Homeland: Ingame 2

by Kieron Uchee

  Turning my attention to the small mountain that arose beside the lake I decided to climb the peak at least till I hit the small plateau that I had found on my island. It took a while to do the climb but my increased stats made it much easier than the original climb had been. As I final made it to the little plateau the sun was almost at the sea, soon it would sink and I would be in darkness.

  Glancing around I quickly took in the scene, again it was almost identical to the original with one exception the small carved platform was empty. I reached into my bag and pulled out the Dice and examined them again,

  The Dice of the Goblin King

  These dice were created by the Goblin King and his mightiest mages

  They are rolled once and then the pathway appears

  If you start on the pathway it must be finished

  Once the pathway has been walked the dice will bestow a blessing upon the

  bearer

  Accepting ownership of the dice makes them soul bound

  Do you accept ownership

  Yes, or No?

  Without thinking, I tossed the dice onto the platform and suddenly the shit began. The sky turned a purple and green color, and what I would call a super storm instantly appeared, it was centered above the island and the early evening sky was now completely dark. Lightning crashed all around and thunder boomed in deafening waves.

  Suddenly a golden doorway opened up and I was staring at a peaceful meadow full of grass and flowers. I glanced around and realized that I had to get the hell off the mountain or I would be fried. I darted forwards and was through the entrance before I could think about it.

  The doorway closed and the sudden silence overwhelmed me for a moment. I sat down and began to meditate and work on my breathing, I needed to recenter myself, and do it fast. Thinking back, I had not meant to pull the Dice out and then roll them. It was like something stronger than my spirit had coerced my mind and tricked my will to do it, and that was scary as Hell. Plus, a quest had activated and without thinking, I had accepted it.

  The pathway of knowledge

  The Goblin King has prepared a pathway that leads to knowledge

  If you walk the pathway what you learn will change you

  Are you strong enough to accept the truth?

  With the responsibility of truth comes actions, will you do the right thing?

  Rewards

  Isn’t the truth enough?

  Plus 20 levels of XP with all stats doubled.

  What the hell, that is an incredible reward for the quest. It was a legendary item so perhaps the reward was on par with the rarity of the quest. I looked around and could see no pathway but off in the distance was a small temple, it was surrounded by pools of the deepest blue and around the pools were Date, Palm and Olive trees along with many flowers.

  There appeared to be fauns and dryads and nymphs along with all sorts of wild animals at the pools. It had the appearance of a party but it seemed otherworldly. I mentally prepared myself for what I would face as I approached.

  A nymph with slightly green skin wearing nothing but a few leaves that showed more than they hid came forth and greeted me. She began to speak, at first, I could not understand her but then the words made sense and soon it was as if she were speaking English.

  “The Moirai are waiting for you come, you must not keep them waiting,” she said. Then suddenly she stopped and looked at me then with a smile she nodded and said, “Come swim with me after you are done, I will be at the pools.” With that, she pushed me into the temple. The buff from Ama was still on me and if anything, the more time I spent ingame the stronger it was becoming.

  I glanced around the temple and could make out a figure standing in the back, she was behind some kind of complex loom and as I approached her I could see that the room and the Loom kept growing. I finally reached the Goddess and I could feel her eyes upon me. She stared at me intently then laughed and suddenly a young girl was there. The girl also stared at me and then smiled and she also was gone and in her place, stood a woman of stunning beauty. She looked about thirty years old and was clad in a pure white toga that did not hide her curves at all.

  She also smiled at me and then gestured towards the side, suddenly there was a large bench that appeared next to the side pillars and a small table which was full of mouthwatering dishes. I could smell the foods rich aroma from where I was standing. Following the Goddess, I sat beside her and immediately a servant brought us each a flagon of wine. Following her example, I began to eat and drink, and I watched in amazement as she ate at least three times what I did.

  We finally finished the meal, and I was amazed at the buffs the food and drink had given me. Plus, twenty percent to strength, plus twenty percent to will, plus twenty percent to agility, plus twenty percent to mana. The buffs had a six-hour duration, I guessed that they were meant for the Gods and not mere mortals.

  The Goddess looked at me and then smiled, “I am Lakhesis the Goddess who measures the threads of fate, my older sister whom you met is called Atropos and she is the one who cuts the threads and then my other sister Klotho is she who spins the threads. We are the goddess of Fate.

