by Terry Schott
Isaac held up his hand. “He’s still working on a special project. You think you need him—”
“I know we need him.”
“Think you need him,” Isaac continued. “But you’ll have to handle this on your own for the time being.”
“Oh.” Abe’s head bowed.
“Hey.” Isaac rapped on the table to get the man’s attention. “Sebastian will be back soon. He simply cannot leave what he is doing until the job is finished.”
“Okay.”
“You and the rest are doing great. Keep an eye on the player’s vitals. If things approach a dangerous level, then we will deal with it. Sound good?”
“Okay. Sure, Isaac.”
Isaac stood. “That’s it then. Thanks, everybody.”
The sound of chairs being pushed against the floor filled the room. Isaac remained where he was, a smile on his face while the group left. When they were gone, the smile faded. He pursed his lips and looked at Kara, who had remained seated.
“I know,” she said. “Find Sebastian.”
“Anything else?”
She nodded.
“Tell me you held back some good news. I could use some.”
“Sorry.”
He sighed. “What?”
“Remember that issue with the Scout candidate?”
“Kid named Aleron, right?”
“Yeah. Turns out that it wasn’t a side quest to introduce him to the class.”
“They intend to make him a Scout?”
She nodded.
Isaac felt light-headed. He put one hand on the table and sat down. “Where is Aleron now?”
“Meeting a Master Scout.”
“Oh god.”
52
In Blades VR, we are thrilled to announce the introduction of a new class called the Scout.
During first stage of beta testing, players will not be able to select the Scout but they will be encountered as non-player characters in the game.
Rather than simply release the lore of the Scout in printed form, we feel that it is better to allow players to interact with the class and learn about it from practical experience. They will then share their knowledge with others, thus creating and presenting the lore of the Scout in a realistic manner, which matches our primary goal for Blades VR; delivering an authentic and realistic experience from start to finish.
Sebastian Darndhal - Blades VR press release
Shale moaned and stretched, keeping her eyes closed. She held the pose and yawned.
“Haha. what the heck was that?”
Her eyes popped open and her cheeks grew warm. An elf sat in a chair beside her. Shale smiled and shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
“I didn’t know you were awake. One second you’re snoring—”
“I don’t snore.”
The elf snickered. “One second, you’re snoring, then suddenly you start flailing and yawn like a bull elephant.”
She smiled, then squinted at him. “Wait a minute, did you say elephant?”
His eyes sparkled. “I did.”
A quick scan of her avatar’s memories confirmed what instinct told her. “There are no elephants in Blades.”
“And only a Traveller would call this place Blades,” the young elf said.
She smiled and propped herself up on one elbow. “Well, this is kinda cool. I haven’t met another player yet.”
The elf laughed. “If you think that’s cool, wait ‘til the next part.”
Her eyes widened. “Code words?”
He examined his nails and shrugged.
“Banana absinthe?”
He looked at her and grinned. “Apple raspberry.”
Shale squealed and sprang from the bed, embracing Aleron as tight as she could. The two laughed. “Oh my god, Aleron! I’m so happy.”
“Glad to see me, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Me too.”
Each took a step back. Aleron smiled at her as she examined him from head to toe. Then she frowned. “Wait a minute.” Her hand dropped to her leg and started kneading and prodding it. “I had a broken leg.”
“Not anymore. There was a druid here who healed you.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “Healed me, huh? Well, that’s a nice change from the last druid we were looking for. He tried to kill us.”
Aleron laughed again.
“What’s so funny?”
“The one who was trying to kill you is the same one that healed you.”
“No.”
He nodded and Shale laughed. “How is that possible?”
“The Scout made him do it.”
“Ah, that’s right. I was with the Scout.” Her eyes widened. “And a bear. Oh my god, Aleron, you wouldn’t believe how big this bear was!”
“‘Course I would, I saw it, couple of times.”
“A couple times?” She frowned. “We were chasing a druid and young elf that might be a Scout.”
He tapped himself on the chest. “That would be me.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You look surprised.”
“You’re a Scout?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why you say that?”
“The press releases.”
Aleron frowned. “What press releases?”
“About Scouts.” She watched him shake his head and laughed. “You didn’t read them.”
He shrugged. “Didn’t bother. You devoured them all. I figured you would tell me anything important when we got here.”
“But we were separated.”
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “That sucked.”
“Tell me about it.”
“At first I figured it wasn’t a big deal.” He shrugged. “I knew we were both elves. My plan was to head out and find you. Simple enough.”
“But elves all hate each other.”
“Yeah. That was a surprise.”
“Right?” She leaned forward, eyes wide. “How crazy is that?”
“Stupid if you ask me. I wonder why they changed the lore like that.”
“My guess is that it makes things more exciting for players.”
