《The Deal》 Chapter 1 - introduction "In a world where you can play as a new person entirely. you can escape from what troubles you have in the real world and join in on the excitement and adventure of Incursion Online!!!" the TV advert said while showing a bunch of flashy images. I looked at it through a shop window before moving on. watching it hurt as I had no escape from my life, even if I could I am not sure if I would want to any more. I am 6 years old at this point however I have already tasted the pain of loss. my mother died in front of my eyes from overworking herself. we lived in a poor small home by ourselves with a leaking sealing and cold winters. never enough money to keep us both fed however she said she ate at work so she told me to eat. this was not the first time she had lied to me to keep me healthy. she always talked about our father saying he was a rich CEO of a company that made a virtual reality game. he was busy so could not help us out. this was another lie but was partly true. the reason he didn''t help us out was because he swept our existence under the rug while he made his game and started a new family. Even when I was 6 I had realised all of this. I was left with nothing but the money received from my mothers life insurance. with this I somehow managed to get by through school unnoticed and even got a simple job to keep myself sustained. I was now on my feet however I still wanted to give my dad a good tickle... around the neck...... with a chainsaw. he never even showed up to mother''s funeral. I was the only one besides a few of her work collogues who hardly knew her. right now I am 19. I checked up on my father''s work and he was doing better then ever and even had a new family forgetting all about my mother. however I saw him at mother''s grave. he looked nervous and it was during the night while I was out on a jog. the grave was removed and replaced. that bastard was so scared of someone finding out about his past that he would uproot his old lover''s grave. I was not even able to cry. at that moment all I could do was run. after 15 minuets I was out of breath from sprinting and collapsed near a park bench. it was dark and there was no light around me. yet I felt a chill up my spine like a bunch of spiders were crawling up my back with their sharp stabbing legs getting ready to bite. I jumped up and looked behind me, sitting on the park bench was a hooded figure in a black robe with glowing red eyes. the street light above the bench flickered on for a second revealing nothing under the hood and there was a dark mist around him that looked to consume all that touched it. the light flickered off and as soon as it did the figure moved right in front of me. "hello there Oliver. I believe you could use my help" said the figure in a echoing demonic tone as it crouched down and looked at me face to floating red eyes staring right into my soul. the air around him was dry and it was hard to breath. worst of all I felt like things were going to get worse before they got better. "how could you help? my mother was left to rot and that bastard could not even respect the dead" I said in a rage. I felt a malicious aura grow around him and his eyes defiantly glowed a much brighter red when I asked how he could help. "what if I could make you a deal, I could help you but at a price" the demon said and I laughed. I felt he was confused at my actions as his malicious aura that made me feel like death was just around the corner died down. "I am a broke hopeless powerless every day hard working man. my mother is dead and my father abandoned me to have another family. what the hell could I have to give?" I asked with a tear rolling down my face of either desperation or depression. I did not know but I was on my knees and I punched the ground in frustration. however his aura kicked back off again and his eyes looked to be on fire with how red and shiny they were. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "in which case I have a few things you may want to see" the demon said with a smile as both the surroundings distorted around me and everything went black, except for a strange shopping stand you would see as an everyday festival market stall however there was a few pieces of paper on the desk. In exchange for your soul you may gain immortality - was written on the first piece of paper. I denied this without giving it a second thought. I wan''t to see my mother again if there is a next life so I will need my key to get into the next life. In exchange for the sight in your right eye you will gain Psychokinesis - no thank you, my left eye doesn''t work very well so without my right eye what good will Psychokinesis do me? is the point of these powers the fact that they can''t help me? why am I even reading this? I must be delusional in an attempt to escape reality. In exchange for your life the life of another may be taken - this is to vague coming from a demon. I don''t like my odds of this working out in my favour and I still have to many questions that need answering, the big one being why?.... In exchange for your brains frontal lobe you can gain control over other people''s sense of fear - this was tempting except for the fact I don''t know what a frontal lobe is however I know the brain is something you can''s live without and the frontal lobe sounds important In exchange for your memories you may be able to stop time - this one would be acceptable since all my memories are bad but the also define me and make me who I am, I need me memories and I won''t let go of the grudge I hold against my father that easily. "if this is all we are done" I said and the demon appeared next to me giving off an aura of being shocked. "non of these are helpful to me and would prove to be a hindrance to me. I need revenge against my father and this is not going to help" I said simple and I felt he was now exited. "how about this..." the demons started with but with his slow and drawn out voice it burned his words into my mind like saying this was his last offer. "you may have 1 of these powers for free however the soul of the person you hold this father you would hold such a grudge against is mine for the taking when you end it, if you don''t kill him I will take your soul in place of his" the demon said with now freshly glowing eyes and a sinister look. I looked at him seriously and considered it. "what will happen to the soul?" I asked and he sent me a smile and dark aura so evil and sinister I shuddered. "they will be sent into oblivion for pain beyond your wildest dreams" the demon said and I smiled. it may be over kill but he had to pay and I would start with his creation and work my way up the fortress he made while my mother had to suffer. "you have yourself a deal" I said with a smile and he then asked the big question. "which power do you wish to take for your own?" the demon said with a bone chilling tone and smiling like he was concluding his business. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- what do you think of the introduction chapter? and what power would you prefer the MC Oliver picked? do you have a suggestion? leave a reply and I will read it and take what you say to heart Chapter 2 - Fear AN: as was suggested by Talmora I will use Fear as the power of choice this time. my release schedule is around 1 chapter per week if I am able to. but stop reading this as you are more interested in the chapter... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- "I choose to control fear. I won''t let my father get away easily and I will make him suffer as much as possible, this power is the most suitable to pay him back for what he did" I answered honestly and I felt my entire body shouting at me to run away but before I could move it was to late. the demon had impaled a huge dark spike through my heart. it gave off a thick mist that devoured all light near by and as well as my hope. I fell limp onto the ground clutching my chest in agony. "I warn you this power requires a word of power to go along with it. I will give you your first word for free to get you started. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders." the demon said with a lecturing voice at the same time vicious like it would kill me just to hear it. but then his mood changes and his aura explodes around us, "I do hope you make it interesting" the Demon said before vanishing and leaving me in the park where he found me. I passed out on the dirt path beneath me. without that Demon''s presence it feels like I am resting on a cloud and I loose consciousness without a chance to fight back against the pull of the ever consuming void of sleep... I awake from my slumber in the morning just as the sun breaks away from the horizon leaving the sky an early morning mix of orange and blue. the trees around me are a vibrant green with withering branches from years of torment of the younger children in the area playing around. wait... words of power... I will have to test this then. I kept thinking to myself while I walked out of the park and wouldn''t you know someone came at me and pointed a gun to my face, he had a balaclava and some cheep clothes. looking at his bloodshot twitchy eyes I assume he takes drugs and is robbing me for the money to get more. "keep still and give me all your money!!!" the man said still waving his gun at my face. I sigh and look at him with bland empty eyes. "If I can''t move how can I give you the imaginary money I have yet to get" I said making him look at me angry. but before he could do anything I would not live to regret. "Arachnophobia" I said simply and as soon as I did nothing happened... so much for a power. I sighed but his hand was shaking and he threw his gun onto the ground. "WAAAHH!!! WHAT IS THAT THING????" he asked looking over to the gun and I looked carefully, I could see the outline of a HUGE spider that had teeth as thick as my arm. I was shocked but not scared at all. I then noticed hundreds upon thousands of spiders came out from nowhere and started to climb all over him biting and even so far as to crawl down his mouth to bite his insides to pieces... this continued for a while... what happened next I do not know as the image vanished and he fell to the ground shaking. maybe that was overkill? I should work on my control and OH MY WHAT THE HELL? I am not even caring that I may have traumatised him for life? even thinking about it I feel nothing for the guy. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I continue walking thinking of all the other types of Phobias I know of. Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. Acrophobia, the fear of heights. Achluophobia, the fear of the dark. Egrophobia, the fear of work and the workplace environment. Finally Anatidaephobia, the fear of a duck somehow somewhere watching you... I really abused google search when I got bored to find that one and I assume I will need to arm myself with more to get back at my father but first I know one that I need to get my hands on a VR-Headgear and a copy of Incursion Online. I am going to bring that game to the ground from the inside out while also keeping an offensive outside the game on my father''s company. I will make him suffer slowly and cruelly and tare down his castle he made brick by brick. I walk through the town and arrive at the only game''s store that I can rob. the only security it has is a single guard overlooking 1 employee. it is almost to easy. I walk into the shop and smile while grabbing a VR-Headgear box and a copy of Incursion Online. looking at the guard I mumble to myself. "Egrophobia" and sure enough the guard from sleeping woke up and looked around alert, then he walked out of the store with a cold sweat showing plain as day. the person at the till looked worried for the security guard but I was there before he could check up on his runaway comrade. "I would like just this please" I said while putting the boxes in front of the man. he wore a false smile while he scanned them "Egrophobia" I mumbled to myself again and he to just waked out of the building without even finishing. and with it being that simple I had the game scanned and didn''t have to pay meaning it is MINE!!! and nobody can catch me since to them it has been scanned and thus has been bought and paid for. I walk out of the building exited to check on the game and make sure my ability works in there and without further ado I went back to my home and plugged everything in. before heading off to work for the day. what did you think I had all the time in the world? no I don''t have that luxury so I have to work hard to keep the electricity and the internet on. this would not be easy but I will see it through to the end. I will remember all the pain you caused me father. I will avenge my mother for her treatment during life and even death, I will make you pay for it all... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- I hope you enjoyed the chapter and make sure to comment on what sort of Phobias you would like to see exploited to the maximum. I am even going to use a duck watching someone from somewhere somehow to its maximum so it does not matter how small it may be. if you wish to see it I shall show you the true effects of Fear. also not the chapters will get a lot longer from here on out as we explore Oliver on all 3 battle fields of VR, work and his father so there will be so much more juicy content to read. Chapter 3 - How To Play An RPG When I got back to my apartment I set up my VR gear and plugged the game in. with that I was done on the outside. it was surprisingly simple to activate and when it did everything went white and I was standing on a flat white ground. surrounded by nothing but a white light. "Incursion Online" I said clearly however with how good voice recognition was getting I could stutter or even be drunk out of my head and it will get the message and open up the game, I just wanted to be polite to the AI. "Entering Incursion Online" said the AI voice in a voice that sounded like it was said by a dragon or the person who said it had not had a drink for a week. either way an interesting way to welcome someone to a game. "What Type Of Being Are You? A Man? A Master? Or A Monster?" The Voice Said showing 3 versions of me in front of me like I was seeing a mirror into my soul reflecting a different part of my inner self as a physical image. the Man was a simple me. nothing changed except my clothing was that of a poor farmer. the Master was in the clothing of some kind that martial artist use when training. "I pick the Monster" I said simply picking based on name rather then looks. I was now looking no different then before however my new form was thinner and taller. my skin was pale and my eyes were blood red. this looks nice. The Path Of A Monster: cursed by the beasts you kill. you can count on primal instincts above all else and everything you kill is consumed into you developing your powers depending on what monster you shape and become. this is not the path to follow if you can not resist the monsters clawing beneath your skin to take control of your body Call Of The Monster: you can choose a monster you wish to take control over you and fight with its strength in your body. however the decision of relinquishing control of your body is the monsters alone and all monsters are set to despise you from the moment they enter you Traveller: (Name yet to be earned) Level: 0 Str: 0 Agi: 0 Vit: 0 Wis: 0 Int: 0 Fear: MAX Fear Resistance: MAX ''Ok so my Fear does convert into the game. now to work out what I can do with no stats? I think they are supposed to be important I think to myself before the world around me darkens and then I find myself in some random village. Doing the normal thing I walk around the village looking for a pathetic small easy monster is waiting to be killed. With that I turn away from the heavily armoured stone wall city and walk into the dead forest with no green in sight. I see black sludgy water and fire breathing birds in the sky that are able to summon small tempests and look for that monster that is simple and easy to kill. I continue walking and approach a cave still not sure why I have not died yet but this cave looks like the place to do it. I walk into the cave that spirals downwards without a single enemy in sight. "Is there supposed to be anyone here? I have not seen a single thing in this damn forest that will kill me" I said noticing that every time I approach a level 42-43 Dark Scorched Dragon it runs away from me like I was a max level player. "Hmmm... You must be strong to make it this far" Said a dark ominous voice from right behind me, I instinctively turn around but trip on a rock while doing so and fall on my ass. also I avoided the great sword being swung over my head giving me a quick hair cut. "You managed to avoid me?" the asked the female level 53 High Elf named Wendy. looking away from her player tag I see she is a very good looking girl around the age of 19. green eyes blond flowing long hair and 2 great big round swords that are held in either hand ready to slice my head off. she also has 2 huge Pet class monsters alongside 2 amazing soft squishy scout class slimes. she also has an amazing pair of breasts however that was the last thing my head was able to think off at a time like this. it was still there though. I am still human at least. "How did you get that strong in the short time this game has been out? wait were you a Bata tester?" I asked the girl who outclassed me in every way except for one. making her my next pray should she start to attack me. "I got a special early access. I am surprised you could tell" Wendy acknowledged in a genuinely surprised tone of voice while her 2 fire breathing greater pet dragons had the same shocked look I did. "By any chance are you an idiot?" I asked causing her to get angry and charge at me. I didn''t even need to move as she swung her sword into the wall of the cave and it got stuck. cave walls are almost indestructible without a class. as was stated in the instructions manual I read while doing my job. "Wow that just confirmed it" I said making her ferocious fighting face turn to a look of shock upon realising what happened then embarrassed upon hearing what I said. "shutup... your the idiot..." Wendy said in the cutest of voices I have ever heard and her face turned into a deep shade of red. what am I thinking I came into this game to destroy it. but making friends is helpful and I can at least dream about what I will do after this game. "anyway. do you know why I was spawned into a place full of fire breathing dragons and not your standard sheep and bunny slaughter?" I asked making her shocked. "WHAT??? there is only a 0.0000000000000000003206 percent chance of starting here how the hell were you that unlucky?" the girl exclaimed noticing I was in beginner gear. it was unbreakable however provided about the same amount of protection that a pen would from a bomb. "yea I figured it was my horrible luck. I have had next to no luck since I was born and it only got worse from there. so how was your existence compared to my sorry excuse fro one?" I asked in a comical manor making her giggle at me and then point and laugh. "your still level 0. you never went to the town did you" she said pointing out my failures. good job she stopped and didn''t continue and was kind enough to know where to draw. "And you didn''t even pick a beginner class that should have been just by your feet when you spawn.".... draw the line and she kindly let me off with just "AND you didn''t even see the blue message saying there is always week bunnies in a town".... Arachnophobia. no maybe I should use Achluophobia since we are in a dark room with no light. "yea yea. everyone pick on the idiot no namer." I said and then regretted pointing out I still had no name. she gave up on pulling her sword out of the wall and fell back onto one of her dragons black scaled tail laughing at me. "haha. you.. ha seriously don''t play games .. hahaa ha games much do you?" Wendy asked not noticing me walking over to he sword and putting it in my inventory directly instead of using my non-existent strength to take it from the wall. "said the Bata tester who didn''t even think of just returning the sword to her inventory instead of trying to remove it from an indestructible regrowing wall" I said flipping it over onto her since she was lowering me