《Dead Country》 Prologue: The Beginning Throughout my lifetime our society has become more technological, like most civilizations America became a powerhouse in technological advancements surpassing even Japan who boasts its technologies. Our country was focused on Virtual Reality to the point of obsession, which fortunately became reality. In 2043 one corporation succeeded in creating a Virtual Reality that boasts 99.99% realism in their Virtual Game. I¡¯m currently one of 4000 people given the privilege to become a beta tester within this Virtual Reality called Dead Country. Then the man came dressed in a full black suit, wearing dark sunglasses that gave no sight to his eyes. Only thing visible is his large slashed scar on his left eye and his midnight colored hair going down to his shoulders. With a loud voice that pierces your soul he announces: Welcome players you have all been invited to participate in this endeavor and the first 4000 to enter our first virtual reality game. I am Ryan King and I made this game to indulge myself due to my interest in survival games. The world has changed in many ways, our society has achieved 100% synchronization between our minds and the World Wide Web. Through multiple trial and error we achieved what people call Virtual Reality. Multiple games were made through these innovations providing 99.99% realism within the Virtual World, which brings us to now. We the Kings Corporation bring you our first and only survival game in the country, DEAD COUNTRY. This game will bring out your mettle and your bravery in this desolated world of Dartharum for it is a world fraught with danger, with dead beings and undead risings. You gentlemen and ladies are the first to colonize the world for its civilization has been reduced to nothing except for a few hidden vaults that were hidden throughout the countries warring states. The goal for this game is to make a civilization through scratch and by the end of this beta we will evaluate every single one of your actions in game. If your adventures proves valuable to us we will post it in our website and every 2 million views you will receive 2 thousand dollar commission. Everything is in your handbook that we¡¯ve all given in the beginning of this convention and the VR Helmet for creating your character. I wish you guys a good luck and don¡¯t forget the pain tolerance is 20% unlike other VRMMORPG games out there that only give 10%. Excited I searched for my friends out in the dissipating crowd. As I ran I saw my four friends sitting in the Royal Caf¨¦ eating some clam chowder and chicken soup. ¡°Hey guys are you guys ready for a new adventure in this new world our first Virtual Survival game that boasts 20% pain tolerance!¡± ¡°Kim I don¡¯t know about this its 20% pain tolerance I don¡¯t like getting hurting can¡¯t we just go back to Incarnated World?¡±(???) Incarnated World is another VR in that was set in the Medieval Era that had swords and magic in it, but lacked realism cause the players do not hunger or die from natural world causes. ¡°Come on Mycah Incarnated World only gives out so much this game has actual Satiety bars if you¡¯re going hungry or not and you can affected with natural world diseases. Incarnated World only gives you and HP an MP bar with Stamina bar next to it and the classes there only go up to 20 that¡¯s why this game is interesting many possibilities.¡± (Mycah) ¡°I guess we can give it a go so what vault are we going to start? There are 5 different vaults in the beta. They are Vaults 32, 52, 101, 45, and 8.¡± (???) ¡°How about vault 32. People says it¡¯s the best place to start if we want to venture outside the vault quickly? (???) ¡°I don¡¯t know Dang we I say we go to Vault 52 since it¡¯s the safest place to go and well defended by the NPCs within the vault. Not mention we can train there so when we go outside the vault we are better prepared.¡± Stolen novel; please report.(Dang) ¡°Come on what¡¯s the fun of being inside the vault when the adventure is outside. Can¡¯t we just learn from experience Andrew?¡± (Me) ¡° I agree with Andrew we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going up against outside the vault not to mention we have a long time before beta ends this time 3 months and in the game its 5 times faster which is 1 year and 3 months in game. We have plenty of time to explore outside.