Encounters
Page 5
"The company that bought the rights to your DNA map noticed that you were experiencing some unusual changes before the explosion. How these changes will impact your skills and abilities in the game is unknown." Morrigan smiled and then looked down, moving her hands in mid air.
To Kano, he thought she looked like she was typing on a virtual terminal of some kind, however, there was no keyboard or similar hologram depicted. Or casting a spell, Kano thought, snorting at the thought. I’ve seen people make similar gestures in some fantasy shows. She continued after a moment of frantic arm waving and finger stabbing.
"With the customization modifiers that are standard for all player characters in place for you as well, we are confident that you could be one of the most interesting characters the game has ever seen."
"What if I don't want to be a video game character? Also, what do you mean by DNA map? I've never heard of such a thing, the human genome, yes, but, not that." Kano was confused and despite Morrigan's helpfulness in answering questions, he felt like each one opened the door to countless others.
"First, despite being a game character, you are obviously a real person. Or were. Now, you're a digital person. And this is your home." Morrigan flashed him a smile full of pearly white teeth. "So while you are still you, in this game player characters also experience things that are standard inside of a fantasy RPG. These include level ups, stats and attribute points, et cetera."
Nodding, Kano breathed deep, considering all that had happened, then exhaled, finding his center and for the first time, calming down. The inner turmoil and distress eased as he accepted the situation. Sure, Kano knew he could try to run away, but he couldn't help thinking about his family. The cat. If they were with him, Kano knew they would want him to push forward, to live; however he could.
Then, he smiled, thinking about Charlie. The only other hobby his roommate indulged in apart from conspiracy chasing was gaming. MMORPG games that Charlie, his roommate, had begged him to play, Kano had pushed off. Now, for all those missed opportunities, Kano was being given the chance to not just play, but to live an adventure.
"What now?" Kano asked, curiosity in his voice. This, he thought, this I can do.
"In the end, Kano, you don't really have a choice." Morrigan smiled wider and this time, he thought her expression sinister, evil somehow. “This is your world now, Kano. How you decide to spend your time here is up to you.” She reached out a hand and pinched Kano’s chin playfully. "I could always make you respawn again, and we could always have this conversation for the hundred-something time." Morrigan's smile grew wider. Her voice sounded like liquid honey and while her pale hand reached for Kano's cheek, he latched onto something she said.
"Wait, we’ve had this conversation before. I just got some major deja vu there."
Morrigan smiled. This is a first, she thought. "Yes, this is in fact our 977th discussion." She paused while Kano picked his jaw off his chest and closed his mouth.
"Usually by now, you've done something rash. You’ve killed yourself 572 times, so far."
"No shit? That's harsh. I mean, game character doesn't sound ideal but it's better than being dead. Living inside a game could be interesting." She never mentioned there was a protagonist, Kano thought, I'm thinking Open World, not some pre-scripted story. That means more than enough opportunity. I’ll find something that doesn’t suck and stick to it.
"Exactly, that's the spirit!" Morrigan reached out to give Kano a high five that he returned with enthusiasm.
She continued her speech. "We’ve tried to reduce your depression in recent iterations so the experience wasn’t so fresh and painful. The modifications to your DNA map are still being processed so we won't know for some time what the final outcome of those changes will be. What we do know for now is that because you are here digitally, full time, you'll have an advantage over all other characters who enter the system, including the existing NPC's, mobs, characters and similar."
"Interesting," Kano remarked, "Advantages, you say?" This is starting to sound better and better.
"You never gave me the chance to point out that detail before." Never got a chance...? Weird, Kano thought. "Now, do me a favor, concentrate on yourself for a moment. Try to feel your strength, your speed, your body."
What kind of new age hippy shit is this? "Uh, I think I'm already there?" Kano focused his mind on just feeling himself be present, and pinched himself. The pain registered and he grinned. “Yep, I can definitely feel myself.”
"Smartass,” Morrigan muttered, “Do you feel an itch behind your eyeballs? Focus on that."
"Achoo!" Kano sneezed, just as he tried to focus on the sensation she mentioned.
He felt both embarrassed and relieved. "Sorry, yes, I can feel that," Kano said, wiping at his nose. Kano focused on the tickling sensation and lights exploded into his vision. He saw an entire augmented reality (AR) display, better than any game he'd experienced. Kano whooped in delight on seeing the translucent screen in his lower right hand vision.
Character name:
Kano
Profession:
(Blank)
Class:
(Blank)
Level:
0
Experience Points:
0
Next Level:
1
Energy Points (Max)
10 (10)
Health Points (Max):
50 (50)
Attributes and Scores
Physical
Score
Mental
Score
Strength
60
Intelligence
50
Speed
60
Wisdom
50
Endurance
60
Memory
50
Constitution
60
Magic
50
Beauty
60
Linguistics
50
"You can see it?" Morrigan asked.