but I did something she couldn''t do. "wai.. WHAT???" Wendy said noticing her sword was not in the wall any more. I looked at its stats and dear GOD was that sword powerful, but I passed it back to her regretfully knowing that she would most likely take it from my cold dead fingers with a simple spell or her other sword. "I wasn''t going to take it. I was just trying to help. I mean your so strong that I would have died if you were not holding back your speed with that first slash of yours. so consider it me paying you back for not killing me" I said stressing the not killing of me as much as possible. Wendy then looked at the ground with a face full of exhaustion. "oh well. would you like me to take you back to the City Of The Demon Lord? you would most likely die to a monsters before you make it" Wendy offered me while sheathing her swords. I nodded my head accepting her offer. maybe I can finally get a level and a class now. I need to break the world into an unstable chaos that nobody would want to play. this is not something that is possible without that since if it is still something people play my father still makes money and still is untouchable for me. "wait. demon lord?" I questioned and she nodded. "it isn''t like what you get in most games, he is just in charge of the demon race and isn''t evil. just a fighting obsessed level 87" Wendy said with a sigh and looked like she knew him and he was annoying. I don''t think I will like this demon lord. "just a question but what class are you? you have 2 great swords that are taller then me and thicker then me and wider then me. considering your smaller in all areas except one you would think a smaller sword would be more effective. you also have 2 pet dragon''s that hardly fit in the cave. and 2 pet slimes that look more then your average slime" I pointed it all out and she turned around and found the cave wall to be very interesting. Stolen novel; please report. "It is nothing just a ... class that takes a long time to get and is super hard to level" Wendy said trying to deflect the subject. something smells like a hidden or special class. maybe I should have used a FEAR spell. on another note I really wish father put a luck stat in, I would be able to take him down so much easier with some luck... wait in that case he would definitely not put the stat in. well if this was to easy I wouldn''t be able to feel it was enough to just tare his company apart and then kill him through all of my knowledge over fear. Wendy exited the cave in front of me and she had no defence up. this game has a 100% realism function. meaning even a level 0 can kill a level 99. I just need the person I am attacking to have no Mana protection up and I have to avoid her armour, she has no helmet and her armour looks to be designed for looks and not defence. I could just use a rock and hit her in her temple before she gets into a fighting stance meaning her vitality and armour would be useless. however maybe I could use Wendy for my own uses. "!!!" wow if she could see my expression now she would kill me. I am plotting on how to take her items and experience and my smile is twisted in a way that only monsters could show. I quickly get my head our of that gutter and focus. no enemy is coming close to us and I am not sure if it her or me doing it. oh well. "so Wendy. are you that beautiful in real life?" I ask with my mind falling into a completely different gutter. wow I need to sort my mouth out. ever since I was little my mouth has said words without consulting my brain. my brain could be shouting not to say something but I guess my subconscious just finds it to funny to say. Wendy then lights up like a Christmas tree before turning around sword drawn and she missed horribly since her swords were not long enough to hit me from where I was standing. gave me a chance to apologise? wait she stopped trying to attack me and is just standing there embarrassed and looking down at her sword. she is a sheltered child isn''t she? "well... I didn''t alter my appearance however I got a hair cut recently in the real world so my hair is a bit shorter IRL." Wendy said in a mumbling voice while kicking the dirt beneath her feat slightly and looking away from me. wow she is a sheltered child. it almost made my heat skip a beat however if it did the game would assume something is wrong and log me out. "if that is all can we go?" Wendy said while walking away and opening some sort of menu while walking away. I follow along close behind but at least 7 feet away to avoid her swords in case she decided to swing at me again. "are you that handsome in the real world?" Wendy asked and I looked at my self, not a single change has happened and I look no different then normal, wasn''t I a monster? or does that have some sort of reaction needed. oh well. I don''t care who''s head I need to slice off causing a fountain of blood and gore or who''s dirty business I need to assist I will get stronger. "Yes I am, this is exactly how I look in the real world, I was of given any sort of character customisation" I answered and she laughed at me again. "as soon as you saw the Man and the Master you could customise yourself. before you picked one there should have been a blue flashing button to the lower left of your HUD. why did you miss thaaa...? well I guess anyone could miss it so I can''t blame you" Wendy said sounding a lot less arrogant and a lot more shy and embarrassed. wait she said she looked exactly like she did IRL besides the hair length since it was cut... "HEY!!! stop laughing" Wendy said to me however I was laughing to hard I was clutching my stomach as it was starting to hurt with how much I was laughing. I was literally loosing HP. "please stop..." Wendy mumbled however didn''t stop me realising she did the same to me. "sorry sorry. I just remembered a joke someone told me once. I was absolutely not getting my own back from being laughed at earlier" I said with a sincere tone and bowed showing as much formal apologising I could muster without laughing again. "mmmm" Wendy sounded like she REALLY wanted to say something however she held off on it unfortunately. she just went back to her menu screen. Wendy has sent you a Friend Request. Do you wish to accept? [y/n] Wendy has sent you a Group Chat Request. Do you wish to accept? [y/n] ok I did not see that once coming. I obviously accepted the group chat immediately however... "What is taking you so long? why won''t you accept the friend request?" Wendy asked after about a minuet of walking. I tried my best not to smile or laugh. "Friend? don''t push it. your an acquaintance that laughs at me, it would also make you know exactly where I am at any given moment in time. I fear what you would do when I lose my stamina and fall asleep..." I said that much and before I