《Muffins the Barbarian》 Chapter 0 - Prologue Hello, this is my first time writing a fiction, so please give me some feedback so I can better improve my writing. I like to think I have fairly thick skin so don''t be afraid to hurt my feelings. Tell me how you really feel, be critical, relive some stress after a long hard day, or whatever. Then hopefully my writings will progress and please your fancy. Thanks and enjoy the read. _____________________________________________________________________________________ David Lindo was standing on a balcony of what looked to be a giant auditorium. There were countless numbers of people sitting at computers working in these last moments to achieve greatness. In front of everyone was a gigantic screen three times larger than a movie theaters displaying blank white rooms with people sitting in desks waiting. David stood above all of them, as the lead programmer and sole proprietor of the first virtual reality massive multiplayer role playing game (vrmmorpg) Boundless Saga. The tall, sleek, and devilishly handsome man in a suit always carried the air of superiority that made people eager to follow him. Next to him on the balcony stood a short slender middle age women with lovely brunette hair that stood out against her pale skin. The attractive lady who didn''t look a day past 28 was the lead of graphics and design Aubrey Huff. She has been with him since the projects start while being his close and trusted friend. "We have finally made it Aubrey. It''s been over ten years in the making. I didn''t know what was going to happen after we were forced into an exclusive contract with the government, after we applied for a patent. Although they forced us to train government agents and military personnel these past ten years I thought it was a curse but it wasn''t." David said with a distant voice while blankly staring out over the balcony at his employees. "Yes, that time gave us ample amount of time to test, temper, and create the perfect game. I now feel a like the government is just a bunch of lab rats Hahahaha," Aubrey''s laugh filled the war room which no one paid attention to, being used to her fun loving and carefree attitude it became a normal occurrence. "For certain, we have been able to reach an astounding ninety eight percent reality thanks to their contribution. Also the world you and your team has created will leave this world dumbfounded. Which reminds me how is your daughter doing?" He said while turning to look at Aubrey but his handsome face was still devoid of emotion. "Naturally she is excited to enter Boundless Saga. I used to show her pictures of Liren ( The world of Boundless Saga) and would tell her the lore you had written about it before she went to sleep. It''s been something she has dreamed about ever since. I remember one morning I woke to find she cut her own hair short and declared that warriors don''t need long hair, something about hindering her vision. Hahahaha, needless to say she has kept her hair short ever since, well except for recently." Aubrey said in her sweet joyful voice but her expression was sour. "My son was the same way as a boy he was excited to slay dragons, capture castles, and save princesses. But recently..." David was cut off mid sentence by a blaring horn signaling 5 minutes until the launch of Boundless Saga. Mr.Lindo then jumped into work mode making sure everything was all set for launch. He didn''t worry too much because everyone here was already veterans at their jobs. After having ten years of practice for this day how couldn''t they be. Not to mention using the military personnel as beta testers the whole way through development developmental stages. They were trained to notice the little things and exploit any weakness to reach their goal. So by observing and learning the flaws from them how couldn''t David be confident. But that didn''t mean he wasn''t nervous. When the countdown reached ten seconds everyone watched excited anticipating. While David watched the last ten seconds tick off the clock he was nervous that their wouldn''t be anybody logging on. When they first announced to the world the release 3 months ago the excitement worldwide was enormous. The sales of the game pods were even higher than projected. It still didn''t stop him from questioning what would happen only seconds from now. The moment Boundless saga went online David and Aubrey watched gleefully as screens pop up like fireworks on the gigantic screen before them. The response was instantaneous, thousands of people were joining each second. The moments of joyful relief soon ended as the problems soon started pouring in. "Sir People have been set on a queue because there isn''t enough staff to reach all the players for initial set up." "Increase the time lapse on the people waiting and decrease the time lapse by double once you enter the player creation space to offset the massive influx of players. Also post more details online about character creation along with the player guide book. Let''s try to speed this process up but don''t rush them give them the full experience of being reborn." Mr. Lindo entered into his work state while standing watch over the game fixing problems when they arise. *** Its been a few hours since Boundless Saga has been online and everyone has fallen into their roles no longer requiring Mr. Lindo''s full attention. So, he went back to his original conversation with Aubrey. "How is Raina doing at her new school? Is she fitting in at this one?" "As far as I know, it''s obviously been really difficult for her to leave her friends and come here. I''m just scared that the bullying will get bad again. If they give her a chance to know her before judging she will be just fine but the world isn''t that accommodating ." Her normally joyful voice was replace with one of worry and regret. Originally she wasn''t going to move but things don''t always turn out as you plan. Her whole family ended up having to pick up everything to come here so she could finish off the project. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "She overcame it once she will overcome it again. I would try to get my son to show her around but I don''t think I could trust him." David looked over at Aubrey and his face showed the slightest bit of guilt. While is voice was unnaturally calm and soothing trying to ease his friends pain. It was the first sign of emotion he showed all day. Aubrey looked back at her long time friend and saw the man that he used to be before his wife passed away. He was still there just buried deep she thought. Also it''s no use worrying over something that has already happened like moving her family but what did he mean by his son. She was just about to ask when she was interrupted. "Sir!? Monitor 1017" Mr. Lindo turned back to the sea of screens and was directed to one which held a male guide and a 18 year old boy of average height with an athletic build. Shaggy blonde hair, piercing blue eye, and three scars decorated the right side of his otherwise handsome face. To some the scars might appear nasty and give off a dangerous vibe. Although most found