Taking the elevator up to his apartment, he hurried to get the door open and rush inside. As he suspected, Aaheli was already online and her slender body was suspended inside the protective sheath of her Astral-bubble—the device by which people connected to the virtual reality of the Astraverse. Her eyes were closed and there was a serene look on her face. For a moment, Argo stood gazing down at her. With her flawless dark skin and voluptuous dark blue hair he was put in mind of a sleeping angelic being, a paragon of innocent perfection. Next to her was the other vacant Astral-bubble with a note stuck on its transparent cover written in Aaheli’s bold hand:
I’M GONNA CHOP OFF YOUR NUTS AND WEAR THEM AS EARRINGS! GET IN HERE NOW!
Argo took the note of the bubble and sighed. The paragon of innocent perfection had a fiery temper, and the kind of language she used when she was mad would get her kicked out of Heaven double quick.
“Ok, ok, I’m coming,” he said to himself. “Man, I just can’t catch a break today.”
Slipping off his overcoat and scarf, he pressed the button on the side of his Astral-bubble and it slid open silently. He climbed into the leather-lined compartment and attached the small metal disc of the neural interface to the side of his head. When he was ready, he pressed the switch on the inside of the bubble and the cover came down to cocoon him inside.
Following the revolutionary breakthrough in quantum robotics—which had led to the creation of an intelligent automatic workforce to carry out all the menial and unpleasant tasks people were reluctant to do—the human race shifted their attention away from the pursuit of making money and rampant consumerism to focus on self-betterment and leisure. As traditional economic and political structures crumbled away as a consequence, people who chose to work pursued careers in scientific research, the humanities, arts and the spiritual disciplines. Or, like Argo had done, entered the entertainment industries and other creative outlets. The hunger for entertainment increased exponentially which shaped the direction of research and led in turn to the creation of virtual quantum reality.
Now, thanks to the Astral-bubbles and a small neural interface, people could access a vast simulated universe called the Astraverse. In this infinite virtual reality, people could follow their heart’s desire, from taking e-tours of any country in the world, or any planet in the known universe, to finding the perfect partner and settling down with them in a virtual love nest to raise computer simulated families. Or they could simply watch movies, with the option of becoming integrated into the action and changing the plots to suit their whims. The most popular use of the Astraverse, however, was gaming. Massive online multiplayer games set in a variety of worlds as real as their own physical reality were the main source of entertainment, and it was one of these games that Argo now spent much of his free time in.
As the protective sheath of the Astral-bubble enveloped him, a dulcet female voice began to speak. “Welcome back Argo,” the bubble purred. “Where would you like to go today?”
“Take me into Drake Realm,” Argo said quickly. “Please,” he added feeling abashed. “I want to go to Witchstorm Manor.”
“My pleasure, Argo,” the Astral-bubble said. “I believe your friends are waiting on your arrival. Aaheli, in particular, is quite anxious to see you.”
Argo thought about the note she had left for him and could well imagine exactly how anxious she was to see him. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“Close your eyes please and we’ll be on our way,” the Astral-bubble replied.
Argo did as he was instructed and he felt the neural interface begin to tingle against his skin. A warm feeling flooded though his body and he relaxed, before experiencing the sensation of floating. As the transference of his consciousness into the Astraverse was initiated, he started to see a soft pink light behind his eyelids. The light grew steadily brighter and he felt himself rising higher and higher.
“Now entering the Astraverse Argo,” the Astral-bubble informed him. “Have fun.”
The pink glow turned into a dazzling bright white and he suddenly surged towards a sparkling blue portal that had appeared above him. He let out an exhilarated breath and opened his eyes. The Astral-bubble and the apartment had vanished and he was now standing upright in a large courtyard of blue flagstones beneath a bright warm sun. The chatter of birdsong greeted his ears, along with the clucking of chickens and the mooing of cows, and he could smell the sweet blossoms of the multicolored flowers that dotted the sprawling fields that stretched beyond the arched gateway leading out of the courtyard.
Argo took a moment to acclimatize himself to his virtual reality and then turned around to face the sprawling half-timbered mansion that stood there.
The heavy oaken front door was open and he could hear voices inside—angry, irritated voices—and he knew exactly the cause of that annoyance. Taking a deep breath, he stepped over the threshold and plunged into the gloomy interior.
“I say we go on without him,” Brier’s deep booming voice declared from the dining hall that was directly in front of him. “I can’t wait around forever. I got to pick the kids up from school in two hours.”
“We can’t go without him, we’ll never get past the defense ward,” countered Sonia in her usual patient tone. “You know that.”
“We can have a good crack at it,” countered Kip. “I can use my Ghost Shift Spell and we can phase right through. Besides, he’ll only foul things up anyway. He always does.”
