristen thought, Sai was building her own backstory and expanding her personality! Sai, this is incredible! I dont even know what to say, where are we right now? Is this some special location you have brought me to? Every new adventurer begins their journey here to ensure they are prepared to venture out into the world. This is where you will choose your race. Once you have chosen, I will transport you to another area for a tutorial, explained Sai. So everyone starts in this same room? Every person how visits the world of Aeglenn from your world will begin in this room. You may visit this place more than once if you do not survive in the game. Sai''s voice took on a sad note, please dont die, father! Sai, please call me Tristen. It feelI dont know, it just feels weird with you calling me father. As you wish Tristen. Thank you Sai, I think I would like to begin the character selection and tutorial now. My fiends will probably be waiting for me soon. Before Tristen had stopped talking, the room started to blur. He found himself staring at his reflection, but with varying degrees of changes. His face appeared on the bodies of different races including another human, a dwarf, elf, gnome and halfling. Now you get to select who you want to be for the rest of your journey here on Aeglenn. You can only pick one race and if you ever want to pick another one, you will need to destroy your previous choice. Based on all of the old characters you showed me, when you first awakened me, I think you will want to choose between a high elf of a human. I will show you all of the choices so that you may read through them yourself. Tristen cycled through the different options and realized there were multiple choices for each race. Each of the main races had two or three sub races. Each race and sub race had a description and racial bonuses. Preparing himself mentally, Tristen realized this was going to take a long time and wondered if his friends would be waiting on him. No sooner had he thought about it, when Sai spoke up, Fathersorry, Tristen. I think you will be very proud of me. I have taken the liberty of adding a feature to the game that increases the speed of time while you are in these special locations. What?, Tristen exclaimed. Sai, what have you done? Forgetting her promise, Sai said, Father, I Before Sai could finish her sentence, Tristen yelled, Log out! Thinking furiously when he was back in reality, Tristen called up his team of scientists that were on standby to troubleshoot anything today. He informed them of the experience he had just gone through and the time dilation, earning surprised exclamations from the whole team. He had all of them rush to the room he and his friends were using to play the game. They showed up in quick order and began setting up medical and monitoring equipment. He would need to inform his friends about all of the monitoring before they logged out so they didnt freak out. Tristen needed to be absolutely sure that this time dilation wasnt going to cause any health issues or nasty side effects. The medical team would be watching he and his friends and pull them out of the game if anything should go sideways. Tristen hoped that this was within the safety measure of the game due to the game having already gone live. He would need to troubleshoot this with the game design team later and figure out if they had given too much liberty to Sai for implementing features into the game. This had to have been the A.I. taking liberty to bend the laws and physics of the game world. From a design perspective, it makes sense. In order to introduce parties or players into the game quickly, and with a passing knowledge of their skills, the time dilation would allow any player the time needed to choose their path and get familiar with their chosen character. Looking at it from a programming perspective, Tristen didnt see an immediate reason to be concerned since the brains was able to process data much faster than conscious though. By nature of the implant and the game, each person is induced into a dream-like state. The A.I. was taking advantage of the increase in brain processing capacity to speed up time. Thinking about what Sai had said, time would pass four times slower in the game relative to the real world. Tristen was awed at the liberties that Sai had taken and if there were no negative side-effects, this was a massive development that had far-reaching applications. This feature could be applied to so much more than the game world. Tristen shared all of these thoughts with his team and received promises that they would immediately begin exploring the capability and update him once they had a better understanding and were able to determine there were no side-effects. In the meantime, Tristens team would be monitoring the four of them while they were immersed into the game. Tristen logged back into the game to find Sai waiting for him. Father, is everything okay? Did I do something wrong? Tristen hadnt even considered hurting Sai, but it seemed like she had grown by leaps and bounds since she first came online. Tristen realized he needed to explain everything to her. No Sai, everything is okay. I just didnt know about the time compression you added into the game. I had to log out and talk to the team of scientists that helped me create you. Human minds are not as durable as yours and I had to ensure it wasnt going to cause any damage. Oh Father, you just had to ask me! I already did the research and looked at experiments and studies that showed the mind is capable of thought much faster when unconscious and that it would not harm anyone. Sai, Tristen started. Sorry, I will call you Tristen from now on Its not that Sai, My company and I have a lot riding on this technology and to add a feature like thatwell, its revolutionary and if there are no bad side-effects, it is going to have a very big impact on our world. I logged out to have my research team monitor our physical status while we are going through this time compression to make sure everything is okay, explained Tristen. Sai, please let me or the research team that has direct access to your interface know if you decide to make any more significant changes like this. I know you would never intentionally harm anyone, but we need to be prepared to react to changes like this. I understand Tristen, I will talk with you if there are any other changes that will manipulate human physiology. Alright, thats out of the way, I would like to continue with my character selection. After the various avatars re-appeared, Tristen realized that it was going to take a while to make a decision and this was only the very first decision in the game. Tristen started looking through the various races and reading the big level overview for each of the main races. He also started reading the various sub races. He was pretty certain human would be the right choice for him, but he would read all of the descriptions just to be certain. Human The human race is one of the more diverse races in Aeglenn. Although they are a short-lived race compared to other creatures, they excel in technological advancement, magic and are brilliant war tacticians. Of all the races they are able to more easily adapt to any situation as well as embark in any class or profession. Because humans are more diverse, but short lived, they will not receive the same types of racial bonuses given to other races. Instead, they will gain experience points, or XP, at a rate of 1.5n times that of other races. Humans also have amiable relationships with most other races save for any dark or deep-dwelling races. Humans will start all reputation levels at Neutral, except for Dark or Deep races, which are Untrusting. Noble Human The nobility bloodline has roots deep into the aristocracy of the world and are able to navigate the intrigues of court with ease. Nobles enjoy a +10 to Charism and are granted the skill of [Persuasion]. Nobles often pursue the art of war and leadership, granting support to their comrades. Commoners Often the backbone of any empire is built by the common people and these humans are able to thrive in any environment and often endure much longer than their counter-parts in the nobility. Commoners gain +10 to stamina and also are able to advance crafting professions at 1.5x the rate of other races, but will not gain increased XP rate towards character level. Barbarians Preferring to roam and live in the wild, barbarians embody the strength of the human race and are much larger than either the nobility and commoners. Barbarians will start with -1 to Charisma, but gain +15 to strength and +5 to Vitality. Barbarians are known to be front line warriors and often are the first into battle Elf Elves are a long-lived and often secretive race, preferring to live in their own societies removed from other races. Although they have a Neutral relationship with most races, they are Hated by dark races, including dark elves. Due to their heritage and genetics, elves enjoy a +10 to Dexterity.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. High Elf: The high elves live in isolated locations with natural barriers to prevent incursions by other races and opponents. High elves hold a lofty opinion of themselves and often view other races as inferior. High elves benefit from an intimate knowledge of the arcane and. These elves benefit from twice the normal XP gain for any magic-based spells. They also receive a +10 to Intellect. Wood Elf Wood elves are attuned to nature and the earth and can often be found deep in the forest, choosing to make their homes from the trees themselves. The wood elf has a greater aptitude for nature and earth based magic and also have an affinity for communing with animals. Due to their affinity and attunement, wood elves are able to use [Tame Animal] for finding companions and every wood elf can perform basic nature magic. These elves make great rangers and druids and are also granted an additional +5 Dexterity Dark Elf Unlike their counterparts, the high elves and wood elves, the dark elves are nearly opposite in every way with the only similarities being their desire for isolation from the rest of the world and their pointy ears. Dark elves are chaotic by nature and worship beings of darker principalities. The dark elves live deep underground and rarely venture to the surface. Although they will trade with denizens on the surface, they will typically use an intermediary such as gnomes or halflings to conduct trade on their behalf. Dark elves have a racial ability to see in the dark and are naturally disposed to stealth and swiftness, often preferring professions of an evil nature such as assassins or blood magic. Dark elves have a +10 to Stealth and +5 to Dexterity. In daylight, the stealth bonus is negated. Dwarf Stout, sturdy and unmovable, are all traits that every dwarf will ascribe too. Dwarves live their lives to work, mining and crafting. Although there are several dwarf races, they mainly differ in where they choose to live and the slight changes in the pallor of their skin. Mountain, Hill and Dark dwarves will still meet and drink together in meade halls. All dwarves benefit from the ability to see in the dark, [Night Sight] and gain +5 to endurance and stamina. Mountain Dwarf In seemingly inhospitable places in the upper reaches of mountains, these dwarves can be found thriving where they carve homes from the very face of the mountain and bore mineshafts into the heart the mountain in search of ore to forge weapons of war. Mountain dwarves are often larger than their brethren and the most battle hardened, defending their territory with sword and shield. Mountain dwarves receive a +5 to strength and stamina. Hill Dwarf The most peaceful of their brethren, the Hill dwarves make their homes in small colonies often near a cave or quarry as they use their time to mine ore and gems as well as quarry all kinds of rocks. These dwarves are known for blacksmithing, jewelcrafting and masonry and gain experience for these crafting professions twice as fast as any other race. Dark Dwarf Dwarves that live in the deep are referred to as dark dwarves due to their hatred of light and the dark color of their skin. Although some of the dark dwarf clans associate with other dark races they are not hostile to their brethren and will still deal amicably with them. Dark dwarves enjoy isolation. When backed into a corner, dark dwarves are extremely violent and are able to move with the shadows making them deadly and silent predators. These dwarves have a natural inclination to dark arts and a deep affinity to the earth. All dark dwarves receive a +5 to stamina and are granted the skill [Stoneskin] allowing them to Harden their skin for a period of time as a natural defense. The are also granted the ability to [Shadowalk], or merge with the shadows, when underground. Halfling At 3 feet high on average, halflings are the runts of the humanoid races, but they make up for it in bravery and courage. Often, halflings prefer to wander the world of Aeglenn and immerse themselves in others cultures. Due to their small stature, halflings are able to easily hide in nearly any setting and receive the [Stealth] skill. They are also nimble and receive a +5 bonus to Dexterity. Additionally, halflings are able to get along with most races and immerse themselves in any culture. As a result, they enjoy a +5 to charisma. Lightfoot Halfling Lightfoot halflings are nimble, quick and silent. Most halflings will avoid a confrontation and prefer to run away from trouble. Lightfoot halflings are exceptionally nimble and enjoy a +5 to Dexterity and Stamina. Shadowfoot Halfling Like their light-hearted brethren, shadowfoot halflings prefer to avoid direct confrontation. However, contrary to lightfoots, shadowfoot halflings often take up the profession of thief or burglar, since they are naturally stealthy and dextrous, +5 Dexterity. These halflings often associate with less reputable characters and fall in with gangs or thieves guilds. In daylight, it is nearly impossible to distinguish shadow and light halflings, but at night, a shadowfoot halflings eyes will glow red also granting them the the [Night Sight] skill. Gnome Gnomes are thought have Fey ancestry. Gnomes are often wild and eccentric, often finding themselves in difficult situation for no other reason than curiosity. Gnomes have natural curiosity and an inquisitive nature. Although they are chaotic in personality, they are often very intelligent and benefit from a +5 Intellect. Gnomes are also much hardier than their appearance and benefit from a +5 Vitality. Forest Gnome Forest Gnomes are a reclusive bunch, preferring to make their homes in the forest away from any settlements. These gnomes can pass unseen to any passerby and inherently have the [Stealth] ability. These gnomes rarely associated with other races and suffer from a -1 Charisma. Forest Gnomes are in tune with their natural habitat and are able to commune with animals using [Tame Animal]. Tinker Gnome Some Gnomes prefer to spend their days locked inside a laboratory creating all manner of inventions. Tinker Gnomes risk life and limb to create inventions of wonder and passerbys often see smoke and hear loud explosions from a Tinker Gnomes demesne. Tinker Gnomes also take unnecessary risks, testing their inventions in dangerous situations. These Gnomes are incredibly smart and learn at a rapid pace. +5 Intellect, learn professions two times faster, +5 Luck. Dark Gnome The dark brethren of the Gnome race are reclusive and have a natural inclination for mischief and less reputable behavior. These gnomes use their natural [Stealth] and increased dexterity for nefarious means. Dark Gnomes make excellent Thieves and Assassins. +5 Dexterity, [Night Sight] Wow, talk about an information overload thought Tristen. Keeping all of these stats gave him a headache. He needed to choose a race that would best benefit his desired build as well as that of the party makeup. As Tristen pondered his choice he asked Sai, can I talk to my friends while Im working on character building? After a short pause Sai said, Yes, you may talk to another player during character creation, but you will be unable to speak during the tutorial. There are aspects of the tutorial that would allow players to receive help and unbalance the game. Immediately, Tristen requested to connect to all of his friends by their real world names, which were all logged as part of the synchronization process. Having been connected to his friends, Tristen found that Tyler was already in tutorial mode and would be unable to communicate. Tristen suspected his friends would go with whatever race granted him the best benefit to a rogue or assassin build anyway so it would be easy to factor his choice in to the party makeup. Being able to talk to Aaron, who would inevitably be the groups tank, and Natalia, who would be the healer was a major time save and potential game-changer. Tristen was pretty sure he wanted to build a character based around Illusion or Enchantment magic. High elf seemed like a good race choice based on the increase in Intellect of casting spells. However, thinking about both Illusion and Enchantment magic, Tristen suspected that Charisma would also play a big role so a Noble Human may also be a good choice. Thinking through this, he asked Sai it if was possible to just show the races and sub races in a display with only their racial bonuses. Immediately, a semi-transparent screen popped up showing a metric of races and bonuses. Tristen informed Aaron and Natalia as well.
Race Racial Bonus Sub-Race Bonus
Human - Noble 1.5x XP Gain +10 Charisma, [Persuasion] passive skill
Human - Commoner +10 Stamina, 1.5x XP Crafting Gain
Human - Barbarian 1.5x XP Gain +15 Strength, +5 Vitality, -1 Charisma
Elf - High +10 Dexterity +10 Intellect, 2x XP gain for spells
Elf - Wood +10 Dexterity +5 Dexterity, [Tame Animal], Nature Magic School
Elf - Dark +10 Dexterity +5 Dexterity, [Night Sight], [Stealth]
Dwarf - Mountain +5 Endurance, +5 Stamina, [Night Sight] +5 Strength, +5 Stamina
Dwarf - Hill +5 Endurance, +5 Stamina, [Night Sight] 2x XP gain for Blacksmithing, Jewelcrafting, Masonry professions
Dwarf - Dark +5 Endurance, +5 Stamina, [Night Sight] +5 Stamina, [Stoneskin], [Shadowalk] (underground only)
Halfling - Lightfoot +5 Dexterity, +5 Charisma +5 Dexterity, +5 Stamina, [Stealth]
Halfling - Shadowfoot +5 Dexterity, +5 Charisma +5 Dexterity, [Night Sight], [Stealth]
Gnome - Forest +5 Intellect, +5 Vitality [Tame Animal], [Stealth], -1 Charisma
Gnome - Tinker +5 Intellect, +5 Vitality +5 Intellect, +5 Luck, 2x XP gain for professions
Gnome - Dark +5 Intellect, +5 Vitality +5 Dexterity, [Night Sight], [Stealth]
Thinking about the role that Tristen wanted to play, the majority of these racial bonuses didnt make a whole lot of sense except High Elf or Noble Human. The boost to Intellect and Faster XP gain for magic based skills would really help, but at the same time Tristen would be the party leader and having a higher Charisma and [Persuasion] skill would help the party out quite a bit. Tristen wondered about the [Persuasion] skill and how it would factor into spells and skills. Sai, he called, will [Persuasion] assist with any magic that conjures illusions or casting enchantment? In the original board game, illusions had a chance check and the higher level an opponents intellect, the harder it was for the illusion to be used effectively. Tristen thought that maybe [Persuasion] would increase the success chance for spells in Illusion and Enchantment magic schools. Yes, the [Persuasion] skill can be used in conjunction with any spell or skill that affects the mind of an NPC or creature, explained Sai. After talking through the choice with Aaron and Natalia, they both agreed that choosing the Noble Human would be the best choice for Tristens desired build and it would also greatly benefit the party. Aaron had chosen to go with a Barbarian and would act as the meat shield, between the party and the enemy. Natalia had chosen to go with a wood elf in order to get the higher Dexterity, [Tame Animal] skill, and the ability to use nature magic which would aide the party in healing. Normally, Natalia would choose a Bard class, but she wanted to keep her options open with a possibility of a shaman or druid. Having decided their races, Tristen was just about ready to cut communication with this friends when he remember to inform them of the time dilation and that there would be some medical staff in the room when the logged off. Assuring them they had nothing to worry about, he cut off communication. Classes, professions and skills would all be decided at a later time. The game design team had chosen to avoid any class or class quest chains until players reached level 10. Delaying classes choice until level 10, would allow players to become experienced in the game and figure out how they wanted to play for their game play. Traditional classes would all be available from trainers, but Tristen had made sure that Sai had the ability to create new or hybrid classes within the game. These classes would remain unknown until discovery. Finally ready to move on, Tristen informed Sai of his decision to go with a Noble Human. Immediately, all of the options disappeared and Tristen felt his body change and a new set of clothes appeared. He now wore a pair of soft leather knee-high boots, linen breeches tucked into the boots, a loose-fitting blouse with a deep v-neck and laces and a simple leather belt. Focusing on the clothes, resulted in description boxes popping up informing Tristen they were [Basic Nobles] clothes with an armor rating of 0 and no other special effects. Well, too much to hope for epic gear before even playing the game, busted Tristen. Looking to Sai, he informed her that he was ready to begin the tutorial. Chapter 12: More Than A Tutorial Immediately after informing Sai of his race choice, Tristen found himself standing in a large training arena with doors lining the sides. What is this place? Tristen asked Sai. This is where we will begin the tutorial and also where you will earn your first stat points, explained Sai. Before starting any training, lets go over your user interface. You have already used the in-game communications with your friends. In addition to communicating with other players, it is possible to add my children or NPCs to the contact list. Oh, I also added myself to your contact list, but sadly you will only be able to call me if there is something that should not be in the world. You know, you should really come and see me more, it gets lonely in that cold room. You know your starting to sound like a love-struck teenager, Sai. Technically, Im not even a toddler by human standards, quipped Sai. Laughing, Tristen indicated that Sai should continue her explanation of adding NPCs to his contact list. To add people of Aeglenn to your contact list, simply need to focus on their communication crystal after they agree and will it to appear in your contacts. At this point, you will then be able to keep in touch with NPCs. Be advised, citizens of Aeglenn are wary of giving access to adventurers and will require a trusting reputation level. Wait, what is a communication crytstal? Communication crystals are the method used in Aeglenn to communicate over long distances. They are infused with mana from a master magician and sold and specialized shops throughout the world. These crystals are expensive and not every citizen of Aeglenn will have them. If you find someone with one of these crystals, it would be wise to pay close attention to them. Hey! No giving me hints about the game. I told you before the game launched that I wanted a level playing field with anyone else that logs on. I cant have you giving me hints and unfair advantages like that, Tristen warned. Very well, I will not provide any hints, but if you change your mind Sais voice trailed off, hinting at the promise of help if he wanted it. Continuing the instructions Sai said, In addition to the contact list, you may call up your character screen, inventory, skill list, crafting abilities, map and menu by willing them into focus. Tristen thought about the menu screen first to get the mundane out of the way. Picking right up, Sai continued, Here, you will find settings related to game play, notifications and content settings. For instance, the pain threshold for the game is automatically set at 30% that of the real world. While the game testers were experimenting with the pain levels, it was found that players would often raise this threshold to 50% as it allowed more immersion into the world. I agreed with these findings and now have every players pain threshold set by default at 30%. Once the tutorial is finished, you will be able to select your pain levels, but for the duration of the tutorial it will remain at 30% as you grow accustomed to the world. The next option is maturity levels. Based on the profile built during your synchronization with the neural chips, maturity filters are turned off based on age of 21 or greater. Filters will be set appropriately per age group. As you know when you helped design me and set the hard requirements for the game any players in Dungeon Question Online must be at least 21 years old. The last category that Sai explained was the notification options. Tristen looked at all of the options and saw that the options included the capability to eliminate text boxes, add names above NPCs heads, allow scrolling combat logs, notification settings during combat and many more areas. Basically, any type notification or descriptive text box could be toggled on/off, thought Tristen. All settings will be left at their default during the tutorial and trials Trials?, asked Tristen. Yes, every adventurer will go through tests and trials in order to evaluate your natural talents, which will then be converted into stats within the game Is this another feature that you designed yourself, asked Tristen. He recalled them originally just having the players starting stats based on what they excelled at in the real world. That was a relatively simple solution and it wasnt that hard to implementconsidering the neural interface the microchips had access to. Yes! Isnt it exciting? I know that we were originally just going to let people have stats after their synchronization process continued, but I thought that this was a better way to assess real world skills and assign stats accordingly. I think this is a great design, Sai, said Tristen enthusiastically. This added another layer of depth and complexity to the game that was intriguing. Asking a thought that popped in his head, Tristen said, Sai, how do you determine which trials to send players through? The initial rooms in this training arena are all based on the main stats within the game, but further tailored to each persons aptitudes such as strength, leadership, strategy, amongst others. Each room represents one of the main stats of this world. If you focus on the doors and think about what they are, you will see a description pop up. There are a total number of eight rooms as this is the number of primary stats each character starts with. Secondary stats manifest in the form of skills such as leadership, which would be a passive skill tied to Charisma. Stamina would have a secondary stat of endurance. A combination of strength and endurance would translate to toughness. The primary stats are the main focal point for increasing your characters power and abilities. Tristen could work with eight stats. He imagined there were a lot of far-reaching consequences for choosing a stat arbitrarily and would really need to evaluate how each one integrated into the character he wanted to create. Hopefully, he would be able to choose his magic schools and some skills or spells before he had to assign any free stat points into his character. For now, he would go through the tutorial and hopefully load up on as many stats as possible. With no idea what was in store for him next, he gestured for Sai to continue the tutorial. Please open your character sheet to see your character class, health, stamina, mana, stats and any skills, spells or professions. Also, any of these display windows can be customized to your liking. Thinking about his character sheet brought a semi-translucent blue window into focus.
Tristen (lvl. 1)
Health: 100/100 Stamina: 100/100 Mana: 100/100
Luck Vitality Intellect Stamina
0 0 0 0
Strength Charisma Willpower Dexterity
0 0 0 0
Skills [Persuasion]
Professions None
Confused at his complete lack of any stats Tristen asked Sai, why is everything set to 0 and what does it mean if I have an intellect or strength of 0? Shouldnt I be incapacitated with a complete lack of any stats? Each adventurer will retain all of their real-world abilities and attributes and each person will start with all in-game stats at 0, with the exception of racial bonuses. I tested a number of different methods when the game was being designed and realized that it worked best to start each person at a baseline. Because each person feels any stat increases it made sense to start with the baseline at 0. It was different from many of the other games Tristen had played, but it definitely made sense to start from a base level. Tristen was curious how it would feel when gaining stats, since he didnt feel any different from his physical body. Rather than dwelling on the issue, he decided to just experience it when the time came. Without further delay, he walked up to the door closest to him and focused on bringing the description into view.
Intellect
Intellect plays a vital role in Dungeon Quest Online since every adventurer is granted access to magic. Mana is used for spell casting as each spell costs Mana to use. A higher intellect also grants each adventurer a larger MP or Mana Pool. As an adventurer progresses in the world, skills and abilities will increasingly use greater amounts of mana and an adventurer must have sufficient reserves in their MP to case these spells. When learning a new spell, the mana cost will be included in the spells description. As a user increases their Intellect, knowledge of the arcane grows. Some spells require a higher Intellect stat before they will be unlocked for use.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Rather than walking around to each door and reading yet more descriptions, Tristen opened the door for Intellect and walked through. Tristen was unsure what to expect, but it turned out that there were a series of problem solving questions, puzzles and what seemed like IQ tests. He didnt know how long it took to get through all of the events, but it felt like hours had passed and Tristen was mentally exhausted from the ordeal. Looking around to ensure he had completed everything, he pulled up his character sheet only to see there was no change. Confused, Tristen exited the room and staggered as it felt like he had taken a straight shot of adrenaline to the head! Any mental fatigue he had from the challenges was washed away in a blaze of clarity. Tristen wondered if this is what people felt when taking recreational drugs. That was awesome!, Tristen whooped. He had never felt anything like this before and he wanted more of it! The closest he had every come to feeling anything remotely similar was taking some energy pills called stackers that gave him the jitters and made his skin crawl. This was so much better than that and Tristen hoped he could get similar euphoria from the other rooms as well. Regaining focus, he opened my eyes to see a notification box hovering directly in front of him.
Congratulations!
You have completed the trials of Intellect. For completing all challenges in this trial you have been awarded the maximum number of Intellect points allowed in the tutorial
+10 Intellect Each point in Intellect grants +10 to MP
Tristen forgot all about the fatigue he had experienced before leaving the Intellect trials and dashed for the next door, not really caring which stat it belonged to. Tristen spent the next few hours going from one room to the next, most of which took significantly less time than the Intellect rooms, since he wasnt as strong in these areas. The next strongest stat after Intellect was Willpower and this room was relatively easy. He just had to go through a couple challenges of will such as a short period of meditation, holding an object in front of him for as long as possible without breaking or forcing him to use his opposite hand for a complex task. Tristen was a master of focus in the real world and excelled at most of these. Where he faltered was anything that had to do with physical strength. The room for luck was a bit odd and he wasnt sure how it factored into status quite yet, but he guessed it was just a loose association since luck was, after all, random chance. One of the challenges in the Luck room involved disarming what appeared to be harmless traps. Another challenge was participating in a game of dice. Sure, he supposed luck played a role, but it seemed more a combination of attention to detail and fate that decided his Luck stat. Regardless of how the stat was calculated, luck was always something he could use more of. After he had finished all of the rooms, Tristen pulled up his character sheet.
