Lion's Quest: Undefeated: A LitRPG Saga

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I gotcha, Champ! One second. Let me get this helmet off of you.” Ky’s voice sounded distant through my headset, but I soon felt the tension release from the back of my skull.

  I spat out the breathing tube as Ky pulled the helmet from my head, and I blinked a few times to get used to the dim light of the lab room.

  “Can you press the privacy button, Champ?” Ky asked with a nod toward the side of the tank.

  “Yeeeaahhh,” I said with a chuckle. Now it felt a bit weird to talk without the tube in my mouth. I must have gotten used to it during the game.

  I found the button to dim the glass to the observation room, and then I turned to make sure that the glass actually darkened. I caught a brief look at Zarra, Jennifer, and Dr. Dimopoulos before the glass dimmed, but I still wondered if the privacy glass was actually keeping them from observing me.

  “Okay, let me help you out, Champ. This will get easier the more you do it. Grab this bar over here,” Ky motioned to the long tube of metal, and I grasped around the bar. “Follow the steps out. Please be careful. I don’t want you to fall.”

  “I’m good,” I said as I climbed out of the vat easily. The black liquid of the vat slid off of me like slick gel, and it almost felt like I was walking out of a Jacuzzi.

  “There is a robe over in your changing area,” Ky said. “You can put it--”

  “Leo, would you mind speaking to us before you take a shower?” Zarra’s voice came into the room through speakers that I couldn’t see.

  “I would love to. How long do we have until dinner with your parents?”

  “We missed dinner, unfortunately, but they will be happy to join us for breakfast,” Zarra said.

  “Missed dinner? Huh? What time is it?”

  “It is almost eleven at night,” Zarra said.

  “How? Wasn’t it like two when I first logged in? How did nine hours pass?” She must have been kidding with me.

  “Let’s talk after you put the robe on, Leo. Unless you want to talk naked. I wouldn’t mind,” her voice turned to a purr.

  “Ha, fine.” My clothes were where I had left them in the little privacy nook, and I donned the thick gray robe that I found hanging there.

  “I’ve got the robe on,” I said as I stepped from behind the mirrored wall.

  Ky had started to stir the black liquid of the VRIU with his paddle, and he reached down with his right hand to flip the privacy switch. I saw the glass in the next room become clear, and then Zarra came out from behind the monitors with the doctor.

  “Leo, I’m going to give you a quick check up. Please take a seat,” Dr. Dimopoulos said as she pointed to a stool.

  “Sure. I understand the need for all the examinations. That was more than a little intense.”

  “Did you like it?” Zarra asked as she pulled a stool from the wall of the lab and sat on it.

  “I think you know that I did,” I said with a laugh.

  Zarra crossed her lovely legs as she perched on the stool, and the hem of her skirt inched up her flawless thigh dangerously. I was thankful that the doctor shone a flashlight in my eyes because I probably would have gawked like some sort of sex-starved high school boy if not for the light.

  “Did you have any nausea or dizziness when you played?” Dr. Dimopoulos asked as she turned off her flashlight.

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Good. Your vitals were very calm during the game. Do you feel dehydrated or hungry?”

  “No. I can’t believe nine hours have passed. It felt like only a few,” I said as I reviewed the game experience.

  “It’s probably been a long time since you were so enchanted with a game,” Zarra said, and I saw her lips curve into a smirk.

  “That could be.” I nodded and reviewed the session while the doctor took my blood pressure.

  It sure hadn’t felt like nine hours. I knew I had spent a bunch of time in the grove looking at the grass, dirt, birds, squirrels, and trees before I finally put my clothes on. But maybe that had only been an hour. Then I’d walked toward the city, and met up with Artus. Was that another hour? The city had been a mile away or so. I could do that walk in twenty minutes at a leisurely stroll. Let’s assume half an hour because I was looking at the grass, the road, and the mountains.