“That’s settled then,” Brier said. “We go now. We don’t need him.”
“We wait,” cut in Henk, who was the de facto head of the Crew and their main tank. “I’m not taking any chances with this quest. We’ve been planning it for too long.”
“But I can’t wait much longer!” Brier retorted. “We got to make a move soon!”
Argo stepped through the open doorway before the discussion could escalate into a full blown argument, and gave the other members of the Manticore Crew a sheepish smile. “Hi guys,” he said meekly. “Sorry I’m late.”
“There you are!” Aaheli said, storming towards him. She was dressed in the dark green leathers of a Ranger, and her obsidian eyes flashed with anger. “We’ve been tearing our hair out. Where have you been?”
“I’m sorry Aaheli,” Argo stammered. “The performance today was really rough. Mrs. Okeke kept throwing vegetables at me again and Tomi stormed right off the—”
“We don’t have time to listen to all your nonsense Argo!” Brier interrupted, baring his fangs. “We got to get to the quest site! Access your gear and let’s move it!” He grabbed Argo’s arm and yanked him over to the row of different colored chests that lined the wall. “Quick! Quick!”
Brier was a short-tempered graphic designer who lived in Neo-Helsinki about two thousand miles away from Orchid City, and whenever he played in the Drake Realm he chose to make his avatar into a gnoll—a grisly creature that was all matted fur, long limbs and huge claws. In this non-human form, he possessed a natural bonus in speed and strength over the rest of the Manticore Crew which went to his head sometimes and he had a particular fondness for bossing Argo around.
Argo went over to the blue chest in the corner which was his, and pressed the small black stone that had been embedded into the topside of the lid. Instantly, a holographic HUD screen appeared showing Argo’s in-game avatar along with his stats:
Name
Argo
Race
Human
Class
Bard
Level
02/20
Health Points
30/30
Stamina Points
20/20
Mana Points
20/20
Experience
0/500
Strength
8
Endurance
9
Dexterity
13
Spirit
8
Willpower
8
Cunning
16
Active Abilities
Medley
All party members recover 1 HP every 5 seconds
Ditty
Increase the party’s accuracy and evasion by 10%
Blightbane’s Song
Lower the wards protecting the Blight Cube (granted by Lute of Decimar)
Passive Abilities
Swords 20/100
Serviceable aptitude with swords
Can wield light blades
Strings 60/100
Modest aptitude with stringed instruments
Can play modestly complex songs
Can access spell-songs on enchanted stringed instruments
Though many people who played Drake Realm and other fantasy and science fiction RPGs liked to change their appearance completely and, like in Brier’s case, become a completely different creature altogether, Argo retained his own real world appearance albeit maybe a little more athletic, as did the other members of the Manticore Crew—apart from Sonia who opted to play as a gnome.
If truth be known, Argo would have liked to have appeared as someone or something radically different. He avoided doing so because Aaheli had introduced him to the game and they stayed in each other’s company when they played on here or visited other parts of the Astraverse. He was too self-conscious in front of her to indulge in his private fantasies of becoming a muscle-bound minotaur or an old time Hollywood heartthrob. Even in virtual reality, where the line between fantasy and reality blurred, he still carried on being shy, inhibited Argo.
Still, he did enjoy playing Drake Realm, even if his accomplishments thus far were far from stellar. Aaheli and the other members of the Crew looked out for him when they engaged in quests and he enjoyed the thrill of adventure and comradeship the game offered. He would never have made it on his own battling through the many dangers and monsters of the Realm alone, and would have given up playing a long time ago. So he was extremely grateful to the others for supporting him. A lot of gamers that came on here would not have had the patience and that was why it was so vital he did not let them down on tonight’s quest.
Gazing at his avatar figure, he reached out and tapped it on the chest. Immediately, his real life clothes changed to the outfit of his gaming avatar; a pair of red leggings, knee-length leather boots, a yellow tunic and a long olive green cloak. He selected a short sword from the equipment list that had appeared along with his other stats and most importantly of all, the Lute of Decimar, which the Manticore Crew had retrieved from the temple of a Medusa Princess three months ago. The instrument and its special enchantments were of no use to the others, but as Argo was a Bard, in his hands it served as a formidable weapon. The sword materialized in a scabbard at his side and the Lute hung from a strap on his shoulder.
Now he was ready for the quest, and for the first time ever, it was going to be a quest where he and his lute would be vital to its success.
“Okay, I’m ready,” he said, coming over to rejoin the others. “Again I’m so sorry for being late.”
Henk nodded and offered him a half-smile which made Argo feel a little better. Argo liked Henk. Hell, everyone liked Henk, which was why the Crew looked to him as their leader. He was tall and stocky, with long black hair tied into a ponytail and a light neatly trimmed beard that graced his square jaw. In his finely crafted armor and fur-lined cloak, he looked every inch the heroic knight, which was what he was: a Paladin of the Sacred Dragon Falcon Order, to be exact.
