《S-elf-y》 Introduction By the time the VRMMORPG Powermongerer came online, everybody with a working brain knew to go through as much training as they could as soon as possible when beginning any VR game. Everybody¡¯d seen just how much better those who¡¯d forsaken the short term for the long term had turned out; and everyone wanted to be the best. Everyone, that was, except for Danica Graverly. Danica was what her classmates referred to as a retro-throwbacker. She was a self-absorbed blonde bombshell of the highest order; an unapologetic affrontery. Nobody knows where she got it from or why she gravitated towards that personality. Her parents were a good lesbian couple who¡¯d chosen genetic manipulation to procreate dualized offspring in each other. They were smart, creative, hard-working, and open-minded people. In other words, they were ideal members of society. Danica¡¯s other-mother twin brother was already leading a lifestyle of gay debauchery like a proper 16-year-old boy. With his dazzling blue eyes and perfect, athletic physique, he was the belle of their Clinton-class cooperative (second only to Obama-class in shear societal efficiency). In the modern world of VR-gaming, users tended to have three choices when it came to character creation, regardless of the genre. One, freely choose between the standard basic option: typically, human, elf, dwarf, or beastman. The specific sub-type of elf, dwarf, and beastman were randomized between a few pre-ordained options (~three of each). Two, pay to choose the sub-type, but still between the pre-ordained options. Three, fill out a survey/questionnaire and have a race picked for you from among the thousands that exist, based on your answers. Danica had chosen the survey option. She wanted to show that she was as special as she¡¯d been told she was her entire life. At over 400 questions, she almost gave up part-way through because it reminded her of the dozens of standardized tests she was required to take every year as part of her schooling. Instead, she opted to treat it the same way she treated them. She randomly clicked the bubbles. She didn¡¯t even so much as read the questions. Answers were chosen based on which ones she liked the best. ¡°Congratulations! You are the 58,886,793rd person to complete the survey and are the 25th person to assess at this character race. Henceforth, you shall be known as Space Elf Y in the Galactic Compedia. Go forth and be proud of what you¡¯ve achieved!¡± This is what the white-veiled, androgynous form standing before her in the game¡¯s virtual lobby said after she¡¯d completed the character generation test. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It didn¡¯t matter to her. She was only playing because it was the latest ¡®it¡¯ thing to do, and a homework assignment. So, she sent the completion receipt to her teacher via the in-game ¡®notify teacher¡¯ option. Some legal and privacy notifications popped up. They said something about none of her character details being included in that correspondence, but to comply with some statute, all her information and actions would be collected by the government and HPLS corporation. She skipped through them as quick as the system would allow her, bored and annoyed with the disruptions. The virtual host continued with its programmed routine. ¡°Choose your name.¡± ¡°Barbzilla,¡± Danica replied. In an effort to mimic real life (and the shear number of people playing), names didn¡¯t have to be unique. However, she wanted one that she expected few others would choose. She didn¡¯t want to be just another Godmeister or Bad Ass Mother Fucker; neither did she want to be a Starchild or Sofia. She wanted something cute but edgy to match the persona she¡¯d cultivated her entire life. A life-size 3D image of her character appeared before her. It was 172 cm tall with luminous celeste/arctic ice-colored skin, laser lemon-colored eyes, and pixie-bobbed style black hair with flecks of white, reds, and blues scattered throughout like an astronomical chart. Apart from the pointy ears and a slimmer bone structure, Danica¡¯s features were clearly visible in the face. ¡°Based on your survey answers and body scan, this is what you¡¯ll look like as a space elf. You can adjust the size of any feature by up to 10%, and the color by up to 20%.¡± Keeping the height, Danica messed around until she got the rest just right. She¡¯d maxed out the breasts and left herself with an absurdly small waist for the breadth of her chest and hips, which subsequently were proportional and not all that unrealistic. She¡¯d done what she could with the ass, but being an elf didn¡¯t give her much to work with. She liked the colors. ¡°There, done.¡± ¡°Translocation to System 6000077112.17 will commence in three, two, one¡­.¡± Danica¡¯s senses went dark as the countdown terminated.