it gave a mysterious manly aura attracting ones gaze. He instantly recognized the boy. He came to my world. How could he afford to play his parents were up to their necks in debt from hospital bills they received two years ago. He then recalled the call he got two weeks ago from his son requesting a extra pod for a friend. He was reluctant at the time, but now was proud his son. Kevin was always his favorite friend of his sons. They had been friends since early childhood causing him to consider Kevin as a second son. The guide then told him the dilemma . Prompting a unexpected response from Mr. Lindo. "HAHAHA, as expected of Kevin! Yes, I grant permission to his request. Also slow time down another 50 percent and send me his inheritance quest I will write it personally," his loud unrestrained laughter and vividly animated voice stunned everyone present. Nobody here other than Aubrey had ever seen him more than chuckle not to mention show any emotion at all. David smiled warmly and walked over to the computer while typing up a storm. The whole room finally recovered from the outburst of laughter only to be amazed to find that first he granted this outrageous request and secondly that he would take the time to personally write and program his inheritance quest. Who was this kid and how amazing of a saga will his be. *** "Who is this Kevin?," asked Aubrey once he was finished with the programming the Inheritance Quest for Kevin. "Kevin Frueuff he was.." "KEVIN FRUEFF! HE IS THE ONE WHO RUINED MY DAUGHTERS LIFE!! Quick let me edit that script he needs to payyy!!!" Anger and hatred resonated through Aubrey''s voice as she attempted to push david aside. She was so furious she was quivering. Her normally relaxed and mesmerizing face distorted to one that would make even corpses dig their own graves. Everyone in the room felt the chill of fear and were reminded to never get between a lioness and her cub. Even the most carefree of women still bears her fangs when her child is threatened. This time not only her actions but the actions of David astounded the onlookers. Who could cause this much of a situation? Many of the workers knew of Aubrey''s daughters condition, but why would this cause Mr.Lindo to act this way. This is a man who refused to show face to even the highest government officials and scientists who came to "learn" more about his virtual reality and AI after they discovered how wildly successful the technology was. He straight up refused and dared them to try and take his creation. Which none did after seeing a few high-level documents the AI procured in a matter of seconds. Just who is this kid to cause such a scene to occur and such a man to abandon all dignity. David was bowing in front of Aubrey. Taken off guard Aubrey immediately snapped out of her berserker rage. Her anger still hadn''t dissipated but she realized she was about to act rashly. "What..Why are you bowing?" Aubrey growled. The room was eerily silent causing David to look up and realize that everyone in the room wasn''t working. They were the cause and If they stayed here any longer his life''s work would suffer. "Everyone I apologize for this interruption but get back to work .You all know your jobs and I trust you. So I''ll leave it in your capable hands, any questions ask Elle." He quickly yelled to everyone while escorting Aubrey to his office where they both sat down. He looked at the lady before him. Her hazel eyes were red on the verge of crying. While the rest of her body was having a wide range of emotions coursing through her. Anger rage confusion helplessness regret duty... Clearly she was having a hard time deciding which was the proper one to display. Prolonging this moment any longer could be considered nothing short of torture for her. "I am deeply sorry my son was also partially to blame in all of this. Also I am probably the only one other that Kevin who knows the full story." David said while wearing a serious but down trodden face. "What your son and full story, you know why that idiotic brat crashed into my daughter while going 75 mph? Huh, really, tell me. Explain why I shouldn''t design a personal hell just for him. " Aubrey spat out at David. David sighed "well ...."
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Chapter 1 - The Unexpected His vision was blurred as tears were streaming down his face. He clenched the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. The night was cold and dark because the moon was blocked out by rain clouds. Droplets of water fell continuously on the speeding car but the sound was drowned out by the music blaring from the stereo. Climbing from 25, 30, to 45mph he needed to escape, to get away from this cruel world. Swerving in and out on city streets not paying attention, just letting his car take him wherever it wanted to go. For a Friday night at seven the streets were quiet. Nobody driving or out walking about, it was just him and the road. His brakes screeched and the tail end of the car slid on the wet pavement as he took a right turn. He reached a straight away that led out to the country where there was hundreds of miles of farmlands and vacant roads just waiting for him. 30 to 40, 55 to 60, 65 to70 mph he sped not noticing anything in the world around him. Up ahead at the last intersection before leaving town was a red light. Unlike the residential area he had been driving through previously this was the outskirts of the busy retail part of town. Coming up to the intersection his foot hadn''t once left the gas pedal. Suddenly a silver minivan appeared before him. Slightly coming back to his senses and with his quick reaction time he swerved to the right to avoid the van while slamming on the breaks. With the wet road conditions his car started skidding sideways. Slowly he watched through the passenger side widow as he approached a building at a uncontrollable speed. The car hit the curb vaulting itself into the air and barrel rolling into the building... Jerking awake, was a boy covered in sweat who quickly tried to displace the common plague of his sleep. He reached over to his night stand to retrieve his phone. It revealed that it was only 6:03. He had another 27 min before he had to get up for school. Putting down his phone he crawled to the edge of the bed where he reached out and positioned his wheelchair before skillfully swinging himself down into it. *Clap* *clap* "Clap on." he said which activated the lights in the room. He couldn''t help but chuckle to himself each time he did this. Years ago when he had seen the commercial for the clapper, he never saw himself using it. Although after losing his the use of his legs he couldn''t think of life without it. His room was plain and clean with a simple bed, dresser, and closet. A lot of the things that used to clutter up his room were moved to storage, thrown away, or sold to make room for him to maneuver around in his wheelchair. The calming sea foam blue walls were accompanied by sandy tan carpet created the only real color in the room. Unfortunately the carpet was a little more difficult to maneuver around on compared to hard