Homeland: Ingame 2

by Kieron Uchee

  Yes, or No?

  I nodded and then spoke, “I will do it, give me a week, hopefully, I will have succeeded by then in retrieving your mother’s belongings. The only other question I have is this, what is the reward? As much as I like to be helpful I need to also benefit from any quests I do.”

  Alaric looked at me and laughed, and said, “Well you’re not Saint Tor come to help us eh. The rewards for the quest is five gold pieces, and ten thousand XP, plus you can keep any other items you loot on the Island.”

  “It is a deal,” I said as we clasped arms. “Now I had better be off, or the damn curfew will get me if I am caught.”

  “Not to worry mate, the curfew is suspended on the nights we have entertainment. But I would not linger on the streets; those damn people from the House of Pain sometimes wander around looking for people to make trouble for.” Alaric looked grim as he spoke and I could guess why. I hated those bastards and one day I would deal with them.

  Thanking him for everything I made my way out to the amphitheater and strolled along the seawall looking out at the island. Eventually, I came to the building that housed the entrance to the cable cars.

  Standing on each side of the building were two stone Golems, frozen for years in the act of turning a huge handle that moved a simple gear that in turn drove another that moved the cable. It was simple and yet it was one of the most advanced pieces of technology I had seen Ingame prior to BanHammers creations.

  I was becoming interested in this abandoned island, what had caused the Golems to freeze? This had been a major attraction in the city, so why did the city not repair or replace the golems. I am guessing but I think that some investigation would be warranted. I could clearly see into the building, some wooden benches and tables and chairs were visible, along with a countertop that ran the length of the back wall.

  Trying the door handle showed that they were still locked and the windows had bars, on them. Thinking to myself that there is no time like the present I sat on the steps of the building and under the light of the two full moons hanging low in the sky I grabbed the book I had received from Alaric.

  Opening it, I began to read it when a skills window popped open.

  Do you wish to read and learn the skills within the book

  Yes, or No?

  Mentally thinking yes, I saw a new icon appear on the quick launch bar of the interface. Pushing the icon, I could see that it had several subcategories, but they were all grayed out. I began to read the book and as I did the categories all filled with icons for new skills. The higher tiered abilities required advanced XP to be able to use them. When I was done, I observed that the books pages were now empty. A new window popped on the interface and I read,

  You have discovered a hidden class

  Thief

  This class allows you to develop a subclass to display to the public, all classes

  are available

  If you are found out, you will incur one hundred percent reputation loss with

  all City NPC guards and King and will be hunted and imprisoned by the state

  Class bonus

  The ability to sometimes hear when others speak of you if they are in the

  shadows

  Do you choose this class

  Yes or No?

  I sat and thought, this class might be just what I need, and the fact that I can choose a subclass was icing on the cake. It was another advantage I would make full use of. With a smile, I accepted the class.

  Glancing at the time displayed on the interface I noted that the PIM integration should have completed. Opening the software window, I saw that it had achieved one hundred percent integration with the interface and was waiting for my agreement to reboot the interface.

  Nodding my head, I agreed to accept the changes then sat back, leaning against the wall of the building. This should feel like falling asleep I thought.

  Chapter 5 Wings

  I awoke as the sun was just peeking over the horizon, causing the sea to look a brilliant blue. As I stood and stretched I realized I needed a place to call home. Sleeping on the steps of an abandoned building was not the most comfortable thing I have done. Opening my interface, I saw that I had several new commands available, the PIM had fully integrated with the Interface.

  I turned on the scan feature and watched as my minimap located in the top left corner of my vision suddenly displayed a new item. A small button would flash red and then orange icons would appear on the map should any stealthed individuals be detected within twenty meters. It made me feel a little more secure with that feature activated.

  Turning to the locked door of the building I examined the lock and then opened the lock pick case. I just knew that I had to use the number three pick with a tool called the tension rod. It only took a couple of minutes and the lock clicked open. Quickly I put the lock pick tools away and then pushed open the door. Upon entering the room, it was apparent that a thick layer of dust overlay everything.

  Knowing that the tracks I would leave in the dust would be a sign that someone had been present, I hoped that anyone checking would find the door locked and would assume it was the City Watchmen checking the building. Observing that attached to the nearby wall was a set of lockers, I decided they would be more practice for my lock picking.

  Moving slowly to the wall amidst the thickening clouds of dust I pulled out my lock picks and went to work. After several hours, I had cracked open all the lockers, but not surprisingly they were all empty.

  Anyone who had stored things here at the city terminal would have removed their belongings after being brought back from the island. Putting the picks away I glanced around the room, at the far end was a small platform that had another door recessed into the wall.

  Making my way there I had to squeeze my nose shut in an effort to not burst out sneezing. The dust was everywhere, rising up in fine clouds as I walked across the room. Finally, I made it to the four stairs that led up to the platform. There was less dust near the door and I began to breathe easier. Taking out the lock picks I went to work and had the door open in less than two minutes.