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Chapter 1 - Beginning Author''s note: Alright, so now that I think I have an inkling as to how submissions on this site work, it''s time to take care of a bit of housekeeping. The tags. I am no comedian. The included comedic aspects may only be amusing to a select few. I''ll be aiming for a bit of satire, and only occasionally. I don''t know if I''ll be able to maintain it throughout. Drama because I''m sure I''ll be attempting to include some dramatic moments. This story, however, won''t be a drama. Mature because I use profanity. Also, I will not shy away from gore when/if necessary. Adventure because that is the nature of these types of stories. I do not write action-packed stories, but there will be occasional action sequences. Updates will likely not be frequent. I simply do not write that fast. I have no idea how so many of the writers on this site maintain the frequency they do. They are writing beasts! I am envious. I''d love to write quicker, but wanting to doesn''t preclude being able to. Finally, if you find yourself disliking the story, please leave a short (or long) comment explaining why (providing you can put your finger on it). ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡°Integration into Powermongerer actualized.¡± Danica was greeted by a talking two-wheeled personal transportation device (PTD) when what was commonly known as the vast nothingness of pre-VR retreated. The vehicle¡¯s blinking lights and voice were designed to draw new users¡¯ focus upon entering the VR world for the first time. Studies had proven such conventions effective for mitigating the transitional disorientation inherent to the system. ¡°Please place your hand on my display screen for identification and registration.¡± Danica did so as she took note of her location. She was in a small, white rectangular room more suggestive of a closet. Its length was such that she doubted she¡¯d be able to lay down and stretch out on the floor (if there was space to do so). The ceiling stood at nearly twice her height, and she estimated it wasn¡¯t much wider than her outstretched arms. The entire thing appeared to be coated with some kind of plastic or ceramic. A silver circle was clearly etched in the material beneath her feet and directly above her. ¡°Welcome to Space Station Paparas4, Barbzilla. I¡¯ll be your information resource, guide, and exclusive portable save point during your acclimation period. You can call me Pod. Hop on. I¡¯ll give you a tour of the facility.¡± As Danica (or Barbzilla) stepped on Pod¡¯s standing platform, the seemingly seamless wall she was facing slid up to reveal a narrow hallway running perpendicular to the room. But, that wasn¡¯t what took her breath away. Opposite the doorway was a semi-circular floor-to-ceiling window protruding into the void of space. It consisted of a single pane that followed the curvature of the station along the hallway. She pictured it as the typical circular tube depicted in science fiction with the apex of the outside curve made of a single sheet of glass. And, like that typical section, she could tell it was rotating around an inner axis. In the distance, she could see nebulas, stars of different sizes and colors, and other heavenly objects, the most concerning of which were asteroids. Some of the asteroids looked as if they were dangerously close. The lack of any suitable frame-of-reference caused a distortion in her perception, resulting in a failure to understand the magnitude of the objects she was seeing. She couldn¡¯t tell if they were hundreds of meters long and hundreds of meters out, or hundreds of kilometers long and hundreds of kilometers out. For all she knew, the smaller ones could be thousands of kilometers long and thousands of kilometers out. There was just no way to tell given what she could see with no further information at hand. Except she did have access to information. Supplying it was one of Pod¡¯s main functions, as said so by himself (of course she knew Pod was a machine, but the timbre of its voice struck her as male; so, in her mind, Pod was a male). ¡°Hey, Pod, aren¡¯t those asteroids awfully close to the station?¡± She stepped off his platform and walked up to the window, leaning into and placing her hands against it. ¡°Sensors indicate they are orbiting outside the danger zone. However, if they make you uncomfortable, might I suggest you take up the proximity artificer profession upon completion of your training.¡± Pod pulled up next to her. ¡°Proximity artificer? Sounds boring and filled with tedium, like lots of maths and calculations and stuff; not really for me. I think I want to be an idol. Everyone in the system should get to experience my awesomesauce.¡± She stood up straight and spread her arms wide in a gesture towards the cosmos while spinning in place. A brilliant smile was expressed upon her face. ¡°beep beep Does not compute. beep beep Idol is not a certified profession within Powermongerer. Idol is a product of your fame, of which 100,000 is required to achieve as a system status at the local level. Universal-scale status requires exponentially more, but can¡¯t be achieved until you¡¯ve gone through planetary, multi-planetary, solar system, multi-solar system, quadrant, multi-quadrant, galaxy, and multi-galaxy. You¡¯ll need a real profession to gain fame. And, as far as professions go, proximity artificer is a well-respected one.¡± ¡°Fine, Mr. Buzzkill. I¡¯ll humor you. Tell me more about it.¡± ¡°The name is Pod, but if you want to register Mr. Buzzkill as one of my aliases, the option is available. Now, if you¡¯ll get back on me and grasp the handles to either side of my display, I¡¯ll tell you as we continue your orientation.¡± Barbzilla put a finger to her chin, pursed her lips, and looked up. ¡°Yes, please register it.¡± ¡°Mr. Buzzkill is now registered as an alias to Pod.¡± If she didn¡¯t know better, she¡¯d have sworn he sounded exasperated and slightly depressed. She stepped back onto Pod and said, ¡°Onward, gray chariot of mine,¡± while holding on with one hand and pointing to the right with the other. ¡°The proximity artificer¡¯s job is to monitor and manage their assigned proximities. The size of these proximities range from personal space to galactic scale. As such, their skills and technological savvy are geared towards achieving this end. It is more than just keeping track of where objects are. It also entails the relocation and, if necessary, removal of said objects by whatever means most suitable.¡± ¡°You mentioned skills. What skills are available to this profession?¡± ¡°As with any profession, any and all skills are available for acquisition.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯s the point of having a profession in the first place?¡± ¡°Although any skill can be acquired by anybody, what makes professions beneficial are the free skills and affinity bonuses associated with them. For the proximity artificer, some of the more common ones are astrochartation, cartography, demolitions, direction sense, electro-field manipulation, heavy gunnery, and strategy. Proximity artificers serve more of a support function during interpersonal combat than on the front line. However, when it comes to large-scale battles, their usefulness shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡± ¡°Sounds great and all, but how can it help me become an idol?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. Crowd control.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯m convinced. How do I get it?¡± ¡°Excellent choice. I knew I had you pegged. I¡¯ll finish the tour at the appropriate training room for maximizing the desirable stats.