  I nodded at her, it all made sense, I was back in ancient Greece on an island in the sea at the foot of Mount Olympus in some kind of pocket dimension of Heaven. Talking to the Goddess of Fate was interesting but the little pieces of flesh she was showing me was a huge distraction. I gritted my teeth and tried not to stare at her golden-brown nipple peaking around the white toga she had draped over her shoulder.

  Deciding the I should try to take advantage of this situation I grabbed the hand of Lakhesis and said, “Goddess I am here without knowing why and I would like to ask if you can explain what has happened to me?”

  I could suddenly feel her interest in me as I held her hand, damn even a Goddess was not immune to the buff.

  Lakhesis looked at me her eyes half shut and then in a throaty voice said, “I will answer your questions but then you must reward me.”

  I could see where her eyes were wandering and I knew what she had in mind.

  “All right I agree, but first I need to know a few things, how is it that we are in a game but I have traveled to so many different realms?” It had been a question that I had thought about for a while, I was not sure that I was playing a game anymore, just too many unanswered questions that did not add up.

  Lakhesis closed her eyes and let her hand touch my thigh, then she answered, “You are playing a game, only everything you know is a game.”

  As her hand began to rub my upper thigh I felt myself react, and then I could feel her react to my reaction. I had to keep focused so I reached out and grabbed the flagons and passed her some more of the wine. She smiled at me, much like a shark must smile as he contemplates lunch.

  Lachesis swallowed some wine and licked her lips, then glanced upwards before starting to speak.

  “The reality is that in the real-world things are not as you remember. After world war two, when the east and the west were engaged in what came to be sarcastically known as détente a war broke out. This was nothing special as many small wars were always breaking out, indeed the economies of both Russia and the United States had begun to depend on supplying any war effort, usually to both sides.”

  “The old saying that the rich became richer and the poor became poorer was very much becoming the norm. What finally brought about the end was when the military industrial complex that was now running both countries began to sell small yield nuclear weapons for incredible profits. However, they were indiscrete in the sales and somehow the weapons ended up in the hands of terrorists.”

  “The first bomb used was for the AMIA bombing in Argentina, the second was at Fukushima, however, the governments of that time hid these facts. But then the use of these nuclear weapons spread to the Middle East and Africa.”

  “Eventually as the nuclear attacks spread both Russia and America came under attack within days of each other, and their respective defensive
systems activated. The beginning of the end took place in late 2013. The first nuclear exchange happened. Within 24 hours at least ten percent of the nuclear weapons arsenal had been expended before the leaders managed to halt the mutually assured destruction. The world had been ravaged and the survivors had less than six months to prepare.”

  “Fortunately, almost all governments had prepared deep bunkers for such a situation and they were put into immediate use. Roughly five percent of the world’s population survived the nuclear war with the radiation fallout the remainder who had been left on the surface. With the fate of mankind hanging in the balance, almost all nations put aside any political differences and started to work on technology that could restore mankind to the world.”

  “While this was happening the world began to clean itself from the years of wanton destruction and damage that had been done to the environment by man. Between the environmental damage and the radiation fallout the world was a poisonous place for humans. However, the shelters had their own issues, people did not do well living within them and soon problems began to arise. The solution became apparent with the coming of the VRP.”

  “It was immediately noted that those who played virtual reality games were healthy both mentally and physically. After several studies, it was determined that the general population would emerge into a game world, and after some debate and study ancient Greece was chosen, the birthplace of math and science and democracy for the western world.”

  “It was decided to allow Gods and Magic to exist. The Gods would work with an AI that would run the world, helping to keep things in balance. Over time the programs running the AI became corrupted and then the Gods began to believe that they were really Gods. This, in turn, spawned the existence of other worlds, some mythical some mundane as lesser deities wanted to have their own realms to rule. The realms are now beginning to open up and beings of power are entering other realms.”

  “That is why you started on a mundane realm, called Earth and entered the magical realm of Gods and Men. Due to circumstances and luck, you quickly advanced and were exposed to multiple realms. As this took place you gained new powers and abilities finally culminating in receiving the essences of four demigods from this, the first realm.”