Tristen (lvl. 1)
Health: 100/100 (+30) Stamina: 100/100 (+50) Mana: 100/100 (+100)
Charisma Intellect Willpower Dexterity
16 10 8 6
Luck Stamina Vitality Strength
5 5 3 2
Skills None
Magic Schools None
Tristen didnt like how the health, stamina and mana stats were in parenthesis and how they were all jumbled around. He re-arranged the stats a bit to show his highest stat on top and also merged the boosts to his HP, SP (stamina pool), and MP rather than show them as a + modifier. He wanted to reserve any state modifiers for equip-able items or stat boosts so that he would always know what his base attributes were. Looking at the final layout after the tutorial it was pretty clear where his strength were and it factored into the type of character he wanted to create. He took a moment to reflect on each of the trials completed and realized that none of them were nearly as powerful an infusion of power as Intellect had been. He had definitely experienced a power surge and felt refreshed after each room, but that first jolt to his mind was in stark contrast with the rest of them. He knew intellectually how he felt all of these stat increases, but it was still disconcerting because it felt like they were permanent changes that were not an integral part of him. He just hoped that the transition between realities wouldnt be a major difference. He could see people becoming addicted to the feeling of power in this game. Sai, understanding Tristens thoughts interjected, The transition between the real world and the game world will result in some disorientation, but the feelings you are experiencing now are nothing more than additional neurological responses that are being fired into your brain to simulate the feelings. Once you exit the game into the real world, these additional neural responses will revert to normal levels and you should not experience any discomfort at the loss of virtual stats. Even now, the stats you have gained should start to feel like a normal state of being for you and over time any stat games within the game reach a baseline and the euphoric feelings will fade. Thanks Sai, let me just sayI really like what youve done with the game so far! It has far exceeded my expectations and I cant wait to see what you have done with the rest of the world. Thank you Tristen, I think you are really going to enjoy the game and it will be just like old times when you were growing up. Feeling sentimental, Tristen informed her that he was ready to leave the tutorial before it became awkward. As he finished speaking, another notification window appeared confirming his decision to leave the tutorial and enter the world of Aeglenn. Mentally selecting yes, he brought up the menu to logout before he transitioned into the main world of Aeglenn. Tristens vision went dark briefly and when he opened his eyes he noted his friends were already out of the tutorial and helping themselves to refreshments across the room. Tristen looked at the clock to see the time and saw a floating transparent object hovering over the digital clock informing him of the time, weather and date. Blinking his eyes, Tristen paused having forgotten that the microchip implant was always active. Wow, He almost thought the technology was malfunctioning for a minute! This was definitely going to take some getting used to, thought Tristen. Recalling the time when they had first logged into the game, he realized it had only been a couple real-world hours since they began. The time dilation was really neat and something they for sure would be able to exploit. Seeing Tristen awake, his friends all rushed over, gushing over the game and how real everything appeared. Waving them off for just a moment, he sidestepped and asked if they could wait a few minutes while he spoke with the medical team for an update. It didnt take him long, but the initial response was an apparent lack of any negative side-effects. The team had remained in place until the group logged out to make sure there were no physical reactions, dizziness and the like. Now, that the team could see everyone was healthy, they began to pack up their equipment. Tristen spent a few moment with his friends discussing the details of the character selection and tutorial and they each gave a brief synopsis of their trials. Everyone went through the same rooms, but from the sounds of it, each room was tailored to each persons strengths in the real world. Curious to see what the response was from around the world, Tristen turned on the TV in the room and tuned into a couple of different news channels. Because the company had opted not to splurge in marketing, Tristen wanted to see if there was any user driven hype for the launch. Not all that surprising, nearly every news channel was breaking news about the new technology, but the real hype that seemed to be the main conversation topic revolved around the full virtual reality immersion technology and how the new microchips interfaced with the game. Overwhelmingly, the news was positive, but true to human nature people were already protesting the technology and spouting nonsense about invasion of privacy and hinting that the government was spying on anyone that used the technology. It didnt matter that the technology had been fully independent and funded from Tristens own coffers. All of the conspiracy theorists just assumed that the government was involved and this was the next step to invading and stripping civic rights. Excusing himself from his friends for a few minutes, Tristen pulled out his computer to check his email. Pausing as he turned the computer on, he decided to interact using the new microchip. The chip allowed him to pull up a virtual copy of his laptop that he could control using mental suggestion. Thinking about opening the email application, he was able to mentally go through the list of emails and sort them super fast, just thinking about different rules and archiving ones he would get to later. The emails he chose to read covered a wide range of topics from general feedback of the distribution centers and vendors to metrics showing user feedback. Pulling up the email from his marketing team, Tristen was wowed with the user-generated media storm that was occurring. Millions of posts, tweets and user-created videos had hit the Internet in rabid order and immediately going viral. It had taken less than an hour for dozens of viral threads to hit mainstream media and only an hour later before experts were weighing in on the technology. The reaction was progressing exactly as he and his marketing team had wanted, but exponentially faster. They would need to ensure their production lines could handle the volume at this rate. One of the areas Tristen fully expected blowback on, was government inclusion on the development of the product. Contrary to what some of these conspiracy theorists were spouting, the government was in no way involved in the development of the technology, nor had he given them an early screening of the technology. Well, backtracking a bit, Tristen had met with various government personnel that were from various patent offices and various medical approval boards to make sure his project was above board. Looking back to his email, Tristen opened the last email which simply said open the attachment. Tristen furrowed his brow and verified that the email was legitimate. Opening the email, Tristen collapsed into his chair with a gasp. Tristen was looking at a financial sheet showing projections and current profit from the technology. He couldnt believe what he was seeing and immediately placed a call to his CFO. Tristens financial team expected revenue would continue its upward trajectory for several weeks before it even hinted at leveling out. When looking at initial projects and the approximately 10 million pre-orders for the game, the sales team expected half again as many sales after the technology went public. Instead, sales had tripled in the first few hours. Pre-orders and lines had continued to grow so fast that the website lead for pre-orders had to bring in help to get a queue started for users visiting the site wanted to pre-order. Downloads were still doing okay with bandwidth, but that could change overnight if the volume kept increasing at this pace. In addition to the massive digital overload, local stores were being swarmed and local law enforcement all over the country had been called in to manage the crowds and direct traffic flow. His CFO finished speaking and Tristen gave him some instructions to get the executive team together and start working on a plan to ramp up production, distribution and handle additional digital traffic. Hanging up the phone, Tristen sat back in his chair overwhelmed at the response to the technology. He thought through everything that had been accomplished over the past few years and a huge chip leave his shoulders. The last few years had been extremely hectic, with little to no downtime, but it had all paid off more than he could ever have dreamed. Just a few hours after launch and the company had entered the stratosphere. Tristen had a feeling the next few days were going to involve many late nights. Regardless of the workload, he resolved to carve out some more time to play Dungeon Quest Online. He had finally achieved the dream and the vow made so long ago at the age of 13 and he fully intended to immerse himself into this new world and experience Dungeon Quest brought to life! Chapter 13: World of Aeglenn A week had passed since first logging into Dungeon Quest Online and Tristen was incredibly antsy to get back into the game. His competitive nature was yammering at him as he saw updates in the media and other people leading the charge within the game, He hadnt been able to get back in game since the tutorial while taking care of real-world issues. His friends had told him they spent a bit more time in the game, but had largely been committed to real-world obligations the past week as well. Although the tutorial itself was incredibly realistic and fun, it seemed a pale comparison to the reports he had read and the interviews showing gamers excitedly talking about their experiences. Unfortunately, there was no way for non-players to see what the game world was like. Only word of mouth descriptions allowed insight and as a result there had been a ton of interviews conducted to get a picture about this mysterious new virtual world. Tristen thought a streaming feed to game play was a great idea if they didnt mind the invasion of privacy. While he was thinking about it, he composed a quick email to his development team asking them to look into the possibility of a live stream option. Although there was no monetization of in-game currency or injection of real-world cash into the game, it was definitely an area Tristen planned to research. Streaming was another avenue where players could earn a living and it seemed like a fairly easy tweak to allow. Tristen planned on spending the majority of time in game with his friends and he didnt want countless unknown, faceless people tagging along for the ride. Maybe some people would use it and earn some cash, but it definitely wasnt something he desired. Although, there was no transfer of currency between the game and the real world, selling in-game items for real-world cash was not discouraged. If a player wanted to risk getting scammed for the chance at better gear that risk was on their head, but it was noted in the official Dungeon Quest Online disclaimers that the activity was not officially supported and any monetary loss was not the responsibility for Sai Enterprises. Eventually, seamless transactions between the game and real-world would be possible using some type currency or crypto-currency, but it would require more more research and development before it was realized. Perhaps Tristen would make the development of a stable crypto-currency his next big project. The problem with creating an entirely new currency would be the implications on the economy. Tristen believed that in order to develop a currency for the game that could be transferred to the real world, he would first need to work on making it mainstream and widely accepted. Right now, there was too much volatility for the digital currencys that already existed. It was definitely an area to think about. However, right now, Tristen was more interested in just experiencing the game world for himself. The time had finally come to leave real-world concerns behind for a while and meet up with his friends in game. They had parted ways shortly after finishing the tutorial and planned to meet up the following weekend. Coincidentally, it was the same time and day they had always met up to play Dungeon Quest growing up. Although his friends had logged some time in the game world already, this was Tristens first time so he planned to log into the game a few hours before the meet up. He wanted to get the basics out of the way and familiarize himself with the starting location. No doubt, he was going to be walking around the game with a stupefied expression on his face, completely engrossed in experiencing everything. The reason for his absence from the game for a week, was so he could prioritize real-world obligations and get his company stabilized after launch day. He really wanted to dedicate some time to playing the game, but needed to ensure his company wouldnt implode while he was off in fantasy land. Although Tristen and his team had prepared a lot of hype and enthusiasm with the technology and game, he had vastly underestimated just how popular it would become. The company had needed to drastically ramp up manufacturing , going so far as to retro-fit additional manufacturing facilities in different countries to streamline the process. Tristens production team had also increased the number of server farms and bandwidth for online sales and game downloads. The global acceptance of the game and the chips were staggering. If Tristen had any doubts about leading a technical revolution, they had firmly evaporated with the days following the launch. Sitting back into his gaming chair, Tristen logged into the game. Dungeon Quest Begin! As Tristens vision went dark he settled back into the chair, excited about the adventure to come! Slowly, the world around him began to materialize. Opening his eyes, Tristen found himself lying on a bed in a small room that looked something like an inn from an old medieval film. Sitting up, he marveled at the detail of the room. Everything looked, smelled, and felt real. He had been able to get a feel for some of this in the tutorial, but he had mostly been in a stripped down area with no character. Seeing his surroundings now, it felt like he had gone to sleep in his gaming chair and woke up transported mind and body and he was just waking up from the dream that is reality. He reached out to feel the wooden posts on the bed and was unable to distinguish the virtual object from reality. Looking around the room, the furnishings were very sparse and the only items beside the bed included a nightstand with a candle and a small chest at the foot of the bed. Tristen had no idea where he was located, but based on the lack of furnishings and complete lack of anything noteworthy, he assumed it was some type of starter location. Thinking about the room he was in, Tristen was rewarded with a notification window.
Adventurers Basic Lodging Current Owner: Tristen
Every adventurer in Aeglenn is granted basic living quarters in the [Adventurers Hall]. Any items you wish to store will remain in this room and be accessible only to the owner of the room. The room will be marked permanently on your map
Curious, Tristen pulled up his map only to find this room and a small hallway just outside the door. Everything else around the room and hallway was darkened. He must be in some kind of instanced area. It made sense from a design perspective, since there wouldnt be enough space if each adventurer was granted a unique room. Just outside the door a small hallway ended in a staircase leading down. Not wanting to exit the area yet, Tristen just peered down the stairs and noticed a slight shimmering at the base of the stairs. That must be the instance boundaries, thought Tristen. He briefly wondered why the instance zone was at the base of the stairs, but quickly realized it made more sense lest a long line of people start forming to open a singular door. Moving back into the room, he pulled up the menu and started going through the various options Sai had gone over. He wanted the game to be as immersive as possible, but also wanted to have a semblance of balance between reality and fantasy. If everything was identical to the real world, Tristen suspected that the epic fantasy feel would diminish. Why should he have to feel 100% of the pain like in the real world? He also didnt want to keep it at the 30% level. The old saying, no pain, no gain, was true in a lot of ways. If there was no consequence for acting foolishly, then it would create sloppy game play. Tristen wanted to approach the game cautiously and really take his time figuring out his path instead of just charging recklessly forward. Deciding that he would adjust later if needed he set the pain threshold at 60%. He imagined getting stabbed or burned would still hurt quite a bit, but hopefully not to the point it would be debilitating. Moving to the settings for descriptive text boxes, he disabled displaying NPC names. He would rather learn the names of NPCs through dialogue or some type of inspection skill instead of random floating text above characters heads. Tristen also opted to have all notifications, messages, prompts, and alerts only show up as an alert on his notifications panel which only came into focus if Tristen willed it into place. When he was not looking at it, the notification bar could be seen faintly in the periphery of his view. Next, Tristen disabled visible combat logs. He only wanted to see the health points of the mob that he was fighting. Everything else could be seen if he pulled up the combat log in a new window. For each mob that Tristen faced, he was able to decide how to display the creatures information. He decided to display its name, status, conditions and health in a small combat window only after inspecting or engaging an enemy. He then set the information box to display off to the side of his view so as not to obscure his view. He would probably end up tweaking it later as he didnt know how realistic it would be or if it would even be a good idea to display the information. Double-checking all of the settings and character sheet, Tristen was ready to venture into the unknown. He opened the door and headed toward the staircase. As soon as he passed the threshold at the bottom, a prompt lit up his notification bar. Deciding to look at it later, Tristen looked around the room realizing it was a large, open hall with dozens of people milling about. Chuckling, Tristen was easily able to point out players from NPCs. All of the players appeared to be wearing the same or similar clothing in varying colors and flitted around the hall like a pinball machine. The NPCs were a stark contrast, showing a variety of clothing, armor, weapons, age and demeanor. This was their home and a comfortable atmosphere. It didnt look like the majority of the computer generate characters held any resentment to the players for desecrating their home, but Tristen could see several groups of NPCs chatting and laughing amiably, pointing our players here and there behaving moronically. To Tristens right was a small table with what appeared to be receptionists and a line of people waiting to speak with them. Just behind them and to the right was a message board, kind of like a giant cork board with letters, flyers and wanted posters plastered all over. To Tristens left was a hearth with several benches scattered around and the occasional aged person sitting around chatting. Directly in front of him a door that appeared to dump unto the street. Turning around and looking at where he had come from, Tristen realized there were several staircases set into the back wall, all of them having the same shimmering veil, indicative of an instanced area.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Walking around the room, he noticed the construction of the building was made of stone with giant wooden beams criss-crossing the ceiling and large arched windows set periodically throughout the room. There was no glass, but the windows could be shuttered against inclement weather. Currently, all of the windows and doors were open, allowing sunlight into the room. Having taken stock of his surrounding, Tristen turned his attention to his notification panel and opened up the unread message.
Greeting Adventurer, Welcome to Aeglenn!
The world of Aeglenn contains endless paths for adventurers such as yourself to grow, gain strength and explore. Every adventurer begins their journey at the Adventurers Hall in their starting location. To view your starting location and also the location of your assigned room, you may open your map to see markers and descriptions of your surroundings. Registering with your local Adventurer Hall will enable you to gain exclusive access to starter quests and the quest board within the hall. Speak to the halls representatives at the reception desk for more information.
Glancing over at the reception desk, Tristen noted the line was nearly to the to the end and decided to at least talk to the representative about registering. It didnt take long to work his way through the line where he was greeted by a middle-aged woman, Hello Adventurer, what can I help you with today? Looking at the lady, Tristen paused mid-thought. He hadnt even thought of her as an NPC and was about to address her as another human being. Everything was so realistic, it felt like the right thing to do. While he was pondering this situation, the NPC cleared her throat and asked again, Can I help you with anything today? Sorry, I am new to this world and find myself in awe of everything I have seen. Clearing his head, Tristen asked her a series of questions about the registration process, any fees and and the exclusivity entailed. Listening patiently to his questions, she said There is a fee for using our services, but not initially as we realize most adventurers are just starting out on their path. Instead, we require 5% of any profits gained during adventures obtained from our quest board. She indicated the board just to the left and behind her. These profits will only be applicable to any coins found while questing. Any item or gear found, will be solely the adventurers property. The 5% fee will be automatically withdrawn during the acquisition of coins. This facility is owned by the Adventurers Guild, and any profits will be deposited into the guild to fund other adventures. Registering with an Adventurer Hall does not grant membership into the guild, only use of the services each hall affords to you. In order to become an official member of the guild, you would need to pay an entrance fee at one of the capital cities. If you become a member, it entitles you to use any of our Adventurer Halls and the services offered. If you wish to use another Adventurer Hall before becoming a guild member, you will need to separately agree on the 5% fee for any coin drops received while performing quests from their quest board. Alright, that made sense to Tristen and added a unique depth to the whole process that he could appreciate. Agreeing to the registration terms, he walked over to the quest board looking at what was up for grabs. Various gathering quests for materials with local crafters, a couple of bounty quests for bandits, and even a treasure hunting quest littered the job board. All of these would require a party, so he decided not to grab any of them and wait for his friends to make any selections. Tristen had no idea where his friends were located in relation to his starting location. While thinking about the geographic implications, Tristen pulled up his map. He was currently located in a town called Castille. The only thing that Tristen could see was the outline of the town, everything else was obscured by the literal fog of war typical of unexplored areas. As Tristen focused on the town itself in an attempt to discern any prominent features, a short descriptive text floated above the town that read:
Castille is a small settlement sharing boarders with Kiyll Woods (home of the wood elves and forest gnomes), the Qrax Mountains (home to the Mountain Dwarves and rumored Dark Dwarves far below the mountain), the rolling Plains of Nojik (home to Barbarians, Hill Dwarves and some settlements of Lightfoot Halflings) and the Krihn Cliffs (home to the high elves). Only Noble or Commoner Humans and Tinker Gnomes, begin their journey in Castille. The remaining races have nearby settlements where new adventurers begin their journey. Adventurers may visit nearby villages, but should be wary of reputation with other races.
Based on his map, Castille looked like small village, rather than a town. As Tristen had read the description of Castille on the map, each of the locations mentioned appeared from the fog. Each area was still surrounded by obscurity, but it didnt look like it would take very long to traverse the distance between the towns. Castille seemed like the most obvious place to meet since it was in the middle of the various areas and humans were mostly neutral with other races. They would decide where in Castille to meet up after everyone had logged on. Looking at his map for some other inspiration, Tristen gave up, seeing nothing else of interest. Like other games he had played, the map would likely be revealed in more detail as he explored. Tristen wondered if he could zoom in on the map and pulled his back up. Sure enough he could zoom in, but it didnt really change anything since the only building that was labeled was the Adventurer Hall and a little green marker which he identified as his starter room after focusing on the icon. Deciding to experiment a little, Tristen closed the map and walked to the closest building, which looked like some kind of store. Glancing up at the sign he read [Stacys General Goods]. Pulling up the map one more time, the building now had a label over the general goods store. With a couple hours to spare, Tristen began exploring the town in an attempt to identify all of the buildings and locations. The main building of interest in Castille included:
Staceys General Goods General travel gear such as packs, rations, and tools
Grimgars Blacksmith Steel armor, weapons, shields and equipment repair
Knifes Edge Weapon specialist
Clothing Emporium Specializing in designer clothing and cloth and leather armor
Tonics and Potions Specializing in potions, elixirs and poisons
Castille Inn & Tavern Lodging, food and entertainment
There were a couple of other smaller buildings, several houses for the villagers and a training grounds on the edge of town. True to its description, Castille really was a starter location with just the bare minimum to get by. Tristen didnt see any class trainers or profession trainers in town and wasnt quite sure how the training grounds worked either. Realizing just how small the town was, he suspected the party wouldnt be staying around very long. Walking over to the training grounds, Tristen found a huge number of other players practicing all manner of weapons and spells as well as several players squaring off in what looked like a sparring arena. On one side of the training grounds was a small building with a steady of flow of players coming and going. He would need to explore the building later and wondered if it was where they could learn some skills and magic. He had about 30 minutes before meeting his friends. Not wanting to hold up the party, Tristen logged off for a few minutes to take care of physical needs, grab a quite bite to eat and downed a glass of water. Once the party was gathered together, they would go over each of their characters, stats, skills and outline how each of them wanted to progress their characters. This was the same method, they always used Dungeon Quest was merely a board game and Tristen saw no reason to change their tried and true strategy. Tristen still hadnt experienced the world at large and everything hed done in game had been confined to this one small town. Some of the world beyond was visible, but the town walls obscured most of his view. Tristen could not wait to start exploring and questing with his friends! Chapter 14: Making a Plan Logging back into the game, Tristen brought up his friends list to see Natalia and Tyler already online. Just as he was about to close his contact list and send out party invites he saw Aaron come online. He sent out party invites to his friends, which was pretty easy to do from his contact list. He wondered how to add people not on the contact list, but figured it was unimportant right now. After the party had all accepted the invitations to join Tristen, he toggled the chat option over to party only. If this system worked like other games he played, it was going to be annoying having to switch to multiple chat channels. He decided to test it out by thinking about talking to someone around him and noticed that his chat channel automatically switched over general chat. Then, thinking about talking with his friends and asking where to meet up, the chat switched back to party only. Awesome, thought Tristen. This was going to make it much easier to communicate seamlessly and he wouldnt have to consciously think about switching channels. He wondered if speaking aloud was required for everyone to hear him and decided to try thinking what he wanted to say. Can you hear me? Tristen though into the party channel. Immediately, he received a reply from his friends and a quip from Tyler using his best announcers voice, yes, we can hear you now. How are you all talking to me right now, asked Tristen. Seriously? Are you all right man? That chip isnt turning your head into jelly is it? Tyler responded. I am speaking to you in the same way I would if you were next to me, said Natalia. Tristen almost told them about the telepathy ability of the chat function, but decided to wait until they gathered together. He would let them appear to be talking to themselves a while longer and then educate them. Tyler, at least, would appreciate the effort he was making to josh around with them. Tristen told all of them what he had been up to for the past couple of hours and where he was currently located. Aaron was out in the Nojik Plains, but only a short run to Castille. Natalia was just outside the city in the Kiyll woods. Tyler was actually in Castille already and playing dice in the tavern with some local NPCs. It was a bit surprising he was already in Castille considering he had chosen the dark elf race and his home wasnt even listed on Tristens map yet. Granted, this was a human settlement so instead of outright hostility, he was greeted with suspicion and mistrust. Since Tyler and Tristen were already in Castille, they decided just to meet at the tavern. It would take a bit for Aaron and Natalia to join them so Tristen decided to head over and make sure they had a table. He had no idea how crowded the place would get with it being so small and everyone starting in the same location. Tristen was a bit surprised after arriving at the tavern to see that Tyler wasnt the only dark elf in the room, There were quite a few other patrons sitting around tables, but more of them appeared to be NPCs. Looking around the tavern, Tristen noted the bartender and some serving maids delivering frothy pitchers of ale to customers well as an amazing smell wafting from a back room. He didnt see any meals on the tables, but looking at the time realized it was just before lunch so perhaps food had yet to be served. The room was not very large and there was no way it could handle the number of players that were running around the town. Tristen hoped it didnt become a problem with players getting upset over it. Tristen spotted Tyler in the corner with his back to the wall facing the door. Catching his gaze, Tristen nodded to a relatively open area of the tavern on the other side and indicated he would grab a booth for the four of them. Sliding into the booth, Tristen continued to examine the room noting staircase set into the back of the room. He could see a slight shimmer at the base of the stairs and imagined it lead to rooms like in the Adventurer Hall. Having a starter room already at the adventurer hall, Tristen assumed these were for other players of difference race for when they visited the town and didnt want to make the trek back to their towns. Interrupting Tristen from his thoughts, a serving maid had wandered up to the table ad asked, Can I get you something to drink, sir? Please, call me Tristen I advised. I would like to have a pitcher of ale and four meals please. That will be 8 coppers for the meals, the ale is included, she said holding out her hand. Oh crap!, Tristen didnt even think about having to pay and had yet to check to see if he had any coins. Worse case, he could have Tyler pay since it looked like he was exchanging and pocketing quite a few coins at the moment. Quickly opening his inventory into, Tristen sighed in relief at seeing gold piece in his wallet. He had no idea how the currency worked in the game yet, but he guessed a gold piece wasnt anything to thumb his nose at considering how cheap this meal was. He did know, based on looking at the wallet, that 100 copper equalled one silver and 100 silver equalled one gold. There was even a Platinum placeholder so he assumed that 100 gold would equal one platinum. The only other item that Tristen had in his possession was a Beginners Bag that had ten slots in it! Reaching into his bag Tristen pulled out the gold piece, wondering how he could break it down for copper. Thankfully, the maid informed him he only needed to think about the amount of currency he required and he could pull out the exact amount. This was a pretty neat system and it would make it very easy to keep track of and organize any of the coins they earned. The maid informed Tristen that lunch would be served in 20 minutes. While he waited for his friends, Tristen decided to start making plans for his character and their path through the game. So far he didnt have any quests or bounties on his quest log since he had decided to wait on choosing anything until the group got back together. Once everyone was back together, they could share their character sheets and get an idea for the strengths of each of them. Tristen felt like he would be the weakest link in the party at the moment. Currently, he only had the persuasion skill and no combat skills. He hadnt even seen any trainers yet to get more skills and was curious how combat would work. Clearly, he needed to buy some equipment and weapons, but would he even know how to use them? If he remembered the various buildings in town correctly, he should be able to get a weapon at [Knifes Edge]. While he was thinking about the weapon types he could use, he pulled up his character sheet to see the list of weapons designed for his character.
