End Online: Volume 2

by D Wolfin

  Before I press the menu option however a large multi layered message summons itself in front of my game menu.

  Advanced Military Arts has reached level 35

  Herbalism has reached level 20

  Hunter's Eyes has reached level 30

  Throw has reached level 15

  High Speed has reached level 10

  Creature Analysis has reached level 15

  Intimidating Aura has reached level 1

  Prerequisites met:

  Dexterity: 50

  Agility: 160

  Would you like to merge these skills into 'Class Skill: White Warrior'?

  Yes / Yes

  I am completely speechless, a class skill. Judging by the prerequisites an incredibly high levelled one at that!

  But once again the options are bugged! No doubt ‘Aggravation’ is still having its effects through the upgraded skill!

  I should be able to choose this class skill later anyway so I try dismissing the message by placing my hand next to it and swiping it off the screen. Only the window doesn’t move, it shakes a little, but it’s firmly stuck in position!

  ‘Come on! It’s right in front of the log out button! Is this game mocking me?’

  I don’t have that much of a problem choosing a class skill. It should give me an advantage in battle after all.

  Naturally, I press ‘Yes’.

  Chapter 7.5 – The Christmas Update

  -Lost-

  Once I left virtual reality, my clock showed that it was well into the early morning hours. A growl originating from my stomach along with a dull ache in my body informs me that I need to stretch and eat something. I was in virtual reality for quite some time after all.

  My hand immediately went to my lips, even now I could still feel the kiss.

  It has been months since I started playing End Online. As a result I have grown used to the condition of my body, but there are still moments where bitterness settles in my stomach, just like now.

  I try to move my legs over the edge of my bed without physically picking them and swivelling them over. I don’t feel any trauma pain when I relearn just how impossible it is for me to use them, but it is emotionally crushing every time I make the attempt without thinking and fail.

  I gradually shuffle across to the edge of my bed where my wheelchair is, no matter how many times I do this it never gets any easier.

  Maybe that is why I enjoy the virtual world so much, one piece of equipment on my head and for a monthly subscription I can have my legs back. I have Fen who always keeps me company. Despite the spiteful and sour side to her, she was the first and only companion to come to my side.

  Verde and Prince Charming seemed to have ulterior motives, removing them from my personal list of comrades, but that is more often the case with other players. Other players are always in it for themselves, not that I’m much different.

  Rolling myself to the kitchen I pass Joelle and Shari’s room, a painful knot in my stomach forming about them being gone.

  ‘I understand that things are difficult right now, maybe I was a little lacking in money and my capability to look after you, but how can they just take you away like that?’

  There was no more government bodies that provided funding to those in need, but they surely can’t simply take the girls away, not when I am of age to be considered an adult. The more I think about it the more something seems not quite right.

  ‘As a matter of fact, they should NOT be able to simply take them away like that, I will have to find out exactly what has happened.’

  While reheating some leftover food from the fridge I vow that in twelve month I shall have them back here.

  ***************************************************

  The following morning my alarm makes an odd sound. It let off a vaguely familiar jingle of bells.

  My eyes fly open, rays of sunshine falling across my bed through the partially open curtains. I turn off my alarm clock and move into the wheel chair, rolling myself over to the window.

  ‘How could I have forgotten!’ Looking out the window I see a fresh blanket of snow covering everything from the roads to the rooves.

  Magic really does exist, for the yearly snow to come down at the very last moment, on Christmas Day. I think about going outside, but considering my wheelchair would probably get bogged in the snow it may not be such a good idea. I will have to go outside for food shopping soon enough anyway, but I will with hold for a while.

  I also didn’t have my ‘White Wolf Winter Cloak’ on me, so the thought of venturing in the icy air without it made me was to stay inside even more.

  I may as well go back into the game now, the apple sales have helped a lot, but my bank is still on a slow decline so I need to somehow make more money.

  Placing the VL on my head I entered End Online on Christmas day.

  ***************************************************

  All of our Development team here at Idea Imagine Corp would like to thank all the players for their efforts in playing End Online. In order to commemorate your hard word work, we have released the first of our planned updates to liven up your gaming experience.

  You will notice along the top of your vision as well as having your health points you also have some extra bars. These are for your satiety levels, both hunger and thirst. They will naturally decrease slowly over time, faster if you are doing physical activities or... well, we will let you figure out the rest for yourselves!

  In light of the Christmas Spirit however we have commissioned Santa to come to end online and leave plenty of little gifts in your inventories to help you adapt to the update.

  Only available to those who log in today!

  We hope a Merry Christmas.

  -Idea Imagine Corp

  The moment I log on this lengthy message appears in front of me! It is certainly a Christmas surprise!

  I take a minute to take in the information about the satiety levels, I wonder if one becoming zero leads to instant death or your health deteriorating? Remembering the rumours about there being an update to fix the endless stamina players have this must be it.