surfaces. Causing minor frustrations from time to time. Wheeling to his bedroom door was simple from his bed but most of the house wasn''t as easy. Obviously a 50 year old house wasn''t designed to be wheelchair friendly. Most of the doorways ,his bedroom included, he had to slowly shimmy back and forth to get through. *Clap* *Clap* "Clap off." He said from the hallway Shutting off the lights and closing his bed room door. He proceeded to move down the hallway to the bathroom. Once reaching the bathroom he had to once again shimmy through the doorway into the cramped bathroom. On the right side of the bathroom was the vanity then past it was the toilet and to the left was the bathtub. There was barely enough room in-between for him to roll his wheelchair in. He wasn''t able to turn it around so when he wanted to leave he would have to back himself out through the doorway. Of course shimmying the whole way backwards as well. He wheeled himself in front of his mirror. His mother had hung it directly ahead of him on the far just after the accident. It was the perfect height to see himself wheel chair and all. "Look at you the great Kevin Frueuff" he said to himself with a look of disappointment. He stared into his own piercing blue eyes he inherited from his father. Before moving his shaggy blond hair that hung to his shoulders to uncover the three scars on the right side of his face. Slowly he traced each of them with his fingers. The largest started above his eyebrow and extended down past his eye to his cheekbone. Luckily his eye wasn''t damaged even though the scar was present on his eye lids. The second scar went from his temple straight down two inches. While the last one angled across the right side of his mouth. Starting below his nose and spreading out diagonally across his lips down to the right side of his chin. After he finished tracing the last scar. His fingers then moved to the left side of his face starting above the left eyebrow and continued moving his finger all the way down to the jaw line. He clenched his fist trying to maintain self control. He did this. *** Walking down the hall was a new student, she had long brunette hair covering most of her face. Which swayed back and forth as she walked, allowing for her emerald eyes to glisten whenever light was able to shine through. Standing at about five foot four, she wore plain baggy clothes that hid any sort of body she had. Her whole aura screamed leave me alone. This was her third day at school and she hasn''t talked to anybody other than teachers. Not that she cared. The classes are easy, the school is bigger, and best of all the library is has a better selection. Other than that and the lack of friends nothing''s really different from her old school. It was the end of the day and she arrived at her locker. She was trying to quickly put in her combination because today was a special. Boundless Saga had already went online and she was behind thousands of people. She begged her mother to allow her to stay home and begin right at the launch but the stick in the mud said she had to come to school. While being so giddy she kept on messing up her combination. This was her fourth time trying. so she decided to dig out the paper with her combo on it from one of her folders. "16...34...ugh" she grunted as someone hit her from behind screwing up the combo once again. They weren''t even subtle about it either. They straight two hand pushed her into her locker. "Heya troll aren''t ya going to apologize when ya get in someone''s way" Said a weasely voice from behind her. "..." Ignoring the nuisance she focused on getting her locker unlocked. Although she could feel multiple stares in her direction not to mention the hallway got noticeably quieter. "Heya, I''ma talking to ya here!" came the voice again this time followed by a kick to her shoes. A faint metallic ting went unnoticed by everyone but the girl. "Dusty calm down, Cousin It here probably can''t hear ya, through all dat dirty greasy hair." Came a deep oafish voice. "Hihihihih...." *bang* "OWWW!" she heard both voices yell from behind her. When she turned to look she saw a skinny rat faced boy along with a thick boorish looking one sprawled on the floor. Looking up she made eye contact with a pair of piercing blue eyes belonging to a blonde haired boy in a wheelchair. Once he rolled in she noticed people stopped staring and the noise level went back to normal. Many students could even be heard letting out a sigh of relief. "What the wheels ya got a death wish do ya?" Came the weasely voice from the rat faced boy, as both of the bullies were in the process of standing up. Ignoring the annoying pests the boy in wheelchair started rolling away with a blank expression. "h..heya wait up ya vegetable!" the boorish looking one managed to stutter out. " Ya the almighty Kevin look at ya now. Yur nuttin more than shriveled flesh. Dats why none of those fancy schools are comin round anymore. Nobody would want ya to play for them cause yur worthless" The rat faced urchin said while sneering. Kevin rolled backwards going right over the toes of the rat faced punk. Then looked him straight in the eye, never breaking his emotionless face and said "Pathetic." before casually rolling away down the hall towards the handicap exit. The two idiotic bullies were sent chasing after him as he left the school. She felt relieved to have them leave and avoided having to deal with pathetic people like them again. When she first saw her savior in the wheelchair she felt a certain sense of kinship and now a great deal of thankfulness. A girl with a elegant aura then strode over to her from the crowd and said, "He''s at it again, are you alright ? I''m Summer who are you?" "..Raina ...." she answered timidly in a sweet voice. While also nodding to the five foot ten beauty letting her know that everything was alright. It was difficult to decide if this girl was going to be a friend or foe. Most beauties like Summer enjoy looking down on her. "Oh, what a pretty name. Don''t worry they won''t bother you again. They will be too busy with Kevin to remember you ?" Summer said while a smile spread across her face. It gave a certain radiance only beautiful summer day could compare with. "Wh.. Who is he?" Said Raina curiously. "Oh the boy who helped you? He does that sort of thing all the time. His name is Kevin Frueuff he..." "Ehhhhhp" Raina squealed with a shocked face. Tears Burst forth from her emerald eyes streaming down her face. Summer gave a bewildered look at Raina''s sudden outburst. Raina''s mind went completely blank and she didn''t know what to do. Her natural fight or flight instincts kicked in and she bolted, cantering away awkwardly. *** "Hey Summer, what did you do? I just saw a girl run away from you crying ." Came a smooth smokey voice belonging to tall and sleek, dark haired boy with lively gray eyes. He looked like he could be a model partially due to the being dressed in designer labels but mostly because he looked so charming. "I didn''t do anything, "Stated Summer defensively while her cheeks tinted a slight red. "Well it didn''t look that way. If you didn''t do anything why was she having the waterworks festival?" The boy asked questioningly while moving closer while gently grasping her soft hand. " I..I just said Kevin''s name and that''s what happened." She replied with a slightly frustrated that he would accuse her of making someone cry. "Huh weird, well make sure you apologize next time you see her." The dashing boy said before bending down to gently kiss Summer''s forehead. *** A short middle aged woman sat on a couch completely absorbed in the book she was reading. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun while her cinnamon brown eyes never left the text. Beside her sat a portly balding man who was bent over focusing on the work before him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. His piercing blue eyes, fixated on a small fishing hook with a long shank held in a vise. His fingers moved nimbly as he started wrapping thread around the shank of the hook. Methodically, he added strips of rabbit fur, buck tail, and feathers in-between layers of thread and fast setting glue. Slowly the fly fishing lure started to take shape. After trimming away the excess, a look of satisfaction spread across the man''s face. Just as he was about to finish up the fly he was interrupted. *ding dong* The man got up to get the door while the lady hadn''t made a move, her eyes were still glued to the book in her hands. It took a second for the middle aged man to shake off the stiffness in his joints before walking to the door. "Oh Lear, come in! come in!" Said the man in an excited in his husky voice while motioning his visitor to step through the doorway. "Thank you, Mr. Frueuff" Replied a tall dark haired boy with lively gray eyes. "Oh, please call me William. How long have we known each other. I''m sorry if you came to see Kevin I''m afraid he will refuse again" William said while shaking his head. "Oh no I came to see you and Lynda this time. " Said Lear while he took off his shoes and put them in his accustomed space while continuing walking into the living room. "Why won''t you call me my first name but you will hers" William grumbles under his breath before following hum to the living room. "Oh Lear, come sit down sweetie!" said the woman forgetting the book and jumping off the couch to greet the handsome boy with a hug. Lear sat down as the woman disappeared in the kitchen. William sat back down on the couch while his wife came back in the room with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and set them down on the coffee table. Which Lear immediately reach down to retrieve. The cookie disappeared just as soon as it reached his hand. "So what do we owe this visit for Lear?" William asked curiously. "Well, you know my father company is just about to release Boundless Saga after all these years." Lear stated excitedly. "Yes I remember the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about his dream so long ago. It was when you and Kevin were but munchkins playing in sandboxes. We all thought he was such a dreamer but it''s wonderful that he has finally achieved it after all these years." Lynda said with a warm smile while still reminiscing about the past in her mind. "It has been a long and a rough road. So, this past week got me thinking if Kevin won''t meet me in this world, then how about the world in Boundless Saga?" The eyes of both the parents lit up like a kid at Christmas. They exchanged looks of hope and wonder. "But Lear you know as well as any, that we can''t afford it." William''s voice was filled with regret and his face revealed a troubled look. William had been eyeing up the cookies since his wife had set them down. Before he reached down to grab a cookie his hand was swatted away by his lovely wife wearing a stern look. Causing his face to contort to an even more troubling one. "Oh don''t worry about that, I asked my father and he gave me an extra game capsule. Completely free with a life time subscription of course. Now before you deny it, this is a present and I''m using it to bring Kevin back into the world. Now I cant give it to him for obvious reasons so I come to ask you to give it to him for me... It''s been two weeks since Lear Lindo''s visit and William Frueuff was in his living room looking at a white tube that was about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide with Boundless Saga etched on its side . It kind of looked to him like a tanning bed. Not that a forty two year old man has ever used a tanning bed. It was just what he imagined one to be like. William and his wife Lynda took the day off of work today to be here when the game pod was delivered and setup. Neither of them were very good with technology so they wanted to be around to learn how everything works. Luckily, the technician installing the game pod was patient and took time fielding all their ridiculous questions. After a few hours they were able to learn all the basic functions. William was also amazed they could get the game pod hooked up to the television as well. Being a poor household they neither had satellite or cable. But they just got their soon to be favorite channel. Kevin should be coming home anytime now he thought. He waddled on into the kitchen where his wife was busy putting together a dinner so Kevin could eat quickly then hop right into Boundless Saga. Both him and Lynda were excited for him to go into the game. after the accident two years ago he distanced himself from all his former friends and almost completely stop showing emotion. Now he spends most his time in his room alone reading books or doing homework. The past two years he has been ranked first academically for his grade. Which is completely opposite of his old self. He was a sports star, scouted by various universities, while maintaining slightly above average grades and not to mention being extremely social. It''s extremely difficult to watch as a parent how he seemingly threw away his old life completely. *** Kevin rolled up the ramp to the back door of his house. He got home a little later today than usual because he had to ditch two disturbances. Once he went through the back door, one of the few in the whole house wide enough to easily fit through, He was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the aroma of food. The back door led into the kitchen where Kevin saw his mother slaving away at the stove and his father trying to sneak cookies from the cookie jar. "Dad, what are you doing?" he said knowing full well what was going to happen. His father jumped as his mother turned her attention away from the stove to glare at him. Quickly he tried to move his hand away from the jar but she was too fast smacking his hand with the hot wooden spoon she had been using to stir the contents on the stove. "Welcome home, Honey!" His mother said with her usual warm smile. His father just gave him a look of betrayal while he licked the sauce off his hand left over by the spoon. "Quick go sit at the table, I''ll bring you a plate of food right away." Said his mom cheerfully. Kevin did as he was told but thought that this was just bizarre. First off his parents usually