《Skyborne》 Chapter 1 - As The Rain Falls Chapter 1 As The Rain Falls No money. No permanent job. No college degree. No family. No friends. A no one. Rain had always wondered what purpose he had in life. He grew up in an orphanage with no idea who his parents were. The priest who found him and took him in named him Rain, hoping that one day he would be the blessing to cure the drought in someone else¡¯s life. I am no rain, he thought as his head snapped back after receiving a punch. Every family that tried to adopt him when he was little returned him after a few days. He would always end up in a fight with other children. It was fine if it was only a minor squabble, but the other party would always be seriously injured. Soon, he reached the age limit of the orphanage and was sent out. I hope you find your namesake. The priest¡¯s parting words reverberated in his heart, but was quickly forgotten as a kick landed on his side. Rolling on the wet concrete, he quickly pushed his self up and faced his opponents. There were three of them, sneering at him with contempt. Five years had passed since he left. The world was harsh, and there was no place for someone like him in this world; a no one like him. When he was walking through an alley earlier, a group of three mobbed him and made away with his wallet and the scant amount of money he had saved up with his blood and sweat. He quickly pursued his attackers, and now they were in this situation. It had started to rain as soon as the brawl began. Now, four people stood drenched under the rain, one against three. Fighting fiercely, Rain managed to hold them off, but it didn''t take long before he was caught. The two held his arms and the remaining one threw a flurry of attacks at his defenseless form. ¡°You there, what are you doing!¡± a female voice interrupted the three. It came from a figure wearing a black leather jacket and jeans standing by the alley¡¯s exit. Her face was covered by a helmet. Only the visor was open. The light from the nearby buildings revealed a pair of fierce upturned eyes. ¡°None of your business, missy. Scram!¡± one of the men holding Rain shouted at her. ¡°Let him go,¡± she said, ignoring the man¡¯s words. ¡°Tch,¡± the one attacking Rain clicked his tongue, then without warning, dashed toward the woman and threw a punch aimed at her stomach. Nimble like a cat, she dodge to the side while pulling out a black cylindrical object from beneath her jacket, and suddenly extended with a snap of her wrist. It was a retractable baton. With a quick swing of her arm, the baton lashed like a whip and hit the man right on the nape. His eyes turned white as he fell down. Seeing her practiced movements, the other two knew that she was not a person they can deal with. Quickly, they let go of Rain. ¡°Take your friend and leave before I change my mind,¡± the woman said as she walked over the unconscious man. The two did as told and ran back deeper into the alley. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked as she knelt down in front of Rain¡¯s slumped figure. With a hand, she helped him stand up. ¡°I didn''t need your help!¡± Rain angrily said as he pulled himself free of her hand. Supporting his battered body with the wall, he made his way out of the alley, the place where the woman appeared. Suddenly, he felt a pain on the back of his head and he fell down. ¡°What a pain¡­¡± the woman complained as she caught him. It was her who knocked him unconscious. When Rain woke up, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. It¡¯s not like I have ever stayed in one place, he thought as he tried to sit up. His body was wracked with pain. Gritting his teeth, he sat up, and found that he was naked except for his underwear. He was also on a small bed with a hard mattress. The lights were on and he could clearly see that he was in a small plain room. Other than the bed, there was only a small cabinet and a table. On top of the table was a laptop computer and a round metallic object. It was a Virtual Reality headgear. Virtual Reality, or VR for short, was the most famous technological advancement made in the past century. It allowed people to enter and interact in a virtual world. VR had a lot of uses in various fields and applications, but its most prominent usage was gaming. Even Rain knew about VR games, although he had never played one. He was able to use a VR headgear before, but it was related to a job he had for a short while. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± The voice came from the open door. It was the woman from before. Rain could tell from her voice and her eyes. She was wearing a loose shirt and boy shorts, and she was drying her long dark red hair with a towel. Looking closely near the scalp, her hair was black. She looked to be in her late twenties. Rain didn''t respond and only glared at her. He then growled, ¡°Where are my clothes?¡± He stood up from the bed and winced in pain. With a sigh, the woman approached him and lightly pushed him. He easily fell back down on the bed. She walked toward the table, took something on top of the desk and showed it to him. It was a picture of Rain. ¡°Old James told me to help you if I ever find you,¡± she said as she flicked the picture toward him. On the back side of the picture was Rain''s name. James was the name of the priest who took him into the orphanage. ¡°That meddling old man,¡± Rain muttered as he looked to the side. ¡°You owe your life to that ¡®meddling old man,¡¯¡± she rebuked him as she poked his forehead with enough force to make him reel back on the bad. She suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you a job!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need one!¡± he stubbornly shouted back. ¡°Oh? Then, what are you planning to do from now on? Join that group of thugs and mob other people in dark alleys shamelessly?¡± He could only stay silent with her words. He hadn''t thought on what he would do from now on. The three men who mobbed him had taken his wallet and all his money and IDs. ¡°Just swallow your pride and accept people¡¯s help!¡± She then walked to the door and switched off the lights. ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll tell you about your job tomorrow morning.¡± She slammed the door shut. ¡°What¡¯s his problem, sheesh!¡± Her complaints could be heard beyond the door as she walked away. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Rain was slightly taken aback. It was the first time he had met someone with a personality like her. He had also forgotten to ask for her name and what her relationship with the priest was. Shrugging his shoulders, he lay back down on the bed and pulled the covers over his exposed skin. His body was bruised and hurting. There was not much he could do. For now, he¡¯ll go along with the weird woman and see how this situation will end up. Morning quickly came and Rain woke up with his entire body in pain. He groaned as he got up from the bed and found the woman sitting by the desk while busily typing on the laptop. There was a bowl and a glass of water beside her. ¡°Eat up and we¡¯ll begin afterward,¡± she said without looking at him. He did as told and took the bowl. It was rice porridge. He remembered the meals back in the orphanage, and with a scowl, he started to eat. His eyes widened in surprise. It tasted better than he expected. He looked at the woman¡¯s back and saw her in a new light. Quickly finishing his food, he took the glass of water and drank it all down. He felt slightly better, but after remembering that he haven¡¯t had dinner last night, he started to get hungry again. Turning around on the chair, the woman faced him and spoke. ¡°My name¡¯s Rose, and just like you, I also grew up in the orphanage and was not taken in by any family. Unlike you, though, I found a friend to rely on who helped me do better in life.¡± She was sneering at him when she said the last line. ¡°She lent me her stuff, and with that I made a living. If you¡¯re curious, it¡¯s by RMT on online games.¡± ¡°RMT?¡± This was the first time Rain heard of this. ¡°Real Money Trade. You buy and sell stuff in games with real money. With the money I earned, I took a college degree. I chose one related to gaming, since I already had invested time on it. With the degree and my gaming experience I and my friend joined along with others to start a small company dedicated in making Virtual Reality games.¡± She ended her narration with a smug smile. How old is she? Rain thought as he secretly mocked her current attitude like a child boasting her accomplishments. ¡°Your life story is good and all, but what about the job you said?¡± A vein seemed to pop on her head as she heard his words that were said with a mocking tone. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re interested now? Last night, you were all ¡®I don¡¯t need one!¡¯¡± she retaliated. Rain wanted to jump at her and sock her, but remembering the fighting capabilities she had shown a glimpse of last night, he thought otherwise. Swallowing his anger, he said with a very low volume, ¡°I was in the wrong¡­ I apologize¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Rose asked pretending to not hear his apology. ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry!¡± he shouted, his face red with anger and embarrassment. Rose laughed at the sight. ¡°Good boy!¡± she said while patting his head. He could only glare at her. ¡°Now, your job will be simple! My company had finally made a game that can be compared to the current famous ones! We had already started advertising a month ago, and we have received good response. It will go live in three days.¡± ¡°And how am I related to all this? Just so you know, I have no knowledge when it comes to games. I was too busy trying to survive to even spare time for it.¡± ¡°That, I know, and that¡¯s why you will be perfect for this. You will play the game.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the money to spend for that.¡± ¡°That, I also know. We will provide anything you need for free. Well, technically it¡¯s not free since it will be deducted from your pay. You only need to play. We will be recording your gaming video directly through the hardware. You then need to tell us what you think of the game. Since you have no experience of other games, we will be hearing the opinion of someone who had play VR games for the first time. A virgin¡¯s opinion of the matter!¡± He was quite shocked with her crude words. ¡°Did I hit a sore spot? Were you still a virgin? Haha! Too, bad! You were too busy trying to survive to even spare time for it, right?¡± She¡¯s acting really childish, Rain thought, then replied with smirk, ¡°I had my first taken by one of the older sisters when I was thirteen.¡± Rose¡¯s mouth hung open. Quickly, she recovered and coughed to hide her embarrassment. ¡°You were quite a precocious little boy, huh? Anyway, back to the topic. You play and give us your opinions, and we will take that and see if we can improve the game further.¡± ¡°What about the pay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not definite yet, but it would be enough for your daily needs. You will be staying here, so all other costs like electricity, rent, and account subscription will be deducted automatically. What¡¯s left is for you to use on food and other necessities. For the hardware¡¯s cost, it will also be paid by installment, also through your paycheck¡¯s deduction. If you need more money, you could also try doing what I did and sell stuff through RMT. Your first pay will be given in advance the day after the game goes live.¡± ¡°Sounds simple.¡± Rain truly thought that. ¡°In these three days, get used to the VR hardware¡¯s functions. The game is already installed, so run it and create an account. The hardware is also customized for this purpose, so all you need to do is follow the procedures.¡± She stood up and walked toward the door, while carrying the bowl and glass. ¡°Thanks for the meal¡­¡± Rain whispered behind her. Her ears perked up and she turned around with a smirk. ¡°Your meals for these three days will be deducted on your first paycheck.¡± She then went through the door. Suddenly, Rain remembered something important. ¡°Where are my clothes!?¡± he shouted as he scrambled after her, his body still hurting. Outside the door was a short corridor with a set of stairs at the end. Rose was already about to go down the stairs. ¡°In the closet, obviously. I took the liberty to wash them and also buy you some new ones. It will also be deducted, of course.