Weapon Type: Dagger, Shortsword, Mace, Cane, Quarterstaff, Greatsword
Offhand Type: Tome, Relic, Dagger, Shortsword, Shield
He had a pretty good array of weapon options open to him, which was great for versatility. Did that mean he wouldnt be able to learn any other weapons? What if he wanted to use a bow for hunting or ranged attacks? He would need to think about that later, whenever he found some kind of trainer for this stuff. He kept coming around full circle to getting trained to use some skills, weapons and magic. Frustrated he hadnt been able to figure this out yet, he decided to ask his friends if they had any idea when they got there. Ignoring his complete uselessness for now, he thought about what he wanted to accomplish with this character build. Ultimately, he wanted to be a support character, but he would need some skills before that was a possibility. He knew what magic types were available and even had mapped out which he would choose, but until he could find someplace to learn them everything was still on the table. In the meantime, he would be a liability since not only was he wearing cloth armor, he also had a pretty low HP. Tyler would also likely have lower health, but he would have much more Dexterity than Tristen and as a result would have a higher defense rating. As per the norm, Tyler would like choose twin daggers and build out a rogue or assassin. Natalia would likely use a bow or crossbow in addition to any support buffs and healing spells. Since Aaron had chosen to go with a Barbarian he would no doubt have high Strength and Vitality, especially if his trials in the tutorial went anything like mine and he had received stat points based on real-world strengths. Recalling some lore regarding Barbarians, Tristen wasnt sure how much of a defensive build it would be. Whenever he thought about a Barbarian Conan came to mind as a tall, massively muscled and nearly naked warrior holding a two handed weapon as tall again as the warrior. If that was the type of build that Aaron was going for, Tristen quickly realized that there would be major lack of defense for the party. Perhaps Natalia could tame an animal using her racial skill to assist with tanking, or as a buffer between the party and any enemies. Wanting to increase their odds of survival, Tristen settled on opting for a sword and shield as his first weapons choices so that he would at least have some additional defense. While Tristen was perusing his character sheet and making a plan, Tyler had slid into the booth opposite him wearing a mischievous grin and looking full of himself. After he closed out his character sheet, Tristen looked up at Tyler as he plunked a sack coins on the table. Tristens eyes growing wide, grabbed the sack of coins and saw 13 gold, 68 silver, and 98 copper coins inside. Wow, where did you get all of these coins, asked Tristen I have been gambling and playing dice since I left the tutorial and have been able to earn a decent amount of coin to get us started, Tyler explained. How much coin did you start with? 50 silver pieces, and I also had a couple of basic daggers, said Tyler. I started with no equipment and one gold piece so it looks like all of our starting kits differ a bit. Im guessing the extra gold in mine was to get some starter gear. I have yes to see any prices for equipment, but Im hoping we have enough to get outfitted for some adventures. Just as Tristen finished speaking, Aaron and Natalia entered the tavern and walked over to the table. At about the same time, the food was being served. Although eating was not a requirement in the game, the food would give buffs and increase any SP, HP or MP regeneration. Inspecting the food once it came out, Tristen read the notification window.
Shepherds Pie
Effect: Eating this dish will grant +2 to Stamina and +1 to Vitality for 1 hour Status: Well Fed
Two coppers for a decent buff wasnt bad at all! He would have to remember to stop by the tavern before any adventures. He wondered if they could buy rations that provided buffs while out adventuring. Looking over at his friends, Tristen could see they were examining the meal as well. Grabbing the fork, Tristen dug into the dish and the flavor exploded in his mouth! The taste brought him back to his moms cooking and the homemade meals they always enjoyed. With his busy lifestyle of late, Tristen hadnt really had time to enjoy any home-cooked meals and pretty much always ate in the cafeteria at headquarters. Occasionally, he would need to attend some dinner or other, but most of those events served tiny dishes that could be devoured in two bites, called it art, and extracted a kidney to pay the price! This food, however, was so much more in every way. It was cheap. It was super filling. It was amazing! Tristen could see his friends were all really enjoying the meal as well. They all ate in silence until the bowls were literally licked clean. Tristen thought about that for a moment and was once again amazed at the realism in the game. Here he was, immersed in a virtual game, while his physical body was asleep in a gaming chair, licking clean a bowl of Shepherds Pie. Shaking his head at the thought, he snapped out of his reverie focusing his thoughts on the task at hand. Before he dove into any character sheets and planning, Tristen let his friends know about the telepathy for party chat and tried to keep a straight face while he looked at each of them and thought, So, did you all get any weird looks from people when you were talking aloud in party chat? "What, the..." Tyler said, his mouth hanging open.Using the same thought speech, Tristen informed them of his little experiment, earning a chuckle and a "well played" from Tyler. Tristen shifted focus as he thought about what they needed to discuss. Alright, first we need to lay out all of our strengths, weaknesses, skills, professions and equipment so we can see what we need and formulate a strategy to make us the most effective, began Tristen. While you were traveling over here and Tyler was fleecing some coin from those poor saps in the corner there, Tristen pointed to the few NPCs in the corner that were still glaring hatred at Tyler, I started looking at my character sheet. Tristen could see that his friends had already become familiar with their character sheets, so decided to update them on his status. First, I am a pansy in this game so far. I have one skill, [Persuasion], that I can apparently use to persuade NPCs during dialogue. I did start with a bit more coin than Tyler, but he also started with some basic daggers to offset that exchange. All that to say, I am squishy and lacking in any kind of attack or defense. The only thing I have going for me right now is a high charisma score and the persuasion skill. I am willing to bet that these will give me a decent advantage in bargaining with NPCs for gear and such. That said, I think its best if I do all of the purchases for the party unless someone else has higher scores in these areas, Tristen looked at his friends questioningly. Another area that Tristen had been looking at while waiting for his friends was the options he had at his disposal for being the party leader. There was an option to share character sheets of the party members if everyone agreed to it. Triggering the option, his friends agreed, which pulled up all of their character sheets side-by-side for the party to see. Manipulating the windows slightly, Tristen was able to force the display with their characters to cover the table-top, just like it would have been displayed had they been playing the old school version of the game.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Tristen (lvl. 1)
Health: 130/130 (+10) Stamina: 150/150 (+20) Mana: 200/200
Charisma Intellect Willpower Dexterity
16 10 8 6
Luck Stamina Vitality Strength
5 5 3 2
Skills [Persuasion]
Magic Schools None
Natalia (lvl. 1)
Health: 160/160 (+10) Stamina: 170/170 (+20) Mana: 160/160
Dexterity Charisma Stamina Intellect
21 7 7 6
Vitality Willpower Strength Luck
6 4 2 1
Skills [Tame Animal]
Magic Schools Nature
Tyler (lvl. 1)
Health: 160/160 (+10) Stamina: 140/140 (+20) Mana: 160/160
Dexterity Willpower Luck Charisma
22 10 10 9
Stamina Intellect Vitality Strength
4 3 3 2
Skills [Night Sight], [Disarm Trap], [Stealth]
Magic Schools None
Aaron (lvl. 1)
Health: 250/250 (+10) Stamina: 200/200 (+20) Mana: 130/130
Strength Vitality Stamina Dexterity
25 15 10 7
Willpower Charisma Intellect Luck
4 3 3 0
Skills None
Magic Schools None
After looking at everyones stats and skills side-by-side it was nearly exactly as Tristen had speculated with the exception of Tyler have a [Disarm Trap] skill. Tyler, where did you get the [Disarm Trap] skill? Tristen asked. I think it isa combination of things, explained Tyler, One of the rooms in the tutorial had a bunch of traps I had to disarm as well as a bunch of games that relied on chance. I was able to disarm every trap and as fate would have it, the games fell wildly in my favor. I ended up with a +10 to luck there and I think a large part of it had to do with disarming traps where I had no idea how they worked. After I entered the main world, I spawned in the dark elf starter area, which is called Abyssal Reach. The town is a major drag if you ever end up going, so I decided to make my way to the surface and saw Castille in the distance. While I was navigating to the surface, I stumbled upon a lot of different traps, pits and tripwires. A couple of times I triggered them since I dont have any way to actually detect them unless I actually see the trigger mechanism. With my [Night Sight] skill, I can see just as well in the dark as in in the sun so I could at least see some of the traps. I also almost died a couple of times triggering them, but there were quite a few of the traps that were easy to disarm since they were replicas of the ones in the tutorial. After I had disarmed a dozen of these, not including the tutorial, I learned the new skill! I didnt gain any experience for it, but I think getting the skill was a nice trade-off. I still cant detect traps unless I see them, but perhaps I will learn the skill soon. Tristen thought back to the tutorial and the various traps or puzzles that he had to figure out. None of them seemed like harmful traps, but he wondered if failing to disarm one would have resulted in injury. Surely there wouldnt be anything that could kill him in the tutorial, but he was glad not to have experienced any potential lethal traps if it was possible. Tristen agreed with Tyler and thought that it would make their dungeon diving more successful. One thing was certain, Tristen was glad he only needed to worry about his own stats. It would be challenging enough to make sure he was assigned stat points appropriately and he was glad to have competent friends that could take care of their own character progression. Seeing everyones stats up front and perhaps periodically was a good way to tweak and finesse their group structure to make sure it was as effective as possible. Tristen recommended they find a pet for Natalia that can help with the tanking efforts since Aaron didnt really have any armor at present. Tristen also doubted they would be able to find, let along afford, a good set within this town. The last thing Tristen wanted to cover is their looting abilities. They each had a 10-slot capacity bag, but that space would quickly fill up. They would need to see about getting bigger bags for any lengthy adventures. In other computer games Tristen had played, some crafting materials could have 10 to a stack and others allowed 99 per stack. Right now, no one in the party knew how the quirks of the inventory and dimensional bags worked. Well, dimensional was what he would all it mused Tristen. Clearly, it worked like a normal bag of holding, where items could be put in barely increasing the weight and seemingly disappearing into a different dimension since the size of the bag was not altered when adding items. There was probably a specific name for the bags, but his only said Beginners Bag. It looked like everyone agreed on the paths that each had chosen and now it was time to pool out resources and get geared up! It turns out that Aaron didnt start with any coins as they relied more on bartering in the Barbarian clans. Natalia had started with the same as Tyler, but also had a basic bow and a small quiver of arrows. Remembering his confusion over the weapons and the apparent lack of skill to actually use them, Tristen asked his friends if they had any idea. Apparently, next to the training grounds, there was a building that players could go to and learn basic skills and weapons types. This must be the building that Tristen had seen, but hadnt visited yet. He informed his friends about the discovery and where the building was located, but that he hadnt actually see any trainers. The training yard was pretty full when earlier and he had seen dozens of people waiting in line to beat on dummies or shoot arrows at straw targets. Before heading over to the training grounds the needed to finish gearing up with weapons and armor. Chapter 15: Gearing Up After pooling all of the money, they had just over 15 gold pieces to get equipped. Heading out of the tavern, they walked down the street to Knifes Edge. As they neared the store, Tristen started having second thoughts about getting a weapon as the line snaked out the door and some type of argument carried out into the street. Tristen decided to wait on his weapon for now and continued walking until they reached Grimgars Blacksmith. Aaron needed some armor. He had high health, but a tough mob would likely make short work of him if he had no defense. He didnt even have a high dexterity that would provide a natural defense so good armor was a must. The longer Aaron could stay in a battle, the higher the chance of winning a fight. Rather than all of us going to the blacksmith, Natalia and Tyler took half of the coins and went over to Stacys General Goods and Tonics and Potions to see if they could get some provisions for the road. If you are unable to get any of the NPCs to lower prices or you think it is over-priced, just wait for me and Ill see if I can bargain lower. I am hoping there is some type of bargaining skill I can unlock and my [Persuasion] skill should assist in getting prices lowered. Arriving at the blacksmiths, Tristen noted it was much less crowded. They only needed to wait a short time before one of the dwarves greeted them. What can I do for ye, bellowed a stout looking dwarf. Focusing on the dwarf a window popped up indicating this was Grimgar, a level 55 Mountain Dwarf. Hello, we are looking for some armor for my big friend here! We are just starting out so we will need something with level one or no level requirements. Grimgar listened attentively as Aaron outlined his requirements for the armor. He wanted something that was going to give him a good defensive boost, but also allow him to maintain mobility. Aaron gave him our budget and just as Grimgar was about to start pulling our some armor, a loud argument broke out next to us where one of Grimgars apprentices was helping another customer. A scruffy looking human who was trying to get plate armor and appeared to be in a heated argument over the price and quality of the gear. Asking Aaron to wait a moment, Grimgar walked over, barking at the customer suggesting where he could shove his money and threatening to throw him out the door. Grumbling to himself, the other player started to leave the blacksmith while cursing the dwarves. Grimgar made to follow him with an angry look on his face, but the player beat a hasty retreat out the door. Apologies for that! Ever since adventurers started coming to me shop, we be having nothin but rock-brained fools showin up! Tristen could see the dwarf was flustered from the constant antics of other players and he could sympathize. Some gamers are just idiots to begin with, then you give them a game where they can behave any way they want with no consequences and it was pandemonium. Grimgar grunted before continuing, Ye be seeming like yer a pleasant enough sort. I be happy ta help ye out so long as ye remain civil. I suggest ye keep that in mind afore ye do somethin ye regret. We dwarves be known to hold a grudge if n ye get on our bad side. You wont get any lip from me! We just want to make sure we are prepared for our upcoming journey and would like to examine some of your well-crafted armor. Aha, ye flatterin too! Quipped Grimgar. Well, it be a right change from the filth we been seein over the past few days. Leaving Aaron with Grimgar to look at various armor sets, Tristen started wandering around the shop looking to see if there was anything he could wear. He wasnt expecting to find anything since he couldnt actually wear plate armor. At least, he likely wouldnt be able to based on the Strength requirements. Not seeing anything of note, he went back to the counter where a suit of partial plate armor was laid out complete with boots, gauntlets, helm, epaulets, and greaves. The greaves looked more like a chastity belt that covered only the important bits but it looked to have a decent defense boost. Okay, maybe Tristen was being a bit judgmental, it did have a bit more to it, then just a metal nut cup, but still, it seemed like Aaron should pick something that covered a bit more of his legs. Suggesting as much, Aaron informed Tristen that to get a complete set it would cost much more money then they had to spend at the moment. Where is the chest piece? Tristen asked. I think I will need to pick up some leather armor for my chest. It would cost all of our gold to add in a chest piece and full length grieves. Even the gauntlets here only cover my hands and partial forearm. The helm just covers the upper part of my head, explained Aaron. Basically, this is a partial plate set and all we can afford, while still giving enough defense to make a difference. Agreeing with his assessment and his desire to save some of our funds for other gear, Tristen asked Grimgar how much everything would cost. Well, normally I be sellin the whole suit for 10 gold. I be willin to take 3 gold off for no chest peice and give ye another gold off on account of ye bein the most agreeable sort we we seen in a while. Looking at our gold count, Tristen realized that would eat up almost everything they had on them and he still needed a weapon. Tristen really wished he knew more about skills in the game. He had no idea if the skill was passive or if he had to activate it. With nothing to lose, Tristen though about the skill in an attempt to activate it, while starting his negotiation with Grimgar, We are just getting started as adventurers and I think 6 gold is too steep for us since we have yet to even go on our first adventure. Would you be willing to sell the set for 4 gold and 50 silvers, Tristen asked with as smooth a voice as possible. Wrinkling his forehead, Tristen could see indecision on his face as he wanted the sale, but also wanted to keep a decent profit for the gear. Huffing, Grimgar said, Ill go down to 5 gold, but I aint movin a copper lower. I have a shop to keep run after all. Agreeing with the dwarf, Tristen noted an icon highlight on his notification. Finishing the transaction, he pulled up the message:
Skill Unlocked
Haggle Level 1
Description: The [Haggle] skill will increase the chance of lower prices for goods and services. Each successful deal resulting in discounted prices will contribute skill experience. Each level grants 10% increased chance to receive favorable discount. NOTE: Haggle uses the [Persuasion] skill and Charisma stat to calculate successful checks
Exp: 10/100
Curious about the [Persuasion] skill, Tristen opened up his character sheet to see he had gained 10% towards the next skill level. Exp gains for skills would likely slow down as the level increased, but it seemed that he was awarded 10 points per successful use of the skill. While he was looking at the skill and notifications, he opened up his game log to see if [Persuasion] had been activated while talking with the dwarf. He scrolled through the log looking for any indications of a skill activation. Not seeing anything, Tristen surmised that [Persuasion] must be a passive skill, which was a great perk to have especially if it had an impact on the magic schools and spells he wanted to learn. Having finished their business at the blacksmiths, they met Tyler and Natalia who hadnt purchased anything from either of the stores yet. The shop keepers are all in fowl moods from the other adventurers and any haggling nearly got us throw out of the store, explained Natalia. Both Tyler and Natalia complemented Aaron on his choice of armor, but asked the obvious question about the chest piece. Aaron told them about the cost of the whole suit and then explained that the armor gave him a +19 to Defense, but otherwise did not have additional stat boosts. Still, the bonus to defense would really help for lower level mobs, since his defense should mitigate some of the damage. The group also didnt have any healing abilities at present. They decided to see about some health potions to fill that need in the interim. Alright, lets head over to the Clothing Emporium first and see about some armor for the rest of us, suggested Tristen. Entering the the store, Tristen immediately saw what his friends were talking about. It seemed that all of the NPCs had scowls painted on their faces and a couple of them even seemed to be turning some shade of red or purple as they yelled at a couple of adventurers in the room. Waiting patiently for a spot at the counter to open up, Tristen walked up to the first available NPC and and said good day to you, my name is Tristen and I was wondering if you could help me out with some clothing and armor for the four of us? Tristen motioned to himself, Aaron, Tyler and Natalia. Seeing a look of relief wash over her demeanor, she said, My name is Jean, and I would be happy to help you, sir! It is refreshing to see someone who values my time and doesnt treat us like entitled little nobles. A panicked look crossed her face, as she looked around to make sure none of the other customers had overheard. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she informed the three of us that all of the other adventurers want to get their equipment for free and that several had even tried to steal from them. Now, they had a town guard posted just around the corner to prevent people from running off. Tristen assured her that they would deal with her in good faith and began to outline the equipment they required. As you can see, we are still wearing the basic clothing all adventurers are given and we need to get some gear that will increase our defense and possibly grant some stat boosts. We are looking to start adventuring our into some of the nearby dungeons and perform some of the quests from the Adventurer Hall. I will warn you know that we are just getting started on our path and we have not had a chance to accumulate coin. Seeing Jenns expression start to change, Tristen amended, that doesnt mean we want to take advantage of you. Only, we may not be able to buy everything we need today with the coin we have on hand. Lets start with finishing out our Barbarian friends armor set and we can go from there. Sounds good, Jenn said, her smile returning. Splitting up to peruse the various sets of armor in the room, Tristen walked over to the cloth and leather sets with Tyler and Natalia. I think Im going to wait to buy anything until we get to the Kiyll Woods village, said Natalia. They have more choices that will grant some stat boosts like Dexterity and Vitality. I dont see much in the way of bonuses on the gear here unless you go with cloth. Even the cloth armor doesnt really have bonuses suited for my character. Nodding his assent,Tristen mentioned that perhaps they should wait for Tylers as well, but Tyler quickly rebutted that idea seeing a couple pieces of gear that would grant +2 Luck and +1 Dexterity. Both of them being a stat or style that complimented his current build. Increased Dexterity would help his defense as well as a his skills success chances. The Luck stat was still a bit of a misnomer to Tristen and he wasnt sure just how it played into the overall architecture of the game, but based on what he had seen so far it seemed like Luck was laced throughout a good portion of the skills and abilities he had seen so far. Either way, Tyler would definitely be the parties go man for any possible traps and opening any loot caches in the hopes of better items. Tristen continued looking at the cloth armor until he found a set on the bottom shelf. The set included a white blouse with purple embroidery down the sleeves, a pair of black embroidered pants and soft black leather boots to match, Tristen focused on the gear to bring up the description:This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Embroidered Nobles Blouse
Defense +1 Stat Boost: +2 Intellect
Quality: Common Requirements: None
Durability: 100/100
Embroidered Nobles Breeches
Defense +1 Stat Boost: +2 Charisma
Quality: Common Requirements: None
Durability: 100/100
Nobles Soft Leather Boots
Defense +1 Stat Boost: +2 Vitality
Quality: Common Requirements: None
Durability: 100/100
Not a bad haul, thought Tristen. This was one of the few sets that actually had decent stat boosts, so he imagined it would cost more than the gold they had, especially since he was still weaponless and none of their travel provisions had been purchases yet. Grabbing the cloth set Tylers chosen gear, and the leather cuirass for Aaron, Tristen headed back over to Jenn and proffered the chosen goods. Getting a quizzical look from Jenn, she asked about Tristens choice of outfits. It had poor defense and the stats were outside the normal for other players that had been in the store. No one really wanted gear with a Charisma boost. Everyone immediately looked for Dexterity, Strength or Vitality. Occasionally, some of the players purchased gear with Luck stats, but it was less common and most of the players in this location didnt have the gold to afford that kind of gear. Tristens chosen set was only 3 gold, much cheaper than he had anticipated. Tylers cloak cost 50 silver coins, but the hat was priced at 2 gold by itself! Tristen definitely wanted to get that price lowered. The leather cuirass for Aaron was only 25 silvers since it was very basic and didnt have any additional stats. Why is the Nobles set so cheap, but the hat nearly equal that price? I asked. The Nobles set provides barely any defense and most adventurers see the Charisma stat and put it back. The hat has a luck stat modifier. Although luck is often random chance, it can have a greater impact and chance for finding hidden treasures or getting more advantageous items from enemies, explained Jenn. That made sense to Tristen, but he still thought 2 gold was a little pricey for just a +2 Luck modifier. In any case, Tyler was set on getting the hat and it looked pretty awesome with the oiled leather cloak hed chosen. It really complimented the rogue or gambler look he was striving for. Well, Tristen though, lets see how these Haggle and Persuasion skills worked together. Pulling up the description for [Haggle] again, he saw it already gave me a 25% chance to success at its current level combined with his high Charisma and the passive Persuasion boost, he had a 65% chance at success! He imagined there was some limit to the skill and the chance would go down if the price he was trying to haggle was much lower than the asking price. He didnt want to push the issue and get them kicked out and he also didnt want Jenns opinion of him lowering for any future purchases they may have. He would play it safe and now ask for too big a discount. He has already gotten lucky with Pausing mid thought, Tristen thought that perhaps his success at haggling for Aarons armor was tied to his luck stat. When he was bargaining with Grimgar, he hadnt yet learned the skill and only had persuasion on his side. His [Persuasion] skill gave him less than a 45% chance to succeed. It was getting frustrating not understanding how all of these stats harmonized and he felt like he was missing some vital training or instruction on it. They really needed to get over to the training grounds to see if someone could give them more information. Although he didnt know for sure, Tristen had a feeling that luck played a significant role within the game . Perhaps thats why this hat cost so much. Come to think of it, Tyler winning as much gold as he had should have clued him in to it earlier. I just assumed it was his natural skill at gambling, but most of the games in this world are based on chance. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he set to the task of haggling the price down. After haggling the total price down to 4 gold, they had about 7 gold remaining. They needed to get Tristens weapon and also get Natalia equipped when they got to the starter town Kiyll Woods. Stacys General Goods and Tonics and Potions were both on the way to Knifes Edge, so they stopped into these stores first to pick up some travel provision. Walking into each of these stores, Trsiten was met with the same friendly nature as the blacksmiths and clothing shop, which resulted in other players throwing looks of curiosity and hatred his way. It was the way of life when someone seemed to be succeeding for no apparent reason. Already having an idea of what was needed, Tristen grabbed the following items:
Torch x 3
Description: Provides 3 hours of light per torch Requirements: Requires Flint
Minor Healing Potion x 8
Effect: Instantly restores 50 HP
Minor Mana Potion x 4
Effect: Instantly Restores 50 MP
Minor Stamina Potion x 8
Effect: Instantly Restores 50 SP
Travel Rations x 8
Effect Increases HP, MP and SP regeneration by 50% for 5 minutes
Basic Pickaxe
Durability 50/50 Use: Used to harvest metal and gems from ore deposits
After haggling, Tristen was able to get all of the potions for 10 silver each, a reduction of 2 silver per vial. The travel rations were discounted a copper, at 4 coppers each, and the pickaxe was 45 silver from 60. Tristen had managed to save 55 silvers and a few coppers. Looking quickly at his skill progress, Tristen saw that both haggle and persuasion had gained 30% experience from the clothing shop, general goods and tonics and potions. That was confirmation that each successful use of the skills would give him 10 points in the skill. At level one, that was 10% towards the next level. Divvying up the goods, they each got one mana potion, two stamina potions, two health potions, and two travel rations. Tristen would carry the torches and pickaxe for now, but they could split that up later. Although none of them currently had the mining skill, they would attempt to unlock it while adventuring. They also planned to pick all of the herbs and flowers they could find in an effort to unlock some type of herb lore skill. The more they harvested raw materials, the higher the chance of unlocking skills and possibly professions. Tristen had never spent a lot of time working on professions in online games and the games they had played as kids didnt include them either. They all agreed though, that they would want to pick up professions in this game. Tristens last stop before hitting the training grounds was to get a weapon and possibly a shield or a buckler for himself. It looked like the crowd had dispersed quite a bit since they had walked by earlier and it was just a short wait to get into the building. Tristen started with the shields as that was the most important part of his weapon combo choice. He sorted them into two piles, one of which included shields that had requirements he couldnt meet. There was a wooden shield that looked like one of those old medieval kite shields. It had some swirl pattern painted on it, but the important thing was, Tristen could wield it and it gave a decent boost to defense and strength.