¡± (Mycah) ¡°Yea we need increase our stats first man before we even try to venture outside I say Vault 52.¡± (Andrew) ¡°I guess its settles it then when we log in we start in Vault 52.¡± (Dang) ¡°Come on guys, where¡¯s your sense of adventure? We can get more views if were the first outside.¡± (???) " Yeah we can get our class first in the first month then we can go outside the vault and kill our enemies with ease." (Dang) "Aww even you too Walter..." (Walter) "Better safe and slow Dang rather than being quick and dying." (Me) ¡±Yeah! What¡¯s the point of going outside if we¡¯re just going to die we need to train first then we can fully equip ourselves to battle what¡¯s outside.¡± (Dang) ¡±Alright fine I guess it settles it then, vault 52¡­¡± (Mycah) ¡°Okay, Dead Country starts in 24 hours we¡¯ll all meet there within 24 hours I¡¯ll see you guys then since I live all they in L.A. not like here in San Jose¡­¡± As we were leaving I saw something a quick glint of light somewhere in the dark corridor of the building. As curious as I was I went walked closer and closer to the small light that was reflected from my glasses, but then a hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. There he was cold and calculating Ryan King the creator of Dead Country. (Ryan) ¡° What business do you here young man?¡± ¡°I was just curious about that speck of light at end of that corridor, sir.¡± (Ryan) ¡°Kids shouldn''t be so curious these days since it might prove fatal for your well-being. Don¡¯t you know curiosity killed the CAT!¡± I backed away surprised since he yelled so suddenly. He took of his sunglasses and looked at me with a piercing gaze with his deep midnight eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir I won¡¯t hinder you anymore since i have to leave.¡± (Ryan) ¡°Very well then, have fun with our game since its its new, terrifying, and of course exciting. Word of advice curiosity is what drives a man to greatness or to ruin in this Virtual Reality anything can happen.¡± His eyes ever so piercing made me turn around and fast walk to my friends who were curious of my meeting with Ryan King. (Dang) ¡°What was that all about Kim? The creator giving you advice?¡± He said teasingly (Mycah) ¡°Kim are you okay, you seem a bit pale?¡± She asked worriedly (Walter) "Yeah you look like someones going to kill you." He looked at me worried as well. ¡°I¡¯m okay it¡¯s just that, the creator gives me the creeps, It is making me think twice if we should play the game or not.¡± (Andrew) ¡° Kim we already decided on this, we need to continue till the end we can¡¯t always half ass stuff like before. Let¡¯s finish this game till end.¡± Since we all know how adamant Andrew is sometimes I reluctantly agreed, which increased my resolve to continue playing the game. (Andrew) ¡° what did he say anyways?¡± ¡°He said ¡®Curiosity is what drives a man to greatness or to ruin¡¯¡± (Dang) ¡°That is good advice in here and in virtual reality¡± (Mycah) ¡°Anyway¡¯s my rides here guys I¡¯ll see you in Dead Country be sure to be there!¡± She pouted. (Me,D,A,W) ¡°Bye!!¡± What Is To Come Third-Person POV Ryan King As he saw the 5 friends go, his midnight hair everlasting and his black suit always clean Ryan King walked into the dark corridor. There he touches a thing of beauty, brilliance, and obsession. A necklace that he found in an ancient ruin in Germany. ¡°My beautiful Nera how could you have gone this far from me you almost got caught.¡± he said lovingly ¡° My love you are so valuable to me you are my precious.¡± Obsession coming out of his voice. As he lovingly touched the ring an ancient feminine voice pierces his mind. (Nera)¡°Servant have you done what I ask of you? Have you made the world that violates human morals. That will kill these humans and turn them into my kind.¡± (Ryan) ¡°Yes Mistress I have fulfilled my mission giving you the virtual reality where humans are cruel to other races and themselves leading to their destruction. Only a few humans who made vaults so they can protect themselves, but most of them are corrupt and can influence the beta testers.¡± (Nera) ¡°Is your body prepared to be my vassal when the time comes my dear Ryan?¡± (Ryan) ¡±I am prepared my Mistress.¡± (Nera) ¡± Your actions will be rewarded my dear servant of mine. These 4000 will become mine and we will make the same world reality.