¡± Hearing those words, Rain wondered how much will be left of his pay while scowling at Rose¡¯s back as she walked down the stairs. Chapter 2 - A Storm Is Brewing Chapter 2 A Storm Is Brewing Unlike regular players, Rain had the privilege to create his character even before the game goes online. As soon as he began the character creation process, he was immediately filled with fury. He quickly logged out and made a call. The cell-phone was bought by Rose, and the contacts listed were only hers and some emergency numbers like the police and the fire station. It will also be deducted on his paycheck. That was fine by him, except that the phone was not the regular cheap one but a multi-feature expensive one and was colored pink. It also included a monthly subscription for calls and e-mail. She¡¯s a leech. That was how he thought of her after seeing the phone on his desk yesterday morning along with a note. He wanted to smash the phone on the floor, but realizing that it would only increase his expenses, he decided otherwise. He thought that he would never use the thing. ¡°Hello, hello!¡± Rose answered with a cheerful tone. ¡°¡¯Hello!¡¯ my ass! What¡¯s up with this thing?!?¡± he shouted through the phone. ¡°The phone? Isn¡¯t it cute?¡± she replied with a cutesy voice not befitting her age. She was already twenty-eight years old. Rain figured that out through her online profile he found in the internet. He was seven years younger than her. ¡°No it¡¯s not! And that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about! What the heck is up with this character creation thing? It¡¯s only for females!¡± ¡°Oh, that! Since it¡¯s a feature of the game to be able to chose a gender other than your own, we took the liberty of making you chose the opposite one,¡± she answered with an easy-going tone. ¡°Damn you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deduct your paycheck each time you yell at me.¡± ¡°Guh¡­ authority abuse¡­¡± he growled. ¡°Haha! Nothing you can do about that. Anyways, just go along and have fun.¡± She ended the call. In the past three days, Rain had not seen Rose in the house, only those mysterious notes she left behind. He remembered opening the freezer to find almost every food inside attached with a note on how to cook it or which recipe was preferable for that food. He also once tried leaving the house only to find some weird person wearing a mask and glasses following him. He later found out that it was a person hired by Rose to tail him if he leaves the house to make sure he doesn''t run away. Furious after the call, Rain started stomping his foot and yelling. Outside, the person who was hired to tail him could hear the racket he was making. The person then called Rose to tell her of what happened, and her voice through the phone was indicating that she was laughing at Rain¡¯s predicament. After releasing all his anger, he logged back in and continued with the character creation. As he said, there was no option to change his gender to male. Only a female character could be created. He tampered with the physical attributes. There were so many possible changes that could be made and after spending quite some time, he got annoyed and just kept on pressing the button. All sorts of appearances came out. There was one that looked a bit like Rose. He thought of using that, but seeing her face made him boil in anger, and so he discarded that idea. In the end, he chose a tall figure with a cute face, but a slightly fat body. The hair was long and sky blue in color. Near the tip, it changed to a light sunset orange. The eyes were deep-set and platinum in color. After approving the appearance, next was the race. The races available in the game were Human, Dwarven, Elfin, Werebeast, Sprite, Draken, Celes, and Gheist. Each of the race start in a different location and had different unique racial properties. There was no way to tell what those properties were and how they would affect the game. If he tried to ask Rose, he knew that she wouldn''t tell him. He tried searching the internet, but the information was not yet available. He tried choosing Werebeast, and more options appeared for selecting which beast the character will be based upon. There were a lot of choices, and luckily there was a option. He pressed and the first random beast he got was a goat. The appearance of his character changed slightly. Now, there were huge goat horns on her head, and her eyes had rectangular pupils. A pudgy goat lady, he thought. With a shrug, he accepted it and the next information needed was the name. He spent a few minutes on this one. He had typed the name Rain on the field, but he didn''t dare press the button. After a few more minutes spent on thinking, he changed it to Storm. Worse than just a rain. He pressed and the screen showed a confirmation of his successful character creation. After that, he was then brought back out to the login screen. This time, it wasn''t just a plain black screen with the login fields. In the background was a majestic animated view of a tower floating above a sea of clouds. Above the login fields was the game logo . There was also a countdown timer in place of the button. He had spent a lot of time in the character creation, he had not noticed that it was only half an hour away before the game goes live. What he didn''t know was that Rose was watching a live streaming of his character creation process in the company office and was having a good laugh at the character he created, especially when he named it Storm. Did he know that in some ancient myths, goats were the representative animals of storm gods? Shaking her head, she thought that it must just be a coincidence. After waiting anxiously, the button finally appeared. With his login name and password all ready on the login fields, he pressed . He felt his body lose all their senses, then suddenly a burst of pleasure and slight pain filled his nerves. Opening his eyes, a bright scenery appeared before him. He was now standing on top of a floating stone tile. All around him were the blue sky and the sea of clouds, similar to that in the login screen, except that the tower was nowhere in sight. Looking down, he could see the body he created. Behind him, the strange colored hair danced with the wind. This feels awkward. His ample breasts and slightly fat body was something his original body didn''t have. I should get used to this body. The game allowed only a single character per subscribed account. He can¡¯t change this character unless he buys a new account. In front of him a prompt window appeared.