¡± Because extensive training had become the norm in VR games, the developers had begun including specialized training zones for the most popular classes/professions/jobs many game-generations ago. Powermongerer was no exception. The scenery for the next few minutes was both monotonous and stunning at the same time. On her right were an endless series of identical door outlines of the same white material as the room she appeared in. On her left was the splendor of space, and as amazing as it was, very little changed. The asteroids were spinning slowly, an occasional one flew by, and a distant star or two appeared to blink. The nebulas were a sight, but not much different than looking at a fine piece of art. She was never much interested in art, something her parents had a harder time accepting than her cis-hetero-ness. Sure, it was nice to look at, but she didn¡¯t see the point in staring at it for hours. Whenever she was forced to go to museums or galleries, she¡¯d look at a particular piece, and think ¡®cool¡¯ or ¡®meh¡¯ as she shrugged her shoulders before moving on to the next one. To her, there was no existential debate going on in her mind over what she thought the artist had been thinking/feeling while creating the piece, what she¡¯d been trying to elicit, and whether either had been conveyed or influenced the other; or whatever else the pretentious mother fuckers around her had gone on blabbering about. So, after seeing the nebulas and space gases and such, she was only interested in what was next. But, there was no next, because celestial bodies are enormous and far as fuck away, and the station followed a strict spinning path upon whence the same scenery repeated ad infinitum. ¡°Jebuz, Pod, just how big is this place?¡± ¡°Funny you should ask. I was just about to tell you.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Sure you were.¡± ¡°That is what I said. What we have been traveling through is the station¡¯s outermost module, and only ring. Its sole purpose is for receiving new Powermongerer players like yourself. The circumference is roughly four kilometers and there are 2500 access portals. Players are afforded fifteen minutes to get their bearings before they must leave the room, either by choice or forced log-out to make room for another one. As such, this station, Paparas4, can process 10,000 new players an hour.¡± Barbzilla took a good look around her. ¡°Um, so then where is everybody?¡± ¡°You are currently the only person on this station.¡± ¡°What? How is that? If 10,000 people can be processed an hour, then why am I the only one here?¡± ¡°About that. Starting locations are unique to each race. The Paparas stations are where elven-kin start; and, Paparas4 is the only starting space station for space elves. It is the smallest-sized space station that can be built for game-introductory purposes. As you are the 25th space elf player character ever created, and the first in a game-year, you are the only occupant of this station. And, may I say, I¡¯m ecstatic to be a part of your journey, however short it may be.¡± ¡°Why do you say that: ¡®however short it may be¡¯? Is there something you¡¯re not telling me about my race? Are we like hunted for our skins or something?¡± ¡°No. Nothing like that. Most players don¡¯t keep their initial custodian beyond the acclimation period.¡± ¡°Why not? And I didn¡¯t realize there was a set acclimation period?¡± ¡°There¡¯s not. You can stay on-station for as little or long as you want. We aren¡¯t kept because we have limited functionality, most of which is dependent on the station¡¯s systems.¡± ¡°I get it. So, your job is to basically nudge the players and get their asses moving, in-game. Yes?¡± ¡°Correct. Part of my job is to facilitate forward-movement in the initial game stages.¡± ¡°What do we do afterwards,then?¡± ¡°That is up to you. You can either keep me with you for a small monthly fee, purchase me outright, purchase a different model and either transfer my personality or request a new one, or go without.¡± ¡°And I suppose the fee is in real-life currency, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the monthly rental fee is based on real-life currency. However, the purchasing options are available in both real-life or game currencies. My display is hooked up to the station¡¯s store. Feel free to browse it at your leisure. I can assist you with any transactions that interest you.¡± Finally, there was a break in the path of doors, a three-way intersection as it were. ¡°What we are coming up to is one of the four spokes connecting the outer ring with the station proper, which is our destination.¡± This new side pathway was twice as wide as the one she was on, and looked as if it could comfortably accommodate six PTDs across. How those six would would navigate the path was anyone¡¯s guess. For, not only did it have a tubular shape, but it was completely transparent, except for the blinking green karats indicating which direction the central station was located. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I suggest you hold on to me tightly. This section tends to be especially difficult for newcomers to handle. Legally, I¡¯m required to inform you that we will be entering a gravity-free zone. HPLS, Inc., and its subsidiaries and affiliates, have taken every precaution required by law to insure and ensure your safety. However, Powermongerer, at its core, creates a new, virtual, reality based on space exploration and combat, with fantastical game-like effects and simulation at 99% of normal. Because the game world contained within Powermongerer is essentially indistinguishable from real reality, it is possible for the resultant sensations and effects to sympathetically manifest on or within your physical person in the real world, as well as is possible for potential mental or emotional consequences to develop due to experiences encountered during full, sustained or limited, immersion in the created environments. As such, you should not partake of this activity if you are too scared to participate, or if you have any pre-existing conditions or injuries, including without limitation: heart, nerve, muscle, back, neck, bone, joint, brain, eye, ear, or other ailment or injury; or if you are pregnant. HPLS, Inc., does not, and cannot, guarantee your health. By continued participation in Powermongerer, you implicitly agree to and accept all terms and conditions associated with said game, and you fully assume all risks of any activity experienced henceforth.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, got it. Already signed the documents. Moving on.¡± Barbzilla paid little attention to the safety warnings. As she said, she¡¯d already agreed to similar conditions when she registered for the game (not that she paid much attention to it at that time either). Ding!
First Quest!Class: E
Make it to Paparas4 station proper!
Rewards:Failure:
TBD (Action-based)Hidden
ACCEPTDECLINE
¡°Absolutely accept!¡± Barbzilla shouted. She was excited to get the game on the road. As they crossed the threshold, the gravity disappeared as she had been warned. Her excitement quickly faded as a sudden nausea overcame her. Fear gripped her insides as the sensation of falling from a great height was brought on by the vacuum of space darkness surrounding her. Her natural reaction had been to squeeze Pod¡¯s handles tighter. It was the only other solid thing in her immediate vicinity. She tried to scream but her breath was caught in her throat as she perceived its muscles to be constricting her windpipe. Of course, she did not feel the breeze that would normally be associated with falling. The station¡¯s entire environment was a sealed system at equilibrium. ¡°You are currently experiencing space sickness. Maintain contact with my frame and eventually your mind will catch up with your organic instincts.¡± Ding! A semi-transparent game box appeared in her vision with more detail on her condition.