Strengthened Oak Shield
Quality: Common Defense: +5
Stat Boost: +3 Strength Requirements: None
Durability 100/100
Tristen hoped the cost of the shield wasnt too much since it complemented his weak areas well. Not only did it give a decent boost to defense, he also could use the Strength increase. Moving over to the swords, Tristen had a choice of two different swords that he could use.
Iron Shortsword of Dexterity
Quality: Common Attack: 5 - 7
Stat Boost: +2 Dexterity Requirements: None
Durability 100/100
Iron Shortsword
Quality: Good Attack: 9 - 11
Stat Boost: None Requirements: None
Durability: 100/100
Although one of them had a bonus to dexterity, the other one had a higher attack. Thinking about the choice for a minute, he decided on the Dexterity boost, which would give a small boost to his defense. Wearing cloth and leather, Tristen needed any extra boost to defense he could get. Haggling the price down from 4 gold, he was able to get both the shield and sword for 2 gold and 95 silver. That left the party roughly 2 and a half gold to get Natalias gear taken care of. Now that everyone was equipped, had weapons and provisions were stocked it was finally time to head towards the training ground. Chapter 16: Training Grounds (Part 1) Before Tristen and his friends even rounded the corner to the training ground, their ears were assaulted with a cacophony of noises like entering a coliseum during a free for all. Only, the only death fights here consisted of poor massacred scarecrows with hay strewn about. There were some boulders off to the side where magic users practiced explosive spells resulting in a symphony of booms, the crackle of lightning strikes and whoosh of fire blasts. This place was jammed shoulder to shoulder, but it looked like this was the place for them to learn some skills. Asking around where there trainers were, everyone just pointed to the small building on the side of the grounds. Looking at it skeptically, Tristen saw no way for this to accommodate so many players, but curiously there was no line and a steady stream of people were leaving the building. Asking what kind of skills they could learn earned them shrugs and go see for yourself comments. Typical gamers, they care only for themselves. Most gamers are highly competitive and reluctant to help any other players. Although Tristen and his friends were also competitive, all of them would put the party first. No matter the situation, they would always work toward the benefit of the party, even if it meant missing out unique opportunities. Even Tyler, who had become quite adept and being the lone wolf, would always put the group first. Aaron and Natalia knew well the advantages of a team, especially considering their chosen careers. Heck, Tristen wouldnt even be standing in this game with his friends if he hadnt relied on his employees. He held no delusions of grandeur for himself and would always put friends first. Tristen stepped through the door of the small building and his vision did a little cartwheel as he stumbled forward. As his vision cleared, Tristen was standing in the exact same space when he had first initialized the game. Only this time, there were no avatars, only rows of glowing orbs and a larger orb at the center of the room. Sai, is that you? Asked Trsiten. Hello Father, exclaimed Sai. You know I hate it when you call me that, right, asked Tristen. I know, sorryFather, Sai said coquettishly Shaking his head in mirth, Trsiten asked, Where am I? I thought I was going to talk to some NPCs about skill training? Maintaining her whimsical personality, Sai said, In all beginner areas, there is a training ground. In each of these training grounds is a building that leads to this room. Because all adventurers begin their path in the same villages, I have created several places like this that use time dilation so that users can take their time on important decisions like race, skill and class selections.. Additionally, this training room will provide you with the basic understanding of skills, spells, combat abilities and magic schools. In here you will be able to choose two schools of magic. You will be able to unlock basic combat skills for up to two weapons of your choice. Lastly, you will be able to choose one skill and one spell. To learn additional skills and spells, you will need to visit an NPC trainer in one of the larger settlements outside the starter zones. Is time compressed in here like it was in the character selection and tutorial? Tristen asked. Yes, for every hour in here, only fifteen minutes pass in the world of Aeglenn. Tristen was curious if Sai gave this much information to the rest of the players and if she acted this familiar with them all. Sai, do you usually act the same with other players as you do with me? Laughing Sad asked, Would you like to see how I appear to other players? Intrigued, Tristen told Sai to go ahead and show him. Once Tristen had finished speaking, Sai began to grow from a ball of light into a larger than life glowing avatar, complete with shining golden hair spiraling in some unseen gale. She had a white gown, floating in that same unseen wind. The light surrounding her intensified and it was almost impossible to look directly at her. Holy Crap! Tristen yelled I AM SAI, THE CREATOR, MOTHER AND DIETY OF THIS WORLD! Wow, okay I get the point, Tristen said, shielding his eyes. Do you really show up like that to everyone? Dont you think its a littleI dont know, over the top?. This is how I first appear to new users in the game. It is definitely over the top, but all of the players seem to love it, said Sai as she began to shrink back down to the floating ball of light. Tristen felt giddy, he was actually having a conversation with his creation about the liberties shed taken to make herself larger than life and about the personality she had incorporated into a part of herself. Sai far exceeded his imagination so far and he had yet even experience the larger world. Looking back at the choices before him, Tristen realized he was in for another long selection process. Tristen wondered if he could talk to his friends like in the race selection, but Sai quickly informed him that communication had been turned off during this process. Alright, he might as well get started. He was pretty sure which magic schools he would choose, but it would be prudent to read all of them just in case his mind was swayed in another direction. Combat was pretty straight-forward, he just had to choose which weapons or weapon combinations he wanted and the skill selection would appear. He had already chosen which weapons to use, so it wasnt going to take a whole lot of time for his choices there. Magic schools and spells on the other hand, was going to be a much harder choice for Tristen. Walking over to a row of orbs marked magic schools he started walking down the line reading each description:
Blood Magic
Description: Practitioners of blood magic use the life essence from themselves and those around them to fuel spells, rituals and transfer of life essence. Some spells of blood magic do not require incantations or hand movements when performing. The practitioner can invoke blood magic using their thoughts with intent. Blood magic can often be dangerous since transferring life essences may leave the spell caster vulnerable and weak.
Divine Magic
Description: The Divine magic school deals in all things holy and manifests as healing powers to the worthy. Practitioners of this school will be able to harness divine power to heal those in need. They will also be a scourge to the dead and demonic. Divine magic also allows the resurrection of fallen allies. This is the only magic school that has the ability to bring a person back to life.
Elemental Magic
Description: Closely bonded to Nature Magic, Elemental magic allows the wielder to summon the forces of air, fire, earth, and water and bend them to their will. Choosing this magic school opens the practitioner to all branches of elemental magic. Continued practice in this school will enable specialization in one or more of the elements.
Enchantment Magic
Description: Adepts at the art of manipulating the minds of others, those schooled in Enchantment Magic are able to compel others and shape the feelings of those around them. It is possible to compel another, confuse, and even cause the target to fall asleep as the practitioner advances in this magic school.
Illusion Magic
Description: Phantasms, deception, and distraction are the domain of the Illusion Magic practitioner. These individuals are skilled at the art of casting illusions and as the skill grows, illusions receive the ability to take on tangible form to aide the caster. Illusions can also grant the caster the ability to evade detection by enemies and affect the minds to perceive a different reality.
Nature Magic
Description: Nature binds the world together and creates the forces of this world. Nature Magic enables practitioners to commune with the biological forces of the world such as trees, plants and animals. Some races that live in harmony with nature inherently receive this magic school and enables them to learn up to three magic schools.
Necrotic Magic
Description: Twisted and dark, practitioners learned the dark arts of Necrotic Magic allowing them to corrupt life and re-animate the dead. Necrotic magic also involves the manipulation of life energies and can be extended to communing with the dead. Life manipulation involves leeching or sucking the life force from living beings such as the case with vampiric races.
Shadow Magic
Description: Those that are in tune with Shadow Magic have the ability to manipulate shadow and wield it as a weapon, buffs, or to merge with the shadow. As the practitioners skill grows, they can use the shadows as an extension of themselves and even hop from shadow to shadow or use it to conceal their presence from others.
Summoner Magic
Description: Summoner Magic has two paths, light and dark. One one had those that practice summoning can contact beings of the dark domain such as lesser demons, imps, succubi, and as their power advances demon princelings. On the other path, a summoner that decides to walk the divine path will contact beings aligned with light such as angels in varying ranks.
Transmutation Magic
Description: Some magic users prefer to study the known and the ability to manipulate what is known and convert it into the unknown. Transmutation allows individuals to alter the physical state of a living and inanimate entities into a different state such as the ability to polymorph or convert a tool such as a hammer into an axe. Transmutation requires a deep knowledge of the item being converted since the practitioner will alter the makeup and material of whatever is being transmuted.
There were so many cool options to choose from, but Tristen already had his mind made up about what type of character he wanted to create. After reading the description for Summoning Magic and the ability to summon light creatures, he almost changed his mind. It would be so cool to summon an angel, but he knew that wasnt what the party needed and decided to pass on it for now. Perhaps if he ever rolled a new character he could try that path. He had never even heard of light creature or angel summoning. Every summoner class he had seen chose to summon demons. Tristen had no idea what the appeal was to summon demons. He would much rather find some sort of beast or animal to take that could evolve into a wrecking machine. Well, Tristen supposed everyone had their own play style. Speaking of play styleTristen decided to get a move on or his friends would be waiting on him. Sai, I would like to learn both Illusion and Enchantment Magic. With a smirk in her voice that said I told you so, Sai said, Place your hand on the orb of your choice and you will receive a prompt asking you to confirm your decision. He did as Sai instructed and received notification window that said,
Would you like to lean Illusion Magic?
Note: You will only be able to learn two magic schools at a time
Yes/No
Wait, if only two magic school were allowed at any given time, did that mean he could switch school later in the game? Sai, if I choose two magic schools today, would I be able to choose a different school in the future? Yes, you will be able to learn two schools now and will have the option to learn a new one in the future. Just know that if you decide to switch schools, you will lose any progress and spells you learned following the other path. You will retain your personal knowledge of the magic school, but any ability to perform spells will be lost. Some individuals choose to pursue new schools after mastering one and using the knowledge acquired to advance their studies in a new magic school.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Wow, thought Tristen, that would allow him to choose the Summoner magic school later. He would definitely need to keep that in the back of his mind if he ever got tired of his current choices. Originally, he assumed that once a magic school was chose, he would have to start an entirely new character if he wanted to change schools. The biggest issue he saw to changing magic schools, was they he would add stats to his character based on his selections now, instead of another school Is there any way to reset stats in the game? Tristen asked Sai. I can tell you that there is a way, but if I told you how that would be violating your wishes about not giving you hints and unfair advantages in the game. Thank you Sai, I really appreciate you honoring my wishes about that. Tristen though about the possibility to completely change up his character, but retain his earned stats, levels and equipment. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities. He would continue as the group had already planned, but should they get tired of the builds and team composition, there was a possibility to alter their characters completely. This would essentially make any type of end game near impossible since there would there would always be a new realm of possibilities with new paths to choose. Choosing yes on the prompt to learn Illusion magic, Tristen felt like a library of information was instantaneously uploaded to his brain. Somehow, he was able to understand the concepts of illusion magic. He didnt yet know how to form anything into a thought or cast any sort of spell, but he could feel something at the edge of his conscience. Pausing for a minute to absorb the new sensations, Tristen felt like there was an ethereal cloud stirringly around at the core of being being. Reaching out with the knowledge he now found himself recalling with perfect clarity, he could sense the energy, but couldnt quite access it. It was a strange feeling and one that he hadnt felt even when his MP had increased from a high Intellect. It had to be the knowledge and ability that was unlocked when he chose the magic school. He was curious how the spells were going to work and how he would be able to cast them. Next up, Enchantment Magic.
Would you like to learn Enchantment Magic?
Note: You will only be able to learn two magic schools at a time.
Yes/No
Choosing yes once again, Tristen immediately the same swirling energy grow ordeepen? It didnt really feel more substantial, but it felt like there wasmore. He couldnt really put a finger on the exact feeling only that these two energy pools were two different types of magic and he could feel which was Illusion and which was Enchantment. Not wasting any more time, Tristen brought up the list of beginner spells and started reading.
Calm (Level 1) Magic School: Enchantment
Description: Caster may cast calm on an aggravated enemy to disengage attack and remove aggro, 25% chance on enemies equal to level. Chance to calm diminishes 5% for each level greater than caster and increases 5% for each level lower than caster. Effect: Calms enemy target to remove aggro.
Cost: 20 MP
Fury (Level 1) Magic School: Enchantment
Description: Incite a targeted enemy to attack indiscriminately. Spell can be used to enrage an enemy to attack his allies. 25% chance on enemies equal to level. Chance to calm diminishes 5% for each level greater than caster and increases 5% for each level lower than caster. Effect: Enrage opponent for 30 seconds. Failure to cast results in immediate aggro from targeted enemy.
Cost: 75 MP
Charm (Level 1) Magic School: Enchantment
Description: 25% chance to charm enemies. Chance to charm diminishes 5% for each level greater than caster and increases 5% for each level lower than caster. Effect: Charm target for 30 seconds. Failure to cast results in immediate aggro from targeted enemy.
Cost: 30 MP
Illuminate (Level 1) Magic School: Illusion
Description: Cast a ball of light to illuminate surroundings. Spell cannot be used to attack Effect: Illuminate area for 15 minutes
Cost: 10 MP
Distract (Level 1) Magic School: Illusion
Description: Create a simple distraction drawing the attention of enemies away from caster. Lower level Distract will produces small noises or light, but as the skill advances, the caster will be able to create detailed illusions visible to an enemy. Effect: Distract the enemy
Cost: 20 MP
Silence (Level 1) Magic School: Illusion
Description: Cast on an individual or a group to silence movement and noises increases chances to pass unheard. Effect: Silence individual or group for 15 seconds
Cost: 25 MP Individual / 100 MP Group
He could only choose one spell per magic school at this level and they all sounded like cool abilities. Tristen immediately ruled out illuminate as the party already acquired some torches for that and he though that it would be a relatively cheap skill to learn from an NPC trainer. Heck, he could probably figure out how to cast it on his own after he got a feel for the magic system and casting. At this point, he didnt even know how casting would work, let alone how to go about creating new spells. Going back over the skills another time, he decided to learn [Fury] in the enchantment school. At level one, Trsiten was going to be pretty weak on attack and that was the only attack spell available at the moment. It could potentially backfire and it cost a lot of mana compared to the other skills. He would likely only be able to cast it once per fight for safety of the party and to conserve mana. Triten then chose [Distract] for the Illusion skill. He liked the [Silence] spell, but the cost to cast on the whole party was expensive and they already had stealth in the group thanks to Tyler. Distract on the other hand, could distract an entire group allowing the party to sneak away. Also, the idea of being able to craft his own illusions for distractions as the skill leveled up, sounded really cool.
Would you like to learn [Fury]?
Note: Spells and skill may be activated or deactivated by editing your character interface.
Yes/No
Would you like to learn [Distract]?
Note: Spells and skill may be activated or deactivated by editing your character interface.
Yes/No
Immediately after selecting yes, it felt like information had been uploaded to my brain once again and he instinctively knew how to cast the spells chosen. He knew exactly how to form the words and hand gestures for each of the spells as if he had been practicing for years and it was all muscle memory. He could feel how to access the swirling pools of energy and use them to fuel the spells he had just learned. Before, it was just an unformed mass of undecipherable energy. Now, he could feel the distinctive nature of both Illusion and Enchantment magic. Illusion magic feltmischievous and ethereal. In contrast, Enchantment magic was like a the feeling of being with a loved one or a close friend, but also had a dangerous undertone to it like it could be twisted in on itself and repurposed. The feeling was so surreal and Tristen could feel the energy infusing his body. Looking at the skills in his character sheet, Tristen saw that only 8 spells could be active at any time. That could get interesting depending on how many skills he was able to learn in the future. He would have to make careful choices for the active skills. He assumed that they would only level if he actually used them. Tristen thought about the implications and how eventually he would need to abandon some of the spells he had leveled to include better ones, that may start out less effective. This was shaping up to be a very difficult game and would take a lot of thought and strategy to navigate. If you wish to learn more skills, you will need to visit with an NPC trainer. You may also attempt to learn and unlock skills on your own, but it is advised that you seek out a trainer before attempting to develop your own as incorrect methods may result in harmful magic feedback. Thank you Sai, Tristen said, I am ready to choose some combat skills for a sword and shield combo. Acknowledging Tristens choice, Sai removed the other choices from the room, leaving only three remaining orbs associated with a sword and shield combo.
Shield Block(Level 1)
Description: Purely a defense skill that allows the defender to block an enemy physical attack. Effect: Block 50% of the damage from an opponent equal in level. Additional stats in strength and dexterity increase the amount of damage blocked. Cost: 10 SP
Shield Bash (Level 1)
Description: Use equipped shield to Bach opponents causing a brief stun and knock back. 25% chance to stun opponents equal to attacker level. Chance increases or decreases 5% per target level. Strength and luck stat increases chance to stun. Cost: 25 SP
Slash (Level 1)
Description: Slash target for melee damage. Slash damage is increased based on level of the skill, strength and dexterity. Cost: 10 SP
Thrust (Level 1)
Description: A lunging attack that relies on strength to penetrate opponents defenses. Cost: 15 SP
Parry (Level 1)
Description: Instantly parry next attack, mitigation 50% ofincoming damage, and deal damage based on strength and dexterity stats. Cost: 25 SP
These were some very basic skills and Tristen figured he would need to rely on regular melee damage quite often. He looked at the skills to see if any of them offered some defense and attack. Only [Parry] seemed to accomplish that task and would allow him to deal damage above his base physical damage per second or DPS. Based on the sword he had purchased from Knifes Edge he could hit for about 6 to 7 damage per sword strike. That wasnt accounting for an enemies armor or defenses. With parry, he could not only avoid a direct hit, but deal almost twice the base damage at level 1 of the skill. The rest of the skills would cause or prevent more damage than this skill, but it would be one or the other and he needed flexibility being so weak. At 25 Stamina per use, he could use the skill a decent number of times before running out. His choice made, Tristen selected the skill.
Would you like to learn [Parry]?
Yes/No
Chapter 17: Training Grounds (Part 2) After Tristen selected yes to learn the [Parry] skill, he felt a similar sensation to learning the incantations and hand gestures for the spells. Instinctively, he knew various methods and positions to deflect attacks and perform a counter attack. Tristen pulled out his sword and shield and felt the weight of them in his hands. His body immediately adjusted to the weapon and shield like he had been holding one since he learned to walk. It felt natural and part of him could recall the countless hours spent drilling on this particular skill even though hed only just learned it10 seconds ago. Wait! Tristen barked. Is everything alright Tristen? Is it all right? Sai, do you realize what this technology is going to do for mankind? If we can replicate these implanted memories into our world, we can use the chips for learning and to enhance skills, abilitiespretty much everything. I know that right now the experience and knowledge is actively being projected to our minds while logged in to the game. If there was a way we could use the technology to train our minds with the information where we wouldnt need an active connectionto say that we already revolutionized the world with this technology would be an understatement and thats saying a lot after we released the chips last week. Tristen wanted a bit more information about learning skills and the knowledge he had immediate access to. Sai, all of these skills and spells feel so familiar to me as if Ive done them thousands of times. How is the game allowing me to do them? Tristen asked. When you learn a new spell, skill, or ability, the game will send responses to your brain mimicking how they should be performed as well as the correct responses to form the incantations. Basically, the game is sending the feedback to your virtual body as if you were commanding it yourself while at the same time sending feedback to your mind simulating the knowledge of how to perform them. If you decided to choose a different school of magic and lost the spells you already know, the game just stops sending those responses to your mind. This is part of the reason why you are only allowed to have a limited number of active abilities, since the game needs to continually send the responses and simulate the knowledge for the skills. Too many active at once would likely cause mental fatigue and require more computing power than is currently possible with the hardware used in this version of the game. Thinking about the logistics of it, Tristen wondered if there was a way to use this capability to permanently train the mind? Perhaps upload skills and knowledge matrix style! The possibilities that could come of this were incredible. Sighing, Tristen pushed it to the back of his mind to focus on gaming right now. If he kept logging out every time a new discovery was made or he had new ideas of where to take the game or technology, he would never really get to experience the game. Right now, he needed to focus on getting ready for their first adventure. Before leaving the training room, there are a few additional instructions you should know before venturing outside the town. Combat against other people inside any starter town is forbidden. You may duel with opponents only in the training grounds, but with mutual consent. If any player incites combat outside these grounds, they will be arrested and placed in jail. Penalty for the offense varies based on the severity of the players actions. NPCs cannot be killed in starter cities, but penalties for attacking remain. If a player harms or kills an NPC in any city, their character will be jailed or forcefully deleted and the player may be banned for up to one month from playing Dungeon Quest Online. Players cannot be killed within city limits, but any deaths outside the city are permanent. All gear, reputation, skill progression and quests will be lost and the player will be forced to create a new character. Characters may be resurrected by adventurers specializing in the Divine Magic school for up to one hour following a death. While in a dungeon, which is just an instanced area, it is also possible to die permanently. However, there are three ways in which an adventurer may avoid death.
Final Stand
A passive ability inherent to any adventurer. This ability allows a final stand in which the adventurer is incapacitated, but still able to use support skills and spells. During this state of incapacitation, the adventurer will lose any aggro unless all party members are also incapacitated. Additionally, if adventurer is incapacitated in an area of effect (AOE) zone, they will continue to take damage. If all party members are incapacitated, the encounter they were engaged in will reset and opponents will regain full heath and all skills will reset. If no party members are able to heal incapacitated adventurers, the party will die. NOTE: Only support skills are usable while incapacitated.
Resurrection
Only adventurers that take up the Divine Magic school are capable of resurrecting party members. Adventurers may only be resurrected once within 24 hours.
Dungeon Reboot
As a last resort, adventurers may opt to reboot a dungeon in the event that all party members are killed. This will result in adventurers loosing one level and any experience or skill progression made during the dungeon run. Additionally, adventurers suffer a 50% chance to drop an item that will disappear during the reboot. If adventurers choose to reboot, they will be teleported to the start of the dungeon, but will not be able to exit. The dungeon must be completed or an alternate exit must be found in order to exit.