Welcome to Skyborne! If this is your first time playing Skyborne or playing a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game in general, then going through the Tutorial is highly recommended. Otherwise, you will be sent directly to the starting area of your race. Proceed with the Tutorial?
Obviously, he pressed . The window was replaced by a new one.
This Tutorial will teach you on the basics of Skyborne. Skyborne is a VRMMO. Like all VRMMOs, you can move your virtual body as if moving your real body. Try moving your body. Don¡¯t worry, you will not fall off. When you walk or run, a stone tile will appear beneath your step.
Rain, or technically Storm, walked forward. Just like the window said, a stone tile suddenly appeared beneath his foot every time he takes a step. He then tried kneeling down, and a tile also appeared under his knee. It was as if there was an invisible floor under him and it would become visible whenever a part of his body makes contact with it.
Well done! If there is any sense of incongruence, run the calibration function of the VR headgear. In the real world, you can communicate with others by speaking. The same is true in Skyborne. Try letting out your voice. Don¡¯t worry, no one will be be able to hear what you say.
¡°Rose is a jackass!¡± he shouted out loud. The voice that came out from his mouth was sweet. It slightly put him off.
Nice! There are other forms of communication that will be available later on as you progress into the world of Skyborne. Now, let us move on to the game functions of Skyborne. In order to maximize the immersion of the players into the game, we took the liberty to set a minimal interface for the player. Look at the top left corner of your view.
There were three colored bars on the top left corner of his view.
The topmost bar which is colored red is your health points, or HP. When you receive damage, it will be deducted from your HP. It recovers slowly over time. Healing spells and items can also instantly recover missing HP. The blue bar below the HP bar is your aether points, or AP. When you cast spells or use aether-powered items, it will be deducted from your AP. It recovers slowly over time. Rejuvenating spells and items can also instantly recover missing AP. The last bar, colored green, is your stamina points, or SP. When performing strenuous activities such as running or lifting heavy weights, your SP will decrease. Also, the color represents your state of hunger. Green means you are full, while orange means you are starving. Stamina recovers slowly over time. Recovery can be increased by drinking or sleeping. Hunger can be replenished by eating. Take note that your AP recovery rate decreases when your SP is low. Your HP recovery rate is also decreased when either your AP or SP is low, and also when you are hungry.
Rain tried to memorize all that as it was very important information for him. He spent many minutes staring at the window before he continued with the tutorial.
Skyborne makes use of a combination of gestures, voice command, and player intent to open the game menu. To open the menu, raise your left hand so that it appears in your field of view. Then, say ¡°Open Menu¡± along with the intent to do so. This is all necessary, including the intent, so that you will not accidentally open the game menu. When the menu appears, raise your hand to the top option.
He did as told and raised his left hand. Then he said weakly with the unfamiliar voice, ¡°Open Menu.¡± A radial menu with four options appeared in front of his hand. He then raised his hand to touch the top option. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. A window appeared containing his character information.
[table][table]
Name: Storm
Class: NoneLevel: 1 (0/100)
STR: 3AGI: 7 (7*1.05)
VIT: 3DEX: 6
INT: 6SPI: 5
Points Remaining: 10
HP: 140/140 (115+10*1[LVL]+5*3[VIT])HP regen: 0.94/15s (0.1*1[LVL]+0.03*3[VIT]+0.15*5[SPI])
AP: 110/110 (40+10*1[LVL]+10*6[INT])AP regen: 1.9/15s (0.3*1[LVL]+0.1*6[INT]+0.2*5[SPI])
Physical Damage(Melee): 4 - 4 (1[LVL] +3[STR] +0[EQP]) *lower limit affected by DEX
Physical Damage(Range): 4 - 7 (1[LVL] +6[DEX] +0[EQP]) *lower limit affected by STR
Physical Defense: 15 (3[STR] +7[AGI] +5[EQP]) (19.21% damage reduction)
Magical Damage: 27 (9*1[LVL] +3*6[INT])
Magical Resistance: 13 (7[AGI] +6[INT] +0[EQP]) (16.65% damage reduction)
[tr]
Weight Load/Limit: 2/320 (20*1[LVL]+100*3[STR])
[tr]
Equipments
Upper Head: None
L.Ear Accessory: NoneLower Head: NoneR.Ear Accessory: None
L.Shoulder: NoneNeck Accessory: NoneR.Shoulder: None
L.Upper Arm: NoneBack Accessory:None R.Upper Arm: None
L.Lower Arm: NoneInner Chest: Basic ShirtR.Lower Arm: None
L.Wrist Accessory:None Outer Chest: NoneR.Wrist Accessory: None
L.Hand: NoneTorso: NoneR.Hand: None
L.Knee: NoneWaist Accessory: NoneR.Knee: None
L.Shin: NoneInner Pants: Basic ShortsR.Shin: None
L.Foot: Basic SlippersOuter Pants: NoneR.Foot: Basic Slippers
L.Finger Accessory1: NoneWeapons(s): NoneR.Finger Accessory1: None
L.Finger Accessory2: NoneR.Finger Accessory2: None
L.Finger Accessory3: NoneR.Finger Accessory3: None
L.Finger Accessory4: NoneR.Finger Accessory4: None
L.Finger Accessory5: NoneR.Finger Accessory5: None
Skills and Masteries:
+Weregoat Racial Bonus - AGI bonus +5% - Combat Mastery Growth Rate +5% - SP Consumption -5%
The information was quite overwhelming. Rain didn¡¯t know what to do at first, then decided to check the items that were equipped.