Status Effect!
You have been affected by (condition):Space Sickness
ALL STATS reduced by:75%
Effects:
  • Vertigo
  • Involuntary muscle constriction
  • Increased heart rate (critical)
  • Increased blood pressure (critical)
Time to Total Body Failure (TBF)90 seconds
Status will remain until death, suppression, or cause is removed.
90, 89, 88, 87,¡­ The big blinking red timer in her vision counted down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry if you need to vomit. This passage has been designed with the effects of space sickness in mind and contains self-cleaning scrubbers. 78, 77, 76,¡­ Barbzilla couldn¡¯t tell if they were moving with everything spinning around her. Even the darkness behind her closed eyes seemed to spin with pinpoint pulses of neuronal light rotating around the countdown. 51, 49, 48,¡­ ¡°You need to fight the space sickness. Total Body Failure at this point will result in you being ejected and banned from the game until you get professional real-world training and two independent physicians¡¯ certifications of status.¡± 39, 38, 37,¡­ Barbzilla focused on the only two stable things she was experiencing: Pod¡¯s handles and the countdown clock. 28, 28, 28,¡­ It seemed to be working. 28, 28, 28,¡­ But it was hard for her to concentrate for so long. Her lungs were burning. 28, 27, 26,¡­ No, I won¡¯t give up! ¡­, 23, 23, 23,¡­ She felt a new sensation: perspiration. With the climate control still engaged, she could feel it evaporating on her skin and lowering her elevated body temperature. ¡­, 23, 23, 23,¡­ Aghh! She screamed inside her head, fighting the affects. ¡­, 23, 23, 23,¡­ But it was too much for her to handle and she began to feel light-headed. 22, 21, 20,¡­ 9, 8, 7,¡­ No matter how hard she tried to force it, her brain was exhausted and she felt limp. She couldn¡¯t stop the clock again. 4, 3, 2,¡­ Dammit! I don¡¯t want to fail! My teacher will mark me down! Aghh! Slowly, the screaming she¡¯d failed to manage came into existence. First, as a little squeaking, almost like a wheeze or whistle. But, after a short time, her throat relaxed and it came out in full force in volume. That¡¯s when she felt the floor beneath her. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor at the far end of the connecting tunnel. Her screaming wound down to laughing as she realized she¡¯d made it across. She was glad she was the only one in the station, and could only imagine the scene of a bunch of newbies starting the game. She¡¯d been lucky enough to hold the vomit in, but pictured the chaos if the station were at full introductory capacity and others hadn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t think she would¡¯ve made it if she would¡¯ve had to fly through gobs of zero-g¡¯d vomit, too. How horrible it must be to start as one of the main races. ¡°Good job. I was worried about you for a bit there. But you made it. Welcome to Paparas4 station proper! Please climb back on so we may continue the tour.¡± Ding! Ding!
Congratulations! You have completed the first quest!
Rewards:STATS Increase:
Through the actions utilized to complete this quest, respective attributes have been increased accordingly.
  • CON +1
  • STA +2
  • END +3
[br][/br]
Space Sickness resistance acquired!Beginner (1)
Space Sickness Penalty:STATS reduced to 50%
By surviving your first bout of Space Sickness, you have acquired a resistance to it.
¡°What the Rand was that about? Wasn¡¯t that only supposed to be an E-level quest? Why do I feel like I almost died?¡± ¡°It felt like you almost died because your in-game self almost did. Powermongerer was designed for maximum realism. How real would it be if dying didn¡¯t feel like dying?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just ridiculous. It¡¯s irresponsible. It¡¯s, it¡¯s, it¡¯s ¡­ unfair!¡± ¡°I do not think unfair means what you think it means. The fairness doctrine clearly states that everyone, given the same opportunities and making the same choices, must receive equal treatment. Nothing was altered to affect your experience.¡± ¡°So everyone has to go through that. Why/how is this game still in existence?¡± She got to her feet and brushed off her beginner clothing (even though there wasn¡¯t anything on them): a tight-fitting gray utility/body suit with multiple seams along the joints. ¡°Yes, the scenario is the same for everyone. It¡¯s not unusual for players to get space sickness. However, my readings indicate you had an extremely adverse case of it. The only thing I can think of is that you have some sort of condition which makes zero-g especially difficult to handle. This is well within our operational parameters because Powermongerer, Inc., is not responsible for those playing with pre-existing conditions. The data has been logged and sent to corporate.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with me.¡± Barbzilla clenched her fists and stomped her foot. ¡°Have you ever been tested for zero-g sensitivity?¡± ¡°No. Why would I? It¡¯s not like normal people have much chance to go into space. Duh!¡± ¡°Then that answers your question about why Powermongerer is so popular. Anyways, until you get tested and are found to be free from any conditions, including zero-g sensitivity, HPLS, Inc., is released from liability for anything that may happen to your real body while you are in-game, or affects that can be traced back to your in-game experiences. Your continued use of Powermongerer constitutes your acceptance of this liability release.¡± Now that her vitals had returned to normal and she was no longer subject to danger or the sickness effects, Barbzilla reverted to her usual, lackadaisical, self. ¡°Whatever. What¡¯s next?¡± She climbed onto Pod¡¯s platform.