  How long had it taken for Artus to drive the wagon through Cutno and reach his first stop? It hadn’t felt like more than another half hour, so now I was at two. Something wasn’t adding up correctly. If nine hours had passed, I would have been hungry, or thirsty, or at least had to take a piss. I felt as if only an hour or so had gone by.

  “He’s looking fine,” Dr. Dimopoulos said after she finished with my blood pressure.

  “Thanks, Trina. I think you can head home now,” Zarra said.

  “Sounds good. What time do you need me here tomorrow?” the older Greek woman asked.

  “Whenever you usually get here. Leo isn’t going to be playing tomorrow,” Zarra shrugged.

  “I’m not?” I said, and I realized that I’d forgotten all about a poker face.

  “My parents would still like to meet you for breakfast, and then you said you needed to be somewhere in the morning? Orlando was it?” Her lavender eyes seemed to twinkle under the LED lights.

  “Yes, I need to be there a few minutes before ten in the morning,” I sighed.

  “So that is all we can do tomorrow.” Zarra shrugged her shoulders.

  “Okay.” I tried not to let my annoyance sound through my voice.

  “Ky,” Zarra looked over at the man stirring the black liquid. “I called the cafeteria and let them know that the Champ just logged out. Can you run over there and grab him some dinner?”

  “Sure thing Ms. Zerne,” the man said, and then he turned to me, “Do you want anything in particular?”

  “I’m not super hungry, but I guess I should eat. I try not to do carbs, so maybe just some meat and veggies. I’m not that picky.”

  “You liked the miso soup at lunch?” Zarra asked.

  “Yeah, I really did,” I said as I tried to match the woman’s brilliant smile.

  “Cool. Got it. I’ll be back in a few,” Ky nodded to both of us and laid his paddle down on the side of the tank.

  “I’ll leave as well. Leo, I hope we meet again. It was a pleasure,” Dr. Dimopoulos held out her hand, and I shook it.

  “Thanks for taking care of me, doc.”

  Ky and the woman exited the door on the opposite side from my suite, and I watched the door slide shut behind them with an authoritative sound.

  “So now that we are kind of alone,” Zarra whispered, and I turned back to look at her.

  “And I’m almost naked?” I asked with a laugh and pointed to my robe.

  “I’m actually still here,” Jennifer called out from her seat behind the computer screens in the observation room.

  “I know, Jennifer. Can you take some notes? I’m going to grill the Champ here.” Zarra winked at me.

  “You got it, Ms. Zerne.”

  “What were your overall impressions, Leo?”

  “Wasn’t my hint earlier enough?” I laughed again. “I owe you an apology.”

  “No need to apologize. I understand where you came from. My promises were a sonata that you’ve heard too many times.”

  “Yeah, but I do feel bad. This game is great. I’m . . . well . . . I’m in awe,” I admitted.

  “What were your favorite parts?” she asked.

  “There are a lot Zarra,” I laughed. “The graphics, the sounds, the tactile feel. It was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. It really felt, just real. I could even smell in the game, it was amazing. How did you get the scents? It was so wonderful. Ha. Can I apologize again? I feel like I should have asked Ky to bring me some crow to eat.” I realized I was kind of babbling, but part of me didn’t care. The game was so damn good.

  “No apology necessary. I am delighted that you loved it. What else?”

  “The AI is amazing. How long did you take to develop it?”<
br />
  “Ohlavar has been a project of ours for many years,” Zarra gifted me with a wide smile, and it actually looked like her cheeks flushed a bit with my compliments.

  “So that is the name of the AI? Is it an acronym for anything?”

  “On-line Holistic Learning Advanced Variable Alternate Reality. Yeah, I know it is a mouthful. Dad named it, and he wouldn’t listen to me explain how difficult it would be to market big words.” She laughed, and I found myself smiling along with her.

  “Ha. Maybe the name doesn’t matter that much. I swear I just sat and watched the birds fly around for half an hour, or something.”

  “I’m sure you did. How did you like the NPCs?”