Basic Shirt(D.Gray)(F) Soulbound Equipped A tight-fitting shirt made of the cheapest material available. It is indestructible and can not be sold to vendors. Defense: 3 Weight: 1
Basic Shorts(D.Gray)(F) Soulbound Equipped A tight-fitting short made of the cheapest material available. It is indestructible and can not be sold to vendors. Defense: 2 Weight: 1
Rain tried unequipping them just to see what happens, but he received an error window instead.
Item can not be unequipped. To change item, equip another item that fits in the proper item slot as the already equipped item. ¡°No lewd acts, kiddo!¡± - Rose
Rain didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. He was just curious to what will happen. It seemed like Rose had foreseen this and inserted that comment in the error window. Rain wondered if that same message will appear to any other player who tries to do the same act. Then, a new prompt window appeared.
You have 10 remaining stat points available for distribution. Select where you want to distribute the stat points. STR stands for Strength. It determines your melee physical damage and the amount of weight you can carry, and also affects your range physical damage to some extent. It also affects your physical defense. AGI stands for Agility. It affects your defenses as well as some special movement skills. VIT stands for Vitality. It determines your health points and health recovery rate. DEX stands for Dexterity. It affects your melee physical damage to some extent, and determines your range physical damage. It also affects spell casting. INT stands for Intelligence. It determines your magical damage and resistance, and also affects Aether recovery rate. SPI stands for Spirit. It affects your health and Aether recovery rates.
This was a hard decision for Rain. He had no idea of how the game will proceed from now on, and he also had not yet decided on how he will build his character up. I know how to brawl, so should I raise my Physical Damage and Defense? That was the first thing that he thought of, but the presence of magic was a mind-boggling feature for him. After spending about ten minutes of indecision, he finally made a final choice. Since I have no idea what it is about and since this is a chance to learn it, then I¡¯ll try going through the magic route. He then added 3 points in AGI, 4 points in INT, and 1 point each for STR, VIT, and SPI. His new stats are now:
[table][table]
Name: Storm
Class: NoneLevel: 1 (0/100)
STR: 4AGI: 10 (10*1.05)
VIT: 4DEX: 6
INT: 10SPI: 6
Points Remaining: 0
HP: 145/145 (115+10*1[LVL]+5*4[VIT])HP regen: 1.12/15s (0.1*1[LVL]+0.03*4[VIT]+0.15*6[SPI])
AP: 150/150 (40+10*1[LVL]+10*10[INT])AP regen: 2.5/15s (0.3*1[LVL]+0.1*10[INT]+0.2*6[SPI])
Physical Damage(Melee): 5 - 5 (1[LVL] +4[STR] +0[EQP]) *lower limit affected by DEX
Physical Damage(Range): 6 - 7 (1[LVL] +6[DEX] +0[EQP]) *lower limit affected by STR
Physical Defense: 19 (4[STR] +10[AGI] +5[EQP]) (24.33% damage reduction)
Magical Damage: 39 (9*1[LVL] +3*10[INT])
Magical Resistance: 20 (10[AGI] +10[INT] +0[EQP]) (25.61% damage reduction)
[tr][tr]
Weight Load/Limit: 2/420 (20*1[LVL]+100*4[STR])
Good job! You may now close the Character Window. Open the game menu again, and this time chose the left option for the Inventory Window.
Once again, Rain raised his left hand and said, ¡°Open Menu.¡± He then moved his hand on the radial menu to the left. A new window popped up. The window was composed of a grid of squares, twenty by twenty-five. On the topmost left grid square was a small black smooth stone. It had a multi-color glowing inscription on it.
Homeward Stone Soulbound ¡°There is no place like home.¡± This stone allows the user to return to his registered home waypoint. To change waypoints, use the stone on an Obelisk Landmark. If lost, pray upon an Obelisk Landmark to receive a new Homeward Stone. This will in turn make the Obelisk Landmark set as the registered home waypoint. Weight: 1
This is the Inventory Window. Here, you can store and retrieve your items. Some items make take up more space than others. The amount of items you can store is limited by the space of the inventory and your weight limit.
After closing the Inventory Window, a new prompt message appeared.
Congratulations! You have now finished the Tutorial for Skyborne basics. To log out of the game, open the game menu and select the bottom option. The right option will be explained later on in the game. Tutorial messages will appear whenever necessary to assist you in your gaming experience. Would you like to keep this feature on?
Rain selected .