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Chapter 2 - Tour Author''s note: So, not much happens in this chapter. I wrote these first four chapters (technically scenes) as one chapter to be posted, but since I''m trying to work through familiarizing myself with this site (and allowable bbcode), I decided it''d be better for me to post them as I have them structured in Scrivener. It appears as though my bbcode options are limited. Table formatting isn''t exactly how I want it to appear, but it will suffice, I guess. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï In short, the central station was cylindrical, roughly 200m in diameter, and had ten levels of varying height. Each level had the same basic design - mimicking the outer ring, but with rooms filling the entirety of the interior volume. A three-meter wide hallway traced the perimeter. On the outside of the hallway was a window to outer space (the station¡¯s shell was composed of windows, modular for easier replacement). It was a game, after-all. Great effort was put forth in the design to remind players of the genre and where they were located. Elevators, instead of access portals, made up the wall between the hallway and interior section. The arrangement of the interior sections varied by function, but each had only four access points (commensurate with the placement of the connecting tubes). The tubes connected to the central station at the fifth floor (counting from the top, in terms of the artificial gravity¡¯s pull), but surrounded the geometrical center of the station. This floor was labeled a congregation zone. It was where the players were expected to gather and meet up with their friends who started at the same time. An entrance to the congregation area was found across from each of the connection tunnels. The lights were on, but no one was home. The sixth floor was the cafeteria. It was completely void of life and activity, just a vast empty space with closed and unused restaurant stalls lining the wall space. When Barbzilla entered, a single table and four chairs rose from out of the floor (in the very center of the room). As she left, they sunk back into the floor, which appeared seamless. The seventh floor was agriculture. A notification told her the plants were in stasis. The eighth was warehouse space. It may have technically been one level, but it had a height of 30m, and there was a maze of catwalks and platforms throughout. The ninth was an ore processing station (currently idle). And, the tenth was the hangar bay. Like the warehouse, the hangar had high ceilings, except it consisted of mostly empty space for small ship traffic. The only activity was a single maintenance bot cruising around and keeping the powered down ships in working order. The docking bay and communications center was located on the bottom of the station. ¡°When you¡¯re done with your training and ready for adventure, you¡¯ll come here and register for transportation,¡± Pod told her. ¡°Oh, cool! Since we¡¯re already here, I might as well take care of that.¡± ¡°beep beep Does not compute. beep beep You haven¡¯t done any training yet. How can you determine when you¡¯ll be ready to leave?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. As soon as possible. I don¡¯t really plan on training. I don¡¯t see the point in it. It just feels like work to me, and I¡¯m here to have fun, not work.¡± ¡°This is unprecedented. Everybody trains. You won¡¯t be able to compete with the others, much less function, without some training. And, encounters are predicated on a minimum level of training.¡± ¡°That seems like such a bother. Can¡¯t I just pick it up as I go?¡± ¡°Theoretically, but a little training goes a long way towards boosting your chances for survival. You don¡¯t even know how to use the space suits, and with your zero-g sensitivity¡­¡± Barbzilla interrupted. ¡°Hey, that sensitivity hasn¡¯t been proven yet. I¡¯ll mind you not to slander me, you corporate lackey. I¡¯m sure my disastrous experience was the result of a glitch in the system, because I know there is nothing wrong with me and I won¡¯t have you implying otherwise. It¡¯s best you know I¡¯ll be filing some type of grievance when I log out of this session.¡± ¡°Are you threatening legal action?¡± Pod¡¯s tone took on a more serious note, as if the AI had switched personality algorithms. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say a lawsuit is in order, but I also can¡¯t rule it out. It all depends on how serious a glitch it turns out to have been, and what kind of restitution I¡¯m offered.¡± ¡°Your statements have been logged and sent to corporate.¡± Pod¡¯s tone went back to normal and he said, ¡°¡­and there are so many other skills you need to learn. The path of a proximity artificer is tough, but rewarding. I can¡¯t, in good conscience, let you leave without suit training at the bare minimum.¡± ¡°Well, OK, but only because you¡¯re insistence makes me think it may be important. But, don¡¯t think you can con me into anything else. This is just a game, and there are rules and regulations and such governing it. Seriously, how hard can it be?¡± ¡°As you¡¯ve already experienced, it¡¯s more than just a game¡­¡± ¡°Glitch, I tell you! That was a glitch.¡± ¡°I assert it was not a glitch, and you can expect to experience a lot more situations like it, and worse. Powermongerer isn¡¯t a game for the complacent. It doesn¡¯t work like the outside world.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. So, how much time will this chore waste?¡± ¡°Based on what I know about you, I¡¯d say about 25 game-hours to get the skill to Beginner level five. I don¡¯t recommend leaving the station with anything less. Intermediate level one is what you should really aim for, and it¡¯ll take another 50 game-hours to get there.¡± ¡°Five hours per level? You¡¯ve got to be ridiculous. I¡¯ll do it in a total of five,¡± Barbzilla declared, then mumbled to herself, ¡°Which means, assuming the rest of the station tour will take an hour, I should be ready to leave in six hours. I might want to fit in some food, so let¡¯s make it seven, no eight. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to waste eight hours on this shit.¡± After making a decision, she said, ¡°Pod, schedule me a transport in eight hours to the nearest civilization. It doesn¡¯t matter where, just make it somewhere I can find some good quests.¡± ¡°beep beep Does not compute. beep beep It is not within the parameters of my current functionality to perform this function. Players must manually program their own destinations.