  “They were great. Artus is a wonderful first encounter. He seemed so genuine. I tried to throw him off with some game terminology, but he didn’t break character.”

  “Ohlavar creates characters like that all the time. I’m glad you liked him. We’ve never seen him before, so he was new to our team as well.”

  “How does it create such believable NPCs? Kimmel seemed a little over the top, but I really disliked the man. He certainly came off as a spoiled lord’s son.”

  “We have to keep some secrets from players.” She winked at me. “It is very much a sandbox now. The characters are created, and brought into the world, and then allowed to form their civilizations. We will insert the players into the game at more of a ‘starter’ area. We just wanted you to get a feel for what a small city would look like,” she explained.

  “It felt real. I’m sure you saw me just people watching. I still can’t get over it. The NPCs in the city felt alive.”

  “Yes.” She beamed at me. “This is the usual feedback we get from new players.”

  “How did you develop the world? I noticed there was some kind of racism toward Artus’ people. Fenia? Was that what they are called?” I asked.

  “Yes. So I’ll give you a little hint, but then I’ll have to hold onto the rest of our secrets. We began the game world about five hundred years ago. After this cataclysmic event that ‘wiped’ out the world’s history.”

  “Was this the ‘Time of Heliotrope’ Artus spoke of?”

  “Yes,” she nodded. “We realize it is a common fantasy trope, but it gives us some flexibility to add dungeons, bosses, loot, and the past that we can more easily manage. We’ve got a bunch of that backstory planned out, but we don’t want to reveal it all to players as soon as they login, we think it will be more interesting if the community discovers it together. Ohlavar just started creating the world from that point, and it has let the culture evolve using Earth-like examples. So we think it will be relatable to the players, but also be exotic enough to keep them interested.”

  “That is really smart,” I said as I considered her words. “I’ve got to say that I’m interested in the world.”

  “And you haven’t even scratched the surface. You haven’t even scratched a scratch on the surface. The AI has some incredible events, quests, and well,” she smiled widely and let out a little chuckle, “let’s just say I’m really happy that you got to play.”

  “So you mentioned that this was a sandbox. So I guess that you loaded a unique instance for me?” I asked.

  “Well, no.” She frowned a bit. “The world is persistent, and the time is matched to real life hours, so the AI will keep running the environment, even without players. We decided to go against instanced sessions, because we want it to feel like a real world, and not a game. We feel that the graphics are cutting edge, and--”

  “So, what is going to happen to Artus?” I felt my stomach sink.

  “What do you mean?” she raised a perfect eyebrow.

  “What will happen to him? The guards captured him. Before I logged out, the captain guy said that Lord Halafast’s men would take him.”

  “Well, what do you think will happen?” She shrugged.

  “Fuck no. They will kill him? He didn’t have anything to do with the fight. That is fucking dumb,” I felt my anger rise when I thought about my virtual friend getting executed because of me.

  “Maybe. Fenia’s aren’t liked much in the world. There might be a trial, but if you think he’ll get executed, he probably will. I’m sorry.” She frowned.

  “Ugh.” I got up from the stool and started to pace the floor of the lab. I kind of felt sick to my stomach.

  “Since we are on the subject, how did you like the combat?” she asked.

  “It felt real. Zarra, everything felt real. That’s probably why I am so pissed off about Artus. I really, really liked the guy, and he gave me my first quest. Now he’s going to die because of me. Oh,” I stopped pacing and gave her a sheepish grin. “I guess I wasn’t supposed to fight huh?”

  “No, but I forgive you.” She smiled. “Any comments about the combat? Anything we could do better?”

  “Yeah, but let’s start at the beginning. I’ve got a bunch of feedback. Some of it is just nitpicky, but I think some will help you appeal to gamers that are used to playing Astafar Unlimited. I’m assuming that is the market you are going to go after?”

  “Sure,” she said with a nod. “Go ahead, Jennifer is listening and taking notes.”

  “So, first feedback is that I didn’t like the lack of a user interface,” I said as I sat back on the stool near the beautiful woman.