¡± Ryan felt the malice in the ring that brought shivers to his whole body. Sweat was coming from his body when the malice became beauty once more as he touched the ring gently as a lover. (Nera) ¡°I will rule again as I did in the Dark Ages. The House of Merick will fall for they are the ones that made me this way. I saw the boy today and he will be the downfall or the savior of his house. Make sure it isn¡¯t the latter Ryan. I have waited for for almost 3 millenniums for this moment.¡± (Ryan) ¡°I will try Mistress, but this game is out of my control since it is controlled by the Main Ai Terror. I have already made the Ai a cruel and despicable god that only enjoys the carnage of any race he will need find the boy and should the boy accept his offer of becoming his disciple, he will fall into the depths of corruption.¡± (Nera) ¡°Do not fail me Ryan.¡± As he heard this from her a pain like no other consumes his body slowly making it¡¯s way to his heart. Reaching closely to his heart the pain subsides. (Ryan) ¡°I- I will not fail my Mistress.¡± (Nera) ¡° The Merrick¡¯s will see what is to come of their House and this world, when they finish the final quest.¡± ************************************************************************* Kim Merick First Person POV I was walking home since it was December and the daylight tends to get dark at around 5 PM. It was a cold night and I couldn¡¯t help feeling curious about that glint of light I saw. It felt like it was calling me, telling me to take it for myself, the feeling of obsession. I shake it off since it doesn¡¯t concern me now but I was still curious so when I got home I asked my mom. ¡° Mom have you ever heard of an inanimate object or a speck of light calling to you?¡± My mom was stiff as a board when I asked her that, then she turned around and looked at me with a face that I have never seen before in my life. I didn¡¯t think her face would be that serious, it felt like I¡¯ve been blamed for something I did not do. Her hazelnut eyes looks through me like she seen what I¡¯ve seen. (Mom) ¡°Dear where have you seen this object is it a ring or necklace of any sorts?¡± Looking at me dead in the eyes demanding an answer. ¡°I- I saw it at the convention center my friends and I went to. You know the new VR Survival game Dead Country. I¡¯m excited to play it with them since its been a long time since we played any other game besides Incarnated World, but I don¡¯t know if it was a ring or not Mom since the game creator stopped me from going any further. Why do you ask if its a Ring or necklace?¡± My mother sighed like she worked overtime twice in her current job as a Certified Nursing Assistant(CNA). (Mom)¡°Kim there are things in this world that are beautiful and Unique, but there are terrible things here as well things that make wish you were not there to see it. You will know in time, but for now enjoy your game with your friends. You¡¯re still young my dear only 15, you should enjoy your time with your friends. Your responsibilities will come at a later date.¡± ¡° Okay Mom I can¡¯t wait to begin my to play with them.¡± I said excitedly. I went to bed still thinking of a class I¡¯d take in Dead Country. There are 5 basic classes that you can take Ranger, Gunslinger, Warrior, Defender, and Shaman, but you don¡¯t get it until you stats are on par with the current class you want to take. The current stats of the game are the 10 basics: Strength: Increases the amount you carry and gives you more attack damage per hit. to carry heavy weapons or guns strength is needed. Agility: Increase your dodge and how fast you can hit with your weapon. Also affects your how fast you can reload and shoot your gun. Dexterity: Increases your chance to hit your target whether its your gun or you weapon. Endurance: Increases max stamina and bleeding resistances. Less susceptible to the pain and damage from the creatures of Dartharum. Intelligence: Increases your Mana Points or MP Wisdom: Increases your mana regeneration and less susceptible to magical attacks Stamina: Increases your Health Regeneration. Low stamina can lead to exhaustion and and if not rested, can lead to decrease in stats and may lead to death. Leadership: How many NPC¡¯s you can lead and buffs your party depending on your leadership. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Charisma: How NPC¡¯s look at you whether you are good or bad alignment. Can get discounts if your charisma is high enough. Luck: Increase your Critical Chance to hit an enemy and gives better item drops from monsters. I kept reading the manual and found out something in Vault 52. The NPC¡¯s or non-player characters are not only human there is a few more races from the tall barbarians to the gnomes. Each race has their own perks and disadvantages, but the only race that has no perks or disadvantages are the Humans. Its what people mostly say in VR MMORPGs or VRs that have different races. Humans can overachieve or underachieve in their leisure. Here they can pick any race they want to be and not be discriminated against since the populace is diverse and needed to be united so they can put up a fight against the outside dangers. Roaming outlaws and bandits as well as Dark cultist that worship a being known as Terror the God of Destruction and Ruin that brought terror around the world leading to its destruction. It is well known in the book that he was the cause of kingdoms annihilation. Only 1/4 of the population in the world survived and were not influence by Terror¡¯s madness, 1/4 are dead through the wars and 2/4 are ruled by Terror. Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring* ¡°Hello this is Kim Merick speaking¡± (???) ¡°Yo where starting in vault 52 right?¡± ¡°Yeah man starting tomorrow around 3 pm, what class are you going to be Walter?¡± (Walter) ¡° I don¡¯t know yet i don¡¯t want any basic classes man, but i might try becoming a hacker in game/off tank I might get the special stat you can gain called computers.¡± ¡°We do need hackers in our party since most dungeons in Dead World have computer based defenses.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you then bro we¡¯ll have a lot of fun in there, but i wonder¡­ should we make our old guild from Incarnated World?¡± (Walter) ¡° We should make a new one mate something better than Battle Bunnies.. man it should have been Taric¡¯s United.¡± with an excited voice ¡°mayb-¡± ¡°No period Walter¡­.¡± (Walter) ¡° Won¡¯t you reconsider.¡± His voice felt like he was staring at me with his puppy dog eyes. ¡°Man I think about it¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t say no to friends. ¡°Thanks man, just think about it okay its a good clan name.¡± His voice was full of joy. ¡°Alright man I¡¯ll see you in game. Don¡¯t forget our meeting time its at 3pm sharp.¡± ¡°K mate I¡¯ll see you then¡± As he hung up the phone I looked into the handbook and found something that caught my interest. The Goddess Nera of plague and pestilence. When I saw her, I shivered at her sight, not because of how she looked, but because she felt familiar to me like an old enemy. There shouldn¡¯t be gods or goddesses here in reality should there? My mind in thought, I decided to sleep, because tomorrow is a big day for me and my friends. ************************************************************************* Kim Merick woke up ready for the new day. He continued studying the handbook making sure to gain as much information as he can before going into game. As clock entered 3pm and his VR helmet calibrated to full efficiency he entered the game. Welcome to Dead Country iris scan and brave-wave recognition has detected that you are an unregistered player would you like to register. ¡°Yes¡± Please select a race. There were many different races ranging from elves, giants, dwarves, humans, and even fallen angels. ¡°Is it possible to be a hybrid race.?¡± Yes ¡°I want half-elf and half-fallen angel.¡± Fallen Angels are angels of that fell the grace of their god or goddess. They were once messengers of the gods and goddesses, but do to their desires they have fallen to Dead Country. Talking to Admins to see if that is a possible combination. The Admins have agreed for your request on your hybrid race. An avatar of Kim was beautiful with its black wings and elvish features. Its skin pale and its dark wings gives of a sinister yet beautiful aura. His avatar looked like the Angel of Death with elven features. ¡°Can you change my eyes based on my emotions?¡± Your eyes have been changed with a default of Azure colored eyes. ¡°Okay everything is set¡± There are 5 start up locations you can cho.. ¡°Vault 52¡± Destination Confirmed Welcome to Dead Country and I hope you enjoy your stay