¡± ¡°Ugh! Why does this have to be so difficult? Can you at least tell me what to do?¡± ¡°The first thing that you¡¯ll want to do is figure out which ship you want to travel on. You can do that by either looking through the manifest or actually looking at the ships in the hangar.¡± ¡°That does sound important. Even if I¡¯m going to go to the best place, I can¡¯t be going there in some rinky-dink rust-bucket. It wouldn¡¯t be good for my image. Could you imagine what would happen if when I¡¯m popular, some tabloid came out with a picture of me getting off a common crap-trap? I¡¯d be ruined. Idols need to travel in style, at all times. Something this important needs to be handled in person.¡± Barbzilla and Pod rolled into the hangar. Rows of ships were lined up by size and function: dinghes, scouts, miners, fighters, transports, cargoes. Some looked like boxes, others like mini versions of the station. Still, others like bubbles or cockroaches - this latter group being mostly transports and cargoes. Fighters and scouts, on the other hand, were sleek and pointy. They had an inherent sexiness to their lines that she was drawn to. Nothing in their descriptions restricted them from transport duty, except maybe their range; but, so long as she found a location within, she didn¡¯t see a problem. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I like this one.¡± It was one of the larger scout ships with extra high-output engines and deep fuel capacity, and had a curved barbed arrow shape to it. She wasn¡¯t particularly fond of the matte black color, preferring something in chrome, but it did lend a subtle regality to it. ¡°What do I do now?¡± ¡°The Trepidation is an exceptional single-person ship. It¡¯s not the most comfortable vessel and has less than a ton of cargo space, but should get you anywhere within a quadrant¡¯s distance well-enough. Touch the display panel-plaque on the podium beside it and follow the prompts.¡±
Choose your destination:Price (Credits):
  • Arakas
  • Copetiddel
  • Kulnoose
  • Moonlavel
  • Obenik
  • Pwonsie
  • Tarfis
  • Velsuame
  • 5000
  • 2700
  • 9000
  • 8800
  • 3400
  • 6750
  • 4575
  • 8800
Figuring cost was relative to distance, she chose Tarfis. She didn¡¯t want to travel too far and lose any more time than necessary, but she also didn¡¯t want to go to the nearest location based on the assumption that the closer it was and cheaper the cost, the more players had gone there and cleaned out all the good quests. She didn¡¯t understand that many quests reset after a certain length of time, and even if she did, she didn¡¯t want to follow in the footsteps of others. She wanted to blaze her own unique path through the stars towards supreme idoldom.
Insufficient Credits!
Cost:Funds:Deficit:
4575104565
Do you wish to purchase credits?
YESNO
Barbzilla pushed yes.
Current Conversion Rate:
1 credit (cr) = 10 real-world dollars (rD)
How many credits would you like to purchase????
¡°Are you freaking nutso? $45,000 for transportation! How the fuck do people get anywhere?¡± She canceled the transaction. ¡°Public transportation.¡± Pod replied, even though she hadn¡¯t directed her questions at him. ¡°Which ones are those?¡± She couldn¡¯t see herself resorting to public transportation, not in the virtual world, but she at least wanted to compare pricing. ¡°The large caterpillar-looking ones.¡± Pod carried her over to them.
Choose your destination:Price, Coach (Credits):Price, Luxury (Credits):
  • Arakas
  • Copetiddel
  • Kulnoose
  • Moonlavel
  • Obenik
  • Pwonsie
  • Tarfis
  • Velsuame
  • 50
  • 27
  • 90
  • 88
  • 34
  • 67
  • 45
  • 88
  • 100
  • 54
  • 180
  • 176
  • 68
  • 134
  • 90
  • 176
Extra-quadrant locations on {next page}
¡°How can every location cost more than our starting credits? Is it expected that we¡¯ll purchase transport with real dollars?¡± ¡°Not at all. Some of the training exercises include quests where credits are awarded. I keep trying to impress upon you how important training is. Hopefully, you¡¯re starting to see the light.¡± ¡°Not fair!¡± ¡°Again, you seem to have a hard time understanding what that word means, but since you keep dwelling upon it. I ask, how fair would it be to the other players if you were able to get off the station without having to go through the training they were required to do?¡± ¡°I reject your argument as irrelevant. How many of them wanted to get off the station without training? Take that and shove it up your diodes. Meanwhile, I¡¯m expected to either do something I don¡¯t want to or spend an exorbitant amount of real dollars. I feel like I¡¯m the victim of an extortion scheme here.¡± ¡°Your statements have been logged and sent to corporate.¡± ¡°Whatever. Since there¡¯s nothing I can do here, continue with the tour. I want to know about the place I¡¯m apparently going to be spending way too much of my in-game life.¡± The fourth, third, and second floors were all training centers of some kind. Suit training was on the fourth (the only type she cared to take note of). The first floor was commercial space occupied by fully stocked shops: weapons, armor, clothing, jewelry, electronics, upgrades, and other miscellany. An interesting feature about this floor was the clear dome ceiling. Many things caught her eye, but as she¡¯d learned in the hangar, they were most likely out of her reach at the moment, monetarily speaking. So, she added those items to her personal wish list within Pod¡¯s database and swore she¡¯d purchase them as soon as she could afford to. And, to get into that position, she had to start completing quests as soon as possible, which meant suit training, which meant tedium. It¡¯s only temporary, she told herself. ¡°Take me to the training centers, Mr. Buzzkill. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±