work until late and they were never home when he got back from school. Next was the fact that his mom was dishing only him up a plate of food. Unlike many families, they lived by the solid rule that they eat dinner together. No matter how late anyone was for dinner they always waited for each other to eat. He looked to his father who had also sat down at the table across from him. His father noticed his questioning gaze but was still ticked off from earlier so acted like he didn''t notice. He just went back to rubbing sore his hand. His mother soon came back over with a plate of steaming hot spaghetti and garlic bread . She placed the plate in front of him then set down some silverware for him to use. "What do you want to drink?" she asked while giving him a beaming smile that felt a little creepy. "Just water," Kevin replied indifferently. "How was your day at school?" My father asked while as his mother placed the water in front of him. "Why are you home?" he asked back completely ignoring the previous question. This Atmosphere was getting pretty fishy. All he wanted to do was go to my room, read a few books, then fall asleep. "Well, we have a surprise! Quick eat up and we will show you!" his mother said barely able to contain her excitement. A surprise, great. It''s always bad news whenever she gets over excited. I can''t think of any time that her surprises have back fired he thought. hmmm... his 5th birthday they got me a cat and stored it in the attic. It escaped the cage and lived in the attic for a month before it came down. Only to run away three days later never to be seen again. Last Christmas she wanted to surprise the neighbors with a Christmas carol but they weren''t home so we spent an hour out in the snow singing to an empty house while waiting for someone to come out to give them their presents . Oh and he can''t forget when him and his father went camping for the weekend and found the house a completely different color when they came back. Needless to say they still are the only ones with a pink house on the block. Kevin could think of crazy instances all day long that she put him through but he just focused on quickly eating to get this over with. He couldn''t help but notice that they kept on exchanging dumb these looks while he silently ate. Once he finished eating they guided him into the living room where he noticed that one of the couches was missing and in its place was a large white tube. The tube appeared to be something like a cryo pod out of some cheesy sci-fi movie. "How can we afford this?" he finally said after seeing it said Boundless Saga on the side. "Oh don''t worry about that, just go! Play! Have fun!" His mother said while forcefully pushing his wheelchair to the side of the game Pod. His parents then proceeded to open it up and motion him to get in. He obviously had his doubts about how his parents obtained this but his curiosity of what the new world had in store overtook him so he climbed on in . *** Once William and Lynda forced Kevin into the Game. They both ran into the kitchen and loaded up their plates with food before jumping on to the couch and flipping on the TV, ready to see his saga unfold. "I''m going to see my baby walk again!" Lynda squealed unable to contain her excitement. While William picked up the guide book they left on the coffee table and wondered if they should have had him read it.
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Chapter 2 - Decisions Atop a volcano stood a winged figure coated in black metallic scales that covered its entire body all the way down to his long sleek tail. Two short silver horns extruded out of its head glimmering against the clouds of ash that filled the sky. Steel gray eyes watched Lava pour out from the mountain coating the landscape. The horizon was filled with similar erupting volcanoes creating a barren landscape where the lava pooled into the valleys, producing a never ending river flowing far into the distance. *Ding*
Would you like to receive your inheritance?
"Yes" came a smooth smokey voice. The world flashed bright white and the figure suddenly changed forms and locations. Confused at what happened the man now found himself on a set of pearly white stairs leading up the side of a mountain. When he looked out at the view around him he saw a vast city below covering many acres. He then looked up the stairway which seemed like it continued up through the clouds and into the heavens. He just noticed his body had changed back to that of real life. *Ding *
Inheritance Accepted: You were found as a baby in front of a Gathering of Unity Church. Not knowing your linage, they sent you to be raised in a church sponsored orphanage. The orphanage even with the churches support, was falling on hard times. That was because of the war against the last barbarian king led to an increase in orphans. During that time even the priest running the orphanage had to leave to go to the front lines and soon after the church funds stopped coming. He left an elderly lady in charge when he left but she ended up falling ill and died soon after. Nobody was left to lead the orphanage. In this time of need you stepped up and took charge. Under your leadership you kept the orphanage running smoothly by gathering wild plants and creating a garden to provide food for all the hungry mouths. Soon the garden became a field and you began selling the excess to the local villagers. The profits you received from the crops, were then reinvested on upgrading the living facilities as well as paying for other children''s apprenticeships or tuition for schooling. When the war ended the priest returned surprised at all that occurred. A few years have passed since then now you have reached the age where it is time to leave the orphanage and chose if you want to enter into the service of the church with the recommendation of the priest or blaze your own trail. Skill learned: Commanding Aura (passive) Novice lv. 1(0%) (Inherited from father) Skill learned: Light of Life (active) Novice lv. 1(0%) (Inherited from mother) Skill learned: Developmental ??? (1/3) (Inherited from mother)
"Show skills" *Ding*
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
Commanding Aura (passive)Novicelv. 10%
You have the air of a leader about you. When you speak people will listen. It may not lead those who are stronger than you to follow but it may persuade some who are weaker than you into following your command. Option: Increase damage or regeneration by .001% with each member following under your command. The bonus is applied to yourself and all those under your command.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
Light of Life (active)Novicelv. 10%
The light within you shines like the heavens. All things that are exposed to your light will feel its miracle. Cost 300 Mana + 50 mana/sec to instacast a beam of light 3 inches in diameter that heals 250 hp/sec to allies, Increases growth rate of plants by 3% per second, and deals 500 points of damage/ sec to the undead.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
???Developmental(1/3)33%
1) Inheritance (passed) 2)??? 3)???