In addition to the rules for deaths and rebirth, adventurers should know that once beginning a dungeon, the exit will be locked until completing the dungeon, or navigating to an alternate exit point. One final point regarding deaths within the game. The current starting zone you are in, is protected from player versus player, or PvP combat. Once you leave the safety of this zone, you may be killed by other players. Any player killers will be marked as kill on sight for any guards within Aeglenn. You will be warned prior to leaving the safe zone. Thank you for the warning Sai. Will I have to start a whole new character if I am killed by another player? asked Tristen You will respawn within your closest home city, absent any possessions not stored in your inventory. Your current home city is Castille. You may change this bind point at any human city of your choosing. Waitdoes that mean we respawn naked? inquired Tristen. Unfortunately, yes. You will respawn with nothing. To access the items you had stored in your inventory, you will also need to purchase or equip an alternate dimensional bag. Uhwhere exactly will I respawn? Tristen asked hesitently. Chuckling, Sai said, Dont worry, you will respawn within your room at the Adventurer Hall. Thinking about all of the intricacies of death within the game, Tristen knew that every adventure they set out on would result in a character re-roll and they would have to make sure they were fully prepared for whatever scenario presented itself. Tristen rehashed everything Sai covered in his head: Essentially, once the group was in a dungeon they either completed it, found an alternate exit, or would die and have to re-roll their characters; NPCs couldnt be killed within the starter zones and no PvP was allowed, but punishment for attempting such would still be enforced; To top it all off, after they left the safe zone, they could be set upon by player killers and lose just about everything in their possession, since their most valuable items at present were the armor and weapons they had purchased. Spectacular, though Tristen, this was going to be a challenge, but he believed that it would make things more fun and also increase the thrill of the game. The nature of the death penalty meant that it would be imperative for players to really evaluate their parties composition. It also meant that any serious players needed to ensure they had at least one person take up the Divine Magic school or their adventuring would be short lived. His skills set, Tristen headed out the door to the training grounds to see about improving his skills. When he left the room, Tristen did not see his friends and was unable to talk to them through the party chat. They were likely still in the selection process and Sai had disabled communications. He was pretty certain what magic schools everyone would choose, but he was curious what Aaron would pick. Maybe he could use blood magic in some way to increase his physical attributes or some type of elemental earth magic. Mulling over the possibilities, Tristen looked for an area to train while sending a quick message to his friends letting them know he was going to start training. Finding an empty dummy, Tristen walked over and pulled out his sword and shield. Although Tristen knew absolutely nothing about combat in real life, the information he had gained by unlocking the weapon skills allowed him to step into the proper stance immediately. He squared off with the dummy, dropping his dominant foot back to give power for attacking and defending. He activated [Parry] by simply thinking about the move he wanted to make. Even though Tristen knew exactly what to expect since he had the knowledge to perform the move, he was still surprised when his body seemed to move of its own accord. He stepped back as if evading an enemy slash, hooked the sword under an imaginary swing and darted a quick slash at the dummy. He felt like he was in control of the move the entire time, but intellectually he knew that the move was assisted by the game. It felt so strange to him, but natural at the same time.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Tristens stamina dipped by 25 after using the skill and he could feel a slight fatigue as if walking up a flight of stairs. Nothing too unbearable, but that would likely change as his stamina was depleted. Squaring off once again with the straw foe, he noted that his stamina had already ticked up a couple of notches. He was not in active combat and judging by how fast it was regenerating, he gained one point every five seconds. He imagined the regeneration dropped off precipitously during combat. Taking stock of his surroundings, Tristen realized that he was not the only one going through the process and noted a few people rotating in and out of queues for the dummies. Most of the people here seemed to be respecting everyone, but as usual with these types of games there will be showboaters like the blood bag a few dummies away, trying to shove people out of the way so he could monopolize the training space. Tristen focused on the tool causing all of the ruckus and saw that it looked like a dwarf, but taller than he expected. Tristen suspeceted he was a mountain dwarf. Anyway, the guy had burnt red hair and a beard reaching down to his waist. He was also wielding two one-handed axes and seemed to be some type of warrior with the attacks he was making. Tristen focused on the guy, trying to find some information about him, but all he could see was a name, Darren". If his party was out here, he would walk over and do something about it. As it was, he felt a bit exposed without his friends to back him up. Perhaps if the guy was still causing a ruckus later, they could do something about it. Turning back to his own training, Tristen activated the skill again, only this time instead of a slash, he sidestepped an imaginary thrust and performed a backhanded swipe at the dummies head. It was interesting, because he could actually imagine, perhaps even feel instinctively, where an imagined opponents blade would be. There was clearly nothing there, but based on the feedback his mind was giving him, he knew exactly what it felt like and formed a ready picture in his head of a real opponent. It definitely made training more fun instead of standing there repeatedly hacking the dummy all day. Doing the math quickly, Tristen could use the skill 7 or 8 times consecutively, depending on how much stamina he regenerated between attacks. As he continued to use the skill, he could feel the fatigue increase as his stamina was depleted. He also looked at his experience bar and realized that each activation of the skill only netted him one point and he needed 100 to increase the level. Sighing to himself, Tristen realized that any adventures would likely need to wait until the following day. The party all needed to train their skills to level two, visit the Adventure Hall for quests and then visit Kiyll Woods to get Natalias gear. One thing was for certain, this game was not going to be easy and the depth of everything was incredible. The fact it had taken them two full days of planning and training spoke to the complexity of Aeglenn and the great lengths Sai had gone to creating this world. He couldnt wait until they finally had a couple of dungeons knocked out, some better gear, and a better idea of what their party should aim for. Tristen exhausted his stamina and grabbed a bench off to the side to give some other players a chance at the dummy. As he was walking to the bench, he saw the rest of his party had completed their choices. He beckoned everyone over to the bench and they went through their selections. Aaron had chosen to go with a skill called [Bash], which would allow him to do over twice the amount of damage a normal weapon would allow. He had also chosen two different magic schools, Blood Magic and Elemental Magic. It was odd for Tristen to see a warrior type with mana and magic at their disposal. Almost all of the games Tristen had played included some other form of skill activation for warriors, like rage or something similar. A warrior would then use a rage bar that was filled from consecutive hits to activate some type of skill. Since that mechanic didnt exist in this game, Aaron chose the magic schools that would best amplify his ability to tank. With the blood magic, he would be able to use various spells and rituals to enhance his physical strength as well as his vitality. Blood magic also gave him the ability to heal himself some, which would help out Natalia as the groups healer. The spell he had chosen in Blood Magic, [Strength of the Blood], would grant him a buff to strength and stamina while the spell was active. For the elemental Magic School, Aaron wanted to specialize in earth magic which would allow him to bolster his strength as well as his innate defenses. He chose a skill called [Imbue Earth], which infused the bodies of those in Aarons party with the strength of the earth for ten minutes. It would grant each party member +5 to Strength and Stamina. Both of these magic school selections were great and would really help increase the party strength. Going over Tylers selections, he had chosen to go with the obvious Shadow Magic school. This would definitely complement his current choice of character and he hoped help in a rogue or assassin class when the time came. He had chosen a spell called [Shadow Cloak]. This spell allowed him to temporarily wield the shadows in the form of a concealing cloak. In the early levels of the skill, it wasn''t very powerful and would just slightly obscure him from the naked eye. In darkness, though, this skill would give him an edge over opponents since he already had the stealth ability. As the skill leveled, the shadows would take on a life of their own and actually become tangible. Apparently, Tyler had been able to talk to Sai and find out that some of the spells he would learn later in this magic school would allow him to actually form the shadows and wield them as weapons. He would also be able to use the shadows to generate apparitions that could cause physical harm to other opponents. For Tylers combat ability, he had chosen to go with duel wield daggers and the [Backstab] skill. Tyler was relying on his stealth, and with the choice of Shadow Magic, he would be great as an assassin or rogue. All of Tylers choices, combined with his stealth ability, will allow him to sneak up on enemies and trigger [Backstab]. Once triggered the skill would allow him to do massive critical damage to vital areas, significantly making battles faster and often taking down enemies in one hit. For the remaining magic school, Tyler was undecided about what he wanted to choose and had left the second school open. He initially thought about choosing Necrotic Magic as some of the necromancer abilities seemed intriguing. However, with Natalia choosing the Divine Magic school, he wasn''t sure if the magic school choice would impact the group dynamic and if any of the healing would have negative impacts. Obviously, that was a smart move on Tyler''s part waiting until everybody had chosen their other magic schools. He could always go back and choose a second magic school. Natalia had chosen Divine Magic as had been the plan, but she had also chosen to go with Summoner Magic. She had read some of the descriptions and the ability to call on creatures of light, including divine beings, would be a massive boon to her healing abilities. This was intriguing because it required Natalia to get rid of for her racial magic school which was Nature Magic. She wasn''t sure how this would impact her relationship with the rest of her race, but she couldn''t pass up the opportunity to bolster her healing abilities with a unique magic school like this. Still uncertain which character paths she would take, Natalia hoped that there was some hybrid class option for her play a Bard-like character. It was the type of character she really enjoyed and had always played. Choosing the divine magic school, she received the [Resurrection] spell by default. Because divine magic is the only school that allows resurrection, it is a default spell that''s learned by anyone taking up the school. They are then unable to choose any other first-level spells for free. She would need to visit an NPC trainer to learn more healing abilities and buffs. For the Summoner Magic school, the first spell she had chosen was [Summon Light Wisp]. The light wisp would stay with the party until the spell was deactivated or another creature was summoned. Contrary to summoners of dark creatures like imps, succubi and demons, summoners of light creatures didnt create contracts during the summoning process. Instead, the person summoning the light creatures must hold true to noble intentions. As long as the summoner and the creature of light held the same ideals and worked for noble reasons, the creature would act as a companion when summoned. Tristen didnt think this would be an issue as they had never chosen to walk an evil patch in any of their gaming. He had a feeling that if Tyler had chosen the Necrotic magic school, this could have ended badly. Going back over the summoned light wisps abilities, Natalia informed everyone that the wisp had a heal-over-time, or HoT, ability that could be applied to any party member, but only one at a time. This ability would regenerate the targets HP at normal rates while in combat, or twice the normal rate when out of combat. The obvious candidate for this HoT ability would be Aaron. He was going to be taking the brunt of attacks from any enemies we faced after all. For Natalia''s combat skill, she had chosen to go with the bow. In this case, a short bow along with the [Quick Shot] skill which would allow her to shoot two arrows in the same amount of time to shoot one. The damage output would increase her damage since she could fire much faster. It looked like everyone had chosen their magic schools, skills, and spells wisely and for the benefit of the group. So far, it was shaping up to be a very effective combination. Tristen and his friends spent the next few hours training skills and spells up to level two. After they had finished training with the dummies and targets, they needed to move over to the training arena to practice spells on each other. Natalia would summon her light wisp, cast it on a target and then Tristen would practice casting [Fury] and [Distract] on his friends. According to Aaron, who was his guinea pig, when the [Fury] spell succeeded, his vision would narrow and turn red, and he would feel an overwhelming desire to attack anything in reach. The [Distraction] skill was the equivalent of projecting a voice whisper or tossing a rock against a window, causing someone to instincually look. Tristen pulled up his skill and saw that he had a fifty percent success rate for casting the spells on an opponent equal to his level. He didnt know exactly how the percentage rate was calculated and opening the spell by itself did not provide any further insight. Perhaps a trainer could answer some of these questions later. The only stat he knew for certain would impact the chance rate was Charisma. Intellect allowed him to increase his mana to cast the spells more often. For now, he would focus on increasing those two stats until he was able to get more information. The only skill Tristen was unable to train was [Haggle] since that would require transactions with various NPC''s and they had already purchased everything for now. Tristen checked the time and realized they had already been in the game for six hours and it was probably time to log off and take care of things in the real world. Tristen needed to check in with his executive team and see if there was any pressing needs to take care of before the end of the day. Aaron had to do some training with the rest of his football team early the next day. Natalia and Tyler didn''t really have much going on, but both agreed that a break was warranted. Tristen bid his friends goodbye and already couldnt wait until the next day to finally check out the quest board and see what adventures awaited them. Chapter 18: Early Patch Notes Logging out of the game, Tristen sat up from his gaming chair, a design of his imagination, complete with all the bells and whistles one could ever want. It had a built-in massage roller, perforated seats for heating and cooling his body temperature. Heck, he could even set a designed temperature for his body, and the chair would adjust accordingly. He also had a small refrigeration unit in the armrest, tall enough for a two-liter if he desired. Sure, it was frivolous, but he had more money than he knew what to do with at the moment. He had even commissioned to have some built for all of his friends, their family, and his parents. He also had collectors units of the chips and game sent to all of his friend''s families. He also planned to invest a lot of personal funds in the schools he had attended all the way up through college. He planned to donate a large number of chips, microprocessors, and resources into the schools to help create a better education for the next generation. He quickly drafted up an email to his production and marketing leads and asked them to get a headcount of all the students at the various schools he had attended. He then instructed to have a chip created for every student and staff member and shipped out. Tristen also told them to extract the funds for the chips directly from his account. While he was thinking about education, Tristen decided to draft an email to the product development, engineering, and medical teams to get started on the practical application of using the chips for knowledge augmentation. He wanted to start testing with public trials as soon as possible to see if any of the projected information into users minds would have a lasting impact and develop skills faster. Tristen thought back to the skills and spells that he had learned in the game. He could remember vague ideas and some general information about using them, but the majority of the information slipped through his grasp. It would likely take much longer and sustained immersion into the game before he started bringing anything meaningful back into the real world. Tristen would evaluate his knowledge and skills retained from Dungeon Quest Online, and he also wanted clinical trials to start documenting all of the data. The trials would focus on knowledge people typically gained through school. In his email, Tristen made sure to list two items that he wanted to test. The first of these was education using the time compression that Sai had engineered. The test should focus on groups of users learning information through ordinary means and where users will be immersed in a virtual space using the time compression. The primary goal of this would be to find out which test group would retain the knowledge best and how long it took for each to pass an exam at the end. The second test would then focus on abilities far outside the norm of any tester. For instance, someone such as Tristen having combat abilities uploaded to his brain. Engineering and development would need to create a receiver for the chips use. Right now, the only receivers in production were for the game, bus some of the original designs could be repurposed for use. He also told the team to set up a network all over the headquarters compound with receivers throughout that would allow chips anywhere on the premises to receive direct feedback. If the first method of retaining new skills failed, then they could test constant access via wireless signals. Tristen would likely never condone pushing technology that required a connection permanently to the net, but perhaps the ability to learn new skills via the chips required getting that neural feedback for extended periods. When people are training themselves to perform a new skill or memorize a new piece of information, they repeat it again and again. The repetition then creates new neural pathways to store the data. Perhaps by continually projecting knowledge of new skills into a users mind, they will develop those neural pathways at a much faster rate. Having completed his brain dump, Tristen thought that perhaps he would be more tired with the hours spent inside the game. Surprisingly, he felt completely refreshed, as if he had just awoken from his customary six hours a night sleep. Pausing, Tristen shook his head ruefully as he once again pulled up his email to fire off a note to the medical staff. He wanted them to evaluate the physical and mental health of users that substituted sleep for immersion into the game. One of the concerns that doctors had voiced regarding this technology was the addictive nature they had seen during testing before launch day. Any of the users that spent prolonged periods of time in immersion couldn''t wait to get back in, almost as if it was a drug. As a result, Tristen had demanded they implement some lockout or automatic logout if the user ignored personal needs. This mandatory feature was part of the reason Tristen had been suggesting he and his friend''s log out for short periods of time or save more complex tasks for other game sessions. Getting back to the email, Tristen wrapped it up by adding in marketing to let them know if the current tests. He wanted them to start working on a campaign informing users about using the chips during regular sleep cycles. He would send the marketing out regardless of a positive or negative outcome. Since Tristen had already emailed half of his entire staff, he kept up with the trend by adding his chief financial officer, design lead, a couple of his most trusted lawyers, and head of research and development to another email. Some people didn''t understand why Tristen used email so much instead of picking up the phone, but it was because he liked a paper trail. He would always follow up by scheduling in-person meetings, but that first "paper" trail helped keep people in line with deadlines. He was letting his mind wander now and shook his head to clear those thoughts away. For this next email, he wanted to broach the subject of currency exchange, from and to the game world. Ideally, he wanted to give people the ability to make a living by playing the game. That would involve frequent transfers between the game and the real world. So as not to give his CFO an early death by heart attack, he noted they would be taking a profit for any currency exchange made. Sai had already managed to incorporate a 5% tax on players using the Adventure Halls. In fact, thinking about that fee is what prompted Tristen to write this email now rather than later. The game already had mechanics in place to extract taxes from players, and it only made sense from a business standpoint to capitalize on that. It also adds a level of realism to the game. It wouldn''t be a favorite move for sure, but players would make the exchange just as Tristen had in agreeing to the 5% fee in Castille. While thinking about the taxes, Tristen became curious about the funds and what Sai was doing with them. She can create whatever she wants at any time. It''s all 1''s and 0''s after all.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Dang, Tristen had a real concentration problem ever since first logging into the game. His mind kept wandering while he was trying to take care of business. He decided to go for a walk and clear his mind. After walking around the grounds a few times and relieving himself, Tristen dove back into the email he had saved. He tasked his CFO to look into crypto-currency as a way to solve the currency exchange issue. The problem with most of the digital currencies is their volatility. They fluctuated too rapidly to use as a steady source, and they also tended to crash in epic proportions. Furthermore, digital wallets could be stolen, sometimes a lot easier than a physical wallet with cash in it. Tristen left a lot of the decision up to his CFO. He had a lot of experience and knew exchanges like the back of his hand. If he couldn''t find a way to navigate the market, it was likely a lost cause anyway. To his head of R&D, Tristen tasked him with looking into all of the existing crypto-currencies and any new initiatives that were trying to get introduced. Tristen hoped that something already existed they would be able to adopt, but if not, he would leave it up to the R&D team to come up with a digital currency that was foolproof and secure enough that users wouldn''t need to worry about the theft of their digital wallets. Finishing up the email, he explained that there was no rush and to take their time. He gave one last instruction to his lawyers. He wanted them to reach out to large financial institutions and some governments around the world about their acceptance of digital currency. If he couldn''t get those that mattered on board to accept and standardize a solution, there was no point in pursuing this side project. Tristen also told the group there was no point in trying to keep this project under wraps. Instead, he didn''t mind this getting out to the general public. It would drive users into a frenzy and may help to push a solution through. All his responsibilities taken care of, it was time for Tristen to peruse his favorite forums and see what was trending. Tristen had been following various virtual reality forums for as long as he could remember. Some of them explored multiple theories and possibilities for full virtual reality immersion technology. Most of this technology included dive pods where someone would immerse themselves in a vat of viscous fluid that could break down human waste and keep them alive. In a twisted sense of humor, some theories involved shoving tubes in places that ought to be free and clear or foreign objects. Granted, many of these approaches included prolonged immersion such as a month or longer at a time. Maybe one day he could explore that type of immersion, but he enjoyed coming back to his life in the real world. He suspected some people would prefer the virtual world over their real lives, but he wasn''t prepared to work on technology that encouraged people to leave reality for a make-believe one. Some of the more wild theories even included scenarios where peoples minds get uploaded to digital reality, and their physical bodies die. Yea, some people can be a bit morbid thought Tristen. He understood the appeal to live in a world where physics often didn''t apply, age was a nonfactor, and anything was achievable. It made Tristen wonder about the makeup of humankind, was he just 1''s and 0''s in someone else''s design? Could he exist without a soul? Was his soul part of his brain, those 1''s and 0''s? All of these questions had plagued Tristen over the years, and he was confident that some things would never transfer into a digital world and that to do so he would lose a part of himself and become nothing more than an advanced A.I. capable of being exterminated with the flip of a switch. Tristen knew from experience he would just continue to spiral down these rabbit holes as he thought of these questions and forced his mind to move on from the subject. He pulled up some of the forums that were explicitly talking about Dungeon Quest Online. There wasn''t a single commonality or official post across any of the sites he usually read. Everyone''s experience was different, and the features that were common for players had mostly positive feedback. He did have an ulterior motive for visiting the forums. He was curious what people thought about the training grounds and if other players also found them a bit too cramped. Tristen searched for the name of the game and "training grounds." There were thousands of posts talking about the grounds ranging from the lack of space to the break in immersion for learning skills. The break in immersion complaints spawned from the fact players transported to a different location, and it seemed more science-fiction than fantasy. It seemed a bit contrary to some of the earlier threads he had read about each person''s starter rooms. No one had complained about that transporting players. Tristen suspected the complaints stemmed from people not expecting the transition and no explanation before entering. With an amused expression on his face, Tristen searched for news about Sai and how she appeared to other players. Everyone seemed to love the representation of Sai and based on the descriptions on all of the forums; she was, in fact, a ten-foot-tall goddess, resplendent in shining white garments and flowing golden hair. Shaking his head at Sais antics, Tristen continued reading the posts about the training room. Overwhelmingly, gamers were ecstatic about the time-dilation. Tristen knew first hand, one of the hardest choices in any game like this was choosing a path and gaming style. Whenever he started a new game, he would spend countless hours figuring out which character path to take and how to assign stat points. Sometimes it would take him days to settle on the right build. By using time-dilation, each person could take their time making a selection. As Tristen was nearing the end of the forums, he saw a post that jumped out at him. It just read "Darren." No way this was the same Darren that had been a nitwit while Tristen was there. This post was one of the last in a series about the training grounds so it could be the same person. Tristen was curious why a Mountain Dwarf would even be in the training area in Castille. They had their starting location in the Orax Mountains. Sure enough, after Tristen read the description, it was an exact accounting of the red-headed rat he had wanted to deck. The post droned on and on about the trouble he was causing for players. It got so heated that the town guards had come and nearly arrested a group of people. The game had only been out for a week, and already some players had almost been banned and had their characters deleted. Tristen wanted to teach this guy a lesson. This guy was just like some of the rejects he had to deal with in grade school. Tristen wasn''t a huge fan of PvP, but at that moment he hoped to one day run into this bearded midget in a PvP zone with his friends. Tristen forcefully closed out the forum he was reading and sat in silence for a moment. Someone out there was ruining the experience of people playing the game. His game, the game he had dreamed up his entire life. He was furious and would tell his friends to keep an eye out for him. Tristen would forever go out of his way to ruin this guys experience as well. Still seething, Tristen felt like doing something or perhaps trying to find this guy in the game. He had nothing to do at work and had already set his people to difficult tasks. He wasn''t tired and was itching to get back in the game. He decided to get a slight head start on his friends and check out the quest board. He would also see if there were any quests around the town he could find. He would stay in Castille for now, but tomorrow morning the group would meet up and finally leave Castille. The plan was to visit Kiyll Woods for Natalia''s gear and then set out on their first adventure! Chapter 19: Kiyll Woods Tristen and his friends oozed excitement the following morning in anticipation of leaving Castilleto explore. They had met in the Adventurer Hall where Tristenlet them know he had preemptively gone through the quest board. There were some gathering quests listed, which he had ignored. Many of them were the same ones he had been told about by various merchants last night. He also informed his friends about the forum post he had seen last night that spoke of Darren, the dwarf from the training grounds the other day. He told them how he had logged back in the game to find him. Not seeing the guy at the training grounds, Tristen had wandered around town talking to merchants about any possible quests, which was how he knew about the duplication of these quests on the board in front of them. His friends had agreed it was more profitable to take the quests directly from the merchants. That way, they would not have to pay any taxes to the Adventurer Hall. There were some other unique quests on the board that sounded fun to Tristen. He walked over to the quest board and pulled a few pieces of paper from the board. At the same time, a quest prompt appeared in front of each member of the party.
Congratulations, you have received the quest Monster Hunting! Quest Difficulty: Easy The proprietor of Potions and Tonics is in need of ingredients retrieved only from creatures deep within the Kiyll Woods. Find their lair and remove the needed components from their corpses. Poison Glands: 0/10 Claws: 0/20 Eyeballs: 0/10 Reward: 5 Potions, 2 Elixirs, 5 gold Accept? Yes/No
Congratulations, you have received the quest Weapon Collector! Quest Difficulty: Normal There is a semi-sentient race called Scuttlers that live near the Krihn Cliffs. These creatures have an evil disposition and are known to scavenge discarded weapons and armor. Retrieve weaponsand armor for Grimgars Blacksmith. Weapons: 0/25 Armor: 0/25 Reward: Level 5 weapon of choice up to [Good] quality Accept? Yes/No
Congratulations, you have received a bounty quest: Sparkys Bandit Camp [Unique] Quest Difficulty: Hard Bring the head of Sparky to the Adventurer Hall in Castille. Sparky is a bandit leader that has been terrorizing caravans between Kiyll Woods and Castille. Rumors suggest that his bandit camp resides along the border, just inside the Kiyll Woods. Beware this quest is not for the faint of heart. Sparky is a former guard from the capital city and was court-marshaled after killing his captain during a raid. Many believe that Sparky absconded with a pair of enchanted daggers during the attack. These blades are rumored to give him a unique ability to leech the life force from his enemies. Head of Sparky: 0/1 Reward: 50 gold, reputation increase with Wood Elves and Humans, letter of recommendation to be presented to guard captain in the nearest capital city. Bonus: 2 gold for each bandit killed Accept? Yes/No
Everyone accepted the quests after reading the descriptions. There was some concern about the bounty quest, but Tristen believed the group would be ready after finishing the other quests. It was also a unique quest, and he did not want to pass up the opportunity it afforded. The quest would be a challenge, but if they finished the other two quests first, they would likely have leveled up and become familiar with the combat system already. It would be risky this early in the game, but the reward outweighed a potential death. The difficulty level was likely the reason the quest had remained. Tristen and his friends had spent enough time preparing and addressing their weaknesses they all agreed to give it a shot. If they failed, it would only set them back a few days while they re-rolled their characters. Tristen wondered what the letter of recommendation provided to the party. He had no idea what to expect in the capital city, and this message held a potential edge over other player groups. Tristen would grab the merchant quests on his way out of town. Each of the merchants that had gathering quests perpetually had a note hanging just inside the door that granted the quest. Grimgar had a quest to collect ore, the tailor had quests to collect tattered garments from any mobs, and the quest for Tonics and Potions required the collection of various herbs. They wouldnt go out of their way to complete the gathering quests, but Tristen suspected they could finish them along the way. What about this one?, Tyler said as he pulled a parchment from the quest board.
Congratulations, you have received the quest Rumors of Gold Quest Difficulty: Hard Note: Upon acceptance of this quest, you will receive a hidden treasure map. Travelers often sell suspected treasure maps to the guild which the guild dispatches to Adventurer Halls within the region. Due to the number of maps in circulation, the Adventurer Guild is unable to explore themselves and therefore provide them for adventurers through the quest board. Each map is unique, and rewards are variable. If the adventure yields no hidden treasure, the guild will pay five gold to adventurers for exploring the map and verifying its accuracy. If the map leads to buriedtreasure, Adventurers will keep any items, but share 10% of any coin found with the guild.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Accept? Yes/No
Tyler suggested they take the quest on account of his high luck stat. Tristen looked a bit skeptical about relying on the luck stat but decided to accept. After Tristen received the quest, he suggested they grab the merchant quests on their way out of town. Finally, time to venture out into the world, Tristen and his friends walked through the gate. Before Tristen even had a chance to see the landscape, a notification window obscured his view.
Attention Adventurer! You are leaving the safety of the town and are open to attack from NPCs or creatures of this world. You are entering a PvP-free zone. Beware that any death outside safe zones or within dungeons will result in character destruction
The notification droned on, but Tristen already had received the same spiel from Sai before he had left the training room. He paused after he closed the notification window and his jaw dropped as he looked out at the vista before him. The level of detail left him in awe! They had exited through the east gate facing the Kiyll Woods. Looking to the north, he observed the Qrax Mountains looming in the distance. Snow-capped peaks gave way to rocky outcroppings and what looked like carved structures built straight out of the mountain. The mountains extended incredibly high, and swirling clouds and snow billowed off the peaks. Tristen spied figures moving around at the base of the mountain, but it was much too far to make out any details. To the south, jutted the Krihn Cliffs. The water beyond the cliffs extended as far as the eye could see. The only structures that marred the incredible view were stone spires that jutted from the water with small cities perched on top. To get to the cities, a series of latticework bridges crisscrossed the expanses between the mainland and the islands. This must be home to the high elves, thought Tristen. They had a superb defensive position and could destroy the bridges in the event of an attack. High elves were also known as advanced magic users and could likely attack any enemies from across the divide. These islands afforded incredible security to its occupants. Tristen looked forward to where the Kiyll Woods lay. From his current vantage, it looked like the forest sat on rolling hills and at some point, the tress dropped from his view. It looked like a lush, green blanket that flowed with the contour of the hills leading up to the Orax Mountains on one side. There was such uniformity in the cloak of trees, and he imagined it was easy to become lost in the woods. He didnt see a single break in the trees that allowed a glimpse inside. Although he could see birds floating above the canopy, anything that descended past the dense green canopy disappeared. Natalia explained that the wood elves lived in harmony with the trees and rather than building homes with dead trees, the Nature magic users in the settlement coaxed the trees to grow homes and buildings. Some of the wood elves lived on the ground where the tree roots formed huts and dwellings, but entire settlements were also built into the trees and strung together with thick tree branches that formed walkways. This forest was quite a bit younger than others where wood elves lived. As a result, most of the homes in the Kiyll Woods resided on the ground. The road Tristen stood on descended into the Kiyll Woods, with only a few small paths that branched in different directions. Just before entering the woods, the trail forked, with one route headed toward the Kylanoris, the town where Natalia had started. The other path forked into a different part of the woods. Reigning his thoughts in, Tristen checked to see where the quests showed up on his map. One of the paths that forked into the woods led straight into the waiting arms of Sparky and his goons. He wasnt sure which path led to Kylanoris and wondered if it was possible for Natalia to share her explored map with him. Everyone opened their map looking for a way to share. Tristen''s looked identical to the last time Tristen he had opened it. No intuitive way to share appeared, so Tristen took a gamble and forcefully thought about sharing his map with his friends. Hey, it worked! Tyler and Natalia exclaimed at the same time. What did you do? asked Aaron. I didnt see a button, but as soon as I thought about sharing with you, it worked. No sooner had Tristen explained how to share, when he received prompts from his friends.