  “I can understand that. What specific visuals or commands were you missing?”

  “Just everything. I didn’t know what time it was, I didn’t know if I had an inventory. There was no map overlay or even a compass. When I did Artus’ quest and unloaded the boxes, there was no progress meter over my head. There weren’t any life bars and no way to see the damage I did to the NPCs.”

  “Fair enough, but before I dive into a response. I’ve done plenty of research on you. There are countless interviews where you said you didn’t actually like Astafar Unlimited’s UI, and you had turned off most of it.”

  “Well yes, I turn off the detailed combat report, and the damage numbers popping up on screen. I turn off pretty much everything but health bars of NPCs, players, or monsters within twenty feet or so. Unless I target them with a missile weapon or magic outside of that range. I still keep the game time, compass, and I always have my little mini-map up so I can draw on it for the rest of my group. Although, Jax often draws dicks on the team map for laughs.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen a bunch of his interviews. He is quite a comedian.” The beautiful mocha skinned woman giggled. “We really want the players to think that it is real. This was my mistake. I thought that you wouldn’t mind the lack of UI visuals.”

  “Ahh okay. But you have them?”

  “Oh yes. We can have a map, compass, clock, health bars, and do damage numbers-”

  “What about inventory? I was kind of confused about the way it worked.” I realized I’d interrupted her, but she didn’t seem to mind.

  “We are going to make it a realistic inventory. The game will only allow a player to carry what their stats and backpack space allows. There won’t be any windows or any easy management systems,” she explained.

  “I think that is a mistake,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “A bunch of other games have tried that, and it doesn’t resonate with players. It is too cumbersome to pack everything, and to only be able to hold a small amount of loot. Players really don’t like it.”

  “I can understand your points, but do you think players would get used to it if the rest of the world felt so real? I know about some of these games that you are referring to, and they aren’t as realistic as Ohlavar Quest.” Zarra bit her lip casually, and I could tell that she didn’t agree with me.

  “It is a possibility, but let’s look at Astafar Unlimited. When you level up, you get some more inventory space, and you can buy other equipment to get inventory space. You need to understand how important progress is in these games. Players have to feel like they are getting better with every hour they are investing. It needs to feel like life, only
the players want to feel like strong heroes that have quantitative improvement tiers. Having an inventory system just like real life, with a player having to make these hard choices about what to bring, even at the top levels, will be unappealing. Advanced players don’t want to have the same inventory space as a new player. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes, of course. Thank you for your feedback. What if we made higher level characters stronger so that they could carry more gear? Or what if we made items that could act as magical bags?”

  “Like the whole ‘Bags of Holding’ stuff? Sure that could work, but you have to make them level required. You have to think about progression with every item, quest, and sweep of the game,” I said.

  “Got it. That makes sense, and it is something my father often talks about. I’m excited for you to meet him tomorrow morning. What other feedback do you have for us?”

  “It sounded like you didn’t log me in at a true starting area. Are you going to have a place where new players can get more accustomed to the game and combat? Maybe with an NPC helping them?”

  “Yep. We have the whole ‘kill ten rats’ thing planned. But we will have a more advanced mode where players can start a bit past that point. It might be similar to your experience. We think that could be fun for players who want a challenge.”

  “Did you start me with higher than normal stats? I felt really strong when compared to the NPC guards. Artus seemed amazed by my strength.”

  “Ummm. I’m not sure. Jennifer? Do you know?” Zarra looked over my shoulder toward the observation room.

  “Yes we did, Ms. Zerne,” the blonde woman responded over the speakers.

  “There you go,” Zarra smiled at me.

  “There needs to be a way where I can see my stats and stuff. How do you plan on doing levels and skills?” I asked. My stomach actually growled a bit, and I realized I was starting to feel hungry. Thoughts about food reminded me about the in-game smells that I had experienced, and I realized that Zarra hadn't given me an answer about how they got that combination of scents in the game so realistic.