When Aaheli had first introduced Argo to the game, he had immediately opted to be a Paladin, fuelled by fantasies of battling fearsome enemies and saving defenseless villagers from the Dark Forces that continually plagued Drake Realm. Unfortunately that consisted of a lot of hack and slash work and the game made sure players experienced every gory detail when going that particular route. Deciding to go solo, Argo’s first fight with a mud gremlin had ended in disaster. It had resulted in him running like a lunatic through the forest being pursued by said mud gremlin and being mauled to death by a fungal badger, abruptly ending his first experience of online role playing.
He adamantly refused to go on again after that disaster, but Aaheli had persuaded him to try again, but this time as a Bard. That class relied more on speed and guile than physical prowess, and the morale boosting abilities and rejuvenation spells that a Bard could learn made them a useful addition to adventuring parties. Aaheli had recently joined the Manticore Crew, invited by Henk, and she had persuaded him to let Argo come in as well. Apart from Henk, the other members were relative newbies and up and coming. Since deciding to collaborate together, the Crew had enjoyed moderate success, earning a reputation for being hardy adventurers and carving out a niche in the game world.
The high fantasy setting of Drake Realm allowed players to engage in quests, fight battles, solve problems, socialize and form communities with other players, help or hinder NPCs as they saw fit and develop and improve their chosen character in any way they wished. As well as this, they could set up their own business or live peacefully in one of the many settlements and cities that covered the vast territory or even go on to establish their own kingdoms and empires though that was considerably difficult and took a lot of skill.
The Manticore Crew, and Argo, had been drawn to the game by the questing elements and the fun of adventuring in a fantasy world, and working together had helped increase their experience levels and earn them a handsome amount of sovereigns—the main currency used in the Realm. A number of successfully completed quests had earned them enough money to buy their own headquarters, the ramshackle Witchstorm Manor, which had once belonged to a long dead NPC knight that had fallen into disrepair along with his estate. It was Henk’s ultimate ambition to grow the Manticore Crew into a huge guild of players and to attract people and NPCs to settle on the estate and build a thriving settlement here. It had been done before and Drake Realm provided the perfect environment to develop this city-building aspect. However, that took huge amounts of in-game money and a near legendary reputation, and Henk had a long way to go until his dreams could become reality… but if tonight’s quest was a success, then he would be one step closer to his goal.
“At last,” said Brier clapping his huge paws together. “Let’s get going!”
“Oh wait, I forgot my ghost pack,” Argo said and hurried back to his gear chest.
The rest of the Crew let out groans of frustration as he quickly accessed his equipment screen and selected the small leather backpack icon.
The pack materialized on his back underneath his cloak and then promptly disappeared again. Every player in Drake Realm was issued with a ghost pack in which they could store vital supplies such as food and magic potions to restore their health and stamina levels, weapons and artifacts. To prevent a player from getting too weighted down by the pack or have it get in the way when they were fighting, it was made intangible and could be accessed through an in-game screen where the player could select a chosen item from it. There were only a certain number of slots in a ghost pack and extra ones could be purchased as a player leveled up.
Everyone started with four slots, and Argo—who was now a Level 2 Bard—had six. Four were packed with some health potions and the other two with magical restore potions. The restriction on slots made collecting loot and items difficult, and if the ghost pack was full, a player had to carry anything else they wanted either in their hands or by using a physical container, which could mean some pretty heavy lifting. However, some items, such as potions, were stackable to a certain limit. As a player progressed, more slots became available and the weight of an item no longer became an issue.
“Ok, ok, now I’m really ready,” Argo said when he returned with his pack. “We can go now.”
“Everyone remembe
r what they are supposed to do?” Henk asked as the group exited the dining hall. “Sonia and Brier you stay back with Argo and keep him protected until we get to the ward. It’ll take time for him to break the frequency code, so don’t leave him alone.”
Sonia, who played as a Rogue, nodded her head. “Don’t worry, Henk. We know what to do. Just make sure you, Kip and Aaheli focus on clearing a path for us. We’ll do our part and so will Argo. There’s nothing to fret about.”
Argo rallied at Sonia’s vote of confidence. She was a placid, level-headed young girl who was just about to graduate from high school. She planned to go on to university and study quantum engineering with the express intention of creating her own virtual reality worlds. Playing Drake Realm gave her valuable insights into how these games operated and inspiration on how to improve on the mechanics for her own creations. Next to Aaheli, Argo got on well with Sonia as she was not as fiercely competitive as Kip or Brier or as distant as Henk.
Spy: Reborn Page 2