  Going into the next room I saw that it was a control room and had several hourglass timers each with a number on it. I guessed that the numbers would match up to the cable cars, and to judge by the chart on the wall with start and stop marks, and colored lines that corresponded to the hourglass timers it would seem this is how they controlled the speed and arrival times of the cable cars.

  It was all very fascinating and it showcased how something complex could work with primitive technology. I made my way through the room poking into drawers and looking at the papers scattered around the desks. The room had been abandoned fairly quickly, with papers left where they had been placed by the workers. I even found a roster outline with the names of several workers who had traded shifts.

  Making my way across the room I came to another door, this one was not locked. It led into the heart of the operation, where cable cars would travel around the great gear and then stop on the exterior platform allowing the people to depart and board.

  I could see the opening in the wall that led to the exterior platform. Making my way to this opening I observed a cable car, it was inside the building just before the exit where it would have stopped at the platform.

  Opening the door on the cable car I was struck by how much it resembled a cable car that would be found at any mountain resort. Looking up I saw the small hatch that led to the roof. Reaching up I opened the hatch and then with a small jump I grabbed the edges of the roof and pulled myself up. I was finally able to observe the cable that supported the cars. It had a diameter of about seven centimeters and was made of some alloy woven into strings for strength.

  Jumping up onto the cable I began to walk along it, it was doable, at least here, once out over the sea, I was not so sure. As I sat down on the roof of the cable car I began to think I needed an edge here. If I fell from the cable into the ocean that would be it, the drop was at least a
thousand feet. The wind blew pretty hard out over the ocean and I would have nothing to assist with my balance.

  I could get some kind of pole about forty feet long and that would help my balance but to carry a pole like that for a kilometer with my arms stretched while trying to maintain my balance would be too much, even for my nano-enhanced muscles. What I really needed was my Dragon wings. Not to fly over but to help in case of balance problems. Sighing to myself, I knew that I had to come up with something.

  Taking a break from my mind racing around I opened up the skills and abilities tab and then studied what I saw. I decided to copy everything from the tab and to include any other skills or abilities I could think of into my PIM.

  Elf

  This race loves both the sea and the forests

  Long-lived they are the masters of life magic

  They favor the healing and magic class

  Both hunters and melee warriors do arise

  The Elves favor the night and worship the moon goddess

  Racial ability quickness, for 5 seconds’ elves can move at twice normal speed

  Your strength starting level one = 100

  Your agility starting level one = 100

  Your heath starting level one = 100

  Your speed starting level one = 100

  Your mana at level one = 100

  + Racial ability limited time double speed

  You have found a Companion

  An NPC that will follow your leadership

  New ability learned

  You have mastered the ability of metamorphic change

  You can now shift your body from human to demon

  Be warned the transformation will allow others to see you as a Demon

  You have accepted a holy entity into your party

  The faction changes have been recorded

  Komhether is now aligned with the Demonic Prince Torn

  New ability Persuasion

  To persuade others to see the truth and join you

  Skillset

  Lock picking, the basics

  Lock picking, advanced

  Lock picking, master level

  Pickpocketing, your guide to personal riches through the efforts of others

  Climbing walls and hanging around, the right time and approach to let

  yourself in

  Restraints, they are not for the free

  What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine, confidence benefits a con man

  Some gave all and all gave some, how to read a mark

  You have discovered a hidden class

  Thief

  This class allows you to develop a subclass to display to the public, all classes

  are available

  If you are found out, you will incur one hundred percent reputation loss with

  all City NPC guards and King and will be hunted and imprisoned by the state

  Class bonus

  The ability to sometimes hear when others speak of you if they are in the

  shadows

  Nanobot’s integration into game avatar

  Defensive capability, self-healing

  Offensive capability, electrical discharge from hands

  Physical stats increase, doubles per level

  PIM integration into Gaming Interface

  Stealth detection enabled

  Upgraded map functions

  Ability to make calls to the Real World

  Ability to access Gnet from within the game

  Ability to leave and enter the game

  Avatar integration into gaming matrix

  You are not recognized as a player and the gaming AI has no control over you

  My thoughts went to the metamorphic changeability; I remembered that Sebastian had mentioned that without Demonic blood I should only be able to affect small changes within my body. Are wings a small change I wondered. Taking a deep breath, I activated the ability and thought really hard about growing wings.

  I could feel a sudden flow of mana flooding my back and a very strange feeling came over me. I felt suddenly tired, I could barely move, having no choice in the matter I sprawled out on the roof of the cable car and passed out.

  Waking up I still felt very tired, almost exhausted but I could move. As I went to stand up, suddenly wings opened up on each side of my back. With a snap of the wings, I sprang to my feet.

  Lifting my wings and extending them, I observed that they were covered in grayscale like feathers and extended outwards about five meters. “Holy smoke,” I whispered to myself. “I look like an angel.”