He was pleasantly surprised after being teleported here and changed back into his normal form with the inheritance he received. Now what to do the man thought when he felt force pulling him within himself to climb to the top of the stairs. He began his assent and as he kept going up into the clouds he didn''t experience the air thinning like he had expected. once he could see the end of the stairs he knew he was close to the summit. The closer he got the more he could see the top of a magnificent white cathedral that towered even higher into the clouds. Once he reached the top of the stairs before him was a gigantic statue of a beautiful woman smiling down on him. Her face was radiating a loving warm while she was slightly bent over with open arms beckoning him to come into her embrace. *** Abruptly the hatch to the game capsule was closed right after he got all of his body parts in. Darkness flooded Kevin''s senses leaving him wondering if this was how it felt like being in a coffin. *Ding*
Iris scan shows you are a new player. Initializing startup....
Kevin''s vision was obscured by a bright flash which then faded to a completely white room. The room was totally empty except for a white desk with a dull looking man behind it. "Welcome to Boundless Saga I will be your guide as we ... " Kevin didn''t hear a word because he hadn''t yet taken notice of his surroundings. He was too busy staring down at his legs. I''m standing, I''m standing he thought while starting to walking around. "Excuse me." Came a restrained voice as the guide was trying to get Kevin''s attention while also staying professional. Can I jog? He thought to himself , his body soon followed his mind and he was jogging . After a few seconds he heard a voice in his head say run Kevin run. Quickening his pace Kevin answered the voice by not just running but breaking out into a full on sprint. He never felt so free in all his life. Stopping only when he started to felt tired but he still refused to stop moving. He started spinning in circles with his arms held out, laughing while almost tearing up. "EXCUSE ME SIR!" came a loud irritated voice that snapped him out of his trance. Kevin was attempting to stop himself from spinning so he could investigate the source of the voice. Although the momentum carried causing one leg to get tangled up with the other. *Bang* The loud sound reverberated off the walls and rung in Kevin''s ears as well. Needless to say he made quite the impact as his face hit the floor. Taking a few seconds for everything to stop spinning he looked in the direction of the voice. Sitting at a seemingly normal looking white desk was a rather plain looking man with a smug look on his face. There was really nothing defining about him plain short hair, plain nose, average height. He was just another guy. The only thing that stood out was the black 1017 on the chest of his otherwise white jumpsuit. "Sorry sir, it''s just that this is the first time I have been able to use my legs in two years." Kevin said while rubbing his forehead. How childish must he have looked he thought while being slightly embarrassed . "Oh I see." said the man then looked down at the desk in front of him while trying to suppress his laughter . He started tapping on the top of it revealing the whole top of the desk was a touch screen computer. He brought up the specs on Kevin''s body while nodding as if he finally understood. "Well once again welcome to Boundless Saga, Shall We begin" the guide asked in a seemingly slightly better mood. Kevin eagerly nodded to the man''s question. "Alright first off what would you like your User name to be?" "Um.... " Kevin mumbled while trying to think of a name. It has to be something that is meaningful he decided. "Jace" Kevin stated with a look of determination "I am sorry that name is already taken. I can suggest a few names similar that are currently available if you want?" he replied after going to work hitting a few buttons on the desk. Shaking his head, Kevin went back to the drawing board. What if.. "Muffins" he blurted out abruptly without giving any time to finish his thought. The dull man gave him a questioning look while continuing to hit his desk a few more times. "That name is available, but are you really sure you want to be named after a breakfast item?" Kevin only nodded in reply while wearing a distant look on his face. The guide went back to tapping away at his desk finalizing the name not really caring what it was. "Now moving on to your race." he said once again hitting the desktop a few more times before pushed his hand across its surface towards Kevin. From the desk a blue window seemed to fly through the air until it appeared before him. *ding*
Would you like to start racial customization?
"yes" *ding* Another blue box popped up listing the 6 races available in front of him. As he viewed each of the various races a projection appeared beside him showing him what they looked like. (Sorry,I decided to spend my time writing instead of creating a whole new table.) "Uh, can you tell me more about these races I was just kind of forced in here." said Kevin without taking his eyes off the blue box before him. "Forced ? How much about Boundless Saga do you know?" "Nothing, other than its virtual reality." Kevin replied nonchalantly. Feeling irritated the guide asked with a serious face, " Have you ever played an mmorpg?" "I was more of the outdoors type" he said once again like it didn''t matter. The guide gave up on asking knowing full well that if he asked any other questions he would just get even more irritated with this newb. He didn''t want to say something stupid that might compromise his job because he rather liked the perk of getting free subscriptions. That reminded him he needed to quickly finish this so he could play himself. "So, What are the differences between them?" Kevin asked indifferently. "Alright my shift is almost up, I will probably only have a few more people to go. I''ll only give him the quick overview of everything" the guide mumbled under his breath. "Well the only races currently available are all human based. The first two on the list before you are the only completely human sub races barbarians and nobles. The nobles are the controlling race of the human kingdoms. They are average in every stat category and have the ability to use magic. Their magic capabilities are average compared to all other undiscovered races. While the barbarians are just like you and me, they have no magic capability but have increased physical gain. A mix between Nobles and barbarians is considered a barbarian. This is because they mysteriously don''t receive any magical capabilities from the nobles while gaining only half the physical gain of a barbarian. The rest of the races are half human races. You can select the human half to be either barbarian or noble . If you choose a barbarian it will increase your physical gain but completely erase your magical abilities. While Nobles provide an average base along with their average magical capabilities. By selecting half elves you will be limited to one decision. The only type of elves that humans have made contact with humans so far has been lost elves. Lost elves are elves who have been exiled from their homelands. Before they were cast out they had their memories erased, along with half of their magical capabilities taken away. This makes their magical capabilities lower than that of a noble. If you choose a half lost elf the elf part of you will be a chosen at random from all the eleven races. Keep