by M E Robinson
We should be close. Beginner 10 definitely seems to be how you level up. So if Gio can just get a few more skills to Beginner 10, all 3 of us should hit 10 today. 15 might be a little tough though.
Ryan
Eric
Ryan
Eric
Ryan
Mark
Griffin
Rob
Eric
Jun
Ryan
Gio
Griffin
Eric
Gio
Ryan
Griffin
Mark
Eric
Gio
Eric
Gio
Griffin
Rob
Mark
Eric
Mark
Rob
Mark
Eric
Griffin
Gio
Ryan
Rob
Jun
You have disconnected
Chapter 3
Closing Strife, Eric opened up a browser and navigated to Riddit. It seemed that Ryan had been telling the truth. The top posts for the last four hours almost all pertained to Fate, with various clickbaity titles alluding to the contents. Pressing on the top post, the page suddenly disappeared, replaced by a system prompt. Eleanor’s voice rang out inside his head, “Would you like to watch this video in 3D using the FateGear?”
“Sure,” Eric replied, watching with interest as the room disappeared, replaced by a packed crowd on a grassy lawn. Looking around, Eric saw that the crowd seemed to be comprised entirely of reporters. The blinking red lights of microphones, cameras, and recorders creating an almost concert-like atmosphere. Straining to stand on his tiptoes, Eric was shocked to find himself suddenly flying up above the reporters. Halting his flight roughly three meters in the air, the realization of where he was hit him.
The enormous Hurricane building did nothing to make itself inconspicuous. Massive statues of main characters from various Hurricane titles dotted the lawn in key positions, while well-groomed and manicured hedges formed the logos of the most popular Hurricane games, their intricate designs spanning the length of the enormous front lawn. It was at the foot of this lawn, nestled into an alcove near the entrance of the building, that this press conference was being held. At the front of the alcove, a makeshift stage had been set up, beside the enormous statue of Orthas, the most well recognized character from Hurricane’s previous MMO, World of Bladecraft.
Standing on the stage was the recognizable figure of Michael Lietke, as well as another man whom Eric didn’t recognize. The second man appeared confident, standing firm as he surveyed the gathered reporters. His red beard and well-groomed appearance gave indication to his importance, clad as he was in a snazzy navy suit with a nice silver tie to round off the look. His sharp appearance stood in stark contrast to Lietke’s never changing casual attire. Even today, Lietke was only dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of slacks. As Eric watched, Lietke strode to the front of the stage and motioned for silence.
Quieting down, the reporters held their recording equipment high, ready to catch every moment of the press release. Satisfied with the noise level, Lietke opened his mouth. “I’m glad everyone could make it! Have you all been enjoying Fate?”
The crowd roared, several reporters giving appreciative whoops but still managing to hold their equipment steady.
Lietke grinned, “I’m glad to hear it! Now as I’m sure everyone knows, but especially all of you, my esteemed members of the press, is that the Fate World Championships will begin next year. However!” Lietke paused for dramatic effect, watching the silent mass of reporters straining to keep their cameras on him. “However! We at Hurricane have not released any information about the event! Players and your fellow reporters have been asking us incessantly about the details and I’m excited to announce that some of your questions shall be put to rest today!”
Pausing for applause, Lietke looked towards the well-dressed man to his right. “Allow me to introduce Nicholas “Redbeard” Kowalczyk! The man in charge of the Fate World Championships!” Pausing once more for applause, Lietke stepped back, allowing Nicholas to take the stage.
“Thank you, Michael,” said Nicholas, clapping along with the audience as he took the centerstage. Surveying the crowd, Redbeard smiled. “I see everyone is excited to learn about the championship. Now I’m sure you all have questions, but I do ask that you save the questions until after I’ve explained the tournament format.”
Seeing that there were no objections, Redbeard continued, “Now the format for the Fate World Championships will be a rather normal tournament structure with teams fighting other teams to advance.”