  Not only will you get tired and exhausted the lower your health with, but low satiety levels will also leave you with less energy and slower movements.

  Dismissing the message, I take notice of Fen, who is sitting next to me back to full size. Naturally, she is looking down on me, literally.

  “I take it this means I will have to feed you too now? Or can you hunt yourself?” I ask Fen who happily wags her tail at me.

  ‘Of course, I have to feed you don’t I.’

  Wondering what this gift was that is supposedly in my inventory I open it and inspect the goods I have stored there. Blinking twice at the new items, they were not there when I logged off.

  Extra Fluffy Santa Hat

  A fluffy Santa Hat that is a replica part of a piece of Santa's costume. Offers no defensive bonus's but it does look really nice when you wear it.

  Don't forget to show everyone your Christmas spirit! Everyone is wearing one.

  Requirements:

  - Level 1

  Defence: 0

  Durability: 30/20

  Abilities:

  - Immune to Santa's Naughty List

  Spiral Designed Candy Cane

  A sweet candy cane made with a spiral pattern through it. Will restore a minor amount of health and hunger. Consuming too many at once however will cause your thirst to rapidly decline.

  Requirements:

  - Level 1

  Item Type: Food

  Health Recovery: 10HP

  Recovery Time: 15sec

  Hunger Restoration: 5%

  Weight: 0.1 lbs

  There were fifty candy canes in my inventory and a few other various sweets. Idea Imagine Corp gave us plenty of food that would cause thirst and not a drop of water! Is this how they teach us to adapt to the situation?

  Fen started nudging me, in a playful mood. Smiling back at her I remove
d the Santa hat from my inventory and beckoning her to bring her face closer, stuck it over one of her large ears.

  She pulled her head back but it was too late, with the hat crookedly sitting on her head.

  I gave a laugh at the sight, not a short laugh at a humorous situation, but an honest laugh from my heart at seeing Fen shaking her head with the Christmas hat on. She doesn’t try very hard to take it off, it seems she quite enjoys having it on.

  She gets very playful with me, jumping up and down around me, occasionally sending a swipe of her paw to knock me around. I play fight back with her trying to catch her paws that come my way but she is incredibly quick, almost more so than when we trained together.

  For an hour we had our bout, before I was mentally exhausted with trying to keep up with her speed and had to stop, a good thirty percent of my hunger had dropped and twenty percent of my thirst level too.

  I pull out a couple of the candy canes from my inventory and share them between Fen and myself.

  “Incredible! They taste exactly like the real thing!” I exclaim in pure amazement.

  It’s strange Fen being a wolf considering how much she seem to be enjoying the sugar filled lollies, hopefully she isn’t going to have too much energy left over afterwards and want to play again.

  “It’s nice to see you enjoying them Fen, but we will need to find some proper food later. By the way, I’ve been wondering for a while. What do you do when I log off, do you just wander around or?”

  The wolf’s tail flicks back and forth, playing coy with my question as if she was refusing to answer. I give out a sigh, although I still have a warm smile painted on my face.

  “Anyway Fen, I have to go for a bit to get some actual food. I will be back shortly.”

  Opening the menu I press the log out button and move out to my locker. I was about to leave there as well when I heard a knock in the kitchen.

  Walking over to inspect the odd noise, I spot a little white wolf, looking exactly like Fen, only 1/10th the size. The noise came from the wolf walking into a wall thanks to the Santa hat on its head sinking down and blinding it.

  “Fen! What are you doing here??”

  The wolf stops moving, turning towards my voice and slowly begins to back up, walking into the wall now behind it. The Santa hat falling back on its head, letting it see again from under the fluffy rim of the hat.

  “Have you seriously been logging out into my VL every time I leave End Online?! Is that even possible?!”

  Fen just looks up at me, no noise or movement. The Santa hat falling forward again, covering her eyes.

  Chapter 8 – Farewell Glace

  -Lost-

  The Christmas update that the game developers released was a massive shock to me. All of a sudden I needed to not only maintain my equipment but also my satiety levels as well. Yet it was nothing compared to the surprise of Fen's invasion of my locker.

  I was originally worried about what she does when I was offline, did she wander around? Go into hiding nearby? However, that was no longer a mystery after finding her hiding in the kitchen in my locker.

  The only question remains as to how. How does an AI that lives in the game exit it, especially into my VL. She could have somehow downloaded herself onto my VL, connecting to it the same way I do to the game.

  'It's illogical, but it is the only possibility.'

  ***************************************************

  The next day I return to virtual reality and find Fen comfortably sleeping on one of the couches in my locker. It appears when she is outside of End Online and its rules, she can shrink her body at will.

  She wakes up as I enter and begins following behind me, tail flicking back and forth. Ignoring the overly playful wolf I stroll directly to the console to log into End Online.

