Scout (Blades VR Book 1)

by Terry Schott

  “I have.”

  “What’s he look like?”

  “Plain fella, skinny with stringy brown hair, narrow face, kind of like a rat.”

  “He have a staff?”

  “‘Course he does. Don’t all crafters carry a staff?”

  Ezref ignored the question. “How old would you guess he is?”

  “Oh he’s young. I would say around twenty-five or so.”

  The apprentice nodded.

  “Do me a favour, Ezref. When you meet, don’t say I told you about them.”

  “I doubt the two of us will meet.”

  “I don’t know. He seemed pretty keen on visiting your tower.”

  Ezref smiled as he turned away. “We’ll see.”

  ***

  Sebastian was in the master’s study, one leg slung over the arm rest of a chair, a book open on his lap. He looked up as Ezref entered the room. “How’d it go in the village?”

  “We might have trouble.”

  “What kind?”

  “There’s a crafter in the village.”

  “Doing what?”

  “A group of adventurers was passing through and heard about one of the locals being attacked by goblins. They’ve offered to take care of it.”

  “Of course they did.” Sebastian looked back at his book. “This shouldn’t affect us.”

  “It might. The crafter needs spell components.”

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah. And of course, a helpful villager suggested coming here to get them.”

  “Helpful.” Sebastian sighed and closed the book. “I thought your master was evil.”

  “He was.”

  “Weren’t the villagers frightened of him?”

  Ezref frowned. “Why should they be?”

  “Because. He’s evil.”

  Ezref shook his head.

  “You know.” Sebastian furrowed his brow. “Beware the evil wizard. If you go close to his dark tower you will be turned into a frog.”

  “Who said that?”

  The older man sighed. “The villagers should be saying things like that.”

  “Ah, I see.” Ezref nodded. “You think that my master must have kept the neighbours afraid of him, like in children’s storybooks.”

  “Exactly.”

  The apprentice laughed. “That has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve heard in a long while.”

  “That’s not how it works?”

  Ezref shook his head. “We need to eat, and wear clothes, and get medicine should we become sick. The villagers wouldn’t help us with any of that if they were afraid of us.”

  “But your master was evil.”

  “Evil, not stupid. They know if they help us, we will help them. Evil or good, those people are safer for living in the shadow of this tower. Attacking them affects the wizard, and so he will protect them.”

  “Huh.” Sebastian frowned.

  The apprentice grunted. “Where are you from, anyway? You seem intelligent, and you’ve got a natural affinity for the craft, but some of your ideas.” He shook his head. “It’s as if you have no clue how this reality works.”

  “You’re right. I guess I have a lot to learn. I’m thankful to have met someone as patient and non-judging as you to teach me.”

  Ezref smirked.

  “How come the crafter could be a problem for us?”

  “Because if he comes here, it’s likely that he will discover the master of the tower is dead.”

  “I’m the master now.”

  “True, but anyone with talent will see that you shouldn’t be master here.”

  “How?”

  Ezref made a face as if he’d eaten something sour. “Your aura.”

  “What about it?”

  “It’s weak. Almost as if you have zero ability or talent in the arts.”

  “Oh.”

  “If he meets you, then it will be obvious this tower and all of its significant magic are being held by someone with no right to do so.”

  “I see.”

  “The best way for you to hold this tower is to avoid attention, at least until you are strong enough to defend it.”

  “I’m strong enough. I destroyed your master and can do the same to any challenger.”

  “Yeah. About that.”

  “What?”

  “The magic that you used against my old master. You can’t tap into that source and cast it again.”

  The older man snorted. “I’ll cast it whenever I need to.”

  “Then you’ll die.”

  “No, I won’t.”

  “Trust me on this, Sebastian. It will become clearer as I teach you more, but for now you must promise not to cast that spell.”

  Sebastian frowned. “You make it sound dangerous, kid.”

  “You have no idea, which I think is why you got away with it once.”

  “What if I do cast it again?”

  “Then you could destroy the entire world.”

  He snorted. “Yeah. Right.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “All right, I won’t cast it again.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now how do you suggest we deal with this crafter if he decides to stop by?”

  “I have no clue.”

  Sebastian stood and grabbed the basket of produce. “I’m hungry. Maybe a little food will help us come up with something.”

  10

  There have been many challenges during the creation of Blade VR. Two of the biggest have been, one, constructing the virtual world, and two, trying to figure out how to securely and safely immerse the player inside of it.

  Wireless interface has been the standard connection method for decades. Most of our younger programmers don’t even remember having to use a wire to plug into a high-speed connection. At first, we tried to develop a wireless connection between player and world, but it couldn’t be accomplished due to the massive amount of data required to flow between player and game. In a game where signal loss could equal death, we had to look for a better method. Eventually, the only thing that could work was a hardwired interface.

  Restricted to the old way of things, we created an entirely new form of cable connection. Using Saser technology, we were able to achieve faster-than-light transmission in order to ensure interruption-free ultra-speed data transmission. This allows us to push the highest data transmission rate, while ensuring the player’s safety.