As he spoke, an enormous projection appeared behind him, obscuring the statue of Orthas. As the gathered press watched, an enormous trophy appeared in the center of the projection. Slowly spinning as it completed a full rotation, it soared to the right side of the projection, shrinking as it settled at the far end of the projection. As the trophy settled, lines began to appear on the opposite side of the projection. Hundreds of lines slowly being drawn. As they watched, each line paired off with an adjacent line, a new line branching from the paired lines and repeating the process. As the final two lines met, a new line emerged, entering the trophy which glowed as the line struck it.
Turning back to the crowd Redbeard smiled. “Here’s a more visua
l representation of the tournament itself. But obviously, the main question isn’t about the format of the tournament, but rather, how to qualify for the tournament. Right?”
A murmur of assent slowly swept over the gathered crowd of reporters. Hearing this, Redbeard nodded happily. “Right. So today, the topic will be how to qualify for the tournament. Now, Fate is a different type of game than previous e-sports titles. A traditional deathmatch or battle arena style battle is too bland a format to showcase all the incredible systems that make up Fate. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a qualifying round that is uniquely suited to Fate!”
As he spoke, the projection behind Redbeard began to change, the tournament bracket disappearing and being replaced by the image of a castle on a grassy plain. Seeing that he had the attention of the crowd once more, Redbeard turned to point at the projection.
“To qualify for the Fate World Championships, you must be part of a guild, clan, sect, or any other organization that owns an outpost or a trading post by the end of the year. Any property with a greater value than an outpost or trading post will also qualify the organization for the preliminary round of the World Championships. Do note that the property must be independent of another settlement. You cannot own a property in a city or town, you must own an independent plot of land. Of course, you can take ownership of an existing village, or town, but you might find that the residents won’t necessarily be disposed to making this easy,” Redbeard joked. “Are there any questions so far?”
Scanning the crowd, Redbeard pointed towards a tall, dark-skinned woman.
“Yes, you in the blue suit, what’s your question?”
“Fedorovena Williams, Virtual Gamers. Are you saying that players need to be part of a guild or other faction in order to qualify for the tournament?”
“Yes. I’ll even go one further and say that they need to be part of a faction of some sort in order to participate in the tournament. With the exception of the duelist invitational that is, but you’ll learn about that later. Are there any other questions? Yes, you with the fedora.”
Stepping forward, a portly man with a fedora and a well-trimmed moustache spoke up. “Kieran Porter, MMO Today. What’s the minimum size for a property to be considered eligible as an outpost? Also, is there a requirement that the players own the land that the outpost is built upon? Or can they create an outpost in secret to qualify?”
“Oho,” Redbeard smiled. “An outpost is any fortified structure really. The base requirements are that the property can sustain inhabitants and defend against attacks. Every village in Fate qualifies as an outpost. A good guideline would be walls that cover at least a few acres, and at least one large building within the walls. As for owning the land, no, that’s not necessary. However, just like in the real world, the inhabitants of Fate might take issue if you decide to use their land without permission. So be prepared for that.”
Nodding gratefully, the man stepped back into the crowd, allowing Redbeard to continue to explain the rules for the tournament. Winding down, Redbeard fielded a few more questions from reporters on the format and dates of the Fate World Championship before bringing the press conference to an end. Tapping the microphone attached to his bluetooth speaker, he smiled towards the crowd.
“Are there are any last questions before we wrap up? You, yes you with the pink shirt.”
“Karl Matthews, Daily MMOGamer. Will players be prepared to fight for the Kingdom Representative spots? You stated that the cutoff for qualification is at the end of the year. Is that enough time for players to reach max level and gear up? Or will levels and gear be set during the tournament?”
“An excellent question, what did you say your name was?”
“Karl Matthews, with the Daily MMOGamer.”
“Well Karl, leveling in Fate is a little different from traditional MMO’s. As I’m sure you’ve all noticed.” There was a round of chittering laughter at this statement. Redbeard smiled. “We expect most of our hardcore players to reach a point where leveling doesn’t matter too much by Christmas. The early start date of the first few tournaments is both a reward for those who put the time in to level up and get ahead of the pack, and also an incentive for those who need a carrot to entice them. As for gear, players will bring their own. However, gear is not as impactful in Fate as it is in other MMO’s, particularly eastern ones. I won’t spoil it for now, but we expect skill to be the biggest separator between the participants. Not gear or level. Does that satisfy your question?”
