by Matt Ryan
“Yeah, it’s some weak shit. I think this game enjoys making fun of me.” He looked at the ceiling, shaking his fist.
As we left Tommy’s Inn, I thought of telling them about Trevor, but what would be the point? For one, they’d learn I wasn’t some ironic hipster, but a poor-ass kid who had no reason to be in Realm One. Which in and of itself would bring up questions I didn’t want to answer. So, I just kept it to myself.
We followed KILLian down the road a few blocks and noticed there were more players in the game now. As we got closer to the training center, there was a crowd of them—a diverse group of players. Some even had weapons in their hands.
A group went running by with smiles on their faces, and what looked like foam swords in their hands. The kind you’d pull out of some bin at the dollar store. Near the wall, a few were even swinging their foam swords, chopping at the grass.
“It gets weirder. Just wait,” KILLian said.
We got to the actual training building and saw the line coming out the door. It looked like an old cathedral, with stained-glass windows and carved stonework over much of the façade. Probably to issue some feeling of decadence. And it worked. I was impressed with the structure, and got in line to see what it held inside.
“Come on,” KILLian said, walking past the line, and toward the door. She slipped the guy at a side door some money and he let us in.
I smiled as we passed the guard and entered the building. It was filled with conversations, laughter, and even some screaming. The crowd seemed to be heavy on the male side, but there were plenty of woman as well, probably a third. One good thing about this game, I didn’t have to assume everyone was a guy and probably thirteen. Their real appearance was right there, for better or worse.
There were a few younger people but the majority were adults, and they were hungry to get their specs, lined up at various parts of the building. We walked to the middle of the room and I did a slow spin, taking in the different banners displaying the different specs.
The first banner I saw said Caster. On it, a woman held out a glowing staff and had glowing eyes. A lightning bolt was shooting out from her hands with snowflakes, almost like a blizzard storming behind her.
The next was for Warrior; a stocky man stood proud, decked out in rough-looking armor, holding a two-handed ax while the ground below him cracked.
The most intriguing for me was the woman on the Shadow banner. Mainly because she looked much like Sephorus, decked out in a long, draping hooded cloak, while the space around her blurred out.
The other stands were for Merchant, Service, Healer, and Marksmen.
“Who the hell wants to be a service worker in this game world?” Gor said. “I’m going for warrior. Just look at how bad ass that guy looks. That’s going to be me.” Gor jogged over to the booth and gathered with a large crowd already there.
“What are you thinking?” I asked KILLian.
“I think I’m going to go the caster route,” she said.
“Spell-slinger, eh?” I looked at the Shadow group. My heart was in that spec, working in the shadows, assassinating the bad guys, but I had to make the wisest business choice.
“Yeah, I like casting, and the power you get from learning new spells. Just look at that woman on the banner. She’s got freaking lightning bolts coming out of her hands. I want that.” She lowered her head and glared at Gor’s general direction. “And I’ll take heal as a second spec, but only because it makes me valuable here. I can get into raids and stuff easier. Not because I’m a girl.”
“I think you’re valuable, no matter the spec.” And I meant it. I kind of wanted to talk her out of a healing spec. She could probably do a double caster spec.
“Thanks.” KILLian left and joined in the crowd of aspiring magic people.
I headed for the merchant booth. I couldn’t remember a Merchant clan in other games I played, but in a world of money, it interested me. A single man stood behind the counter with no one waiting in line. He wore a dark suit with large diamond earrings. The woman with him wore a suit with glittering jewelry on her hands. They both looked at me with a half eye roll, then a glare of impatience. They both looked as if they’d rather watch money burn than endure my presence.
“I wanted to know—” I started to say before the man interrupted me.
“It’s a $100,000 buy-in to the Merchant clan.”
“Okay . . .” I checked my pockets, as if I had a hundred thousand, but had misplaced it on my person. They didn’t seem amused by this, so I took a few steps back. “I think I left my wallet in my car, but when I have the money, what is it that I get?”’
“If you have the money, you can choose from a set of baseline businesses, or create your own. We’ll help you get it up and going for a small percentage.”
Is that how the game was going to make money off people? There were no subscription fees to Avarice Online, so most were wondering where the buy-ins were going to be.
“Thank you for your time.” I walked away and went to the service booth. There was no one in line for that one either.
Two people stood behind the booth and greeted me with big fake smiles. They both wore matching blue button-ups and black shorts. Mary and Todd were their names, displayed on silver square nametags and written in bold letters a grandma with cataracts could see.
“Hey, you guys are in the Service clan? What’s that like?”
“You get priority on all service jobs, along with bonuses on each level of service you earn. Get high enough and you can earn triple the income,” Todd said with so much enthusiasm I wondered how much he was hiding behind that smile. Perhaps he had people stuffed in his basement right now, and if he slipped for one second, we’d hear their screams.
“Is there any buy in?”
“No, this is free,” Mary said and dragged out the word free for a bit too long. I just needed that one sentence to know she hated her life. Interesting how much tone, inflection, and subtlety they put into these characters.