  Sebastian Darndhal, Co-Founder and Head Designer/Creator, ARC Gaming.

  Aleron sat in the chair and watched the orientation video for what felt like the hundredth time. He knew the information by heart by now, but the video was a good distraction. He and Shale had spent the last three days learning everything there was to know about the game that they would soon be playing. His eyes drifted from the monitor to the mirror and he caught a glimpse of his bald head. Technicians bent over him, sticking electrodes to his skull.

  “All set with the sensors, Aleron.” He felt a pat on his shoulder and the lead technician took a step back and nodded. The man’s eyes were bright and cheerful. Aleron guessed that he was smiling behind his white face mask. “Let’s move to your table so that we can install your lead.”

  Aleron‘s pulse quickened as he stood and moved to the white padded table where his body would rest while he was immersed in the game. One hand came up to touch his Port, the piece of hardware which would connect the high-data Saser cable to the back of his neck at the base of his skull. The installation process had been painful as they turned him onto his belly, clamped his head down with a couple straps, and actually screwed the connector into the base of his skull deep enough to make contact with his spinal cord. They’d sedated him heavily to help make the process as painless as possible, but the freezing had worn off and he had spent the night in throbbing discomfort. By morning, the pain had dulled and eventually disappeared.

  He lay back on the table and looked at the ceiling.

  “Okay, Aleron,” the technician said.
“We are inserting the lead. It won’t hurt but you will feel a bit of pressure and a click.”

  “Okay.”

  He felt the pressure, followed by a click that he wasn’t sure if he felt or heard.

  “That’s it.” The technician’s masked face appeared above him. “I will now put you in the queue and let you know when it’s time to head in.”

  “Thanks.” Aleron closed his eyes and smiled. Only a few seconds later, he heard three faint beeps in his right ear.

  “Okay, it’s your turn,” the technician said. “Relax and enjoy the ride. Have fun in there.”

  Aleron nodded and began to drift off. A second later his body jerked, the kind of spasm that sometimes happened when you started dreaming right as you fell asleep. He opened his eyes. Where a moment before there had been the white, sterile ceiling of a medical room, he now saw the greenish grey canvas of a tent.

  He sat up and examined his new surroundings. It was dimly lit. Tinges of green and blue outlined everything except for one item on the small table beside him. It was bright orange and flickered.

  It’s a candle. He thought. I must be seeing with elven night vision. He held a hand up in front of his face. His fingers were long and thin. He touched the tip of one ear and laughed as he traced the length of its tapered point. Next, he touched his face and marvelled at how smooth the skin was.

  He stood and walked around the area, touching items, bringing some to his nose and sniffing. He even grabbed a handful of dirt from the floor and touched his tongue to it, making a face as he dropped it back to the ground. Then he walked to the tent flap, opened it, and stuck his head outside. “Oh my god.”

  The night sky was filled with so many stars of varying intensity that it almost took his breath away. He gazed up for a long moment before tilting his head to listen to the night sounds: insects, leaves rustling in the wind, and the calls of nocturnal creatures.

  “You okay?”

  Aleron looked toward the voice. A young woman sat beside a small fire. “Yeah, I’m fine. Having trouble sleeping, is all.”

  She giggled. “Come take my watch, then.”

  “Okay.”

  “I was joking.”

  He stepped out of the tent and let the flap drop behind him. “I wasn’t.” He walked to the small fire and sat beside her. “Go ahead and get some sleep. Honest. I don’t mind.”

  “What are you up to, Aleron?”

  He made as if to stand. “I was offering to help, but if you’re not interested—”

  “Don’t be like that.” She stood, removed the blanket from her shoulders, and draped it over his. “I’m not used to you being nice is all.”

  “Really?”

  She shrugged. “It confused me.”

  “Well that’s not good. I’ll try to be nicer from now on.”

  She giggled again. It was a musical sound. Aleron liked it. “Nice and funny? Something strange has truly come over you.”

  He crossed his legs and adjusted the blanket. “Take advantage of it while it lasts.”

  “I will.” She walked toward the tent behind him. “See you in a few hours.”

  “Okay.”

  When she was gone, he grinned and looked up at the sky once more. “This is gonna be fun.”

  11

  Each Blade VR account will be allowed one playable character aged between fifteen and twenty years (game time). For Premium members, your character will be acquired prior to initial training in the class that you have chosen.

  Non-premium, or ‘economy’ players, will be placed in ‘less than optimal’ avatars. This means that you will enter the game as a character with existing experience and skills. The consciousness that levelled those abilities will be gone, replaced by yours. In these cases, we advise you to take the time to learn the abilities that your character has learned before jumping head long into a campaign.

  Optimally, it is recommended that everyone purchase a Premium account to experience the best overall play.

  Due to the realism of the NPCs inside the universe, this is a strict role-playing game. Once immersed, you may say things which make sense in the real world but have no meaning in Preu Treya. When this happens, you will hear the word in your mind but will speak a different word—slang which is understood and accepted by native speakers of your character’s language.