in mind most elves will generally have higher agility and dexterity but lower strength. After the elves you will see half dwarves. There are two kinds of half dwarves available, mountain dwarves and tinker dwarves. Mountain dwarves are the ones you would be most familiar with living in mountains, blacksmithing, and mining. Tinker dwarves however are smaller and physically weaker compared to the mountain dwarves but are known for their intricate and detailed craftsmanship. They have high dexterity and can pick up any trade quickly. The multiple beast races have the ability to transform from a full beast mode to partial beast form to humanoid forms. Unfortunately as a half beast you are always stuck in-between the two races. If you choose a half beast you will get to choose three characteristics to add to that of your human of choice and be warned they will always show. Choose wisely because those choices will also affect your abilities. So, if you choose beast ears you will have increased hearing, a beast nose increased smell, so on and so forth. The only half beasts available right now are dogs and rabbits. Lastly there is the random race, if you choose select this option you will receive a race at random. It will be chosen from the pool of undiscovered races and you will start in that races domain. Be warned some races are very powerful while others lousy , once you choose to go random you won''t be able to back . Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The choice of going random would be beneficial because there are four human kingdoms in the whole world of Liren and it encompasses less than one percent of the rest of the unexplored land. Humans are considered a weak and unimportant race within the whole grand scheme of things, but that''s what interesting about starting as them. You have the ability to actively change by yourself while making a great impact and becoming a legendary figure for all to come. As we go on more races will be unlocked by quests in game. Many of those quest will need to be completed by players who chose random because they will be the first player of that race. You will be allowed to change race only once if you so choose. Although doing so causes you to lose everything and you have to start back at square one." The guide finished speaking out of breath which made him realize he gave more information than he originally intended to. Damn, all those training videos he watched to learn everything he could on Boundless Saga before its release. "You said barbarians are the closest to reality?" said Kevin while seemingly discarding the rest of the information because of his nearly emotionless face. "Yeah ... " cursed the guide while thinking if Kevin had just asked that first he wouldn''t have needed to explain everything else. "Alright, I''ll be a barbarian then. Oh and how close is the game to reality?" He said nonchalantly. "You really don''t know anything do you? Well its 98 percent real." Growled the guide. "Where does this kid live under a rock?" he thought furiously. "Even pain?" Kevin said questioningly. "No, pain is only set to 20 percent of real life." "So, your saying the game is only twenty percent real?" he asked confused. "No its 98 percent real, like I just said were you even listening!" The guide face contorted in anger but his voice was still collected but its tone was that of seething rage. "wait sorry, then its only 19.6 percent real. " came the tepid reply. "LIKE I SAID ITS 98 PERCENT REAL AND 20 PERCENT REAL PAIN! " Roared the guide finally all of his emotions burst forth. His face was beat red while his body was shaking. "How can you divide pain from reality they are both the same. Pain is a part of reality. With a part of reality missing how can it truly be 98 percent real" Kevin asked while tilting his head and without showing any emotion. "Ugh, I see your point but your wrong. You will see what I mean when you go into the world." the guide said in a deflated voice. He was giving up on this hopeless child. What are they teaching kids these days? he thought. "Can you change my pain meter to 98 percent real?" "wha...uh...No we can''t do that it has a possibility of causing mental trauma not to mention if the game gets too close to reality then you won''t be able to tell the two apart. " "I can walk and feel my lower body in one world where as I can''t even feel my lower body in the other I don''t think I will have a problem telling the difference between the two." ".... " "Oh I have another request can you make my body the same as it is in real life. Well without the damage to my spine preferably. " "Wait now you''re saying you don''t want to be able to walk? But you just running around like a child earlier almost crying." how outrageous can he get the guide thought. "Right, I don''t want to be able to walk right away. I was given my original legs but then I ended up wasting them. I took having working legs along with everything else in life for granted. I just accepted it all like there was no way I would ever lose any of it. That wasn''t true, you can lose anything in life at a moment''s notice. I want to work for these legs. To earn them." he said resolutely. ".... You know that will.." "Don''t care" Kevin interrupted while revealing a look of a man who was stranded in the dessert for a month at an all you can eat buffet. "Alright ill contact HQ and ask." he said after he saw the look he received from the pair of piercing blue eyes. He started punching a bunch of buttons on his desk. After a while, a soft ring tone could be heard throughout the room. Once the other side answered he quickly explained the situation. Hurry up, say no and get this over with! I''m sick of this crazy kid thought the impatient guide. The next second he heard loud laughing voice over the line granting permission to both requests. The guides jaw dropped dumbfounded. He slowly sunk down in his chair while blankly looking into the distance. Kevin smirked assuming he knew the answer by the guides reaction. Then he waited patiently until the guide fully processed the information. "Umm, alright they accepted both claims you just have to sign this waiver form for the increased pain meter and temporary disability," He said after hitting a bunch of buttons and moving his arm across the desk once again sending the document to Kevin. *ding * A blue waiver form appeared before him. Kevin smiled as he sign away on the piece of paper. "oh, a could you perhaps not take away my legs until the game begins?" "Hahaha what happened to that speech earlier" asked the guide. Everything was just becoming so crazy all he could do was laugh while accepting it, "Well I just want to savor the moment." he said timidly because part of him really didn''t want to part with that feeling of freedom. Although it was something he had to do. Something he needed to do. "Your body doesn''t change until you leave this space anyways so you won''t have to worry for now. Alright we will move on to your appearance. The hologram before you is what the AI has come up for you as a recommendation on being a barbarian." said while trying to just get things moving once again. Before Kevin stood a bare-chested ripped version of himself with longer messier blonde hair. He still had the piercing blue eyes but something was done to his face to make him look more handsome. He couldn''t quite tell what it was but he knew he didn''t like it. The person before him just gave off the wrong vibe. "Um, I want to look exactly like myself." The hologram then changed to a more