Once again, welcome to Skyborne! You will now be sent to the starting zone of the Werebeast race. Have fun and good luck!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: I was watching that thai movie about a group of friends fighting some other groups, and in the end, their leader got stabbed by an icepick right after new year celebration. I was crying while watching that and figuring out how to fix these damned tables. Chapter 3 - Full-blooded Newbie Chapter 3 Full-blooded Newbie Hovering above the sea of clouds was a small tower with five floors, in a shape similar to an inverted cone. The first floor, the topmost floor, was six kilometers in diameter, and was covered by a dense forest. In the middle of the floor, hidden by the trees was a small town called Weranda. This is the starting town of the Werebeast race. In the central plaza of the town was a four meter tall stone obelisk. It had an octagonal base and slowly tapered upward. Its black glossy surface was covered with runic inscriptions that faintly glow in a multitude of colors. Suddenly, the inscriptions glowed brightly, and a figure appeared in front of the obelisk. There were already other players in town, a mix of different Werebeasts. Some had cat ears, others had bull horns, many looked like wolves, and a lot more other based on varying animal beasts. They were talking to the NPCs looking for quests and trading with the vendors. As the obelisk glowed, they all turned to look. They knew that the glowing obelisk meant that there was another player appearing. What first came into view was the pair of huge horns protruding above a head of sky blue hair. The golden brown horns curved upward, then backward tracing the shape of the head, then turning sharply near the ears. Next was the pair of deep-set eyes with the creepy soulless rectangular pupils and platinum irises. Seeing those eyes and horns, everyone immediately knew which animal this Werebeast was based on. A goat, everyone thought. They all had once stared at a goat either in real life or in an image, and they will never forget the strange feeling of gazing at those soulless eyes. Despite that impression, they quickly forgot about it as they saw the cute and pretty face of the girl. Her hair danced with the wind, revealing trails of light sunset orange where ever the tip of her hair swayed. All the males had favorable impressions of her, but that, too, was swiftly forgotten. They all turned away and tried to forget the image that they saw. A fat goat lady, they all thought, shaking their heads. They will never understand why someone would combine both the pleasant and unpleasant aesthetics in one body. They were filled with mixed feelings of astonishment and regret. The new arrival was precisely Storm, the character that Rain created. As soon as she spawned, she looked around with wide eyes at everything around her. She was in a plaza with trading stalls around. In the center was a black stone obelisk. She also saw other people. As her eyes landed on a person, a window appeared.
Differentiating players from non-player characters (NPC) in Skyborne is easy. While looking at a person, focus your vision and intent on that person. A small marker will then appear above their head. A white marker represents an NPC. A green marker represents a player.
Easy enough to understand, Storm thought as she focused her eyes on a figure selling his wares on a stall. A white marker appeared over his head. It was a NPC. She walked toward the NPC and greeted him. ¡°Hello,¡± she said with that sweet voice. A bitter smile appeared on her face. ¡°How may I help you, ma¡¯am?¡± the vendor replied with a bright smile. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m new to this game, and I¡¯m not really sure on what I should do next¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I really understand what you mean, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m new to this game. I need some sort of tip.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I really understand what you mean, ma¡¯am.¡±
NPC actions and responses are generated through an Artificial Intelligence, or AI, system. Their actions and responses may appear limited.
Seeing the message, Storm sighed. She turned and left the stall. ¡°Have a good day, ma¡¯am,¡± came the voice from the stall. Storm looked back and saw the vendor still smiling brightly at her. She looked around, and noticed that most of the players were avoiding her gaze. It didn¡¯t really matter to her, of course. She was already used to such treatment. As she started to walk toward a different NPC to try her hand in asking for directions once again, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. ¡°Hey, there!¡± a short black-haired girl with rabbit ears greeted her. Seeing that she was a player, Storm ignored her and continued walking. ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t ignore me!!!¡± the girl chased after her while calling at her with a cutesy voice. ¡°What do you want?¡± annoyed, Storm turned and asked her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so grumpy, jeez!¡± the girl said while pouting. ¡°I noticed that you¡¯re quite the newbie, so I came to offer some help, as fellow girls!¡± Storm wanted to scoff at her and tell her that she wasn''t a girl, and then remembered that currently, he was a girl. She wanted to avoid interacting too much with other players, but in this situation, it seems like she had no other choice. With a sigh, she said, ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Yiipee!¡± the girl exclaimed in joy and jumped. Then she started moving her hand and a window appeared before Storm.
Hokune invites you as a friend. Accept?
Storm looked at the girl who was looking back at her with an expectant smile. She couldn''t help but let another sigh escape from her as she accepted the request.
The Friend Window can be opened with the radial game menu. It is the option to the right. You can send friend requests by having the other party within a five meter radius. Select the marker over their head, and select . You can contact your friends and send them a telepathic link. Once the link is established, you can communicate through your thoughts over long distances. Note that there are areas and situations were telepathy is blocked.