could continue she was already pointing her sword at my throat with a dark expression on her face. not like I haven''t already seen a real demon but this is a very close second most scary situation I have been in. "accept the invite" Wendy said with a calm smile on her face yet I could tell it was forced. maybe I hit a nerve? oh well with that order I graciously accepted the invite that was not at all forced. I wonder if she is really that lonely that she would pick a level 0? or does she just enjoy my company? "YAY" Wendy shouted and I checked her friends list. sorry her friend list since I was the only one on it. that is just embarrassing since she has been playing a lot longer then... wait this town has such a low player spawn rate... "how many players are in our town?" I asked and she shook her head. "we are the only players in that town" she said not paying much notice to the question and was fiddling with a menu screen of some sort. "and what about the nearest town with players?" I asked ans she shook her head again. "we are the only players in this dimension" she said still fiddling with her menu. "what are you doing in your menu?" I finally asked more curious then ever. maybe it is just her status screen. "I am watching adverts and filling in a quiz for free gold coins" Wendy said with a smile before continuing. wow how much would it cost for it to be in a VR RPG MMO? does this mean Father has more money and influence then I thought? after 30 minuets of walking at a slow and calm pace we made it back to the city. however Wendy looks slightly sad for some reason. "Wendy. is something wrong?" I asked and she did not respond immediately. but then she acknowledged I said something and looked towards me. "NO.. nothing is wrong, you will just be going to the basic training area and I won''t be able to see you for 10 in game weeks" Wendy said making me curious about what kind of training it could be. must be a simple tutorial of a few key aspects of the game that take a while to master. "its ok. I will still be able to talk with you through group chat if you will be that lonely" I said without really paying much attention to her and more wondering what sorts of things I will be thought. however she turned around and looked at me with a huge smile and Wendy was almost crying. "thank you, I appreciate you kindness" Wendy said while giving me a tight hug that depleted most my HP. I wonder just how much of a sheltered child she is. to be so lonely you would do this to someone nice you met online? wow... just wow. Wendy soon noticed what she was doing and went red in the face before jumping back "Sorry... I will see you later" Wendy said while running away and logging off. she vanished into a storm of glowing white flower petals that scattered into the wind. I just turned to the spawn point that was now in front of me and looked down. yep there was a few stone tiles with basic mage and basic warrior on. I picked basic warrior because people being scared of a warrior may look normal and make me look better. MUHAHAHA. I then continue through to the city and see guards. Level 20 Ghostly Knight was the level and name for each and every one of them. all summoned creatures. "Stop. why have you came here?" asked one of them sounding more like a robot then ghost. "I have came here to join the services of the Demon Lord as a traveller" I said. the idea is not to say what you mean but what you think they want to hear. I may have grown up poor but even I know that from real life. "acknowledged. would you like Basic Training? once started you may not leave until you pass and the log out button will not be available. your time ratio will be accelerated to a 1:70 ratio. if you decide to not continue you will be prevented from attempting basic training again. do you wish to accept?" the knight said to me and I nodded thinking it couldn''t be that hard and with that time ratio I should be able to do it with ease... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- I wonder if anyone reading this knows what Basic Training really is and knows why it is NOT easy. anyone? oh well. I hope you enjoyed the chapter Chapter 4 - Basic Training And Trade Training Basic Training initiated. moving worlds.... ... .. . when I arrived I noticed I was in the middle of a field, the ground was muddy and it was raining a lot. there was someone stood in front of me. a npc? it was a possessed armour. there was no blue level or name tag above his head. "A new one huh? well I best get to training. lets start with something simple for the first hour. get down and start giving me push-ups until I say otherwise" the possessed armour said and sure enough I was about to get down into position however.... "what is this? by any chance are you a mute or do you just lack manners? when I say something you say YES SIR and then do it without exception" the possessed armour commanded. "Yes Sir" I stated clearly "what was that? I think I heard a tiny mouse squeaking somewhere" "YES SIR" I shouted and he then had no objection to making me spend the next 4 hours doing push-ups. the pain my arms were in my the end of it felt way to realistic. my bones felt like they would give out on me at any moment and when the possessed armour told me to stop he looked angry. "ok then. time for something harder. run around this entire field 90,000 times" ..... what? I had to... but it looks like one lap is the size of 9 mile maybe more... how does this game expect me to do that? "YES SIR" I replied but sure enough I start running and after 2 laps I was down on the ground unable to move. "Is there a problem? or were you so pathetic that you felt the need to kiss the dirt since it was stuck with the job of carrying your sorry ass. or were you taking a bit of rest? if you were your remaining laps will be doubled" the monstrous instructor shouted to me. I got up refusing to be mocked and pushed on. kept running. and after 4 more laps I was down on the ground unable to move again. "oh look. I didn''t know my pet Cerberus got into the training field. because look at the size of that piece of shit on the floor. wait. even that shit can run faster then you" sure enough I stood again. I refused to just be mocked. if it is possible to do then I shall do it. I kept running, and running, I think I made it a full 8 laps before my legs gave out on me. "how is this possible?" I asked breathing heavily, exhausted out of my mind. "was that disrespect or do you always talk like the pathetic cretin that you are?" the instructor said in a degrading tone. "Sir. I don''t see how it is possible. please enlighten me" I said bluntly and with respect. "tell me. after you collapsed the first time was that your limit? you made it this far even though you collapsed in exhaustion much sooner then this. where did that