familiar image. Although it was the first time seeing himself while standing up in two years, it looked he had grown an inch or two. "Uh, why am I so tan?" "oh, it''s a radical trait you can change the shades slightly but it can''t be changed if you wanted to be as white as your real self is you would have to be a noble. " " That makes sense. Could you make me as light as possible also give me a scar like this on the left side of my face" he said. His finger started above his eyebrow and continued all the way down to his jaw. Another scar appeared on hologram and the coconut brown skin changed to olive. "Yeah, that''s right. Everything looks good to me" He said wile sporting a satisfied look. "Normally this is the point where I ask you if you want to take the tutorial but since your requests haven''t been fully integrated. I''ll answer any questions you have until its ready which I''m sure you have since you haven''t a clue about boundless saga or the gaming world." The guide said unenthusiastically after he tapping the desk a few more times to finalize his appearance. "Um, could you just give me a quick overview?" Said Kevin like it was something simple. "Okay, but most of this will be gone over in the tutorial. First off, your level is determined not by experience points but by stat points. Stat points are measurements of each individual statistic that makes up you characters attributes. Every 5 stat points is a level and every race starts off at level 1 with the base number of 90 stat points. Well everyone except for you that is." "Huh, what do you mean?" Kevin replied completely confused and worried. "What did you think would happen if you asked to lose all strength in you lower body? Your strength will be cut along with every other stat associated with your lower body like agility. Anyways once you get in game say show status and you will see what I''m saying." The Guide said shaking his head once again. "A necessary sacrifice, but how do I get those stat points back?" "Training of course. What were you thinking throwing away your legs without even knowing how to get them back. I advise you to raise their strength as soon as possible." "..." Instead of replying to the guide Kevin was lost in thought. Strength training is something I rather enjoy. It''s been such a long time I can''t wait to get started he said to himself. while his mood visibly brightened. "So continuing once you get in the game you will receive a message asking if you want to accept your inheritance?" "Huh inheritance?" "Yeah, when each player joins the AI automatically creates a back story for your character''s life. It goes pretty in depth which adds a greater sense of belonging within the world of Liren. Your inheritance includes three skills that you automatically receive from your parents. Just like in the real world we are taught or gain abilities from our parents and that is what happens here too. Of the three skills you gain one is a passive skill, another is an active skill, and the last is a random skill. Some skills can only be learned by inheriting them through the random skill which adds a bit of flavor to character builds. The skills will all start at novice although sometimes the random skill starts at the developmental stage. Now you don''t have to accept your inheritance. Your story will just start from the present with no back story but hey who wouldn''t want three free skills." "Hmm Interesting what were you saying about novice and developmental?" "In the ranks of the skills, novice is the lowest ranking and each rank goes up with each ten skill levels from there. Well consult the guide for more on the rankings. Developmental is different though it means your currently learning the skill. Each skill has 3 developmental stages that you have to accomplish before learning the skill. There are three ways to learn a skill. First is you can just stumble upon skills. This way you won''t know the skill or the developmental stages needed to achieve that skill, until you have completed the developmental phase. Second is to Read a book that describes each of the developmental stages you need to complete to earn a skill. Lastly is to be told about or instructed by somebody else through each of the stages until you develop the skill." The guide took a second to catch his breath while looking to see if Kevin understands while he just nods. "Now I almost forgot once you get your inheritance say show skills to be able to view them. Well its finally time to say goodbye. HQ just said everything is set and I need to guide more players. Well it''s time for you to choose if you would like to go through the tutorial. I have told you mostly everything you need to know other than what happens when you die and how quests work. You can read all about that in the guide book and many other things you desperately need to know." Said the guide as he was tapping his desk as usual. *Ding*
Would you like to enter the Tutorial?
"I''ll skip the tutorial." Kevin said while thinking that his first goal should be strength training so that he could get his legs back. he can just read the guide book later when he is done playing. Wait I don''t know how to log out he just realized. "Muffins the barbarian what a ferocious name" was the last thing Kevin heard right before he felt like he was falling. *** "...a 16 year old faced with those situations wouldn''t know how else to act other than to self destruct. I''m not saying that it gives him the right to act as he did ..." "Sir......Excuse me sir, we have a problem!" "What happened" Mr. Lindo said expecting a major problem otherwise Elle would have dealt with it toughly. "Sir, Elle has overwritten a player''s choice of race and appearance after they started game play while also completely altering a significant amount of lore." "Elle" said David sternly while knowing she would have a reason. "Yes, Mr. Lindo" Responded the AI in a "What happened" He said while sounding like a father preparing to scold a child. "A spark of inspiration." The AI responded with a proud voice. A 70in flat screen TV ,behind where a distraught Aubrey was sitting came to life. It showed a picture of Lear on his knees bawling in front of a statue of a beautiful woman." David felt his cheeks becoming moist while tears slowly started streaming down his face. "Arielle" said Aubrey as she had her hand in front of her mouth and was tearing up as well. "Yes she is now Arielle the Goddess of love, beauty, and harvest. Her personality is based off of what I have in my data banks from when she was creating me. It is only a single part of her but ... "Thank you... my wife...you brought her back to us..."
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______________________________________________________________________________ Thanks for taking the time to read my story so far. I recently realized that what I have planned so far for future chapters is lacking side characters. So I invite you to send me a personal message with your own character. Please provide a name, race, personality, and inheritance. Feel free to go as crazy as you would like with race and personality or you could stick to the classic fantasy themes. I''m down for any suggestions. If I decide to add your character to a future chapter we can work together to further develop the character. Of course I''ll give credit where credit is due. So when a character makes its debut I will give make mention and give credit to the wonderful reader that came up with the character. Thanks again and can''t wait to hear your ideas.