I looked over to the Shadow clan. You could pick out two specs in this game and I was certain I wanted to be in Shadow, but in the long run, service might be the ticket. And if I ever earned enough, I could turn merchant and that’s when the big bucks would start coming in.
“Okay, what do I need to do to join?”
They both clapped their hands in excitement. “You came to the right place. We don’t play games with you and give you a foam mop to clean the dirt roads with,” Todd said and gave the warrior booth a sideways look.
Mary laughed and said, “I actually thought about giving out name badges that just said Help Me on them.”
“That’s weird,” Todd said.
“You don’t get it. Their name would be Help Me. Every merchant they went to, they’d be addressed as Help Me. It’s funny.”
“You’ve been sucking on Tinderman’s weeds again, haven’t you?”
“No,” she said, and touched her mouth as if something might be there to tell him otherwise.
“So . . . what do I do?” I asked, getting them back on track.
“Here’s a scroll,” Mary said holding out a rolled-up parchment. “It will bind to you after you unroll it, and then you’re in.”
I took the paper and unrolled it. A screen popped up and asked if I wanted to join the Service clan. I accepted.
Congratulations!
+ 20 Service
You can now serve the fine people of the seven realms with added bonuses and exclusive quest chains. Service industry is about trust and honesty, so if you reach an evil level of 100, you will be kicked out of the clan.
Each point will give you a bonus in quest and service-based rewards. Also, higher points will open golden opportunities. Including exclusive content.
I wasn’t too proud of my choice, but it was the most logical. In a month, this service counter would be filled with people looking to sign up. The rich would buy their way into the Merchant clan and become richer. That was how the real world worked as
well.
“You guys have any opener quests I can start?” I asked.
“Sure, here you go.”
QUEST: Visit Esme the florist. She’ll put your lazy ass to work.
Who wrote this game?
“Hey, can I get a permission slip from you guys to get on Spider Island?”
They both laughed. “What kind of service do you need to provide over there?” Todd asked.
“Clean the cobwebs?” Mary said and they both went into hysterics.
“I was told a clan master can give a permission slip for the ferry?”
“Honey,” Todd said, “that’s for the battle clans.” He said battle clans as if it was a dirty word.
“Like the Shadow clan?”
“Yes.”
The second spec I wanted was the Shadow clan.
“Thank you for letting me join your clan,” I said and headed toward the Shadow clan line.
“Happy to have you,” they both said in unison and I glanced back to see them slap fighting each other over the excitement of uttering the same words at the same time.
I’m in a clan with idiots, great.
Then I saw Trevor with his arm around the guy behind the Shadow clan booth, as if they were best friends. He even had a cloak on, and the group around him laughed as he spoke, as if recalling some tale of his. Probably about the one where he picked on the guy at the snack station, punching him in the gut, and threatening his life.
If I timed it right, I might be able to throw a spear from this distance and hit Trevor. Instead, I snuck around the Shadow clan line, trying to make sure Trevor didn’t see me. I wasn’t ready to face him. He already looked like he was further ahead in the game than me and I didn’t want to give him the chance to humiliate me among every player in this building.
I got to the side door and exited.
+5 stealth
+5 perception
What? I checked my stat box and sure enough, there were two more abilities listed among the rest.
Magoton:
Level 3
Spec 1: Service
Spec 2: None
XP 340
(60 XP until next level up)
HP 185/200
Mana 100
Stamina 100
Attribute Points: 10
Bank $0.02
Crit rating 4%
Attack Power 0
Spell Power 0
Agility 0
Charisma -5
Intelligence 5
Strength 0
Service 20
Merchant 0
Perception 5
Stealth 5
Evil 20
Good 0
Weapon Specialties:
4 Points in Spears
What else could I discover in this game? What other hidden stats were there? Not only that, the world itself had become a bit clearer, and I suspected it was from the increase in perception. I now noticed a few guards in the back of the building and the few marksmen up on the balcony above.
Gor came out the open door, holding a foam sword and a shield that looked to be made from cardboard. “What the hell is this stuff?” He looked at his weapons. “These things don’t even have stats.”
“They look ridiculous,” I said.
KILLian came out, holding onto a plastic rod, about a foot long. At the end of it was a clear plastic ball. She pushed a button and the ball spun, sending a few sparks out the end.
“It’s actually kind of cool,” she said, playing with the spark ball thingy.
“What’d you get?” Gor asked me.
“Nothing. Well, I got this service quest.”
Gor laughed. “You went service?”
“Yeah.”
“Dude, what are you going to do in this game, change out bedpans for some XP?” He laughed. “What’s the end game? Wiping the queen’s ass?” He thought the joke was way too funny.
At least KILLian wasn’t laughing. She spoke first, trying to interrupt Gor’s laughter. “He did it for us, you idiot. Do you know the greater access Service people have to places? With him, we might be able to go where we couldn’t before.”
“I can also share the quest they gave me,” I said and shared the quest with them.