¡°Ehehe, friend get!¡± Hokune said as she smiled happily. ¡°Let¡¯s go do our first quest!¡± She started walking ahead. Storm followed behind her. As they walked, Storm noticed that the girl wasn''t actually short. Her dark green clothes hugged her slim body tightly. When she passed other players, it could be seen that her height was actually average for a girl. She only appeared short because Storm based her character¡¯s height to her height in real life. Storm was 178 cm tall, a bit tall for a girl. Soon they arrived at a wooden building much bigger than the others in the town. ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Hokune said.
This is the town mayor¡¯s villa. Most of the general quests that can be done in a town can be started by talking to the town¡¯s mayor.
The two entered the villa, and as they did, a group of five players exited. Since the doorway was too small for all of them, Hokune who was leading collided against the other party. She was knocked backward and fell on the ground. ¡°Hey, watch where you¡¯re going!¡± she said as she jumped back up and dusted her butt. ¡°Watch your tone, little bunny,¡± said the man leading them who appeared to be their leader. ¡°Or do you want to be skinned and butchered along with the other bunnies hopping outside of town?¡± Hearing their threats, Hokune could only swallow her hatred. Seeing that, the group laughed as they walked away. Storm wanted to go after them and teach them a lesson, but Hokune grabbed her arm and shook her head while whispering, ¡°Let it be.¡± Suddenly, she slapped her cheeks then smiled at Storm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She then hurriedly turned around and entered the villa. Storm followed after her. Inside was a cozy living room. An old man about fifty years of age was sitting on a wooden chair. In front of him was a wooden table filled with herbs, bottles, and a mortar and pestle. ¡°Youngsters, come sit,¡± the old man said, motioning toward a wooden couch on the other side of the table. ¡°Okay!¡± Hokune said as she hopped toward the couch and sat down. She then patted on the space beside her while smiling at Storm. It was obvious that she was telling her to sit right there. Ignoring her wishes, Storm sat on the farthest side of the couch. ¡°What is it that you need?¡± the old man asked as he separated the herbs into different bottles. Looking closely, there were stumps of what used to be ears on top of the old man¡¯s head. Seeing Storm¡¯s line of sight, the old man smiled and asked, ¡°Are you interested?¡± ¡°No¡­ yes, a little.¡± She was caught in surprise. ¡°That would be for another time. There are more pressing matters for you to discuss with me, no?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯re looking for a job!¡± Hokune suddenly said. The old man laughed loudly after hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re quite the frank young lady. I used to be as energetic as you back in the days, until the tower boss caught me by the ears. Since then, I''ve been living peacefully in this little town, making medicines from herbs to help the townspeople.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Storm did not miss what the old man said. With the glint of realization in her eyes, they met with the old man¡¯s and he gave her a knowing smile. ¡°You need a job, and I can give you one. It¡¯s a simple request. All you need to do is go out of town and collect some herbs for me. Five each of you would be good.¡± ¡°Is there a specific herb you need?¡± Hokune asked. ¡°Just pick whatever you see. I can make use of any type of herb.¡± ¡°Okay!¡±
New Quest Received: Medicinal Herbs for Everyone Weranda¡¯s mayor, Isekk, asked you to venture the outskirts of the town and look for herbs. Required: Herbs x5 Rewards: 20 EXP Other items Accept?
Storm selected . After that, the two went together and left the town. They searched the area just outside of town for herbs. They saw the group they ran into earlier walking deeper into the forest. ¡°I hope they get killed by a monster,¡± Hokune said as she stuck her tongue out at their backs. In a short while, they were able to easily collect five herbs each. They then returned to the town mayor. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back so quickly,¡± the mayor greeted them. They handed their loot to him, and he started inspecting them. Then, without saying anything, he started grinding the herbs and mixed them with some red liquid. He then placed them in separate bottles. ¡°Good job, children. These are for you.¡± He pushed the bottles toward them.
Quest Completed: Medicinal Herbs for Everyone Weranda¡¯s mayor, Isekk, has received the herbs and processed them into minor healing potions. He gave you those potions as thanks for your effort. Rewards: Minor Healing potion x5 20 EXP (80 more for level up)
Minor Healing Potion(Herbal) Soulbound The red liquid is bubbling with life. Specks of green floating in the liquid tells of the herbal origin of this potion. This item was created by Isekk, the mayor of Weranda. HP recovery: 10-20 Weight: 1
Hokune had a very bright smile on her face as she took her share of the rewards. ¡°Now then, I have another request,¡± the mayor said. He then took out two pieces of parchment from under the table. He handed one each to Hokune and Storm. ¡°Take these letters to the blacksmith. He¡¯ll know what to do from there.¡±
New Quest Received: Letter for the Smithy Weranda¡¯s mayor, Isekk, had asked you to deliver the letter to the town blacksmith. Required: Mayor¡¯s letter delivered x1 Reward: Unknown Accept?
