Ingame: Virtual reality enabled

by Kieron Uchee

  “Wait, are you talking about mana, the energy that powers spells and abilities?” “Yes it is called that on the Topland but that is just a weakened form of the life-force.” “Why is it weakened,” I asked. “Between here and the Topland is the dark ironstone belt. That is an area that encompasses the whole of the world and draws everything to it. Once there it captures all, energy, gravity, light and the life-force. Only the life-force escapes it, weakened and changed.”

  I stood thinking about this; it made a crazy kind of sense in a way. I remembered a lecture from high school about why things do not fall off the far side of the world or go shooting off into space. Gravity, the core of the earth pulled everything everywhere downwards. Except as I could see the core was hollow, and clearly gravity was the opposite here. It made sense if somewhere in between the two worlds there was something so heavy, so massive, that it was what gravity was based on.

  How I wished I had Twink here, I would have been perusing all sorts of crazy theories. Twink, I missed her, and Reona. I felt my chest catch as I thought of Reona; I had not forgotten what the Jackass had said. I had to get back to the surface. “Grandmother I must return to the Topland, there are those that I care for in danger.” Staring at me Gaiatoci spoke, “Worry not of your child, she is safe.” It was a no-brainer, she was telling the truth or she was not, I had decided to throw my lot in with her and that was the end of it.

  “So how am I seeing and why am I healthy hale and whole?” "It is the life-force, it is all around you and here it is at its most powerful. This power has flowed to you and empowered you; it is a part of you as much as your blood is. When you entered this world you received a weakened and altered form of the life-force at the Topland. Here in the Roundland, you have been rejuvenated, and empowered. This has removed some of the humanness that was stopping you from using all you dragon senses.

  “So I am seeing using a previously unknown dragon sense. Wow, so I have six senses now.” “Actually, dragons have eight senses. But you will figure that out as you grow.” “So what do we need to do to help you, grandmother?” Hearing me, Gaiatoci smiled and then said; “First, you must become strong, and then rescue the lost children.”

  Lost children, hearing those words I felt a sense of urgency, but then I realized I had no idea what she was talking about. “The Kradula, the children of the orphanage, they must be brought here and freed from their prison.” Right, I suddenly remembered the shades and mists, the ghouls and undead. I stopped for a moment as I remembered the small hand trying to help me. Damn right we would be rescuing them, I thought. “Grandmother, how, I asked?” The quest window appeared, and I read.

  New Quest.

  Rescue the damned.

  Clear the Kradula of all the evil.

  Save the lost.

  Cleanse the source.

  Bring the Earthmother the lost children.

  Will you accept this Quest?

  Rewards to be determined.

  YES or NO

  Chapter twenty six: Desert

  I mentally hammered the yes button on the interface and added the quest to my log, I would never forget that little one helping me, and I would damn sure help all the lost children there.

  “For you to succeed you will need to be trained, grandson, so I have asked Laikas, a master of combat to come here and train you. He has spent most of his life studying the many different forms of martial training and combat. He will begin the process of molding you to effectively use the life-force. It will not be easy, but without this knowledge, you will fail against the Gods.”

  I nodded in understanding, I knew that Judo was not the solution to this problem, helpful yes but it would only go so far in the game world. With the magical and physical DPS attacks and who knows what else the Gods would bring to the table, I needed an edge. I would need to grow and learn, be open to anything that might help me. Standing I looked at the world and asked, “Grandmother, can you tell me about this realm?”

  “This is the realm that all the races and beings came from. The dragons, my first children lived here on scattered mountains and on the islands that dot the seas. Then from the earth came the Dwarves, my children who had lived in and under the tall mountains. They are always seeking the deep jewels and metals, being masters of the smithy.

  The Elves also, coming from the sea and living on the far Islands they were bright lights in the darkness, always exploring but always returning to their homes. Tied to the lands with magic and power both races lived at peace. Indeed, intermarriage while not common did occur. Even amongst the mighty dragons this occurred, some of whom observed that the daughters of men were comely and desired to be with them. Thus were born out of fire and shadows the Vampires and their daylight kin the Dhampyers.”

  “Wait, you mean that Vampires and Dhampyers originated by Dragons and Humans interbreeding?” “Yes," she answered, "but such things have faded; now only the descendants remain.” Well that explained some things, I was not sure if it was relevant to what was happening but knowledge is power. I was about to ask a few more questions when fast approaching the building was a flying Dragon. No, it was not a Dragon but looked very close to one. “Grandmother, what or who is this coming towards us?”

  “It is Laikas, and he is not a dragon, he is a Wyvern.” What is a Wyvern I thought as I watched the sleek body of the creature land and then springing forward he changed into the body of a small man. His complexion was dark and his eyes were oddly slanted downwards. His pupils were golden red, I looked at them as he stopped and knelt before Gaiatoci, I could see that they were shifting and moving, full of small living flames. It was not a comfortable feeling staring into his eyes.

  “Stand my loyal one, and greet my grandson, he is the one that needs your help.” Standing there as he observed me, I was struck by the feeling of physical power emanating from Laikas. It roiled off him like steam rising from a warm lake on a cold morning. This clearly was not a person to mess with. I quickly performed a Ritsurei and with head bowed waited.