"Yes, I can see it," he said, taking a deep breath, "this is amazing, Morrigan. Wow!"
For all that this feels something like a dream, it's the most interesting one I've ever had. Note to self though, next time, don't have the sad backstory. I'd rather not have a Lion King or Hamlet style plot as the genesis for the action. Besides which, how many of them lost their awesome cat, eh? Oreo was no "Sylvester," despite the similarity in coloring, but he was the kind of jerk I'd grown to love.
Kano stopped his line of thought with a subtle shake of his head. "I suppose this is where you give me some kind of speech?"
"Speech?" Morrigan looked confused.
"You know, like where you outline the rules of the game, the universe I'm in, that kind of thing." Kano started to do a few stretches to relieve his tension at the weird conversation. Sure, it's a game, but, my calves feel a bit tense for real...ah, that's better.
"Well, since it is a game, how about, first, I wish you good luck." She grinned, "Or better yet, don't die," Morrigan chuckled then, and Kano smiled in response.
"You can give me the mini-tutorial. No reason to drag it out, right?" Kano moved to stretch sideways, ignoring Morrigan's quips, despite his curiosity still nagging at him. The feelings he had coursing through his body were the same as before the explosion. I've definitely gotten bigger, he thought, and faster. Overall, this is just a bit weird, even if I like the upgrades.
Why am I thinking that could be a bad thing?
Five - Class is in Session
"Right," Morrigan said, ignoring Kano's stretching movements. Her voice took on a monotone as she started to explain.
"The game world is modeled after various bits of historical Europe, with some elements carried forward from Ancient Rome, Greece and other areas, depending on what part of the world you are in. The world itself is nearly the size of Earth and, thanks to modern technology and a distributed paradigm; the game world will never go offline or stagnate
. From when the game engine first came online in development mode it has been evolving. Of course, the initial state had basic back-stories to make everything more believable. There's an advanced genetic algorithm built into the system, as well, that governs permutations based on real world history, projected through the game system. This simulation then morphs, based on the actions of characters in the system."
"Fascinating," Kano said, listening intently. It sounded like an open world but even more complex. He’d never heard of a similar paradigm and the theme sounded like one of those gamelit and litRPG fantasy stories his friends had introduced him to reading. "Please tell me more."
She laughed. "I'm glad you enjoy learning. However, for now, that's all I can share.” Morrigan paused, and then added, “Other than sharing there are nonhuman beings, some intelligent, in the game world as well."
"Really," Kano muttered, touching his toes and breathing deep to loosen the tension he felt in his hamstrings. His first thought was of elves, dwarves or similar. Perhaps dragons or giants. "Why is that all you can share?"
"By design, the world gives you limited information to start. Just like life, you’re only handed a hint of what's possible. It's up to you to shape your destiny. You, Kano, decide if you’re the kind of person who accepts boundaries or creates ways around them." She paused and Kano stood up, nodding his head as he looked at her. Morrigan continued. "This is the place where, if you continue to choose yes, Kano, you can step into the final pregame assessment." Morrigan again floated into the air, flying a full circle around him, only stopping when she could look him in the face, directly in front of him. "If you choose to continue into the game, you will eventually have options."
"Like what kind of options?"
Her dark aura pulsed and she smiled, “You’ll see.” Morrigan turned around, deigning to answer further. She looked over her shoulder, acting as if she was going to leave. "Get ready."
"Ready for what?"
"If you don't survive, you'll simply reset back here and you'll have to try again. When you do survive, you can continue into the new world proper."
"Wait, what kind of assessment?" Her lack of explanation was frustrating Kano.
"To learn more about you," Morrigan said, "those EMT, police and others that you saw were part of the simulation, as I am, to ensure your onboarding to the game is as smooth as possible." She smirked. "The questions were part of a behavioral assessment, to ensure that you end up in an appropriate starting scenario in the game. Given your past, it was determined the smoothest way to bring you in was to simply continue, at first, your actual life, as I mentioned before."
Her voice became dispassionate and she looked around, as if scanning for trouble or company. Kano copied her and looked around, seeing nothing, the gray void unbroken. Morrigan, walking forward, was the only thing he could see near him in the featureless landscape.
"So how do I start the last assessment then?"
"The next test is of the more physical variety. The challenges will have an impact on the difficulty level you have in the system, as well as the obstacles you face in the new world. If you want things easier, you can always throw a match and not fight. If you do die in the game, you'll start over from here, with the same onboarding we've been through up until this point. While it might start to get easier if you fail repeatedly, I know it wouldn't be a pleasant experience."
Die? No thanks, Kano thought, even if it did mean less difficult challenges. His pride wouldn't accept the idea of giving up without a fight.
Morrigan continued to talk, "If you fail repeatedly, the system will adjust the onboarding. It also means that survival here might be a bit tough for you, as no matter how easy the system is set, it is designed to push, grow and adapt to the people inside it. Just like life, sometimes, it's uphill both ways." She paused.