With a thankful nod, Karl retreated, leaving Redbeard to stare at the crowd. The light reflecting off his ginger beard. “Thank you all for being here. Unfortunately, our time is up, but I trust that all of you are excited to be off so you can be the first to create articles about the Fate World Championships,” said Redbeard with a wink.
With that, the reporters were off, scrambling to get out of the grounds as quickly as they could while simultaneously keeping as much of their dignity intact as was possible under the circumstances. Eric giggled, watching from above. They didn’t do a great job at the second part, with reporters banging into each other, yelling at each other, and treating their cameras and recording equipment like they were made of gold, protecting them above all else, even themselves, Eric thought as he watched a reporter trip and go skidding across the grass, her camera held safely above her head as her white blouse gained a beautiful grass stain.
Unfortunately, the recording came to an end here, morphing back into that now familiar room with its huge window, amazing landscape, and incredibly comfortable couch. Lying back on the couch, Eric imagined going to sleep, Eleanor could probably conjure up a blanket if he really wanted one. Just before he could close his eyes, Redbeard’s words echoed in his mind, “a reward for those who put the time in to level up and get ahead of the pack.” With a titanic struggle, he stood up, preparing to open Fate. Raising his hand above his head, he shouted, “Fate Start!”
With a small jolt, the surroundings that had only just materialized began to blur once more, slowly being replaced by the muddy roads of Tonbura Village.
Chapter 4
As the light began to disappear, Eric’s thoughts began to wander. Riptide, will this be the game where we finally find success? Eric wondered. Their group of seven had played games together for years. Once they’d finally started entering tournaments, they’d called their team Riptide and the name had stuck. No matter who else joined them, and there had been several who’d fought alongside them under the Riptide banner, they’d always used the name Riptide. From online tournaments, to guilds, to temporary group names, it had always been Riptide.
Unfortunately, they’d never been able to garner the success they yearned for. While Riptide was somewhat well known in the local area due to them attending tournaments nearby, they’d never been able to break out onto a bigger stage. Hopefully, that would change.
Gathering his bearings, Eric found himself standing outside Doreen’s shop. Evening was starting to fall, and the streets were filled with villagers and players alike. Dodging out of the way of an impatient adventurer who was dashing towards the Northern part of town, Eric decided that now was the perfect time to do some hunting. With Rob, Mark, and Griffin all making their way to Tonbura today, that left him free to do something that really mattered, like leveling! Confirming that he was prepared to re-enter Stillwood Forest, Eric quickly opened his status page to double check.
[Status]
Erick Kystfyr - Level 7
Health: 160/160
Mana: 160/160
Title: Corporal
Weapon: Fine Yew Longbow (20 Fine Goose-feathered Iron Arrows, 20 Stone)
Common Iron Shortsword
Armour: Leather Padded Armour (Common)
Skills: Basic Magic (Arcane, Fire, Wind)
Basic Martial Arts (Beginner 10)
Militia Spearmanship
Militia Swordsmanship (Apprentice 2)
Basic Archery (Apprentice 6)
Basic Evas
ion (Apprentice 6)
Basic Herbalism
Basic Speechcraft
Active Skills:
Evasive Shot (Apprentice 2)
Charged Shot (Beginner 7)
Sword Technique - Guard (Beginner 4)
Sword Technique - Dashing Cut (Beginner 1)
The number of skills upon the list had grown considerably since his arrival only the day before. He’d also gained quite a few levels in most of his skills, resulting in a satisfying amount of apprentice ranked skills dotting the list. Confirming that he had indeed replaced his damaged armour with shiny new leather armour, and that his quiver of arrows had been replenished, he closed the status page and headed towards the now familiar Northern gate. As he passed through the narrow village streets, he called up his quest log to see which quests remained now that he’d turned in the two militia quests.
[Quest Log]
- Hunt monsters in the vicinity of Tonbura Village.
Reward: Increased favour with village residents. Pay based on monsters killed. Possibility to earn skills if degree of completion is high enough.
- Learn Magic from Lucy Morningstar, the village mage.