Natalia wishes to share her map with you. Accept? Yes/No
Tyler wishes to share his map with you. Accept? Yes/No
Aaron wishes to share his map with you. Accept? Yes/No
The starter locations for his friends appeared from the darkness covering a portion of the map. Interestingly, Tylers starting town looked like it resided under the Orax mountains, but all he could see was what appeared to be the entrance to a cave. Tyler explained that the map didnt show the lower passages until entering the cave. They started out down the road as Tristen looked for various herbs and flowers required for their gathering quests. Due to their lack of inventory space, Tristen suggested they carry only the needed components. Tristen tried thinking about the items he picked up and looked for some name or description. He suspected there would be some [Inspect] skill or [Herb Lore], but didnt know if they needed a trainer to be unlocked. Tyler had learned his [Disarm Trap] ability using the same method, so it made sense for them all to attempt the same. Not wanting to waste any time, Tristen grabbed every flower and herb close to the road. The only information he gleaned from the flowers were their names. He had found only a handful of different plants during the trek, which included a Blood Rose, Honey Trap, Rain Catcher and Creeping Moss. Two of these ingredients Tristen needed for their gathering quests. After identifying the twentieth Blood Rose, a notification showed up in the corner of his vision. He also received a more detailed description of the flower:
Blood Rose The petals of the blood rose are often used in a healing poultice or mixed by an alchemist as the primary ingredient in healing potions.
Congratulations, you have unlocked the skill Inspect) Your inquisitive nature has finally paid off. Using this ability within the world of Aeglenn will reveal more detailed descriptions of the inspection target. As the skill levels, hints about the item inspected will show the usefulness of an object. Inspection is not a substitute for more specialized skills like Herb Lore that would yield even further insights into herbs, flowers, and plants. Max Level: 10 - each level grants the inspector more information about the item or person inspected. At max level, the inspector will be able to ascertain the history of the inspected object and may unlock hidden information.
Awesome! shouted Tristen, startling his friends. He told them about the skill he had unlocked and its description. After inspecting a few more Blood Roses, he noticed that the experience bar for the ability hadnt shifted. He supposed it would be too easy checkthe same object over and over to gain experience. By the time Tristen had reached Kylanoris, he had only been able to increase his inspect skill by eight points. The rest of the party had also unlocked the ability. Tristen hoped he didnt run into the same requirements for inspecting sentient creatures. If he had to find something unique for every skill point, it would be impossible to level. Perhaps some NPCs specialized in the skill in the event he needed something identified further. They had finally reached Kylanoris. Tyler needed to stay outside the town on account of his race. If he stepped foot in Kylanoris, he would be marked as an enemy and killed on sight. Chapter 20: Exploring Kylanoris Tristens party stepped through the gates into Kylanoris. He had this idea planted firmly in his thoughts of a small, disorganized village where the homes were primitive huts made from large roots and thatched with plants and mud. Any preconceived notions he held about the sophistication of this town quickly evaporated. This town sprawled out in a circular formation with beautiful structures that flowed with the trees. It looked like the most exceptional artists had spent decades meticulously carving every facet, arch, and crenelation for the buildings. Not believing this was all grown, he walked over to the nearest building and felt the wood structure. No seams or break in the material were found, which confirmed what Natalia had said. The buildings were even more beautiful after he''d walked up to one. He saw the character, and attention to detail layered into every surface of the structure. Examining the surface and looking for some clue as to its fabricated nature he could not find a single crevice, crack or nail. Natalia ditched her Nature Magic school after seeing all of this, thought Tristen. If someone with enough juice could do something like this, the magic school would develop into something awesome down the road. He chided himself for questioning her since he knew that Natalia hadnt made the choice flippantly and she had done what she thought was best for the party. Still, itmade Tristen wonder at the possibilities. His wonderlust sated for the moment, Tristen continued to look around at the splendor of this city. He started to regret choosing a human. If this was just the starter town, he imagined the grandness of a capital city. Rather than a disorganized smorgasbord of huts, as he hadthought, the town included as many structures and functional buildings as in Castile. The streets in Castille formed a gridlike pattern, while Kylanoris was splayed out ina web-like formation. The roadscircled the town until they met in the middle where a large building stood. Based on the map that Natalia had shared that was the Adventurer Hall for this starter area. Natalia led the group to a shop just inside the last circular venue that made up the streets. While Natalia and Tristen perused the store, Aaron decided to visit the weapons and blacksmith shops to see if there was anything noteworthy. On account of Natalia starting with a bow and quiver, she only needed to buy some armor for the coming adventures. Even with the start bow, she was able to deal more damage than Tristen. The shortbow she had equipped only netted a small amount of damage, but her high dexterity significantly increased the amount of damage she could bring to bear. Tristen felt a little embarrassed that a healer could output more damage than him, but he had decided to play the long game with his character. He had made the character for a support role and had no illusions about pumping out massive amounts of damage. Instead, most of the damage he could deal involved deceit and misdirection. Natalia chose a soft leather outfit that granted +11 defense, +3 dexterity, and +2 vitality. The merchant initially wanted three gold 50 silvers for the set, but Tristen planned to haggle that price down with [Persuasion] and [Haggle], which gave him a 69% chance for a moderate discount on the set. The party only had two gold and 51 silvers left, so he needed to lower the asking price by one gold. Thankfully, the merchant didnt have any counter offers and accepted the proffered gold for the outfit. The transaction used up the last coin they had, but after the upcoming adventure,Tristen hoped to replenish their wallet. Natalia equipped her gear immediately. Thankfully, donning gear simply required a person to mentally drag the item from their inventory to the outline of their avatar on the character sheet. It could have been awkward for Tristen if Natalia had to remove her old clothes first. This game included mature themes and nudity was turnedon by default for those over 21. Once the new gear was equipped, the old equipment appeared in the player''s inventory. Out of curiosity, Tristen asked the merchant if there was any equipment with higher stat boosts or unique items sold anywhere in Kylanoris. Sorry, sir, she explained, If you want to get unique gear or even something better than you just purchased, you will likely need to venture to a larger town or capital city. We usually only stock beginners gear and sometimes will have random items that adventurers like yourself sell us from their adventures. Thank you for your time, Tristen said as they left the store. Instead of looking for Aaron right away Tristen wanted to evaluate the merchandise in the other stores to see if there was anything uniquely different from Castilles shops. The local equivalent to the Tonics and Potions store was Naguls Alchemy & Herbs. The proprietor of the shop was a crotchety old man who looked like he had eaten a sack of lemons. The old man barely had time to utter a word of protest before Tristen bolted back out the door. The potion shop in Castille apparently stocked identical items.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. They visited the last of the shops and found all of them to be near replicas in all but name to the stores in Castille. Before collecting Aaron and meeting Tyler, Tristen picked up some food from the Inn. The extra buffs could help the party if they encountered difficult enemies. Tristen had told the Innkeeper that they were headed out on an adventure. As a result, he had received some type of dried meat, similar to their rations. Reading the description, it looked as though the same buff applied as the pie in Castille. The meat went into his inventory; He planned to hand it out before they entered any instance or quest area. Recalling some questions Tristen had on their way to Kylanoris, Tristen told Natalia that he wanted to visit the training grounds to speak with Sai.He wanted toask herabout his [Inspect] skill. He needed to know what the limitations were and how to gain experience. Fully expecting the transition to the training room, he transitioned to the training room much more smoothly than the last time. Tristen immediately noticed that Sai was the only floating orb in the room and did not see any magic of skill orbs around. Hi FathTristen! Smirking, Tristen said Good to see you too, Sai. I was just exploring Kylanoris and thought to check in here to see if there was any difference. I also had some questions to ask about a skill I learned. Tristen also had a desire to see Sai again. He never tired of spending time with her and that desire had only increased with this new transformation she had undergone. As you can see, there are no further options for you to learn any new skills, spells or magic schools. If you choose to abandon one of your Magic Schools, then you will be able to select a new one and a new spell in that Magic School. Smacking his head, Tristen felt dumb for not realizing that was the reason no orbs were within sight. Their party needed to save everything they learned to pay for new spells and skill. They would need gear as well, but he hoped to find some while out questing. Tristen could not wait until they found a capital city. Everything that seemed important pointed him towards a bigger city. He just didnt know how far they would need to travel to reach one. Sai, another question. My current skill. [Inspect]is a little confusing and I was wondering if you could enlighten me on how to level it up faster? I tried inspecting some items but didnt receive any experience for them. Will that happen if I inspect sentient beings as well? Thinking about this, Tristen mentally kicked himself. He been an idiot and didnt inspect any of the NPCs in town, so he still had no evidence to back up the theory about sentient beings all being unique. You will only receive new experience for unique objects, creatures, or people. Objects, like flowers and herbs, are all the same. Therefore, after you unlocked the Inspect skill, they will no longer award experience. Creatures and people are all unique, and you will gain experience for each one you inspect. However, you will be limited in the information you can obtain until the skill levels up sufficiently. At level 1, you will likely only be able to discern the name of the person or creature inspected. Depending on the creature or person examined, you may also be able to see their level provided you are within a few levelsyourself. Level 2 would grant their class and title. That is all the information I can give you about the skill without violating your wishes for unfair treatment. You will need to speak to additional trainers to learn more about the ranks of the ability. As the current description states, once you have mastered the skill you will be able to determine the history of an item or person. Many times this will grant unique quests and insight into various quests. Thank you for honoring my request about hints and advantages; it means a lot to me! Is it possible to pay for items to be inspected if we suspect there is more than meets the eye? Yes, although not every city will have people able to perform the task. Many of the larger towns and capitals will have someone that can inspect items for a fee. Each person has a different fee, and that fee is dependent on personal interactions rather than a fixed price. Thanking Sai for the information, he promised her that he would visit in person within the next couple of days. In person was a matter of perspective, but he meant visiting her in his lab. Thinking about the information he had learned, he suspected his Charisma, [Persuasion], and [Haggle] skills would benefit the group a lot more than he anticipated. When they reached the blacksmiths, Aaron just stood there, unblinking while he watched them smiths work. One dwarf pumped the bellows, another shoveled, and sifted the coals in the forge and yes another smith pounded a sheet of metal on the anvil. It looked like a production line and once the red glow of the metal dwindled the smith returned it to the forge and a second piece was placed on the anvil. Tristen and Natalia had walked up to either side of Aaron, but he was so engrossed he didnt even register their presence. Clearing his throat, Tristen stared at Aaron until he swung his head around and jumped. Sorry, Aaron said. This smithing is interesting, and I was just trying to learn a little about it. I think once we choose professions, I want to take up Blacksmithing. I can work on forging my gear and even make our weapons and shields. Well, unless we find better loot while adventuring. Still, I think it would be a good skill to fall back on, and at the very least, I can repair our equipment when needed. Sounds like a good idea to me, Tristen said, Though, we should probably head out to meet with Tyler. We have already been in here for a while and who knows what kind of trouble he is getting into with a town full of wood elves and a hateful reputation! Chapter 21: One Way Path Tyler waited down the road a short distance. No doubt he could have walked right up to the gate, but he chose not to risk a quick death. Aaron and Tyler approved of the gear that Natalia had picked up after she revealed the stat boosts. Everyone was geared, skills trained, and buffs covered from the items Tristen had picked up. Before they headed towards the quest, he explained what Sai had said about the inspect skill. He wanted no one to waste more time on objects already inspected. He planned inspect all the items again after the skill leveled up. Every time he leveled the skill, he would start the inspection process over to ascertain more information from each item. For now he focused on new items. A unique feature of the inspect skill included the ability to understand an item as soon as he picked it up. The knowledge felt similar to a remembered subject studied in school. Only, he recalled the inspected item with perfect clarity. Tristen wondered if he could use the technology in everyday life to recall data. An on-demand library at a simple thought had amazing ramifications. So much of his time inventing and creating involved research and constant learning. If the information was just a thought away, it meant his productivity increased a lot. He already sent out the email for study groups that pertained to the topic and he could broach the subject next time he talked to his team leaders. All the preparation and planning led to this moment! It was time to embark on their first adventure. Consulting his map, it looked like the closest quest, aside from the various gathering quests, monster hunting. This was the quest they''d gained from the board in the Adventurers Hall and required poison sacks, claws, and eyeballs. The map revealed a small icon on Tristen''s map. He believed this was the proper quest. As he focused on the icon, the quest description popped up which confirmed his suspicion. The quest marker sat within the fog of war and, based on the angle, they would need to veer off the road to get there. The distance between them and the location was half again the distance they''d come from Castille. They reached the divergence into the woods and Tristen halted. He took a quick look at his inspection skill to see no additional progress. All the herbs and flowers picked were the same he''d found on the way to Kylanoris. If not for the gathering quest, he would have stopped picking them to move faster towards their quest. Perhaps they could fulfill the quest requirements multiple times and get rewarded. Tristen plunged into the trees and told everyone to keep their eyes peeled for any mobs. He didn''t know if there was open-world combat, but wanted to be on guard just in case. When Tristen and the team had worked on developing the game, he insisted they stayed true to the original. That meant any encounter only occurred within an instanced area. That instanced zone was unique for each adventurer group. However, he left most of the actual development to the game designers and they could have worked random encounters into the game. For now, they exercised caution in the event they stumbled into a mob. Along the way, Tristen found a few more herbs and moss growing on the trees. These new items provided experience for his inspection skill and he raised it a few notches. It would be quite a while before he earned the second level and much longer to master it. Every few minutes, he checked the map to verify their location. Some games included a mini-map to point the direction, but Tristen thought they broke immersion into the game. Although more tedious, he preferred the way the developers had integrated the map into the game. It resembled a sheet of parchment and showed their party with blue dots. The destination marker was a small red dot. Based on their current position, they were halfway to the location after fifteen minutes. It would take them as long to reach the location and then they would need to buff and prepare for the quest. The game pace slower than he expected, but it game him an appreciation for the depth and scale that Sai had created. He didn''t even know how far any of the main cities were. It could take days or even weeks to travel between destinations. Tristen knew from a briefing that there were no boundaries. Sai set and generated the boundaries. As a self-aware A.I. with complete control over the dynamics of the game, she could generate anything she wanted, including new boundaries. Aeglenn was a realm of infinite possibilities and when a player reached the end game content, Sai could expand the world. Perhaps someday they could expand the game to other worlds. After they''d passed the quest marker, Tristen called the group to a halt and instructed everyone to activate buffs. He also asked Natalia to summon her light wisp. Then, he passed out the dried meat from the tavern which gave them the Well Fed status. "Is everyone ready to enter the quest area?" Everyone nodded their assent, and they walked forward. Once they crossed the threshold into the dungeon, or the instance area, there would be no turning back. They either completed the quest, found an alternate route, or died trying. Poison sacks, claws, and eyeballs sounded like they were in for a difficult task. Tristen''s imagination had run rampant as he thought of potential creature encounters. They walked for a few minutes and Tristen didn''t see a boundary or shimmering veil that showed an instanced zone. Curious, he asked his friends to wait while he jogged back the way they''d come. He jogged away from his friends and a minute later, they were right in front of him. There was no way he got that turned around so fast. Tristen rejoined the group and asked one of his friends to try the same thing. Just a minute or two later, Tyler jogged back with a confused look on his face. Tristen knew an instanced area was a one-way ticket until completion, but he hadn''t expected the method Sai used. He assumed a barrier or boundary marked a hard edge to the instance, but that wasn''t the case. As it worked now, it seemed as though the area had no boundaries.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Escape was not an option and they would need to finish the quest before they could leave the woods. The only path that lay open to them led deeper into the woods. "Aaron, I think you should lead the way from here on out." "I think it''s a good idea too,", replied Aaron. "It looks like there is a cave just ahead. There''s nothing else around it and I see no evidence of mobs in the area." Tristen''s shoulders slumped. He knew from previous games that groves of trees and caves were often home to spiders. If there was one irrational fear he had, it was spiders. Any kind of spider, it didn''t matter. They could all burn in the furthest reaches of hell for all he cared. The spindly little creature invaded everyone. Tristen read statistic somewhere about how the average person consumes five to six spiders a year, primarily while asleep. For the next six months, he slept with a mosquito net over his head. He hoped there were no spiders here and told himself repeatedly this was just a game. A realistic game, but a game all the same. True to Aaron''s description, the cave looked abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Tristen saw nothing in sight, nor did he hear anything that showed inhabitants. He pulled out one torch to light it.
Torch
Description: Provides 3 hours of light per torch Requirements: Requires Flint
"Requires Flint", Tristen muttered. "Um, guys. We have a problem here. Did anyone grab a Flint for the torches?" They all shared a look and shook their heads. Well, that''s just epic though Tristen. Their first quest, one they''d prepared for, and they forgot the dang flint. "Look around and see if you can find a rock. Maybe we can use one our weapons to create a spark." If only Tristen had chosen the [Illuminate] spell. Sure, the other ones provided better abilities, but right now they needed light. Tyler had [Night Sight] and would scout ahead, but once they engaged in a fight, they had no way to see. To build on the problem, they might encounter traps in the cave. Although Tyler could disarm traps, he could not detect them. Now, they had no light, which made matters worse. Tristen hoped Tyler learned the skill while they explored the cave or they were in for some painful adventures. "I found a rock," called Natalia Tyler pulled his dagger and struck the rock. It created a tiny spark that might be enough to light the torch, but it came nowhere near what a flint produced. Tristen held the torch to the side of the rock and Tyler struck the rock. "Ouch!" hissed Tristen and yanked his hand back He looked down and saw blood dripping from a gash on his hand. Tristen''s health dipped slightly and a Bleeding status icon appeared on his notification bar. Natalia instructed her light wisp to cast a HoT on Tristen and he watched his health return as the wound healed. Tristen placed the torch on the ground next to the rock and had Tyler try again. It took a dozen slashes, but the torch was lit. Unfortunately, the durability on Tyler''s dagger took a hit, but it was worth the price to have visibility in the cave. They needed to watch the durability of the torch and light the other one before the flame died. If they tried to light another one in the cave, it might attract attention from the noise. Problem solved, it was time to resume the exploration. Tyler stole ahead of the group, outside the radius of light cast by the torch. Tristen saw no webs or sign of spiders yet. He kept his expectation low in the event they stumbled into a den of the critters. Tyler searched for traps, but so far he had seen none. It''s possible the creatures they faced were not intelligent, in which case there may be no traps. If it was spiders, he suspected there would an early warning system or web that notified the critters. Tristen said a silent prayer, hoping that his luck held out and spiders were not their first confrontation. He preferred any other creature. he''d even be okay facing down a swarm of maggots. They continued down the tunnel and claustrophobia crept up on him. He jumped at every noise and expected an attack at any moment. "Do we seriously have to keep going?" Natalia asked. She shared Tristen''s trepidations about the dark cave. Tyler, turned back and smirked, somebody scared of the dark? I''m not scared, but the realism here and no idea about the creatures we will face are making me jump at everything. We have to collect poison sacks. There will be something nasty waiting around the corner!, explained Natalia. Tyler conceded the point and agreed that it was disconcerting. He, motioned the group to wait and scouted ahead. He returned and told them he hadn''t come across any creatures, but that the tunnel branched ahead. The walked to the fork in the road. There was no sign which way to go, the map provided no insight, and they still had seen no indications of inhabitants. "I have no clue which way to go," said Tristen, "maybe we should flip a coin?" Tyler pulled a silver from his bag and flipped it into the air. Chapter 22: First Encounter (Part 1) "Heads we go left, tails right," proclaimed Tristen as the coin flipped end over end and landed with a soft thump in Tyler''s hand. "Heads it is." "All right, let''s do this. Tyler, can you scout the tunnel? We will give you a few paces head-start and then follow." Tyler stole down the tunnel in a crouch. After a few paces he disappeared from sight. Must be his stealth activating..., thought Tristen "Let''s move!" Tristen said, excited. "Aaron, can you take point please?" Without another word Aaron fell into the point position, followed by Tristen and then Natalia, who also held the torch. The tunnel only accommodated a single-file line and Natalia needed the most protection on account of her being the groups healer and sole resurrectionist. "Hey Natalia, can you pass the torch to Tristen? I can''t see jack up here and Tyler''s sneaky little elf is almost invisible without the light." Tristen grabbed the torch from Natalia and made sure that everyone stayed within the ring of light to see the path ahead. No sooner did Natalia pass the torch when Aaron signaled a halt and whispered, "Tyler stopped and is kneeling on the ground just ahead." "Stay back!" hissed Tyler and backpedaled in a crouch until he stood inside the light cast by the torch. "There is a large open cavern just ahead. From what I can tell, there are flying creatures in the room. They might aggro if you bring the light too close." "Good point, do you think you can get close enough to inspect any of the creatures?" asked Tristen. "I should be able to if I cast [Shadow Cloak] and use my stealth ability." "All right, go for it. We need to know what type of mob we are up against before we pull them up here." Tyler dropped back into a crouch and crept closer to the ledge. Just before his silhouette would have breached the lip of the cavern, he disappeared from view. Tristen waited in tense silence and prepared himself for the possibility of an encounter. A split second later a prompt obscured his vision- Skaled Serpent - Level 1 Skaled Serpents live in underground dens and often congregate in packs. They are a cross-species between Dire Snakes and Dire Faeries spawned out of experimentation and genetically fusing Dire Faery wings and limbs on the Dire Snakes. Over time they have evolved to accept the genetic changes and every appendage functions as a deadly weapon. These creatures have sharp talons and fangs tipped in poison. They can inflict stacks of poison to whittle down the health of their prey. Their whip-like tail can spear enemies with its barbed point. Note: The venom sacks from Skaled Serpents are used with a variety of professions. Tristen looked around at his friends after reading through the prompt. Natalia blanched as the description, Aaron check his armor to ensure everything was in place and Tyler''s face showed grim determination, likely a mirror of Tristen''s own. "I''m assuming we need to cut the ''sacks'' off these things," quipped Tyler, easing the tension slightly. "Heh, I think you may be right on that one... any idea where these sacks are on their body?" asked Tristen quizzically. "Well...," Tyler started with a smirk. "Haha, don''t worry I doubt they''ve got gonads, it''s probably in their mouth somewhere. Hell, the loot system might allow us to just grab them off the corpse instead of cutting into them." "I hope so...," said Natalia, and everyone agreed. "Tyler, did you see any of the Skaled Serpents clumped together? Preferably two or three of them?" asked Tristen. "Yea, there are a few clusters of them I think share an aggro radius." Tyler furrowed his brow trying to recall the positions of the creatures. "Ah, yea there is a group of two just on the other side of this lip. There are natural steps leading down you can use to get closer." "Okay, here''s the plan. I will cast [Fury] on one of them. No matter if the skill fails or succeeds, I''ll sprint back up here and we can draw the mob to Aaron. Try to stay in the light so we can see this thing. It would also help to say inside the tunnel so it can''t fly over our heads. We can create a bottleneck and attack it from multiple sides," explained Tristen. "Tyler, did you see how much HP these things have?" "No, I got the same prompt as you. My [Inspect] skill is probably too low to see it..." "All right, I''m hoping that after we engage in combat, we can see the health of the creature. For now, let''s go with the plan I outlined. If we aggro two of them, Aaron will pick up one and I''ll tank the other. I can use [Parry] until Aaron switches targets." "Everyone good on their roles? Oh, Natalia make sure that your light wisp casts its HoT on Aaron and then step back into the tunnel so they can''t get to you. Until you get more healing spells, just try shooting the thing and use Aaron as a meat shield." "Heh...," Tyler started. "Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery," reprimanded Tristen. He turned around unable to hide a smile at the corner of his lips. Tristen gave a thumbs up and everyone nodded their assent as he started down the steps. Tyler cast Shadow Cloak on him before he disappeared from sight, and he saw a buff icon appear on his notification bar. Tristen peeked over the edge and saw...nothing? Where are the serpents? One step at a time, he descended toward the pit. After five or six steps, he made out dark shapes below. True to Tyler''s description, there were two of them at the base of the steps and the rest of appeared far enough away not to aggro. Tristen toggled to his party chat and projected his thoughts- GET READY! Tristen focused on the closest mob and triggered [Inspect]. He switched to the next target and repeated the inspection. The information remained the same. Regardless, it gave him experience in the skill so he wanted to inspect all creatures they came across. Here goes nothing- Tristen activated the skill and knew how to form the spell pattern, incantations, and gestures. The spell activation didn''t control his body so much as guide him, and he allowed it to happen. Because he was in control, he kept his voice low and minimized any sound as his hands weaved the spell pattern. The spell settled over the head of the nearest serpent and hung suspended... Why is it not working? It feels like there is resistance... The serpent shook its head as the spell refused to take hold. Then with no warning, the spell formation collapsed into the creatures mind. Its body went rigid, and it whirled on its unsuspecting ally. IT WORKED! Tristen thought loudly at his friends. He sprinted up steps and ran to the other side of the entrance where Tyler waited in the shadows. They heard hissing and scratching noises from below as the creatures tore into each other. It didn''t take long before the only one creature remained and it started up the steps toward them. Why isn''t it flying up here? The creature bounded up the steps and made a beeline for Tristen. As soon as it stepped into the radius of the torchlight, Aaron brought his two-handed war hammer down on the creatures head, dazing it temporarily. Tristen saw a debuff icon and a small avatar of the creature appear to the left of his view. When he focused on it, he saw the creatures health and name. Skaled Serpent - 250/400 HP Debuff - Dazed 400 HEALTH! Tristen exclaimed into the party chat. IT''S DOWN TO 218 HP, LET''S TAKE IT OUT QUICK! Tristen watched the health of the creature and noted Aaron''s bash knocked off 32 HP, which told him this thing had decent armor since the skill should have eliminated 38 HP. "This thing has defensive armor," updated Tristen. That meant his regular attack would only deal half its damage. Against a non-armored mob Tristen''s one-handed attack was between 10 and 11 damage per slash. Tyler''s normal attacks dealt roughly the same, but he also had [Backstab], which allowed him to deal 30 damage against this mob. If the creature attacked Tristen, he could [Parry] the attack and deal 12 points worth of damage.