  By now, I hope that you are realizing how seriously we take our promise to make Blades VR the most realistic, lifelike, fantasy role-playing experience ever. At first, playing might be overwhelming, but don’t worry.

  Once you are immersed, you will learn the nuances and details quickly.

  Blades VR Orientation, Chapter 1.3 - Immersion and Role-playing

  Shale opened her eyes and sat up. The three other cots in the tent were empty, all of them neatly made. When she had arrived in the middle of the night, they’d been occupied by the sleeping forms of other elves.

  She stood and looked around. Beside her cot were clothes. She reached for the beige leather pants and pulled them on. They fit comfortably. Next, she donned the light green tunic of a soft, thin material that felt more like nylon than cotton, which surprised her. She sat back on the cot, slipped the dark socks over her feet, and donned on a pair of pliable yet thick natural-coloured leather boots that came halfway up to her knee. She stood and took a step. They had comfortable soles and a slight heel. Again, more design and comfort than she had expected. She walked to the flap, pulled it back, and stepped out into the morning light.

  Elves moved about the camp everywhere she looked. To her right was a large, round fire pit with a flat table of thin metal resting above the flames. Two elven women and a man wearing cloth aprons stood over the makeshift griddle, tending what looked like pancakes. Beyond the cooking fire, elves lined up in front of a row of hay bales, practising archery. An older man—the instructor—stood at one end of the line, leaning against the tree with arms crossed as he watched the archers shoot.

  To Shale’s left, more young elves drilled in a variety of skills. Some looked to be crafting snares, others fletched feathers onto arrow shafts, while others were sharpening daggers.

  She was lost in thought, absorbing the sights, when something nudged her in the ribs, making her jump. A male elf stood beside her, a grin on his face. She smiled back. “Good morning.”

  “Pfft.” He shook his head. “Another twenty minutes and you would have completely missed morning.”

  “How come no one woke me?”

  “A better question is how did the sounds of a busy training camp not wake you?”

  “Guess I must have been tired.”

  “That’s what Jielir said.”

  Shale nodded and considered the elf beside her. At first, she’d thought it was Aleron, but now she realized it wasn’t. Aleron would be dressed as a druid and this one was clothed in ranger garb the same as her. She scanned the camp again and it became clear that all of the elves, at least the ones her age, were all dressed as rangers. She knew from orientation that her avatar was beginning ranger training. They must have come to a special place to train, away from the main elven village.

  How do I find out this guy’s name?

  “Come on.” He nudged her and began walking. “Let’s get breakfast, then we can head to the range.”

  Shale followed him to the fire. Her companion smiled at the cooks. “Morning, beautiful people.”

  One of the cooks, a pretty girl the same age as Shale, snorted and pretended to be annoyed, but a smile appeared on her face. “It seems as if you have inherited your father’s silver tongue as well as his good looks, Lelthaes Ravenfeather.”

  “That’s not true, Maraea.” He put a hand to his chest and looked at the ground. “Normally I am a clumsy mute, but when I am in the presence of your wit and beauty, intelligent words seem to suddenly appear.”

  The girl shook her head and scooped two pancakes from the griddle with her spatula.

  “It’s true.” Lelthaes kept his head bowed but his eyes raised to
meet Maraea’s and he grinned. “You are my muse. Without you I am a bumbling idiot.”

  Maraea dropped the pancakes onto a plate and held them toward the ranger in training. “I don’t think my presence helps. You sound very much like a bumbling idiot at this very moment.”

  Lelthaes laughed as he accepted the plate. “Thank you, fair beauty, both for the inspiration to speak and the delicious food.”

  She shook her head and flipped a third pancake on top of his stack, then prepared a second plate and handed it to Shale. “I don’t know how you put up with this one chittering on all day, Shale.”

  “He barely says a word to me. This really only does seem to happen when he’s around you, Maraea.”

  The cook raised one eyebrow and glanced sidelong at Lelthaes. “If that is true, then perhaps I should allow you to take me for a walk along the river in hopes of inspiring you to compose a beautiful poem in my honour.”

  Lelthaes frowned. “Don’t toy with me. I’ll be a horrible ranger if I must lug a broken heart in my chest with me for the rest of my life.”

  She snorted. “‘Tis more like you are collecting the broken hearts of maidens to carry in a pack, tales of conquest to entertain your fellow vagabonds during your travels.”

  He nodded and placed a hand to his chest. “I understand. You’re frightened of falling in love.”

  Maraea laughed. Lelthaes winked and turned away. Shale followed him to an empty table. They sat and he reached for the bottle of syrup in the middle and poured some onto his pancakes. “Thanks for the help there.”

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  “You’re right.” He cut into a pancake. “I owe you.”

  Shale smiled and took a bite of food, excited to begin training, hoping that she would soon find Aleron.

  12

  Players of traditional online video games have become spoiled, no longer exploring areas as they go, but instead relying on map functions to navigate. This feature will not be available to players of Blades VR.

  Players will see only as far as their eyes allow, and will have to rely on creating their own maps of the world as they explore outwards from their starting points.