"Try not to die." Morrigan winked at him and then turned around, facing toward a wooden, steel banded door that appeared in front of them. The smell of tallow and smoke reached Kano's nostrils and he suddenly felt an uncomfortable itch between his legs as sweat started to drip down his body. Clearly, this isn't an ordinary game, Kano thought, how did they know to program in something that feels just like jock itch? Will Morrigan give me a few minutes to relieve myself? I feel like I need to pee right now.
"Where are we?" Kano asked instead, shuffling on his feet.
"Through this door is your last challenge. I'd say he won't hurt you too much, but I'd be lying. Of course, you'll respawn eventually, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." Morrigan blew him a kiss and smiled wide, showing teeth. "If you want, all you need to do is die, then you can fight an easier adversary. Simple."
"Really?" Kano had a hard time believing that there wasn't a catch.
"Do it enough, you'll skip the fighting completely. Of course, that will handicap your character in certain skills." Morrigan shrugged. "Your call."
"What the shit?" Kano objected, watching her form begin to disappear. "Where are you going? And what do you mean handicap me in certain skills? It's like kill or be killed?"
Her body continued to degrade into transparency, as if she was pulling on an invisibility cloak. "One final thing, since I can't tell you later." Morrigan's voice was still firm, even if her body was almost gone. Kano could see the short hallway through her and the black aura around her was also fading.
"What?"
"If you survive long enough, we are confident we can clone you a new body and download you into it. In other words, you can come back to real life."
Kano could not believe her earlier words and finally embraced what was happening. This is no dream. "When can you have me ready?" Living in a fantasy world sounded cool, but he also didn't like the idea of basically being owned, at the end of the day, by some mega corporation.
"Only time will tell. Until then, as I said, all you have to do is survive. If you can." Her voice came to him as a whisper when Morrigan finally disappeared completely. He scratched himself, relieving the butt itch he had refused to deal with while Morrigan was standing there. Then Kano realized the clothing didn't feel right. He looked down and noticed the changes.
Instead of the hand-me-downs and ruined polo shirt he had been wearing during the explosion, which Kano now knew was years previous, he was wearing an odd outfit. His pants, shirt and boots were padded with extra-thick leather plates on the outside, while the inside had a soft linen liner that made the clothing comfortable enough, if a tad warm. These appeared sturdy, yet gave him enough flexibility that he could move as normal. The plates were all in black, and the clothing was done in various shades of muted green and dark brown. In a forest, I'll bet this could hide me reasonably well, he thought, noticing the motif had a very camouflage feel to it.
Also Kano noticed that, while the outfit should weigh enough to encumber him, he felt no more burdened than when he wore his gym clothes back home. Or just his snowboarding base layer. The boots were far lighter than snowboarding boots and they felt as springy as custom-made athletic shoes. Kano felt like he could probably run as fast, or even faster, than normal.
The former snowboarding instructor jumped, marveling at how easy it was. Kano jumped again and was surprised at how he hit a two-foot higher vertical than before the changes to his body, even with the heavier protection he was wearing. I could never dunk before, Kano thought, now I think I could copy Jordan’s classic dunk from the free throw, even with this strange armor. This is freaking awesome.
After marveling over the wardrobe changes and improved vertical leap, Kano took a closer look at his new surroundings.
The small room with stone walls was at the end of a hallway with torches placed at intervals to illuminate the drab, open space. In front of him, at the end of the hall, were thick wooden doors. There were metal slats where a restraining bar could be placed, and Kano looked around to see where it was. The bar set against the wall was clearly meant to keep it locked and prevent entry from whatever was on the opposite side of the thick doors.
When Kano gave an experimental tug on the door, to see if perhaps it had a locking or bar mechanism on the other side, he was surprised as it opened just a little. Before pulling the door open all the way, he glanced around the room to see if there were any weapons he could take with him. Seeing none, Kano took a deep breath and decided standing around was not an option.
He opened the door fully and blinked at the sudden light. Kano's eyes had adjusted to the relative darkness in the small room and he hadn't realized how dim it was compared to natural sunlight on a cloudless day. As the door swept open, Kano blinked, his eyes almost tearing up from the sudden glare. Foul smells rushed into his nostrils and fought with his stomach, as if something had died long ago and been left to rot. He stood still for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust before he took a step forward into the unknown.
Even with Morrigan's brief overview, Kano had no idea what to expect once he stepped out of the small room.
When his eyes adjusted, Kano walked out a single pace and looked around what he instantly recognized as a large stadium. The ground was packed clay, a light brown in color, and there were entrances just like his around the arena. Thankfully, the size of the open pit he walked out onto was big enough the smell of death was relieved by a light breeze washing over the area. Eyes watering from the glare and sudden smell, Kano spun around slowly to take in the sight. As he did, he wrinkled his nose as the ferrous scent of dried blood reached his nostrils.