  I return to where I left, the goblins from the nearby encampment have respawned overnight so there were a few the vicinity of my new 'Intimidating Aura' skill to receive an 'aggro' towards me.

  'No! I had completely forgotten, I no longer have that skill!'

  My 'Intimidating Aura skill had transformed into my new class skill so maybe that will no longer be the case! A class skill is said to be defined by the skills that make it up, but the majority of class skills had not even been discovered let alone studied!

  Opening my player information window I see not only the four free slots but also my new class skill, the 'White Warrior'. I did not expect overly much from it considering the simplicity of the name, but it did consume a skill of 'Epic' rarity however.

  Class Skill: White Warrior (SLvl 1, 0%) -Active

  Obscured within the myths of Glace, the White Warrior has been secret knowledge for so long nobody can recall exactly what it is.

  Utilizing godly speed to tear through the opponents defence, the White Warrior is unmatched in battle. Strength holds no meaning before the might of something you cannot touch.

  The White warrior is also highly proficient outside of battle due to various survival skills in maintaining a healthy body and being able to analyse any situation.

  Through its power the White Warrior gives off an intimidating aura that all nearby life forms can feel.

  SLvl 1:

  - Fighting Prowess + 2

  - Short sword proficiency

  - Short sword damage bonus 2.0 X base damage

  - Thrown weapons will do 2.0 X weapon damage

  - Cannot equip heavy armour

  - Cannot equip medium armour

  - Cannot equip shields

  - +40 Agility.

  - +25 Dexterity.

  - +5 Strength

  - Movement Speed +30%

  - Attack Speed +15%

  - Intimacy cannot be grown with NPC's under normal circumstances due to your intimidating aura.

  - 15% chance every 20sec nearby enemies will get the 'Aggro' status towards you for 3min. 20% reduction to attack and defence to those affected.

  - Capable of identifying all herbs, but not unknown effects.

  - Capable of utilizing a raw herbs effect, can be used on others if you do the application of the herb.

  - Capable of analysing all life forms, no matter the level.

  - Powerful eyesight allows you to inspect distant object much clearer.

  - Can use the sacred art 'Perceptual Sight'

  - Can use the sacred art 'Multi Mirage'

  - Can use the sacred art 'Pincer'

  - Can use the sacred art 'Back Stab'

  - This ability is Soul Bound, cannot be unequipped

  Bonus:

  - Health +10%

  - Capable of cooking any ingredients you personally harvest.

  - Moving at high speed will leave an afterimage, being struck by any solid object or attacking will disperse the image.

  - Through a genetic mutation you are naturally more agile than others, your agility rises faster than normal.

  - All equipment worn will naturally become tones of white.

  A purple border... It is a ‘Legendary’ skill! If it was physically possible, my jaw would have hit the ground. Although, I have been through enough illogical things lately that it still might do so.

  Holding my jaw in superstition I take all the information in. There were so many enhancements in this class skill that I could barely take it all in.

  I had already suspected I would not be able to unequip it, and that the curse of 'Aggravation' would remain. Yet, in addition to that the last bonus effect caused me to furrow my brows slightly.

  Holding open my cloak I look down at the equipment I'm wearing. Surely enough the originally brown leather of my armour had turned white, some parts almost silver. The rest of my equipment is completely white as well, like I had gone swimming in a vat of bleach.

  Even my weapons maintained were altered. It was only a superficial changes, everything still appeared to be the same materials, simply a different colour.

  In a sense of curiosity I stuck a hand under my hood and removed a few strands of hair
. Letting out a sigh of relief, at least my hair was still its original colour.

  The skill promoted me with some odd sacred arts as well. I press on them to view their information, revealing they were all related to the bonus effect of being able to leave an afterimage of myself.

  'Multi Mirage' caused multiple afterimages to appear at irregular places, 'Pincer' would create two images of me mirrored on three sides of an opponent, and 'Back Stab' would basically transport me behind the target, leaving behind my original image that the enemy would attack while I stabbed them in the back.

  The only down side was they took off massive portions of my stamina, using a corresponding eighty percent, sixty percent, and fifty percent. But that should lessen once I level up more and use the skills enough to lower the cost slightly.

  They were excellent sacred arts, this ability to create false images of me could be incredibly useful in a fight. But I can't help but notice they will become less effective with more opponents. I was the warrior that specialized in one on one fighting.

  The rest was too good to be true. I even got a cooking skill! The timing could not have been any better. I should possibly test out my new post bonus speed. If I'm not used to it I won't be able to fight properly.

  "Fen," I call out to the full sized wolf, who was busy eliminating the goblins that came to attack me while I was reading my new class skill, "As soon as you finish that goblin let's race back to Iceridge, if you can beat me I will do whatever you want for an entire day!"

  Fen's ears shot straight up, immediately killing the last goblin with ice bolts in an instant, penetrating it from five different directions.

  The wolf turned to look at me before taking the lead with an early start.