Aleron raised one eyebrow and dropped down into the chair. “There’s no denying it adds more to the dynamic. Still, it’s a shame to see elves killing elves when they could do some great things united.”
“Have you seen that yet? Elves killing elves?”
He shook his head. “How ‘bout you?”
“No. I was about to, though. We were on your trail.”
“To kill me?”
She shook her head. “Just the druid. We meant to capture you.”
“Because I might be a Scout?”
“Yeah.”
He frowned and shrugged again. “Not sure what all the fuss is about.”
“What do you mean?”
“Scouts. Never heard of them before, but they seem to be important.”
“Are you serious?”
“What?”
“No one has told you about the Scout class?”
“No.”
Shale laughed and Aleron’s cheeks turned red. “I wanted to ask, but everyone seemed to know about them and I didn’t want to reveal that I was a player that way, so I kept quiet.”
“But you’ve visited one?”
“No.” He scowled. “Why would I visit one?”
She thought about it, then laughed. “Of course you wouldn’t have. You never dinged. That’s awesome.”
“Why? What’s so funny?”
Shale leaned forward and grabbed his knee. “Scouts are like gods here.”
Aleron laughed. “Get out.”
“I’m serious. Without Scouts, the system does’t work at all.”
“Why not?”
She frowned. “Okay, I admit I don’t know a ton about them either. Same as you, I didn’t want to ask t
oo many questions and give myself away.”
“But you read up on them before we started playing?”
“A little but ARC Gaming didn’t reveal any real information.”
He grinned. “So my plan not to read press releases wasn’t that bad after all.”
She snorted. “You got lucky in this case. There was a lot of good info in most of the press releases.”
“Which you have in your head.”
“Yeah. You’re welcome.”
“Why not much info on Scouts?”
“The company wanted to add realism by letting players learn about the new class as we went. Build the lore from experience.”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually.”
“It’s pretty cool, in theory. For us beta testers, though, the Scout is a mystery we have to unlock.”
Aleron tilted his head. “I thought you said you knew about them.”
“A bit. They are powerful.”
“Magic users?”
“Yes. And no.”
Aleron laughed. “That clears things up.”
“They do magical things.”
“Like what?”
She spread her hands. “According to stories, the strong ones can do pretty much anything they want.”
“That sounds too powerful.”
“I agree. That part is likely rumour or legend.”
“Maybe. What do you know for sure?”
“No one levels without them.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know how things have gone for you, but I got here the day my avatar was to start class training.”
“Ranger?” She winked and he smiled. “Congrats!”
“Thanks. Anyway, I spent weeks in the woods training and learning the basics.”
“Same happens for druids.”
“Likely all classes.”
“Yeah.”
Shale smiled. “When we had finished basic training, they took us to visit a Scout.”
“This one?”
“No. Stop interrupting me.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Each new ranger visited the Scout alone. She was a nice woman who asked a few questions, poked and prodded me a bit. Then she waved her hands over me and said some magic-sounding words.”
“What did that do?”
“Everything.” Shale laughed. “I felt stronger, quicker, and my memory seemed to be sharper. Suddenly I could remember the spells that they were teaching me during training. Not all of them, the ones appropriate for my new level.”
“That’s kinda cool.”
“It’s insane. She levelled me up. That’s how it works here. You go out and get experience and then visit the Scout every so often. When you have enough experience, she can level you and unlock new skills, spells, and also help you improve your existing abilities.”
“Damn that is pretty cool.”
“I thought so too. After my experience, I listened closely to the others and the same was happening for them. I thought that to level up we would hear something like a ding, and then we would go visit a trainer like we did in the PC game.”
“I heard a ding.”
“What?”
“When one of my friends was practicing spells. They cast a spell and suddenly I heard fanfare, like a trumpet calling. The exact sound we hear in the PC game.”
“That’s cool.”
“When the Master druid heard about my experience he decided I might be a Scout and sent me here.”
“So we don’t hear the ding when we level, but a Scout can if they are close to us.”
Aleron shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Something to watch for.”
“So the Scout levels players up.”
“I think there’s more to it than that.”
“How much more?”
Shale raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Not sure, but from the way everyone carries on about them and the respect they are given, I think Scouts do more than just level people.”
“That alone is enough to make them precious.”
“That’s true, but I have a feeling it’s a lot more.”
“And I might be one?”
She stood and waved her hands. “Which is the craziest thing of all!”
Aleron laughed. “Whoa, why so excited?”
“Because it’s impossible!”
“What is?”
“For players to be Scouts.”
He frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“ARC Gaming. They didn’t give a lot of information about Scouts, but the press releases all made one thing very, very clear.” She leaned forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. “The class is locked. There is no possible way for any beta player to be a Scout.”