The two accepted and took the letters from the mayor¡¯s hands. They said their thanks and farewell, and left the villa. ¡°How did you know where the mayor¡¯s villa was?¡± Storm asked, suddenly remembering. ¡°Isn''t it common sense that the mayor¡¯s house is the largest building in town?¡± Hokune replied with a slightly unbelieving expression. ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Are you, by any chance, a complete novice to VRMMOs?¡± ¡°Make that all games.¡± ¡°Then that means you¡¯re a full-blooded newbie! No wonder you''ve been silent this whole time!¡± Hokune exclaimed. The people around stared at them, and some of them started whispering. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Storm said as she pulled Hokune toward a random direction. ¡°I didn''t expect you to be such a rare find, and you even have such a dominating yet cute looking character.¡± Storm wanted to tell her that it was the result of randomization, but held back on that. The girl had such an admiring gaze that she couldn''t bear to ruin that. Hokune asked a player passing by on where the smithy was. They followed his directions and soon arrived at a house with a stone base emitting a powerful heat and clanging noise through the open door and windows. Knocking on the open door, they entered the building. ¡°Whaddya want?¡± asked the big man with bull horns. He was hammering a piece of red hot metal on an anvil beside the furnace. ¡°Uhm¡­ we¡¯re here to deliver a letter from the mayor¡­¡± Hokune hesitatingly said, intimidated by the huge werebull. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± came the reply. He continued hammering the metal until it formed into the shape of a sword¡¯s blade. Then he dipped it into the coals in the furnace, then placed it on top of a stone table. He took the towel wrapped around his neck and started wiping his sweat. As he turned to look at them, the two were surprised at his appearance. Although he was big and burly, and his voice was rough, his face had a very gentle smiling expression. ¡°Lemme see tha letter!¡± They quickly handed the letters over to him. He then read both at the same time, nodding his head every now and then, and whispering, ¡°I see¡­ I see¡­¡± with a serious expression. "Ya two ah new ¡®round here, eh? Like many o¡¯ tha others.¡± He then turned and entered a different room in the building. ¡°Follow me.¡± Hokune and Storm looked at each other, then followed the man. Inside the room was much cooler than the previous one. There were stacks of boxes filled with all sorts of metallic weapons and armors, some common, other bizarre. ¡°This here¡¯s mah storeroom. Items here ah mostly stuffs that can¡¯t be sold.¡± He then dragged a crate and placed it in front of the two. ¡°Tha mayor told me ya did a great job helpin ¡®im out. Said yah two are lookin foh a job. He recommended ya two ta me. I need some ores and other materials tah make new stuff. Ores can be found in tha cave south o¡¯ here.¡± He pulled out two pickaxes from the crate and handed them over. Then he took out two skinning knives, ¡°There ah some o¡¯ them nasty wild beasts there along tha way and in tha cave. Kill em and skin em.¡± He showed a skinning movement with his hands. ¡°And o¡¯ course I know you have nothin ta protect yahselves wit, so choose a weapon and take it. Yah have to return it afterwards, though.¡±
New Quest Received: A Favor For The Smithy Weranda¡¯s blacksmith, Korr, asked you to collect materials for him. Head to the cave south of town and mine some ores. Kill the beasts along the way and loot their skin. Required: Ores x10 Animal Skin x10 Korr¡¯s lent weapon, skinning knife, and pickax Rewards: 20 EXP Other items Accept?
They accepted, then chose a weapon each from the box. Hokune was quick and took out a simple longsword. Storm on the other hand spent some time choosing. She also wanted to take a sword, but remembering her decision to go through the path of magic, she started searching for an item suitable for that purpose. In the end she chose a crude looking rod.
Kerr¡¯s Walking Rod Binds on pick up Quest Item Korr¡¯s grandfather, Kerr, suffered from a hip problem. His son, Karr, made this walking rod for him. Damage Modifiers: P.Damage: 0.5*STR + 0.5*DEX M.Damage: 1*INT Weight: 5
¡°Oh, nice eye. That¡¯s mah grampa¡¯s rod. He used ta wave that around at them bandits sayin twas a legendary weapon. Everyone had a good laugh at that.¡± Hearing those words, Storm wanted to change the rod for something else, but seeing Korr¡¯s bright smiling face, she decided to just get on with it. They quickly left the smithy and went to the souther town gate ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll run to those guys again?¡± Hokune asked, referring to the group they bumped into at the mayor¡¯s villa. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Storm answered impassively. ¡°Do you think everyone receives the same quests? Wouldn''t that mean that we would encounter others doing the same quests?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You chose a rod? Isn''t that used by spell-casters? Do you have any spell you can use?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you want to form a party?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Suddenly, Hokune who was walking in front stopped and looked at Storm. The weregoat looked back at her while raising an eyebrow as if asking why they stopped. ¡°You¡¯re not much of a conversationalist, huh?¡± Hokune asked. Storm felt a sudden need to tease this girl. With a smirk, she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°GRRRRRRRR!¡± Hokune stomped her foot. For the first time, she felt extremely irritated. She then turned around and started walking as fast as possible, trying to leave Storm behind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Whew, I''m so glad that there were no tables this time. *stares at chapter 4 draft* Looks like I celebrated too early. Anyway, I am so glad to see that there are a lot of people interested in my webnovel despite the fact that it''s the overused genre of VR. haha. The pace is still quite slow,.. hmm.... Oh well, there''ll be some action and fighting for the next chapter :)