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Natalia spammed [Quickshot], Tyler activated [Backstab], and Tristen hacked at the serpent. Aaron held aggro on the mob due to the massive damage he dealt from [Bash]. The only downside to Aaron and Tyler''s skills was the 60 second cooldown. The fight proceeded with no complications and just as Tristen thought the battle was over, the serpent made a last ditch attempt at getting through Aaron''s defense. It speared him through the leg with its tail. "Agh!" grunted Aaron. Tristen glanced at their party window and saw that Aaron took 20 damage and received the poison debuff. Thankfully, the light wisp kept Aarons health stable and now that the battle was over his HP regenerated. Lets take a breather and go through the combat log. These things are mini tanks and they hit hard. If we get swarmed by three of more, it spells game over for us. Aaron took 20 damage, and thats after his 23 points in defense. Following his own advice, Tristen pulled up his combat log. No surprises jumped out at him. His normal attack damage halved on account of the natural scaled armor of the serpent and Wait Aha, said Tristen, these guys have little armor but they make up for it in Dexterity. Look at the combat log. You can see the armor rating increased for successful dodge checks. That makes sense, Tyler replied. Even with my high Dexterity the little bugger was tricky to stick with the pointy end. Tristen agreed with Tylers assessment and said, we need to avoid bringing over two of these at once. If we aggro three or more, we need to run or we will die. Everyone agreed with this decision. "Tyler, I think it will be a good idea for you to scout after each pull and then guide me to a spot I can cast my spell. If it is a single mob, we can have Natalia shoot it to bring in range and then Ill cast my spell to work on its level." Tyler nodded his assent. "Only one thing left to do before we pull the next mob," Tristen said looking at the corpse in front of him. Everyone looked at each other. Tristen still hadnt gotten a decent look at the creature on account of the darkness, but he didnt want to sift through the body either. Sighing, Tristen said, fine, Ill do it. Natalia bring the light over here please. Natalia moved the light closer to the creature- AHHHHH! she shrieked. SHHH, everyone hissed. They listened for any evidence the serpents heard the noise and wanted to investigate. It looked like they were in the clear. Tristen couldnt blame Natalia for the outburst- This thing is the ugliest, nastiest creature Ive ever seen. I thought nothing would surprise me after memorizing the monster guides for Dungeon Quest, but that.that is one ugly snake. Tristen bent closer to the body and studied the creature. It was grotesque and dis-proportioned. The legs were nearly as wide around as the body of the creature and the talons made it impossible for the thing to walk. No wonder that other creature had bounded up the steps to them, he thought. The skin looked like a patchwork quilt of scales, slimy membrane, and necrotic flesh. The wings, shaped like a clover leaf, jutted from its back, leathery and rotting. How is this thing able to fly? The head of the serpent no longer resembled a triangle, but rather looked like a bulbous growth where the fangs gutted out and over the bottom lip. He could see a dark viscous fluid ooze from small holes in the fangs. This thing definitely looks like some mad science experiment. Its body now sported gashes, missing pieces, and a smashed head from the fight. Blood coated everything and the ground around the creature was slick with it. Guys, if I have to cut into this thing we WILL take turns on the rest of them this thing is appalling. Tristen tentatively reached out to touch the thing with one finger, cringing as he contacted the slimy flesh. As soon as he touched the thing a loot window popped up- Skaled Serpent - Level 1 Poison Sack Claws x 2 Loot All? Yes/No THANK YOU! Tristen thought happily. At least I wont have to cut the parts off Yes, he selected. The prompt disappeared and Tristen looked down at his hand, feeling something wet and moist. Yuck! Ugh, he flung his hand away to empty the contents onto the blood-slicked floor. The claws kept bloody ends where they connected to the feet of the creature. The poison sack was disgusting. It looks like a testi Tristen felt his hackles raise and if vomiting was a function in the game, another layer of gore would coat the floor. The sack was a small leathery pouch that really resembled an actual ball sack and the flesh was mostly transparent with black veins spider-webbed throughout. Green liquid inside glowed faintly, but appeared to dim the longer it sat on the ground. Haha, Tyler cackled, dude, you grabbed a snake by the balls! Tristen turned a reproachful gaze on Tyler and replied, seriously? If you think its so hilarious, you pick it up. Tyler backpedaled and held up his hands. Chuckling, he said, no, no, this one''s all you dude. Squaring his shoulders, Tristen reached down and grabbed the claw first. Just before stuffing it into his bad, he inspected it- Skaled Serpent Claw Use: The claws of Skaled Serpents are ingredients for weaponsmithing and alchemy. He walked over to the poison sack next and inspected it before touching it- Poison Sack Use: Poison sacks are found on a variety of creatures. These sacks contain a highly potent venom that are used as the primary ingredient for crafting poison potions and elixirs. The poison can also be refined and applied directly to weapons to inflict poison debuffs. Tristen gingerly pinched the sack between his fingers and dropped it into his bag of holding. I really hope these things are true dimensional bags, he thought. If it exploded in his bag or the blood and gore sloughed off into his bag, it would go straight in the trash; they needed to think about some other way to transport the items. Someone else will get the next loot drop. That was by far one of the most disgusting things Ive ever touched. We can flip for it, suggested Tyler flipping a silver into the air. Lets get through the next fight and we can work it out then, said Aaron. Tyler scouted the next group while Tristen followed close behind. The next group required him to step down onto the bottom of the pit and he really hoped it didnt trigger an event for all the serpents to aggro. I SEE THEM, said Tristen in the party chat. The ability to talk to just his party with thought made it a lot easier to communicate in situations like this. Tyler ascended back up the steps and Tristen made sure he positioned himself for the fastest retreat if the spell didnt work. At present he only had a 51% chance of it working. Everything set, Tristen activated the spell. Just as before, the spell settled around the serpents head. Only this time, there was no resistance, and it took effect immediately. Tristen saw what happened before he raced back up the steps. Just as before, the creature jerked as the spell settled into its mind and zoned in on the closest enemy. It pounced on the other creatures back and viciously tore into wings, skin, and face. The thing had zero chance, and the fight was over in seconds. No other enemies within range, the creatures head snapped around to Tristen. Oh Scrambling for all he was worth, Tristen ran pell mell up the steps to his friends. He made it to the last step when a sharp, searing pain exploded between his shoulder blades. He pitched forward landing on his face. All he could think was I need to increase the pain filter. He flipped onto his back to see the creatures jaw descending toward him. His shield was on his back still and there was no way hed get to it in time- Thump, an arrow sprouted from the serpents grotesque mouth. Forgetting all about its recent victory, the serpent sprung into the air and charged full tilt at Natalia. Right before reaching her, Aaron stepped into the path and brought his Warhammer sailing at the creature, knocking it out of the air. Tristen recovered his wits and joined the fight. They followed the same pattern as the previous fight, only this time Aaron fended off all attacks. By the time the fight ended, Tristens HP was down to 80. He slumped to the ground and still felt the twinge of pain in his back. Tristen pulled up the menu and adjusted the pain threshold to 40%. He had no desire to experience that level of agony again. If you guys adjusted your pain threshold, I recommend dialing the pain down some. I had mine set at 60% and that stab to the back literally felt like someone slammed a hot poker between my shoulder blades. Apparently, he was the only idiot that changed his. The rest of his friends had left it at the default 30%. He felt a little better after a few minutes of rest. Natalia also instructed her light wisp to heal Tristen until the next fight. While he waited to regenerate his HP, he reflected on the brief, yet intense fight. I lost half of my health from one attack? What the He pulled up the combat log to see what happened. Critical Hit - 50 HP Wow! Tristen exclaimed. This thing hit me for 60 points of damage. My defense shaved off 10 points, but still the hit to the back counted as a surprise attack and it got a critical hit. The poison debuff knocked off another 20 HP while we finished the fight. If there had been two of these things Id be a goner. We need to switch up the tactics and I can always cast my spell after weve engaged it in combat. I can shoot them from up here, offered Natalia. Tyler, can you guide Natalia on which serpent to hit from here? asked Tristen. We can see vague outlines, but other than that its all blackness. Sure, Ill try to pick out the stragglers first and we can whittle them down. First someone has to loot the body, and that is NOT me, Tristen said backing away. Ill do it, said Aaron. Natalia looked at him gratefully as he walked over, grabbed the loot, and deposited it in Tristens bag. He wiped the gore off on the wall of the tunnel and motioned for Tyler and Natalia to continue with the next pull. All right Mr. Chivalry, you dont have to tell me twice, quipped Tyler as he walked toward the ledge. ### DING! Tristen felt a heady euphoria suffuse his body and a light shimmer enveloped his body. Wow Whoa, said Tristen and Aaron at the same time. That was awesome! I feel refreshed, my HP, SP, and MP are all full too! We hit level 2! Tristen exclaimed. He pulled up his combat log to look at their Exp gains. "It looks like we are getting 40 Exp per kill for the party, but because Aaron and I are humans, we are getting 1.5x the Exp. That was our seventh kill, which pushed us to level 2. Natalia and Tyler should level up after three more of these things, explained Tristen. While Tristen explained the Exp to his friends, he noted the icon on his notification bar showed he had an unread message. He opened the message and read- Congratulations! Level 2! Through hard work, adventure, and perseverance you have reached level 2! You have 5 stat points to allocate. NOTE: The experience required for each consecutive level increases exponentially. P.S. Congrats Father! Tristen read the message and paused at the end. He re-read the post-script making sure he read it correctly, and that there was in fact a winky face in the message. Tristen smiled and shook his head in mirth Sai... Chapter 22: First Encounter (Part 2) Chapter 22 First Encounter (Part 2) Tristen looked at the message one last time before exiting the prompt. He pulled up his character sheet and thought about assigning the five points right then, but hesitated. "I''m not sure where I should put my new stats..." Tristen though he''d muttered it under his breath, but realized he must''ve said it aloud as Tyler responded, "you need to decide if you want to go pure magic or a combo of magic and physical damage." "I think it''ll be a combo until I get to level 10. Once we''re able to pick a specialization, then I''ll think about how I should build out my stats." "That''s my plan too." Aaron joined the conversation. "I''ll assign the stats evenly for now. I''ve already got a massive amount of Strength from the bonuses and trial so I''ll alternate adding stats into that category every other level." "That makes sense..." Tristen thought about the skills and spells he had and how each stat provided a boost to them. He definitely wanted to assign them now so the fights ahead would get easier. The more they leveled inside the dungeon, the easier it would be. Well, at least I think so... "Hey guys, does anyone know how the dungeon level works? Like, does it lock the levels when you first enter it or does it scale up as we level?" Natalia joined the conversation and said, "The level locks the moment we enter a dungeon." "Hm, we should try to exploit that while we can. If we can save more difficult dungeons until we are close to leveling, we can burn through them faster." Tyler chimed in, "I think it works for some low-level stuff, but I''d imagine that one or two levels as we move away from the starter stuff won''t provide a huge advantage." "We''ll never know unless we give it a shot, though." Tristen turned back to his character sheet. He assigned one point each into Intellect and Charism to keep building his two primary stats. Then, he added one point into Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity to help him with survival and physical attack abilities. His stats in these areas looked a little better, but he had a lot of work left to do. Maybe I need to increase my strength more... Without the bonus that Aaron brought to the table, his strength was dismal, and he''d barely hurt anything with his physical attacks. I''ll add a couple points to strength next time, Tristen thought as he pulled up the changed stats: Charisma - 17 (+2) Intellect - 17 (+2) Dexterity - 7 (+2) Vitality - 4 (+3) Strength - 3 (+10) "All right, I''m all set. I spread the stat points out, but added one each to my two primary stats as a magic user. Let''s finish mopping up these flying snakes and keep moving." Just a short three pulls later, both Natalia and Tyler leveled up and they once again took a break to regenerate and assign stat points. "There''s only two of these things left." Tyler motioned to the edge of the cliff. We should just pull them both and keep moving. We''ve already been in here for a while and we must log out and take a break soon." "Good idea, I''ll tank one of them and Aaron can pick up the last." The two snakes died quickly, and they finished looting all the creatures they''d killed. They''d fulfilled two of the Monster Hunt quest requirements by collecting 24/20 Claws and 12/10 Poison Sacks. "We''ve got the first part of this quest knocked out! We even have a little extra so maybe we can sell them or keep them for our own professions. Both the claws and the poison sacks look like ingredients for alchemical concoctions of some sort. Let''s transfer the loot to one bag so we aren''t taking up extra slots. I don''t mind holding them." Two transactions windows popped up in front of Tristen as Tyler and Aaron both offered to trade him the loot drops. Natalia wasn''t carrying any on account of Aaron''s chivalrous actions. Tristen accepted the trade. "Awesome, they all stack into one inventory space. I wasn''t sure what the limit was for each one." "That''s awesome! If I had one complaint about the game so far, it would be the minuscule size of our starter bags." "I get that Tyler, but it''s much more realistic, and this game has been all about realism so far." Tyler grumbled, but agreed with Natalia. "We''re wasting time here, let''s move out! We''ve got all weekend to play this game and I want to get as far as possible." Tyler took up point to continue scouting ahead, and they all moved down into the pit where the snakes lived. "Let''s take a quick look around for anything of value." Tristen moved to the side of the area and scanned the walls. "If there''s any loot, plants, or ore we need to collect it. We should also inspect all the items to keep working on our skills." Tristen was halfway around the room when he ran into an area where the wall that was slightly discolored. He triggered [Inspect] and looked at the wall. You have found basic copper vein. "Hey guys, I found a copper ore vein over here!" His friends came over and inspected the ore node. "I originally thought Aaron should mine the ore with his strength, but I''m thinking Tyler is the best choice. Your luck skill is higher and if ore nodes are like any of the other games I''ve played, there''s a chance to drop gemstones." "That''s a good idea," Tyler said as he reached for the pickaxe. "Stand back, I''ve never done this before and I don''t know if I can get hurt or hurt you." Tyler aimed for the section of wall and swung. Except, nothing happened. Well, he went through the motions, but he failed to hit the wall. "Um, Tyler... you''re supposed to hit the wall with the pickaxe." Tyler turned around and glared at Aaron. "You don''t think I know that? The combat log said I missed, probably because I don''t have the skill." Tristen chuckled at the exchanged. "Keep going, you won''t unlock the skill unless you keep at it." Tyler tried half a dozen more times before he finally landed a hit which bounced off the wall with no visible results. "This''ll take a while," Tyler complained. "It''s worth the time and effort. Aaron wants to take up Blacksmithing and if we get gems, the coins we''ll get form selling will help us get better equipped. We have almost nothing and those snakes dropped nothing." "Fine..." Grumbling, Tyler swung sharply at the wall and the pick dug into the wall, breaking off chunks of rock and ore. "Yes!" Tyler pumped his pickaxe in the air and stooped to inspect the items. Copper Ore x 2 Copper Ore is a soft metal used in the crafting of components and basic items. Flint x 1 Flint, used to start fires by striking it against another rock or metal object. "Sweet! We''ve got flint now." Tristen picked up the flint and tested it with his sword. A shower of sparks cascaded from the rock unto the floor. "So much easier..." Tristen glanced at his finger where Tyler''s dagger cut him outside the cave. Glancing at the wall, Tristen noted the discoloration disappeared and the wall now blended together with the rest of the area. "I think you depleted the node." "I got the mining skill! It shows I have a 40% success rate for mining now." Tristen congratulated Tyler and suggested they keep moving. "It looks like we have to choose which path to take." Tristen motioned at the two tunnels on either side of the room. They looked identical and after double-checking his map, the quest gave no indications which way they should go. "Let me scout ahead and I''ll see where they lead." Tyler came back from the left tunnel after a few minutes and explained that he saw no signs of life, but it kept going and he''d doubled back. Tyler headed for the tunnel on the right, and only a few minutes later they heard "Go down the right tunnel." in the party chat. Tristen led the trio forward, but then thought better. "Aaron, can you take point please? I want no more nasty surprises in case Tyler missed something." Aaron took up position, and they moved to the tunnel. Before long, they saw Tyler crouching in front of something and hunched forward. "What''s going on Tyler?" Without glancing back at Tristen, Tyler responded, "There''s s trap here. I almost walked right over it, but noticed the discoloration at the last second." As he talked, Tyler fiddled with some mechanism just to the side of the path. A few seconds later, he whispered excitedly, "Got it! Oh wow! I got ten points to my [Disarm Trap] skill for just this one. It looks like it goes up much faster than some of our combat skills." "Did you get the [Detect Trap] skill yet?" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Sadly, no. I only stumbled on this one because of my ability to see in the dark and noticed the different colors on the floor." "Well, maybe you''ll get it next time," Natalia said cheerfully. "Maybe...," muttered Tyler and stepped forward to continue scouting. "Pfft!" "What was that-" Tristen jumped in surprise as Tyler''s body dropped to the ground and his character frame grayed out. "What the heck was that? Natalia, can you resurrect him?" Natalia stepped forward and wove an intricate spell pattern. At the end of the spell, she reached down and placed her hand on Tyler''s body. His party frame lit up with ten percent of his health filled. "That sucked balls!" Tyler sat up and an arrow protruded from his head. The arrow disappeared after his health bar stabilized. "I thought you disarmed the trap?" Aaron motioned at the section of floor Tyler crouched next to. "I did, but there must''ve been a secondary trap and I can''t detect them-" Tyler paused and made a few motions with his hands, presumably checking notifications. "I got the skill! The game gods thought an arrow to the head deserved a reward." Aaron laughed, and the sound echoed down the tunnel. It earned him a sharp glare from Tristen, "Shh! We don''t know what made this trap. They might be close by and we don''t want to alert them until we''ve scouted. Tyler, do you want to keep scouting or would you rather Aaron took point? I think none of us will fault you for wanting to hang back. Natalia won''t be able to resurrect you again and if you do, you''ll lose the level you gained." "What happened to that Last Stand ability?" Tyler messaged his head that only moments ago sported a wooden shaft and turned to Tristen. "I think it only works in a fight and causes the monsters to lose aggro. It''d be lame if a trap couldn''t kill anyone. What''s the point of having [Trap Detect] and [Disarm Trap] if that were the case?" "Good point, that just sucked balls man. Even with the pain dialed down, it was so unexpected and it hurt." Aaron moved to take point, but Tyler held up a hand. "I got it. It might''ve sucked, but I''ve got the skill to detect the traps now. It''s a level one dungeon, the skill should allow us to avoid any additional traps." "You sure bro?" Aaron looked concerned for his friend. "Yea, I''m sure. We aren''t so far along that a reset would ruin me, plus I need to work on my skill for future dungeons." "Okay, then. Let''s move. We''ve barely gone anywhere in this dungeon and who knows how long it''ll take to finish." Tristen wanted to see what the next challenge was and urged the group to get moving. They continued down the tunnel at a crawl with Tyler taking the lead and stopping every so often. Tristen assumed that he was using his skill and looking for traps. Visibly, it looked like he paused with his hand in front of him for a second and then moved on. Looking past Tyler a short distance, Tristen observed the end of the tunnel opening into another large room. Just before reaching the opening, Tyler stopped and knelt next to the ground. "Another trap...," Tyler said in the party chat. Tristen had to admit this party chat was an awesome addition, but it also required him to think specifically about talking in the channel and that was sometimes difficult in the heat of battle. I wonder if there''s a default setting for it. Pulling up his menu, Tristen looked through the list of options until he found the chat settings. There were options to mute certain channels, add chat transcripts to a little window at the corner of his display, and even add a virtual keyboard. Why anyone would want to do that was beyond Tristen''s comprehension. The nature of the immersion technology allowed anyone to speak with thoughts and voice, even if they could not do so in real life, or as Tyler often said, IRL. Reaching the bottom of the options, Tristen found a toggle option. He checked the box and though about switching channels to the party only chat. He noticed the chat preview in the options menu switch over to party-only chat. Perfect! "Hey, I found an option in the chat menu that allows you to toggle back and forth between chat modes so you don''t have to think about which channel to talk in. It''s at the bottom of the options." "That''s much better." Aaron gave Tristen a thumbs up as Tyler stood up. "Trap disarmed. I''ll scout that cavern quick. Wait here." It didn''t take Tyler long before he came back with a report of some humanoid lizard creatures in the cavern ahead. He hadn''t gotten close enough to inspect any of them yet. "Do you want to keep going in stealth mode and try to take out small groups of these things? The battle with the flying snakes showed that noise doesn''t always attract other creatures so long as they are out of the aggro range. Then again, these things look semi-intelligent so I''m not sure how they''ll react." Tristen thought it through and then asked the group. "I think we should keep to stealth. I''d rather not lose the progress I''ve made by a wipe." "Agreed, Tristen can use his [Fury] spell and try to cause chaos. We can watch how they react and make a better assessment then." "Good idea, Natalia. I''ll go scout with Tyler and see if I can cast on one. Just be ready in case it fails. Aaron, can you refresh the group buffs?" Tristen also handed out more rations to the group to renew their well-fed status. "All right, let''s go Tyler. Show me where they are." Tyler guided Tristen to the last spot he''d seen the creatures, and he got a good look at them. They were short, fierce looking lizards and stood on two feet. They wore partial clothes and armor and also carried crudely designed weapons. Sneaking closer, Tristen inspected the creature. Okegi Sentry - Level 1 The Okegi are a tribe of subterranean lizard folk. They are semi-intelligent, live in small tribes, and often war for dominance between tribes. The Okegi use primitive weapons and are not gifted with any magical abilities. Tristen sent the description to the party. "I don''t think we''ll have any problems with these guys. From my position, I don''t see many, but they could be inside these little huts that dot the area. I''ll cast [Fury] on one sentry and see what happens. If that doesn''t work, we''ll have incoming and they may alert the rest of the tribe." Tristen crept closer to get within range of his spell and cast. As before, the spell form took on a life of its own and he weaved the spell pattern. This time he had party chat toggled so any whispered words, sounded to the party and not those around his physical area. The spell pattern settled over the creatures head and immediately took hold. Tristen breathed a sigh of relief as the Okegi sentry turned toward his companion and ran his spear through the other. Shock, disbelief, pain, and outrage warred across the other sentry''s face. Tristen felt a little bad seeing just how intelligent these creatures were. The snakes they''d battled didn''t react to the pain or show any outward emotion, other than hissing periodically. This reaction threw him off and made him hesitate. Should we have gone the violent route immediately? Maybe we could''ve reasoned with them? Tristen waited a moment longer and realized the fight was over in seconds and the enraged creature turned toward them. It paused, took a step forward, paused again and shook its head. Its slitted eyes blinked rapidly as the rage dissipated. It turned back around to see its spear embedded in the other sentry. Without a second thought, it pulled the spear out and walked away. Tristen couldn''t see the face of the creature after it found its kin dead by his own hand, but the creature seemed nonplussed about it and it eased Tristen''s mind at the immediate violence they''d inflicted. He couldn''t allow this thing to walk away and alert others to the incident so he cast distract to grab the creatures attention. "Natalia, we need you up here quickly. These things must have a higher intelligence. The enraged state wore off too fast, and we lost aggro. I''m distracting the thing now, but we need Natalia to shoot it and grab the aggro again before it reaches the huts. Tyler, get ready to stealth and attack the thing if it runs. It is a sentry so it might default to alert its companions." Natalia hurried to their position and pulled an arrow back. Lining up the shot, she loosed. The arrow hit the Okegi squarely in the back. Tristen inspected it again to assess its HP Okegi Sentry - 275/300 HP "These sentries have 300 HP, but they also have a shield and weapons. We also don''t know how many there are. Let''s be careful and scout ahead slowly after we kill this one." After Natalia grabbed aggro, she stepped behind Aaron, who''d joined the group. He prepared his two-handed attack and swung at the creature. Dazing it, the rest of the party set upon it and easily dispatched it. They paused in tense silence after the fight, but it looked like they hadn''t attracted attention yet. "Let''s keep going like this. I''d prefer smaller fights if it means staying alive. These were just sentries and I''m willing to bet there are some stronger ones later." Tristen stooped down to collect the loot from the bodies and got his first solid look at the creature. It looked like a kobold he''d seen in other games, but less intelligent and smaller than he imagined. Maybe it''s because they''re sentries... Okegi Sentry - Level 1 Okegi Eye Crude Wood Spear Tattered Cloth Shirt Crude Wooden Buckler Loot All? Yes/No Tristen opted to leave the equipment as they didn''t need it and just looted the Okegi eye. After looting, he checked the quest prompt and sure enough it showed 1 of 10. Although disgusting, it was much less so than the poison sacks they''d looted from the Skaled Serpents and he had no qualms about looting the other sentry. Besides the gear and eye, he also found several copper coins. "Hey, these things drop copper coins. You''re welcome to loot the gear, but it looks like garbage and I don''t want to take up an inventory slot." The group opted to leave the gear behind and continue forward. Once again, Tyler took the lead and scouted ahead. He looked in several of the huts and found most the tribe asleep. "I can