  “I see you have some sense of propriety, which is good.” Laikas voice sounded smooth and even, well balanced. I think not much could change that. “Show me what knowledge you have?” The next several hours passed with me stretching myself to the limit. It was clear that while I was an experienced fighter, Laikas far surpassed me in every way with regards to combat.

  Finally, it stopped, and I was able to rest. “You have some skill and the ability is there. The problem is your ability to perceive and use the life-force that is a part of you. The constraints of the human flesh limit your senses; first, we must free your sense of who you think you are to be able to see the flow of the life force and harness it.” “How do we do that?” I asked. “The easiest way is to live as a dragon however that is not the dominant aspect of your character. Being a human is.” After Laikas finished talking I had several more questions to ask.

  “So how do I learn to feel the life-force and use it, through meditation?” Looking at me I could see that Laikas was deciding on how to proceed. “Meditation would work if we had ten years to concentrate on it, but we do not. No, I think that you will have to go through the Trials of Temptation.” That sounds great, in every game I have ever played any kind of trial meant someone was going to get his or her ass kicked, for some crappy item.

  “What are the Trials of Temptation? I might need a little more information here.” Laikas smiled grimly at me and spoke. “The Trials are simple really, you will be taken to a place, and you must leave that place and return here.” “How far away is this place?” I asked. “For some it is a great distance, for others, it is closer than they know.” “What do the Trials teach me,” I asked Laikas. “They will teach you to know yourself, by challenging you in the ways that mankind struggles with the most,” Laikas replied.

  Ambiguous, it was the second word that came to mind. The first one I won’t repeat, I am trying to not curse as much. “Master, do I need to take anything, all I have is what I am wearing.” Lo
oking at me Laikas shook his head and then placing his hand on my shoulder we suddenly shifted dimensions, changed locations, transported to a different place. I really do not know what Laikas did, but we were elsewhere.

  I stood there looking around; we were in some sort of vast area that was desert, with broken rocks and black sand. Off in the distance was a range of mountains, clearly volcanic in nature, a couple still had plumes ascending upwards. It was wild and beautiful with a dark storm on the horizon, the brilliant flickers of lightning lighting up the whole sky and the boom of the thunder painfully loud even at the distance.

  “Laikas, what do I do here?” I asked as I turned around and noticed that he was just a rapidly receding dot in the sky as he flew off with great speed. I confess that the first words to depart my mouth had more to do with him being a flying gecko along with a few other descriptors categorizing how I felt towards his departing form.

  Turning in a full circle I observed that I was stranded in the middle of the desert with volcanoes on one side and black sand stretching out as far as the eyes could see. I was standing on a small knoll which afforded me the view of the desolate waste. Despite the barren nature of the place, it had an intense feeling of primordial power.

  Taking off my cloak I spread it on the sand and then opening my bag I began to take stock of what I had. Inside the bag was a wineskin which I had filled with water at some point. Also, there were two biscuits I had been too greedy to leave behind after my last breakfast. There were a few silver and gold coins, and my map.

  Opening my map I saw what looked like a blank sheet and across the top appeared to be a tab. Touching the tab I saw the map of the city appear, grayed out and colorless. I touched the tab again and the desert appeared showing perhaps a radius of twenty kilometers with my dot located at the epicenter.

  At the far side of the map on the western edge was a small dot, tapping the map produced the outline of a building. I would guess as I stared in the direction indicated on the map that one of the dark spots at the far edge of my vision was the structure on the map.

  Taking a small drink, I put everything back in the bag including the cloak and began to walk towards the building. Activating my interface the map appeared on the top right corner of my vision, and staring at it brought it into focus. Happy as I was that the interface still worked, I began to wonder at the nature of the game.

  This all seemed too much, the realism of the game, the characters I had encountered, my tryst with Reona. I doubted that the average young gamer was having the same gaming experience that I was undergoing. If my torture and blinding could occur Ingame, then this whole game would be shut down as soon as the government was aware of it.

  They had strict rules about what could happen, and everything I had experienced went far beyond the guidelines of what is allowed in through a VRP. I also thought of the Old Bastards, those people who were struggling to let go and clinging on to life within the game. I did not begrudge them I would do the same. But the powerful never willing give up what power they have, so what are they planning here in this new world.

  As for the game masters, tasked with keeping the game balanced and safe, where were they, and why they were not doing their jobs was a question I wanted an answer for. These were my thoughts as I trudged along over the black sand. A solitary figure with a grim look, dark tattoos covering both arms and empty eyes of fire, with hair pulled back in a topknot all dressed in black leather.

  Chapter twenty seven: Imp

  As I walked I thought a lot about what I was doing Ingame. It had far passed the point of being a game; it was the reality that I now lived in. That reality currently meant I was walking across black sand and rocks heading towards a mysterious building at the edge of the horizon. On a side note being considerably heavy than a normal human sucked, with every step I sunk into the sand about three inches.