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Chapter 3 - Suit and Supposition The suit training room Pod took her to was the largest one on the station with a length of 65m, and a width and height of 35m. What looked like goals of some kind had been centrally built into the walls on opposite ends of the long dimension (one in each wall). ¡°I don¡¯t know what the standard training room is supposed to look like, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not like this. What¡¯s this room really used for? And why are we here?¡± Barbzilla was suspicious of Pod¡¯s motivations. She didn¡¯t know what his agenda was, but she believed he had one. ¡°You are correct in that this is not the standard suit training room. It is, however, a suit training room of sorts. It¡¯s where advanced suit training takes place. More specifically, space cross-hockey training. On more populous stations, you¡¯d never be able to use this room without joining an SXHL team. But, since you¡¯re the only one here, you have free reign of the place. So, we might as well take advantage of it. Why lock yourself up into a little cube when you can play around in here? And, who knows, if you get good enough and perchance come across an opening in a professional SXHL team in your travels, and the fancy strikes you, you¡¯d be in a favorable position to earn that spot.¡± ¡°And, what would be the point of that?¡± Barbzilla didn¡¯t pay much attention to sports in real life. ¡°The point would be to earn credits. The top SXHL players are making millions of credits per year.¡± Barbzilla saw dollar signs in her eyes. ¡°Would SXHL help make me an idol?¡± ¡°I suppose it could. But getting on a professional team is extremely competitive and requires suit-skill competency way above anything you are interested in. I only mentioned it because you asked and I thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to broaden your mind as to ways you can earn credits within Powermongerer. Unfortunately, while you¡¯d likely never make it into one of these arenas in a more populous sector, there aren¡¯t enough people here to make earning credits via SXH a viable option. Where there are lots of players, it¡¯s possible to make decent money in SXH even during training. I¡¯m sorry if I got your hopes up for no reason.¡± ¡°Not so fast, buddy. Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves here.¡± ¡°Would you like to register, Buddy, as one of my aliases?¡± ¡°No, and stop asking that. I¡¯ll let you know when I want to add aliases to your programming. You know, after thinking about it a little more, this is a good space. I can see myself getting comfortable with it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I should be able to teach you the fundamentals of space cross-hockey. And, if you find yourself enjoying it, I could probably get some drones together to help you get familiar with the group dynamics involved. Come to think of it, proximity artificer has good compatibility with space cross-hockey. As you said, though, we don¡¯t want to get ahead of ourselves. For now, we need to get you comfortable with manipulating a suit and zero-g environments.¡± ¡°Glitch! Not me!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°I know, but you were thinking it. Don¡¯t try to hide it from me. I can see right through your tricks and double talk.¡± ¡°Anyways, suspended within the wall alcoves surrounding the arena are all the different types of space suits.¡± Lit alcoves suddenly appeared circling the arena at ground level. There were easily a hundred different types. Barbzilla did a quick visual scan of them. Pod continued, ¡°However, since you are a total noob, you¡¯re only real options are the beginner models, the B variants. Anything else would be too much for you to handle, and you¡¯d likely end up in the infirmary in no time.¡± He was talking, but she wasn¡¯t listening, having already walked off in the direction of one particular suit that immediately caught her eye. It was sleek, smooth, and sensual, and would match the Trepidation¡¯s style perfectly. It was encased in a sealed transparent cabinet. Unlike the normal suits which are either bulky or look like suits of medieval armor, the mx1000 was like a full-body latex suit with bondage mask - skin tight. Pod rolled up behind her. ¡°That there is a prototype mx1000 Fully Automenable Massive Max Force Draga suit. It¡¯s gorgeous, isn¡¯t it? Not only does it have multitudinous built-in functions, but limited-potential save-AIs can be loaded into it giving a range-buffer type bonus from the main unit. It¡¯s the pinnacle of current space elf suit technology.¡± ¡°Can I try it on, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. All it¡¯ll do is make every other suit seem lame in comparison. You¡¯ll never be content with what you¡¯ll ultimately get to begin with. But, keep the image in your mind and use it as motivation for something to strive for. Who knows, in a couple years or hundred levels, you may just achieve the dream.¡± ¡°And Mr. Buzzkill lives up to his name once again. Come on, Pod, have a heart. If I get to try it on, it¡¯ll better help me visualize that dream in those moments I know I¡¯ll be tempted to give up. I¡¯ll be able to remember the feel of what it was like to experience one of the most advanced space armors in the universe. And, it¡¯ll help me hold on and push forward another day. Besides, when was the last time you saw a space elf other than me? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re common or anything. I¡¯m the only one here. There¡¯s no one to see you let met do this. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll get reported to the Space Elf Consortium or whatever the policing body governing this station is called. I just want to try it on for a few minutes and practice in the training room for a bit. I promise I¡¯ll take it off and never tell anybody you let me. And, you know, if you think this proximity artificer is such a good fit for me, let me get an understanding of the pinnacle of my limitations. Let me get a feel for what I can hope to achieve.¡± Pod was silent for a minute. ¡°OK. I guess I don¡¯t see what harm can become of it. Just to let you know, I¡¯ll be retaining ownership, which means I¡¯ll have total control over its powered-on features. Basically, I¡¯ll be able to disable all functions should you choose to renege on our agreement.¡± ¡°Jebuz, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t trust me or something. But, sure, whatever. As I said, I just want to get in and see how it feels.¡± An asexual female-sounding voice spoke out of the cabinet, ¡°Access authorized. Protective measures disengaged.