strength come from to make it this far?" the instructor asked me. "I just pushed on" I replied "and when your face dropped like a stone and made sweet love to the muddy floor?" the instructor said in another degrading tone. "I just thought tha...." "THAT''S THE PROBLEM. you thought. stop thinking, thinking is bad for you. when you are here just do" the instructor said and then he stood me up. doubt can cloud your vision and your mind can limit your capabilities. learn to overcome this and you will not be a level 0 when you leave this place. now move it you have 160,000,000 laps left" the instructor said demandingly. "YES SIR!!!" I said and then continued to run as fast as I could and as far as I could. remembering not to doubt but to just run. sure it was very painful but after a while I lost track of how many laps I had run and the pain had started to go away. the sky was also no longer raining. "Halt. you are done" said the instructor with a smile on his face and I myself was happy it was done. my body had been screaming at me to stop. "only one last thing to break into you." he added and I shuddered at the thought of what it could be. "its ok, check your status screen and tell me what you see, if you have the option of picking your name you can do it after you are done with basic training" name: (choose your name) Level 1 HP:100 MP:100 stat list [show/hide] skill list [show/hide] spell list [show/hide] "I am now level 1 and yes I have a name option" I said with a smile. all of that was needed to reach just 1 damn level. so why do I feel so rewarded for doing it? "good, now choose one of these 4 books" Instructor said with a smile. Basic Demonic Summoner 5 random summoning spells and a potential job opportunity after you complete trade training Lesser Dark Healer 5 random dark magic healing spells and a potential job opportunity after you complete trade training Basic Death Knight 5 random physical skills and a potential job opportunity after you complete trade training Adventurer''s Path Leave and explore the world your own way and find something better suited for you This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I picked up the death knight book since being a tank will help me survive long enough to use my fear abilities and who would question fearing a death knight. as soon as I picked up the book however I was teleported into what looked to be a knights training grounds. swords and shields were stored off to one side alongside a few darts which could be used for a bit more of a ranged attack. unfortunately I was the only person there. maybe I have to teach myself this part? or was there a glitch in the matrix? I walked over and tried to pick up a huge sword that was bigger then I am and the blade had runes of death magic on it. I failed as it was far to heavy. I guess stats are still needed in every other part of the game. I walked over and picked up a basic wooden sword and wooden shield. Dance With The Devil your power is increased greatly the more you pray to lord Isou. greatly increases all physical stats if you pray to him daily. Blood Coating the more you kill the stronger your armour. greatly increases armour defence stats and durability. potential durability regeneration. Cursed Soul Sword its dangerous to go alone. take this. the sword may only be the strength of a normal steel sword. even id shattered you can keep on making it since a sword it better then no sword. Size Matters the more intimidating and dangerous you look the more everyone else fears you. and you can now convert fear into Mana giving you extra incentive to look the part of a Death Knight and not start running around naked through human cities chasing after a thief I wonder if one of the Bata testers actually had this happen and that is why it is being mentioned? also FEAR FOR THE WIN!!! Devastating Pulse release a pulse of dearness that will hurt demonic races. really hurt human / beast race. really really hurt blessed races. and will unimaginably hurt holy races. damage depends on how much fear is being focused into it. maybe I became a bit OP? well it will help with my plan to break this world into chaos. and while I am doing that in the real world I will hinder all attempts father makes to save his prestigious game that was more important to him then mother. I gathered a Dark Pulse and filled it with fear. after 5 seconds of filling it with fear the pulse was unleashed and a pulse of a dark mist that did absolutely nothing. maybe there was nothing to effect? "Wow... how did you do that?" asked someone from behind me. it sounded like a little boy. I turned around to check and sure enough it was a little boy and was now terrified. "are you the NPC instructor for this part?" the boy asked and I thought I would play a little joke. "Yes. Now lets go your training starts now" I said while throwing him a sword and a shield. I then started training all my new techniques on him. "please stop. I need a break" the little kid said. "huh? a break? don''t make me laugh. a death knight needs high vitality as well as a good knowledge of how to use his sword. now try using your sword instead of just blocking" I said with a smile sure enough he picked up his sword and charged at me. "Thanatophobia" I said with a twisted smile. the kid then stopped in his tracks and fell back on his ass. I was not afraid of saying a word of power since you have to be 18 years old or more to play this game on this server. you can customise your character though. "what''s the matter. I was finally getting ready to fight you seriously" I said with a sinister tone. of course I am doing this for a reason. this kid has a VIP tag next to his golden name tag. meaning he is either related to an admin or is a hacker. either way it would be good for me to make him suffer. "but... wha...?" the kid was confused "Thanatophobia" I said again but to quietly to be heard. it is the fear of death. "Log Out... FORCED LOG OUT!!!" the kid said and sure enough he logged out. te he. job done. I continued training on the dummies for a while and kept running around until I dropped trying to build up my stats as much as possible. after what felt like a few days I had reached the highest point I could. all my Level 1 physical stats were at the max. my strength was at 10 my vitality was at 10 my agility was at 10. it was a simple matter. if I reached level 2 I could the stat cap would increase to 20. the max level in the game is 99 so 990 stat points is the highest you can go. but it gets harder and harder to level up and increase your stats making it near impossible to reach level 99. also I decided on a name. Deimos. the Greek god of fear. I thought it would be a fitting name "trade training complete. returning to the demonic capital city" I heard a voice say from inside my head. it had an echo to it. as soon as I arrived I walked into the safe zone of the city and logged out. I needed to get some sleep and then get to my job tomorrow. after my job I am going to see if my father has pissed anyone else off to the point they would gladly help me in my quest to kill my father. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- yes I know basic training is much worse then what I depicted here however if I spend to long it the main story would continue somewhere around July 2016 so I shortened it to get back to the main story. and fear not I will not be shortening anything else so you will get more juicy story to read Chapter 5 - Nightmares Drifting in an endless fog. unclear on where I am going or what is on the path I walk. behind me is nothing but pain. all good memories but they hurt to look at. they were of my mother. from her smile while filling my head with the delusion of hope. things would get better. she always did that. wore a smile but looking back I am disappointed in myself for not seeing the pain in her eyes. only seeing what I wanted to see and believing her words without question. I was a fool to think everything was alight. I turned back to the fog but I could see further. my character from the game was floating just beside the path walking forwards before vanishing. I walked forwards to the end of the path and I was at a crossroad. I was blind to where they went but the two paths in front of me took very different turns. What is my subconscious trying to show me? I don''t know. but whatever this is it doesn''t feel like a dream. I walked into the path to my left and it was calming. I could feel someone next to me but I didn''t know who. I kept walking and the fog then thickened to the point of absolute blindness. It vanished and I was back at the crossroad. whatever that was I am guessing that is a good path? With some reluctance I walked through the path to my right. the fog got darker and darker and after walking a while I took a step and there was no path beneath my feet. I fell into an abyss that caused me nothing but fear. I don''t know how long I spent there but after a while I woke up to the sound of my alarm. "Just a dream? thank god, that felt like a nightmare" I said aloud trying to calm myself down. I got up and got ready for work. I turned off all the lights and was about shut the door on my way out but I saw a quick flash of movement in the apartment. I opened the door with haste and searched the room. it was to dark to see since there isn''t a window and the light was off so I walked over to the light switch and turned it on. but a disgusting ghostly bloodied hand white as a corpse beneath my own turned the switch off again. I caught a glimpse out the corner of my eye of a blurry face with Gray fog for eyes. the room was now pitch black. I quickly turned the lights back on and nobody was there. I checked the house thoroughly however nothing was there. I then turned the lights off and locked up this time without the disruption. I then headed off to acquire a new job. It will pay less so eating will take some kind ''words'' but besides that it is important. I am becoming a security guard evening and night shifts. I will work late but my morning will be free for if I need to ''convince'' someone not to use their admin abilities to undo my progress. I will also be putting a few ''words of wisdom'' on any admins I see to make them less likely to check up on me. First I need the job so I walked in to their office that looks for new candidates. there was a long line of people waiting for the job. it was minimum wage but a job non the less. it was at the dame building my father works at so a few promotions and I could even see him face to face. that would give me the purfect opportunity provided I can control myself. wait... long line of people. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Kakorrhaphiophobia" I said directed at everyone except me in the room. sure enough 5 minuets later when the interviewing began I was the only one there. the interviewer came out to call the first person. "hello everyone one is mr.... where did everyone go?" the man asked confused. he looked at me as I was the only one there. "o... ok would you please follow me?" he said still shocked only one person turned up for the interview. ha, if only he knew. I even saw someone crying on their way out but it was not my problem. I sat down in a plain room with a table and chairs on either side. I sat down and he sat down opposite me. "so. could you confirm your name age and qualifications" the man said and I did. "Mnemophobia" I said after 5 minuets of explaining my name, age, star sign, how my star sign relates to my name and then said the magic word. he passed out and it ticked all the boxes on his paper I needed to get the job. he woke up and looked confused at me which I reflected like a mirror. "are you ok?" I asked and he looked around and saw the paper in his hands. "yeaa... well then Oliver. since we kind of need a security guard to work night and evening shifts today since if we ask the mourning shifts guy to do it again he said he would die from lack of sleep. could you work starting today?" the man asked and yes I could, why do you think I paid your mourning guard a visit when I noticed the job being vacant? but you won''t know that he is afraid of the dark so won''t come out the house unless the sun is up. so I will keep that to myself and everyone is happy. "I will come back later then. my shift starts at 6 right?" I asked for confirmation on my knowledge "yea but come in 30 minuets earlier" the man asked and I gave a confused look. "What? the security room has a lot of cameras on every floor except the top floor since the CEO likes his privacy. so floor 26 to basement level 2 is all for you to look at on the monitors and keep a look at for trouble. so good luck" the man said kindly before walking away and leaving into a staff only room. I just walked through the long plain hallways and went to the exit. however I bumped into someone unexpectedly. someone I had wanted to see for a long time. in the lobby swarmed with reporters someone was giving a speech. many people were asking questions and I wanted to be one of them.... father.... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- the next chapter will be slightly longer. originally this chapter was slightly longer however this looked to be the better place to cut it on a cliff hanger. Chapter 6 - Digging Fathers Grave Standing above all the money hungry reporters after their next story was a man wh... no a MONSTER who wore a calm happy face calmly answering any and all questions in calm simple manor. he wore a dark black suit with a blood red tie. he had sunglasses so dark it was near impossible to see through them but not only was I looking through that man''s eyes. my stare pierced his very soul screaming at me to just end it. "Mr Heathens, your new update for your game shows an increased number to the ration time difference. is there any possible effect that the increased number of time in the game could have adverse effects Emotionally and psychologically on people who play the game?" a reporter asked and my father shook his head making his long brown hair swing around the back of his neck. "the time may have changed but we have many systems in place to prevent anything of the sort. and even if people spend a lot of time in the game it does not change how much time they spend outside the game letting people still have a normal life. 1 hour playing the game will convert into 24 hours outside the game but we have had it fully tested and we even subjected ourselves to it while we worked on the game so we could update the game and fix it much faster then we normally could" my father responded. his words echo in my mind. I will have a lot of work to do thanks to this. but first. "Mr Heathens. why were you at the Lindsborough Road graveyard on the night of April the 28th?" I asked from within the crowd and he was about to talk calmly until he realised what was asked and hesitated. the reporters did not miss this and immediately started taking notes. "I was visiting someone. what concern is it of yours?" he asked trying to locate where I was specifically. I was getting irritated since his tone of voice sounded like he didn''t care. "So do you often visit people by removing their grave stone and body from the ground. how disrespectful can you be?" I asked calmly. he wouldn''t find me in this crowd and to make sure... "Agoraphobia" I said with a silent malice in my voice. his eyes lost focus however he did not show any signs of backing down. he wouldn''t find me now but he wouldn''t give up. "I have never commit such a crime in my life" he said while calming himself down. he singled off to one side and some guards made their way to my position / approximate location "But you looked so worried while you dug up my mothers grave" I said with true malice and his face went pale. the reporters looked around for me not knowing where my voice came from since they were to focused on writing things down. "Agoraphobia" I shouted to everyone in the room and the room emptied as people ran out trying to get out of the crowd. my father stood there looking at me. "you will pay for what you have done" I said making him take a few steps back before his legs gave out on him. I almost feel sorry for him. a cheep party mask was all that hid my identity and his fear factor also played a part. but for some reason I stopped. right now would be the perfect chance. If I let this slip he will have a game that will be so much harder to break and he will be ready for me. I won''t be able to just walk around like it is nothing when his paranoia sets in. but right now he is within killing distance. 1 word is all I need. Arachnophobia would end it once and for all and he would never see it coming. he would be so scared he would literally die. the room around me filled with a dark fog that hung in the air intently. waiting patiently for me to finish things, I could feel a glowing set of dark red eyes behind me waiting for the word. my body contemplated for me and if I didn''t make my choice soon my body was going to kill him regardless. pure rage built up inside of me. I took a deep breath. then slowly breathed out calming myself. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. no. if he got away do easily I would never forgive myself. if he just died right now out of fear I would never except it and I couldn''t let him off that easily. I will slowly take away everything he cares about and then I will make sure to prepare something much more horrifying then arachnophobia to break him. I don''t care if he struggles and makes it harder on me I have power now. I won''t just sit back and ignore him. I will kill that bastard in the worst possible way imaginable and make him beg at my feet for forgiveness before I give him the sweet reprieve of oblivion. I walked out of the building calmly. I hit the undo button on my fear ability and the people who had ran off looked confused before they went back into the building and started asking questions. I slowly and calmly waited. father. you have dug your own grave. time for me to bury you in it alive. I will enjoy every minuet of it. I made my way out of the building and back to what I was about to do. important research into fear and importantly names. I went to a local library and looked at a few books on phobias. I found 3 of note, Thanatophobia the fear of death. Xenophobia the fear of the unknown. I found these in much more detail then before giving me so many ideas however I struck gold. Panophobia, the fear of everything and anything. with the detail I have heard these in I feel like I have more control over the illusion shows. maybe I can make it much worse. "sir the library is closing early for today because of construction work feel free to come again" the librarian said to me so I left. I had a job to do anyway. and it followed along perfectly. I was able to watch my father''s search attempt for me while I received all information they had through the radio. he was searching everywhere and I was doing my job. he would never think to check the building he owns. he own staff. how would he do that? if he did that would mean he didn''t trust his own staff making discomfort spread in the staff. then forget phobia. I will be able to get them on my side with just a few well placed words. if I can manage it right I may be able to effect the upper floors and get my word to be heard through out the floors. so while father builds up his defences on the outside I will destroy him from the inside. and when he moves to defend himself from the inside I will move back over to the outside and work on braking his world he made. if he changes back I will change and slowly break his defences down to dust blowing away in the wind. so how does it feel father? to know you can''t win. does it feel bad? do you even feel remorse for what you have done? do you even know that I am coming for you because of what I said or are you just having a futile search to science your own son. fear not father. you will be silenced soon enough... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- I hope you enjoyed the chapter. the next one may or may not be going back into the VR game. and I will expand things to the length they should be at a nice long chapter. just like the last chapter I could have continued this chapter but the next chapter had such a fitting end that I couldn''t just change it to increase the length. I hope you enjoy regardless.