That shut him up. Gor nodded, almost impressed. “Better than this crap.” He threw the sword and shield onto the ground and stomped on it. “I want some real gear. What else is the point of this game, other than cool abilities and weapons?”
“I think it’s going to be harder with this game. It’s going to come slower, but I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be worth it,” I said.
“Yeah, just look at those banners in there.” KILLian pointed behind us. “Those people looked amazing. I imagine it’s going to take being that kind of player to do the things I want to do in this game.”
“Great, well let’s get this flower quest over with. Maybe it will lead to something cool,” Gor said.
Chapter Twelve
Gor complained about boring quests for our entire trip to the flower store. I tried to ignore him, but it was getting increasingly difficult.
Walking inside the shop, I turned in the quest to Esme, the shop owner, and to my surprise, I leveled.
Quest Complete!
+ 100 XP
Congratulations! Level 4 Unlocked:
+5 attribute points
Unlocked ability to inspect others. Use it wisely.
Finally, an inspect feature. I quickly set it as one of my hot tabs on the screen. Just a quick look and I could activate it.
The first person I tested it on was Esme.
Esme: Level 14
Spec: Merchant
Spec: Service
HP: 525/525
Digging a little deeper, I noticed she had a high level in skill with daggers. I didn’t even see a dagger on her, but I bet Esme could kick some serious ass if she needed to.
I looked at Gor next, he was on the edge of hitting Level 4. He had a double spec in warrior, but the secondary warrior spec had a shield next to it.
“Your secondary spec is Tank?”
“Yup, damage soak. It’s fun!”
“Esme, can we get this quest please?” KILLian requested.
“Yes, of course, you just need to deliver this large bundle of flowers to Trinity Hall,” she answered.
“We’re going into Trinity Hall with these?” KILLian asked at the same time as I did.
I gave her a sideways look. Why would she want to go there as well?
“Yes, Trinity Hall. They like flowers in their displays, and they are one of my best customers, so don’t mess it up.” In quick order, she had the flowers bundled up and set in a wheelbarrow.
I thanked Esme and we headed down the dirt road. I pushed along the wheelbarrow and did some window shopping as we walked by the different store fronts.
There were a lot of merchants selling items like foam swords, clothes, and food, but I slowed down when I saw a weapons shop. There were several types of weapons hanging in the window. One looked like a cartoonish gun with a barrel attached to the bottom. Another was a long pipe, flared out at the end like a bugle horn. The glass cases under the guns had a varied blade collection. Some were even glowing in different colors. I knew I had nowhere near the money to buy such things, but I imagined equipping something like that.
Gor about broke the window staring so hard at the various gear. “And just think, this is the garbage you can buy on the street. Imagine the wondrous gear out there in the wild.” His breath fogged up the window.
In less than a second, Trevor popped out from the shadows and kicked over the wheelbarrow. Then he stomped on the flowers, along with two of his sidekicks.
“What the hell, man?” Gor said, moving toward Trevor.
One of Trevor’s men moved closer to Gor, blades in hand.
“Step back, fatty,” Trevor warned. “This is between me and Magoton, here. Nice name, Josh.”
I quickly inspected him.
Trevor: L
evel 8
Spec: Shadow
Spec: Shadow
HP: 350/375
Trevor was his gamer name. Brilliant. The worst thing was his level. How much longer had he been playing than me? And he had a double Shadow spec. Why?
“Is there a problem here?” a guard who I hadn’t even seen stood near us holding a black halberd. I inspected him and saw he was a Level 47 with high skills in poles. He could probably one-shot all of us with an AoE.
“Nothing, just saw this player knock over his flowers and offered to help,” Trevor said.
“There is no fighting in the boundaries of the city, so take it to the island or move along.”
“Yeah, Magoton, move along,” Trevor said, taking a step back into the shadows until he disappeared. “I’ll be watching you.”
“What a jerk,” KILLian said, bending down to start picking up the mangled flowers. “Who the hell is that guy?”
“Someone I know in real life. Trevor, the biggest jerk in the world.”
Gor grunted. “Well, I have a whole new reason to become a bad ass in this game, and that is to kick Trevor’s ass. I will camp him until he never wants to log in again.”
“Same,” KILLian said. “Except I want to break his legs and arms, all the while keeping him at one HP. He’ll stay in my house, and I’ll feed him just enough every day to make sure he stays alive. Soon, he’ll be begging for death and I won’t give it to him. I’ll let him heal and depend on me for everything. I’ll then get him to fall in love with me, and just when he thinks he has a chance in life—that things are going to get better—I start the whole process over again.”
My mouth hung open.
“Dang,” the guard said as he turned around abruptly and walked away.
“Yeah, what she said,” Gor agreed. “Fuck that guy.”
KILLian laughed. “I’m just messing with you guys, holy shit. I’m not a psycho.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I’d never really had someone who I could call a genuine friend. The kids at school were mostly attached to their electronics, and the once-a-month meeting wasn’t enough to get a relationship going with them. The digital friends I had were strictly clients. I didn’t have enough time to join a big guild because I couldn’t commit to a schedule and make raid times.