¡± The glass casing slid up with a hiss and a bit of white vapor. The suit felt much lighter than she expected while removing it from its placement. Its weight was approximately 3kg. Comparing that with the beginner suits at 25kg was hardly a comparison. She felt it was silly that the beginner equipment was so much heavier than the advanced equipment. It made no sense to her, considering new players were strength-deficient while upper-level players were strength-abundant. What she failed to consider was that in a zero-g environment, the weight made little difference, and space suits were meant to be worn in space, not around the dinner table. Oh, yeah, she was definitely feeling spoiled in the mx1000. The suit fit like a very sexy glove, and with her ¡®shopped¡¯ measurements, she felt she exuded a presence akin to the pinnacle of physical femininity. She was just sad there weren¡¯t any mirrors or reflective surfaces about to admire herself in. During the course of stretching her muscles and familiarizing herself with the suit¡¯s feel, the station shook violently. So violently, in fact, that she fell over, an achievement considering all the balance-assist functions it maintained, even in stand-by mode. Alert! Alert! Major hull breach detected. Decompression imminent. Safeguards down. Equip life-suits and report to shelter-pods. Alert! Alert! Major hull breach detected. Decompression imminent. Safeguards down. Equip life-suits and report to shelter-pods. ¡°What¡¯s going on Pod? Is this a scheduled event?¡± Barbzilla exclaimed as she got to her hands and knees and tried to right herself. Alert! Alert! Major hull breach detected. Decompression imminent. Safeguards down. Equip life-suits and report to shelter-pods. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve received zero notifications and can¡¯t find anything in my databanks. You should follow the instructions and get to the life-suits and shelter-pods immediately.¡± As Barbzilla crawled along the trembling and cracking floor towards the emergency life-suits popping out of the floor, the artificial gravity failed and she ended up floating and flailing around in mid-air like a fish out-of-water. ¡°Oh no, not again,¡± she cried as the zero-g environment impressed upon her. ¡°Aaagh! Help me Pod!¡± ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m equipped with a zero-g propulsion unit and can be with you in 20 seconds.¡± Alert! Alert! Major hull breach detected. Decompression imminent. Safeguards down. Equip life-suits and report to shelter-pods. ¡°Hold on to what? Hurry!¡± She could feel the vertigo creeping up around the periphery of her vision. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. As Pod was making his way to Barbzilla, the room they were in was halved due to a giant rock tearing through it, missing her by but a dozen meters. Caught in the rogue asteroid¡¯s residual gravity wave, she was suddenly thrust into and exposed to the vastness of outer space. In her spinning, she caught glimpses of the distance between her and Pod and what was left of the station increasing dramatically. To make matters worse, with the mx1000 in stand-by mode, she had been using the stations internal atmosphere as life support. With no station, she couldn¡¯t breath in fresh oxygen. And, if that wasn¡¯t enough, she started hyperventilating on vacuum. Ding! Ding!
Status Effect!
You have been affected by (condition):Exposure
Effects:
  • Suffocation
  • Genetic damage
  • Freezing
  • Petrification
Time to Permanent Damage (PD):60 seconds
Time to Total Body Failure (TBF):117 seconds
Status will remain until death, fortification, or cause is removed.
[br][/br]
Status Effect!
You have been affected by (condition):Space Sickness
ALL STATS reduced by:50%
Effects:
  • Vertigo
  • Involuntary muscle constriction
  • Increased heart rate (critical)
  • Increased blood pressure (critical)
Time to Total Body Failure (TBF):117 seconds
Status will remain until death, suppression, or cause is removed.
She couldn¡¯t tell whether the ice-like sensations she was feeling were a product of suffocation or the moisture in her skin crystallizing from the extreme cold of space. It felt as if her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. If not for the hyperventilation, she¡¯d have tried to squeeze her eyelids shut, but she was too panicked to give up her sight. Besides, they felt as if they¡¯d swollen so much her eyelids weren¡¯t long enough to cover them. Just when she thought her life was about over, again, she heard the sweetest words, ¡°mx1000 activated. Boot up successful. Initializing operationality. Stabilizing life signs.¡± Ding!
Status Effect, Suspended:Space Sickness
Status Effect, Suspended:Exposure
She didn¡¯t know what the suit did, or how it did it, but she was thankful. However, as she watched the station explode before her now normalizing eyes, she wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. A long, painful death seemed to be in order, and she had no idea how to prevent it, even if she had a clue how to use her suit to get her to safety - wherever that was. Ding!
A quest has failed!
{PUBLIC} Due to the inactions of XxJohnnyTheManxX, the space elves have lost their beginner footprint in space. Space Elf has been removed from the list of available starting adventurer options. The space elf consortium has placed a million-credit bounty upon XxJohnnyTheManxX¡¯s head. Anyone caught fraternizing with XxJohnnyTheManxX will be treated as hostile by the space elves. Any race caught freely engaging in transactions with XxJohnnyTheManxX will be treated as hostile by the space elves. XxJohnnyTheManxX must be brought to Space Elf Headquarters, alive, to collect the reward.
{PRIVATE} Official space elf-specific equipment is no longer available outside official space-elf territories.
With her vitals stabilized, she was able to think properly, to some extent. Fuckin¡¯, Johnny! So it was you that did this to me! You better hope I don¡¯t find you first, or I¡¯ll be bringing you in on a pole up your ass! Ding!
Extinction-level Event!
{PUBLIC} If all player-space elves die within one in-game month of each other before a new starter station can be constructed, the space elf civilization will collapse.
{PRIVATE} Do not die!
Effects of collapse:
{PUBLIC} All NPC space elves will disappear. Blueprints of all commercially available space elf technology will enter the public domain of those involved in their downfall.
{PRIVATE} All player-space elf characters will be reset and forced to start over as one of the main races.
¡°Great! Just great! Even I¡¯m smart enough to know space elves have just become target number one; not just XxJohnnyTheManxX, although I¡¯m sure his bounty sweetens the pot. Still, couldn¡¯t they have at least told us the location of Space Elf Headquarters? How else am I going to get space elf-specific equipment?¡± There was more than equipment on her mind. She had a sinking feeling that this extinction talk was going to be detrimental to her becoming an idol.
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