  It was quickly apparent that the use of the wings was now a natural function of my body. Folding them down I noticed that they lay almost flat against my shoulders and back stopping just above my ankles.

  With the use of a long cloak, I realized that it would be possible to safely walk around with the wings, undetected. As I was thinking of this my stomach suddenly knotted up, I was starving.

  I jumped down and re-entered the control room. Going through the room I entered the main room and beelined straight to the serving counter across from the lockers. Jumping over it I quickly went through the old boxes that were left on the shelves.

  I finally found what I wanted, some sort of snack food, it was hard as concrete and tasted like what I thought concrete would taste but I needed the energy. I must have burned several thousand calories when the wings appeared.

  Eventually, I was done, I could not eat any more of the dry chalky tasting snacks. I was still starving but did not think I would pass out from hunger. Looking up I saw several hooks with the faded and discolored clothing that the workers had worn long ago. Grabbing the largest I put it on and admired the results.

  I looked terrible but it hid the wings. I needed to make it back to the abandoned park where I would meet Sebastian and Komhether and did not have the energy to change back. Giving one final look around I left the building stopping to relock the door. Getting to the park I gathered my share of funny looks and even had a couple of citizen’s press copper coins into my hand.

  I looked like a beggar and that probably helped me as most people would glance at me with pity or scorn and then not look at me again. The visible invisible I had once heard the destitute street people called in the real world and I could see that it was true. Finally, I arrived and let myself into the park.

  My two friends were waiting for me and as I approached them Sebastian glanced at me and jumped up. “What has happened to you?” He cried. “It has been only one night on your own and you look like hell.”

  Shrugging out of the faded rags I stretched forth my wings with a crack. “It’s a long story but before I tell you, I need you to get me a cloak to cover up the wings and then food, some take out from the closest place. I need to eat right now.” I spoke tiredly; I was really feeling the lack of real food.

  Nodding at me he called out to Komhether, “Let’s go, the Prince needs some things and it is a bit of a rush to see he gets them.” As they were leaving I could hear Komhether say, “He really does look like one of the angelic hosts with those wings. They have all disappeared since the Gods were banished; I bet he could convince anyone he is a being of light.”

  I nodded my head and lay down on the grass and as I closed my eyes, I thought, I am no angel.

  Chapter 6 Artifact

  I awoke to the sound of Sebastian and Komhether spreading out a cloak and placing a large amount of food on it. It smelled great and within seconds I was sitting at the edge of the cloak reaching out and grabbing food to stuff myself. After a brief pause to thank them I continued to eat, once I was finally finished I rubbed my belly and said, “Thanks, I really needed to eat and that hit the spot.”

  Sebastian nodded and said, “Glad we could help you and now would you please tell us how you have wings and why you arrived here looking like a beggar about to drop dead?” Thinking about it I realized I had probably looked pretty bad. I had been pale with bags under my eyes and wearing filthy faded clothing that wa
s several sizes too large.

  I told them what I had been up to, explaining the abandoned terminal and the need to get to the island. Once I was finished we all sat and thought for a minute then I spoke, “Komhether you have the ability to remain undetected unless you want to be seen?” As he nodded I smiled and then said, “That is perfect, I have a mission for you, I need you to find out what the King and the leaders of the Guilds and Houses are doing.”

  “I need current information on their plans, and I think you are the person to get it, if you could do a spying mission and then meet back here in three days that should be enough time to learn what is happening with the kingdom.” Seeing the little messenger nod his head, I turned to Sebastian and asked him to do the same thing, only, this time, to try to find out what Banhammer and the Hammerytes were up to. I did not believe he was going nonstop, building things for no purpose. What really concerned me was the fact that all he did was being done in secret.

  “What are you going to be doing?” Sebastian asked. It was a good question and I wanted them to know what and where I was going.

  “I will be going to the island tonight and retrieving the pub owners mothers bag, hopefully, I might find some other items worth bringing back. I also will do some exploration once there; I am interested in why the island was abandoned so suddenly. So, guys, why don’t we relax for a few hours and then get another bite to eat and then we will head out.”

  The afternoon passed peacefully, with the sun warm and the small brook bubbling away in the distance, I closed my eyes and napped as Sebastian and Komhether went for a stroll.

  Eventually, I awoke and walked down to the stream to wash, once I felt clean I sat on the bench and cast Metamorphosis on myself, this time, the process happened quicker and in a couple of seconds I was back to being an Elf. I was once again super hungry but it was liveable. Once the guys rejoined me, we left the park and Sebastian led us to a nice little Inn located near the third tier.

  As we entered I could see that it was crowded and had a pretty active group of customers, mainly Dwarfs but some Humans and Elves were also present. We waited at the bar until a booth became free and then made our way over. Once the barmaid had taken the orders and brought us our food and drinks, we began to talk.