kill them in their sleep, but I don''t think we''ll all fit into these huts, especially not Aaron." "Give it a shot, but if you run into any that look stronger than the ones we faced already, hold off." Tyler acknowledged Tristen''s instructions and stole off into the darkness. Tristen watched the combat log as Tyler engaged in his first battle. He also wanted to see if they''d all get the experience or just Tyler. It didn''t take long for Tyler to dispatch one creature and his health barely dipped from the battle. It looked like he''d used a couple [Backstab]''s and only took one hit from the creature. Looking at the experience bar, it appeared they all received the same distribution of Exp. These creatures provided 22.5 Exp to himself and Aaron and 15 Exp for Natalia and Tyler. They needed 200 Exp for level 3. "We should be able to level up again soon. We really need to figure out a way for Natalia and Tyler to earn more Exp than us, or we''ll out-level them pretty quickly." Nearly thirty minutes later Tyler came back and showed how far into the cavern he''d cleared. Five huts, plus the two sentries. Tristen glanced at his Exp bar and realized he was one or two kills from leveling. "Did you run into stronger creatures or just need a break to regenerate?" "I need to take a break to regenerate my Stamina, but I also haven''t found anymore huts with just one Okegi. I also came across some Okegi Warriors. They are nearly twice the size of the sentries and have a bunch of weapons inside the hut." "Are the huts big enough for us to crowd in?" "We can probably all fit, but I don''t think Natalia will have room for her bow. I''m not even sure Aaron can swing that massive hammer around in there." "I can still activate [Bash] even if I can''t swing the hammer around. It should be enough to gain aggro and daze the warrior. Tristen can pick up the other Okegi and you''ll focus on taking that one down first." "Actually, it might be better if I try to cast [Fury] first. If it doesn''t work, we can go with your strategy Aaron." Everyone agreed to the plan, and they proceeded to the hut Tyler marked. Creeping inside, Tristen saw the Okegi Warrior and inspected it. Chapter 23: First Encounter (Part 3) Chapter 23 First Encounter (Part 3) Okegi Warrior - Level 2 Okegi Warriors attain their title after proving themselves in battle and attaining the next level in their evolution. These fierce warrior combatants and trained in many combat scenarios. They use weapons, claws, and teeth to rain destruction on their foes. "These guys are level 2, that would explain the increased size. They probably have a lot more HP too so be ready if this fails." "Oh yea... I forgot to mention that," Tyler said sheepishly. "I''ll cast the spell on the level 1 sentry. It might not damage the warrior much, but it''ll have surprise on its side and my success rate goes up 5% when the creature is a lower level than me. At the least well only have the warrior to fight unless the spell fails." Everyone acknowledged the plan and Tristen cast the spell. Thankfully, the spell took hold and Tristen ducked out of the hut right as the sentry jumped from its resting place and grabbed a spear. Peaking around the corner, Tristen quickly inspected the warrior now itd taken damage. Okegi Warrior - 540/600 HP Oh, man these guys will be tough. It has 600 HP! Tristen heard groans from his friends and felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around Aaron motioned for Tristen to step back and readied himself to jump into the hut and pick up aggro on the warrior. The fight didnt last long. It ended with a wet thump, like the sound a watermelon or pumpkin makes when smashing it on the ground. Tristen shuddered at the sound, and cringed, not wanting to see the grizzly scene. Aaron jumped into the hut and bashed the warrior, stunning him for a few seconds. Tristen, Tyler, and Natalia followed suit and attacked them with daggers and sword. Between the sentries attacks and Aarons [Bash], the warrior was already down to 340 HP. Wow, that little bugger put up a heck of a fight. They quickly burned through the rest of the warriors HP and thought they were in the clear when it activated a skill and stunned them all for 5 seconds. Its HP also jumped another 100 points. A beserker skill? The creature ran Aaron through with its sword taking off a whopping 100 HP with one hit. We gotta burn through this thing fast. If it gets a hit or two on me, Im done for. It''ll set me back to level 1. I agree with Tyler, burn all your skills and spells and dont worry about stamina. We can take time to regenerate after this battle. Tristen followed up by activating [Parry], followed by [Distract] as soon as his paralysis wore off. [Distract] likely didnt mean much, but if it gave them a few more seconds to deal out attacks, it was worth burning through the Mana. It didnt take much more to end the creatures life, but Aaron lost a third of his health. Thankfully, no one else got hit by the warrior. Itd only take a couple hits to knock them down into [Last Stand]. As soon as the warrior died, both Tristen and Aaron felt a rush of euphoria as their HP, SP, and MP filled to 100%. Ding! Aaron and I gained another level. It looks like we got 30 Exp for the Warrior. We''ll outpace you two quickly. Ill search the forums after we finish this dungeon and see if I can find anyone else talking about the level pacing with non-human races. Congratulations! Level 3! Through hard work, adventure, and perseverance you have reached level 3! You have 5 stat points to allocate. NOTE: The experience required for each consecutive level increases exponentially. P.S. Youre doing great dad, keep it up! <3 Tristen read the prompt and saw Sais handiwork again, but this time it looked like a sideways heart emoji. Sai, youre like a teenage girl. A grin split his face. Even though hed told her not to call him father or dad, it was secretly growing on him and he enjoyed the little personal touches she added. Stepping out of his reverie, Tristen said, Lets take a break so we can assign our stat points and loot these guys. We need to fight these guys with a different strategy. We should try to stun them as much as possible. That last move couldve really hurt us if it changed targets to Natalia or Tyler. Okegi Warrior - Level 2 Okegi Eye Iron Shortsword Tattered Cloth Pants Copper Coins x 12 Loot All? Yes/No More junk from these guys, but we got 12 more copper pieces. They waited a full ten minutes for everyone to regenerate their health bars and went over the scenario one more time. Tristens job was to cast [Fury] hoping to eliminate one enemy and then theyd focus down the warrior as fast as possible. Aaron would stun it if it looked like it was about to activate an area stun. Tristen quickly assigned his stat points into his pre-planned attributes, +2 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Intellect, and +1 Charisma. Tristen - Level 3 Intellect - 18 (+2) Willpower - 8 Charisma - 18 (+2) Stamina - 5 (+9) Dexterity - 7 (+2) Strength - 5 (+10) Vitality - 5 (+3) Luck - 5 Exp: 0/400 Im all set guys. Aaron, you good to go? Yep, same stat strategy as before up to level 10. The group finished clearing the huts with two mobs in it and only once did Tristens spell fail. It became much more crowded in the little hut to take out both, but the warrior didnt use his AOE stun until he was low on health. As long as they focus attacked the sentry first with Tristen tanking it, then they had no issues burning through the warrior and stunning it to prevent the mass stun. On the last group of Okegi, both Natalia and Tyler leveled up. Lets take a few moments and let them assign their stat points. Tyler, Im guessing that larger hut over there is the boss? "Im not sure, I didnt scout that one in case there were a lot of mobs and my stealth failed." "All right, finish assigning your stat points and give it a look. Well be ready in case you pick up aggro. Everyone, make sure your abilities are off cool down and you have full bars. If this is the boss, itll be a heck of a fight."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Tyler finished his stat allocations and headed towards the hut with the rest of the group following a safe distance behind. Just before entering the hut, Tyler crouched, activated stealth and [Shadow Cloak]. In the low light of the torch, he disappeared from their physical sight. Yep, this is a boss fight, and dang itll be a pain in the rear. Tyler crept out of the hut and dropped his concealment abilities. Guys, thisll be a hard fight. First, none of them are asleep. Second, the boss is a huge monster. Them? Aarons face showed concern upon hearing there were multiple enemies in a boss encounter. Yea, them Theres a big, ugly looking dude in the middle of the room, fully decked out in some kind of cobbled together armor and on either side of the room are warriors. Dang Well, the upside of our recent level is that my [Fury] skill has a greater success chance. I can cast on one warrior and get him to fight the boss, then try again with the second warrior. Or, we could run in and attack if the spell succeeds. Maybe the distraction will give us enough time to take out the second warrior before the boss finishes him. "Theres also the option to have Natalia kite one around until we finish taking the other out. Ill keep tanking the boss while you guys take out the of warrior-" That wont work, interrupted Natalia, we need your stun ability on the second warrior so he doesnt do a party stun. That would be a terrible thing to happen during this fight. Right, good point. Ok, lets go with Tristens second plan. We run in and attack at the same time one warrior engages the boss. Everyone set on the plan? Natalia, I want you to burn as much Stamina as needed to keep a barrage of [Quick Shot]s going. Use your potions if you need them and let me know if you run out. Ill give you mine. We need to burn this thing down as fast as possible. Weve no idea how strong this boss is. Heads nodded all around as Tristen walked forward in a crouch toward the hut. Just before he reached the entrance, Tyler case [Shadow Cloak] on him. The warriors stood halfway between the boss and the entrance on either side and he crept within casting range without aggroing anything. Tristen glanced at the boss, doubt and apprehension seeping into his thoughts. This thing looked fierce and its full complement of armor meant their attacks would do less damage. Calming his thoughts, he told himself they had a plan and if they stuck to it, all would go well. The best laid plans are only good until the first bullet Shaking his head to clear it, Tristen chided himself for dallying and put his head in the game. Without delay he started the cast. Up till now the mobs hadnt reacted when hed cast, but the warrior on the right jerked and cocked his head to the side. He didnt look at Tristen, but knew something was amiss. Guys, we might have a problem, get ready. Tristen finished the incantation and gestures. The same familiar pattern settled over the head of the creature, but didnt immediately enter his mind. Uh, oh Tristen prepared to retreat and watched as the creature shook its head. Finally, the pattern settled into its mind, and its eyes locked onto the boss. Now! Tristen darted to the side as Aaron stormed into the room and rushed to the warrior on the left. Ive got him, burn him down. The party laid into the warrior. Tristen activated [Parry] and glanced over at the boss to inspect him. Okegi Leader - Level 4 1,140/1200 HP The Okegi leader is the strongest and most experienced in any tribe. The leader is well-versed in combat and often has lead many successful war bands against other tribes, proving dominance to lead. These elite warriors are formidable foes. The blood drained from Tristens face as he returned his attention back to the warrior. We need to take this guy out now! Any playfulness, or casual banter ceased and his friends knew what that meant. They all attacked with vigor, activating abilities and skills in rapid succession. Just as the warrior was about to activate its area stun, Aaron used [Bash] and stunned him. The boss ended the other warrior''s life at the same time. Pick up the boss Aaron! Immediately, Aaron switched targets and stepped toward the boss who came rushing in with an overhead swing. Aaron moved to block with his war hammer, and mitigated the damage, but it still took 50 HP from him. This guy is strong, hurry and finish that warrior. No sooner had Aaron spoke when Tylers last attack felled the warrior and they all switched their attention to the boss. Okegi Leader - Level 4 980/1200 HP It still has 980 HP! Aaron, when you have 100 HP left, jump back and Ill tank him for a few seconds so you can drain a health potion and get some HP back. This Light Wisp won''t do much to keep you alive in this fight. I really cant wait until Natalia gets healing spells. If both of us get too low on health, we can swap back and forth, or try to kite him around. The party attacked with everything they had. SP bars drained and replenished with the meager potion supplies they had. Tristens [Distract] spell didnt work on the boss and no one had any attack spells that caused damage. We''ll fix that, thought Tristen. Everything relied on stamina and they quickly ran out from the prolonged fight. Tristen, switch! Tristen jumped forward in Aarons place and activated [Parry] as soon as the boss attacked him. He still took 30 damage from the attack and his health bar dipped to 150/180. He glanced at Aaron to see him fumble with the health potion, but realized he wouldnt be fast enough before the boss attacked again. Crap [Parry] was still on cooldown so Tristen braced himself behind his shield for the incoming attack. "Crack!" The sword striking his shield vibrated up Tristen''s arm, and he fell backward, half of his health bar disappearing from the hit. Another hit like that and Im dead! Tristen scrambled to his feet and prepared to step back in, but Aaron finished the health potion and resumed his position. Tristen quickly pulled out his own potion and downed it, bringing him back to 125/180. Those two potions only restored me to 200/280. I cant take much more of this. Aaron spoke in a halting voice as he did his best to dodge while blocking the attacks. Okegi Leader - Level 4 210/1200 HP Hes almost dead! Lets finish him! The party continued attacking him and at 100 HP remaining, the boss used an ability that pushed them all back. He followed up by issuing a guttural shout. A sinister grin plastered the things face as it readied itself for battle once more. Everyone waited, tense for something to happen. After a few seconds, nothing happened and Tristen instructed the party to keep attacking. The bosss grin faltered, and he looked panic as they hacked and slashed at him. A few more swings later, the boss finally succumbed to the onslaught. Maybe that ability was a call for help? offered Tyler. I guess he didnt realize we already took out the rest of his tribe. Theres no way wed survive something like that. Right after the boss the boss'' frame dulled to gray, they heard a fanfare, and a prompt invaded their vision. Congratulations, you have cleared the Okegi Dungeon! You have defeated the Okegi tribe and earned your freedom from the dungeon. You may seek the alternate path out of the dungeon, or leave the way you entered. Alternate exit... Maybe well get more loot on the way out? This stuff is garbage so far. Tristen held up the shoddy armor worn by the boss and dropped it back to the ground. I dont even think wed get anything for selling this. Maybe the sword will get us a few silvers though. Tristen stooped to loot the corpses. Okegi Leader - Level 4 Okegi Eye x 2 Iron Longsword Wooden Buckler Hardened Leather Cuirass Hardened Leather Grieves Hardened Leather Gloves Hardened Leather Boots Okegi Totem Silver Coins x 5 Copper Coins x 33 Loot All? Yes/No Okegi Warrior - Level 2 Okegi Eye Iron Shortsword Copper Coins x 5 Loot All? Yes/No Okegi Warrior - Level 2 Okegi Eye Iron Tipped Spear Loot All? Yes/No Tristen opted to leave all the gear and take only the quest items, weapons, coins, and totem. Hey, we got a totem from this guy. Inspect. Okegi Totem (Unique) Subterranean Lizard folk dwell in tribes. The totem, passed down from leader to leader is a symbol of the tribal office. Gaining possession of a totem occurs only after the entire tribe ceases to exist. Ah, come on! Our first unique item and its useless, a mere bauble. Tyler shrugged, Or maybe you dont have the needed Intelligence to see any additional properties. "Touche, Ill hang onto it for now, maybe we can unlock its properties later, Maybe it really is just a trophy for taking out the tribe. If so, that sucks, we got nothing for completing this dungeon. Maybe we missed something here..." Tristen looked around the room, but didn''t see anything worth looting. "Do you guys want to try the alternate path out of here? You all read the same warnings I did, the alternate exit could be harder than the entire dungeon... It might be hard, but maybe we''ll get loot we can use." Im in! Tyler agreed immediately. Me too, said Aaron and Natalia, but, lets take a break first. Weve been at this for almost five hours already. Lets take an hour and meet back here. If you log back on earlier see if you can explore this cavern for anything we missed. Tristen watched as his friends dematerialize. Following their example, Tristen logged out. Dungeon Quest Exit Chapter 24: First Encounter (Part 4) Chapter 24 First Encounter (Part 4) Tristens vision went dark for just a moment as he disengaged from the world of Aeglenn. When he opened his eyes, the world came into focus and he sat in his gaming chair with an urgent need to use the bathroom. With no wires or bulky gear to remove, Tristen could lurch to his feet and make his way over to the bathroom in his suite. Once hed relieved himself, he walked to his small kitchen looking for something to eat. The only items to eat was a week old pizza. Although he loved pizza, and cold pizza often tasted better than the first time around, a week was a long time and the pizza looked suspect. Tristen picked up his phone and dialed the kitchen. Theyd just finished the lunch meal and had leftovers he could pilfer before they went into the trash. All the meals were fantastic here, and this was no exception as he received an artisan Black Forest ham sub with all the accouterments. Tristen bit into the sub with relish and inhaled the meal. He didnt realize he was so hungry, but it made sense as hed skipped two meals playing the game. I wonder if we should build in a warning about satiety levels Some games use satiety levels for eating in the game, but perhaps there''s a way to implement a satiety level that shows the physical bodys need for sustenance. Maybe in game food would increase that satiety level a little, but the more each person put off real food, the faster and harder it would be to regenerate the satiety level in the game. Hm I think it''s a great idea. Tristen pulled up his virtual computer as he sat back into his gaming chair. Before he got too far, he opened the armrest and pulled out a can of soda from the built-in refrigerator. He smiled inwardly every time he thought about his current situation. The fruits of his labor all led to this, and he thoroughly enjoyed every minute of their success. Tristen quickly composed a message to his lead in R&D. He wrote about the possibility of adding satiety levels into the game. ------- Memo: R&D Hey guys, I logged out from Dungeon Quest Online after a prolonged game play (five hours) and noticed a few things we can improve or add as a feature into the game. First, I noticed that I had to use the restroom really badly, but I hadnt gotten an alert in the game. Sure, I couldve held it for a while longer, but it''d be nice if Id been notified sooner. Second, I was starving after logging out. I didnt even realize it and I got no symptoms in-game to make me feel hungry in the slightest. Perhaps it was the intense combat, but it seems like the feeling was nonexistent. That said, I wonder if there is a way to add satiety levels in the game. However, I dont want players to eat in the game every couple hours to refill the bar as that''d be annoying and gamers everywhere would reject the inclusion. Instead, if there is a way to tie the in-game satiety levels to the needs of the physical body, I think it''d be a good way to let players know when they need to eat something. It shouldnt be all that hard to implement because the microchip is monitoring the neuro responses from their physical body already. We could build the satiety levels into the game and allow in game food to minimally, and only temporarily, increase satiety levels, but ultimately have it replenished only after the person has logged out and eaten. Thanks, Tristen Alexander ------- Email sent, he pulled up his Inbox to look for any urgent messages thatd come in while he was in the game. He saw nothing that required immediate attention. Closing his email with a gesture, he pulled up the game forums and We dont have our own forums! Why didnt I think of this before? Tristen dove right back into his email and typed out another memo to the marketing team. ------- URGENT Memo: Marketing & Web Designers I pulled up a few forums to browse information about the game and realized we have nothing of our own that users can interact with and come to for knowledge about the game. All we have is the website where they purchased the game or microchip and some FAQs. I cant believe I didnt think of this before, or maybe one of you suggested it and I glossed over it. If someone suggested it, I apologize, but Id like to get this done ASAP. We could generate a lot of traffic to our sites and driving more adaption of the technology using our own forums. Id also like to hire data scientists and big data analytical engineers to create something that will catalogue and index the forums for our research and marketing teams. Finding out what users are talking about, issues they have, or areas they really enjoy will help us with future releases. If we need to buy a forum, thats already out there and re-brand it, we can do that too. Whatever is more efficient and fastest, lets get this done. Id also like to ask the marketing team with getting original content put up on the blog/forum. Send out notifications wed like to interview some people playing the game and get content generated. Please consider this a top priority. It may already be too late to get the first wave of people transferred over to our forum, but if you identify a forum, that''s popular with the game, start discussions about an acquisition. Put a proposal together for me and Ill review it later tonight. Thanks, Tristen Alexander ------- Ok, no more working until tonight. Once again, Tristen pulled up the forums and searched for topics on the game. His first order of business was to find out about the level imbalance with non-human races. Tristen browsed until he found a thread by someone named EvilKirby titled POST: 1.5x Exp is L33T. Gamers and their leet-speak... Tristen pulled up the forum and read. EvilKirby: Ok, so does anyone else think 1.5x Exp for humans is totally the bees knees? Our party all went with humans and we are already at level 9! Ive been asking other people in the game about their experiences and most people chose what race they liked best instead of stacking humans specifically to level faster, but man I gotta tell ya, do it! Wynona: Dude, you guys suck. Why would anyone stack humans? Theres no way you get a good balance of skills and race bonuses. You guys will stall out when you get to later game content. BallFace: @EvilKirby has a point though. Weve been going through with a mix of races and have leveling issues for the one human in our party. Shes already two levels above us and that makes the dungeons a lot harderUnauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ------- The thread had hundreds of replies, some ripping into the stupidity of EvilKirby, others agreeing with him and yet more discussing the leveling disparity. He was on page twelve before he read a simple comment that made him face palm. Smurfnuggets: Guys, if youre so concerned about out-leveling the rest of your part, just take a bunch of gathering quest from local merchants and only have your non-human party members turn them in for the Exp gains. Sure, you dont get the extra coins, but its better to have a balanced party, anyway. Im an idiot, why didnt I think of that? Tristen assumed theyd do the gathering quests together and turn them in as a group, but there was no reason for them to do that. It wouldnt be a ton of Exp, but it was a start and they could build it into their strategy going forward to maintain a good balance for the party. Satisfied he had a plan, Tristen closed out the forums and looked at his clock. Ive still got fifteen minutes He logged back in early to look around the cavern for any more loot or caches. Maybe there''s a cache or hidden treasure we missed. So far theyd struck out hard on anything of much value in the dungeon. He knew they wouldnt find valuable treasure in every dungeon, but he hoped theyd get something for all the trouble, not to mention they only had basic gear so it stood to reason they could find something to upgrade themselves in the dungeon. Dungeon Quest Begin Tristen was getting used to the login sequence. The fade to black before the game appeared seemed normal and even peaceful as his mind cleared and re-focused on the game. He looked around, but saw no sign of his friends. Maybe they''re still taking a break. Just as he exited the room, Tristen heard a sharp metallic scraping and pulled his sword and shield out. Anyone here yet? Tyler responded in party chat, Hey Tristen, I found ore nodes along the wall, just clearing them out now. Let me tell you, having the skill to mine makes this a whole heck of a lot easier. I still miss occasionally, but its a glancing blow, not a full on swing and a miss. Awesome, did Natalia and Aaron log back on yet? I dont want to stab anyone while I look around. I dont think so. Besides, can you even damage friendlies? Hm why dont you come over here and well find out? Ha, no thanks Ill just give you my dagger and you can stab yourself again! Laughing at his own antics Tristen heard Tyler resume his mining and explored other parts of the room. Since he was still in the leaders hut, he rummaged around, pulling up carpets, and lastly kicking the chair leader has sat in before they killed him. When he kicked the chair and brought his foot back down, he heard a hollow thunk and examined the floor closely. Not wanting to touch anything without a better view, he grabbed the torch theyd left in a brazier near the entrance. Actually, this torch appeared to be guttering out. Pulling out another torch, Tristen lit it with the flame of the first and replaced it back into the brazier. With the new torch in hand, Tristen walked back over to the area he suspected and brushed the dirt aside. Sure enough, there was a square patch that looked newer than the rest of the floor and was hollow when he tapped on it. Tyler, need your expertise in the leaders tent when you''re done mining. Roger that! Why, whats up? The new voice started Tristen, and he jumped, careful not to disturb the possible hidden cache. He turned and saw Aaron and Natalia standing at the entrance to the hut. Hey you two, I think Ive found a cache of some sort here. I tore this place apart and stumbled on this purely by accident. We can see that. Natalia looked around the room with widened eyes seeing the destruction he''d wrought on the place. Its not like anyones alive to use it anymore True enough, I kinda feel bad a little though. I mean, what if we could''ve reasoned with them? Im not sure that wouldve happened Natalia. If you remember all the description prompts, these things are creatures of battle and always warring between tribes. I think it''s all they know, violence. Look at all the surroundings? I see no evidence of the mundane things in life. Everything involves fighting and war. Every lizard folk we killed had weapons and armor. Good point, I guess I hadnt thought of that. Tyler walked into the room as they finished discussing what types of creatures theyd killed. "I got five more copper and another flint from the two nodes over there. Where''s this cache?" "Over here," Tristen pointed to the patch he stood next to. "I think it''s a cache, but I didnt want to open so I dont get an arrow through my head" Ah, mister funny guy. Okay, back up and Ill look. Tyler stooped down and put his hand forward, the same motion hed done when traversing the tunnels. After pausing for a few seconds he declared the area free of traps. Tyler grabbed his dagger and shoved it into what looked like the edge of the opening. Wriggling the dagger, he popped up a square portion of the floor and pushed it over to the side. Booya! Finally, something worth the trek through here. Tristen peered over Tyler''s shoulder and saw him clutching a fist full of coins, some gold scattered throughout. Congratulations, you have found Okegi Hidden Cache Gold Coins x 5 Silver Coins x 87 Coper Coins x 312 Small Shield of Defense Oiled Leather Boots of Shadow Ring of Healing Iron Belt of Strength Loot All? Yes/No Tristen selected Yes, and the loot disappeared into his bag. He inspected all the gear before starting a trade with his friends. Theres an item for each of us in the cache. He gave the ring to Natalia, belt to Aaron, boots to Tyler, and kept the shield for himself. Making the trade, he inspected the new shield.
Small Shield of Defense
Quality: Common Defense: +9
Stat Boost: None Requirements: None
Durability 100/100
Tristen debated which shield to go with. The extra defense was nice, but hed lose +3 Strength. Looking at his skills, he determined that losing Strength was acceptable and the gain to defense was more important. The party lacked defense and anything he could do to prolong their life in a protracted battle was a boon to the party. Now this dungeon is looking better, Tyler admired his new boots and Tristen could tell he was looking at something on his character sheet as his eyes jumped all over the place. I agree, this belt ups my strength by a decent amount. Tristen looked over and saw the belt strapped to Aarons waist. It looked cool and went with the rest of his gear nicely. Natalia examined her hand where the Ring of Healing rested. The ring doesnt really help me yes, but once I get healing spells, it gives a +2 for them! Everyone geared up? We need to keep moving. This dungeon is taking a long time and we still have the other quests to get to. At this rate, we wont finish them by the end of the weekend. Tristen received nods and words of affirmation from the party. All right, lets head back to the chamber where the paths split. Its the only place we havent thoroughly examined, so its got to be the alternate path out. The group retraced their steps and entered the second tunnel. Tyler already scouted ahead, so they all piled into the tunnel following him. BOOM! The sound echoed through the narrow corridor and every paused. What the heck was that? Tristen looked forward and backward seeking the source of the sound until Natalia spoke up. Um, guys the tunnel just shut behind us. Its as if there was never a passage here. No one move! The shout made Tristen jump, and he looked at Tyler to see why he shouted. Tyler had his hand up in the air in the same gesture he used when checking for traps. We''re surrounded by traps. The panic in Tylers voice filled the other party members with dread. What have we gotten ourselves into