53
Xander squinted as he was led from the darkness of the keep and into the light-filled courtyard. A large crowd was gathered. Xander shivered as he recalled the last time he had been in this type of situation.
But this time, they didn’t tie him to a rack. His hand reached up to touch the patch covering his eye. He could still feel traces of bone-biting coldness from the Dark Lady’s touch. Even now, awake and far from her domain, the skin around the patch felt cooler than it should.
The Shard walked in front of him. When he stopped, Xander followed suit. The Shard raised his arms to shoulder height and looked out with a calm expression as the crowd fell silent.
The Shard did not shout, but his voice carried. “Our young brother, Xander, has returned. He has visited the Dark Lady, and she has claimed his wretched soul for her own divine purpose.” The Shard paused as the crowd murmured. “He has entered death’s domain and returned so that he may continue to follow the path of the Death Stryker in this world.” The Shard reached back and gripped Xander’s shoulder, pulling him to his side. “Welcome, brother. Now your training can truly begin.”
The crowd cheered and the Shard drew Xander close, clapping him on the back before stepping away. Silence returned. “Now it is time for a hero amongst you to declare interest in his development. Who among you will be Xander’s sponsor?”
Xander looked out over the crowd. The Death Strykers were easy to identify. Some wore their armour and weapons, but many did not. It was their poise and bearing which declared their class. He met the eyes of each Stryker one by one. Most returned his gaze without expression. Two nodded and began to move forward. A third smiled and nodded, but remained where she was.
“I declare.”
Xander saw the expression of surprise on the Shard’s face before he turned to look behind him.
Mercy approached from the doorway of the keep. She appeared calm, but her eyes sparkled as she stopped in front of the leader. “I will be Xander’s sponsor.”
Xander’s eye socket began to tingle. He touched the patch and looked at the crowd. The Death Strykers who had been coming forward bowed and retreated. The tingling became an itching.
“I am surprised that you come forward, sister.” The Shard frowned. “You have never declared before.”
“That does not mean I am a poor choice, brother.”
“Not at all. It is only—”
“Only what?”
“Your other commitments.”
Mercy cocked her head as she considered Xander, her eyes narrowing. “There is something about this one. I am willing to add him to my commitments.”
“You are needed elsewhere, Mercy.” The Shard’s smile faded. “I allow you to withdraw your declaration.”
“I cannot.” She shook her head. “I feel as if the Dark Lady is guiding me in this.” The Shard started to speak but she held a fist in the air. “I am certain that she is compelling me to declare.”
There were murmurs from the crowd. The Shard pursed his lips, then bowed, obviously not pleased. “Very well, Mercy. If the Dark Lady has compelled you, then the matter is settled.” He turned to the crowd. “Mercy shall train our new brother.”
The crowd spoke the words as one. “The D
arkness has chosen.”
The itching sensation became overwhelming. Xander ripped the bandage from his face.
“What’s wrong?” The Shard snapped, turning to look at him. Then his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
Mercy raised one eyebrow and smiled. “Well isn’t that interesting.”
“What?” Xander asked. The itching faded but was replaced with a vibration, a tingling that radiated from his socket. “Is something wrong?”
Mercy retrieved a shield from a rack at the foot of the dais. She returned to Xander’s side, rubbing the surface of the shield with her forearm and holding it up in front of him. “See for yourself.”
Xander looked into the reflective surface and frowned. Instead of a raw wound where his eye had once been, a blue-silver pattern resembling a large snowflake covered his eye socket. Around the edges were streaks of white frost. He reached up to touch the area. “What the…” White, sliver, and light blue lights filled his vision, forming the outline of his finger. “I can still see from this eye?”
Mercy lowered the shield. “The Dark Lady returned you to us, but it seems that Death gave you her kiss as well. You lost an eye, but gained magical power in the trade.”
“What kind of power?”
She clapped him on the back and laughed. “Over the next few months, that is exactly what the two of us will discover.”
54
Through the laughter, Shale heard a knock on the door. She tapped Aleron on the leg and pointed toward the doorway. “Come in,” she called.
The door opened and an old man entered. Aleron stood. “Master Keaedan.” He turned to Shale. “This is the druid master that I told you about.”
“Oh, hey.” She stopped smiling. “The old fart that sent a bear to kill me and my friends?”
The Druid grinned. “And you are the young woman who tried to kill me in my sleep.”
“Well, this is about as awkward as I imagined it would be.” Aleron offered his chair to Keaedan.
The druid chuckled as he sat. “You’re both new to this way of life. There are many times when warring tribes are forced to be in the same room. Elves do possess the capacity to behave like civilized creatures.”
“Yet not the ability to devote their lives to something other than destroying every other elf village in the great forests.” Shale lay back on her bed and looked at the ceiling.
“Right you are, young lady.” Master Keaedan nodded. “I wish it were different, but it’s not.”