  I continued on as the heat became stifling and the desert began to shimmer all around me. Strangely enough, the heat did not bother me, something to do with the dragon heritage I guessed. After walking for several kilometers I found a large boulder and sat with my back to it for a rest. I did not feel tired but I wanted to make sure I did not overdo it.

  Sitting there I reflected on my vision. Something tickled my memory, something the Gaiatoci had mentioned, but I could not recall it. The life-force it was all around us surrounding us being a part of us. To be honest it sounded like something from The Force Droid the latest Star Wars movie number 23 I think. Sighing, I tried to open my mind to feel the life-force, then holding out my hand I tried to make a small pebble rise into the air. After five minutes, and several choice words, I decided I was not a Jedi. I probably would be more a Sith lord with how I looked anyway.

  Having decided I had enough rest I consulted the map, noting I was almost halfway there I continued my stroll across the desert. After several more hours of trudging through the wasteland, I finally arrived. Looking at the building I saw that it was a stone keep castle, surrounded by a thick wall with a moat and a gate that stood in front of the drawbridge.

  Sitting on the bench outside the gate was what looked like an imp. I studied the creature and he definably looked like an imp, a sleeping imp. Not sure what to do, I walked closer and soon I could hear him snoring. Suddenly there was a DingDing and a window opened.

  Congratulations Mortal.

  You have discovered an unknown Instance.

  The Keep of the Six Temptations.

  Will you enter the Keep and overcome Temptation.

  The reward for completion.

  One magical ability of your choice.

  Do you dare accept?

  YES or NO

  Yes, I thought and then the Imp woke up. “Hello, what have we here, a mortal looking fresh and alive? “Fresh and alive,” I asked. The imp smiled at me and then spoke, you will find out mortal if you make it past me.

  Clearly this was something scripted, at least, I hoped. “Hold up there,” I told the imp. “I have a few questions and would really appreciate some answers. Looking surprised at this the imp slowly nodded his head and spoke, “All right I suppose I can answer a few questions, beats sleeping all the time.” Suddenly I remembered a long time had passed since the Gods had taken the races to the Topland.

  “How long have you been here waiting for someone to come?” I asked. “About six thousand years.” The imp replied. Six thousand years, the thought of all that time he had spent alone bothered me. “Were you lonely?” The question sprang from my mouth without thinking. As the imp looked at me I suddenly saw his face begin to crease up and his lower lip quiver.

  “Lonely,” he shouted. “Lonely, yes I have been lonely, stuck here being the embodiment of anger, and having no one come to stir anger up within.” Suddenly the little fellow burst into tears and sat down on the bench and began to silently cry. Not sure if it was a mistake or not I sat down beside him and pulled out the tobacco and papers out and rolled two smokes.

  Lighting up I handed the poor fellow a smoke. He looked at me and seeing me take a drag, he took a puff. His tears began to dry up and after two more smokes and some discussion about life and being the gatekeeper I made my offer. “Look, enough is enough, why do you stay here; it has been six thousand years.” Glancing at me he blew a smoke ring and answered, “Where would I go?”

  “With me, I spoke with conviction and fervor; this is bullshit you having to stand guard here like that. Come with me, I am getting out of this zone as soon as I can. I have to get back to Gaiatoci and then to the Topland. Eyes widening the imp whispered “The Topland.” Looking at the Imp I said, “Just being honest with you, I will have to do some pretty difficult quests at some point.”

  His gaze sharpening, the Imp asked: “like what?” Taking a deep breath I looked him in the eye and said, “I have been tasked with destroying the Gods.” I stared at the Imp as his expression changed from curious to malevolent and angry, very angry.

  “Those are the bastards who commanded me to be th
e gatekeeper and then abandoned me here. You are not being deceptive towards me are you?” Raik asked with a snarl. Lifting my hands I stated my truthfulness, it was clear that he could produce some serious rage in the right circumstance. Seeing that I was sincere the Imp finally relaxed. “If I join you are you going to attempt to enslave me to be your servant or even worse your slave,” asked the Imp.

  “Absolutely not, you will be my companion; I will expect respect and give it in return.” Looking at him I held out my arm and after a few seconds, he held out his and we sealed our agreement. Staring at me the Imp began to smile and then spoke. “The name is Raik and I am a lesser Imp. I was captured eons ago by the Gods and tasked with this onerous duty. Damn, I am glad it is done. I just don’t have any rage left within me. Looking at him I nodded and thought to myself I am glad of that.

  Smiling I said, “I am glad for you, not sure how you did not go insane but glad that you are with me.” Smiling back at me the Imp said, “Look here” and then leading me to the gatehouse he dragged a chest outside and opened it up. “Have a look and take whatever you fancy, I don’t feel like abandoning the items I was supposed to guard with my life.”

  I am not a greedy guy but in that chest were rings and necklaces of an epic variety. Unfortunately, none would be of benefit to me, but I could see some time in the future they would be very useful. Taking the items I put them all in my bag and then turning to Raik I asked. “So what is this castle all about?” The Keep of Six Temptations, it was designed for Dragons to learn to help people learn of their true nature. It turns out that out of all of Gaiatoci’s children both the strongest and the weakest share the same weaknesses, Dragons and Humans, who would have thought. The temptations found here are,