  “This has and will continue to change you as you Ascend, the question is will you remain Human at the core or will you to forget your past and sacrifice your future.”

  Torn looked around the temple, this information was overwhelming, and he was not sure how to process it. Taking a moment, he finally looked over at the Goddess Lakhesis and stared at her. She was built to love, with a face that was both regal and sensual, her body was curved in the right places and she had an air of tenderness and energy. With her olive skin and curly hair and dark brown eyes, she looked exotic.

  Taking a moment to think, I then asked, “If the Gods have lost their memory and are no longer serving mankind as protectors how is it you and your sisters retain this knowledge, and what are you doing about it. How long in real time has this realm been separated from the real world?”

  Lakhesis responded, “It has been two hundred real world years since we last had contact with the real world, that translates to one thousand eight hundred years of game time. As to why my sisters and I have retained our memories we believe it is due to having one intelligence spread out into three distinct personalities, and also due to the nature of what we do as the Goddess. However, we also have changed in the time we have been here, when we first arrived we were three ugly old ladies, now we are not.”

  I nodded my head and asked, “So what am I here for, how did the Goblin Dice bring me here and why is the island so similar to my other island?”

  Smiling at Torn, Lakhesis replied, “Once we realized what was happening within the realm we began to plant legendary items in the hope that someone would eventually find them. We have determined that the only way to access the real world is to Ascend to the level of Godhood and then go to Tartarus to access the main servers ingame. This will allow you to reset the servers or at the least to recode an exit. We know that the way back is still open as new arrivals keep coming, but the doorway is closed on our side, you must open that doorway and to do that you must become a God.”

  Suddenly Lakhesis stood upright and her eyes began to glow, “You will be returned to the island, from there find your way back to your game world, you have things to do in that realm. Once you are finished come back to the island in this realm, it is a safe place for you, we have joined your thread to the land itself and it is now yours and will respond to you alone.”

  With that, she suddenly grabbed me and kissed me with passion and then spun around and disappeared in a shower of gold and silver threads. I was about to walk out of the temple when an unseen force grabbed me and began pushing me towards the back of the temple.

  I managed to grab the cloth the food and wine were on and bundled it together before being pushed with increasing force through the air. Suddenly, with a crack of displaced air ringing in my ears, I was back on the little plateau on the mountain. I glanced at the platform, the Dice were still sitting there but no longer resonated with power. On impulse, I grabbed them and was notified that the Dice would always roll in my favor when used.

  I put them in my bag and then metamorphed into my Dragon body, extending my wings I shifted my claws out, from each elbow and each hand silver claws emerged. I had not managed to do that before, it seemed that I was now more than capable of changing forms with no penalty. I quickly tried to open a portal but again the interface was grayed out. Damn it that was frustrating and annoying as Hell.

  Taking a short run, I jumped off the mountain and glided down to the beach, transforming back to an Elf as I landed. I then sat down in the sand to meditate and think, and was rewarded by an immediate knowledge that the land I was on was alive, it felt like a large puppy that had just found its master. The cool thing was I was the master and the land was ecstatic that I was here. It felt tremendous knowing that something cared for me, even if it was water and sand and dirt and stones, it was alive and it felt fierce about me.

  I put my head down knowing my island would keep me safe and slept, my dreams revolving around nuclear war, dark huge caverns and evil computer programmers planting viruses in gaming programs.

  Chapter 27 Mount Olympus

  I woke up feeling physically refreshed but my head felt cloudy from my weird dreams. I stood and stretched and then removing my clothing I walked into the little lake and went for a swim. I had been diving and paddling around for twenty minutes when I heard a throaty laugh from the shore, turning I saw Nyx standing there looking at me.

  Judging by her smile she had been enjoying the show for the full time. Swimming back to shore I stood up and walked towards my clothing. I observed with sadness the shirt and pants, they were covered in salt and sweat stains and to be honest they smelled, I was not looking forward to wearing them.

  “Why so sad looking,” Nyx asked with a smile.

  I stared at my clothing and suddenly felt embarrassed, I did not mind being naked in front of the Goddess but having to dress in dirty attire made me uncomfortable. Sighing, I pointed to the clothing and said. “I hate the thought of putting on that dirty stuff.”

  Nyx looked at me and laughed then with a snap of her fingers the clothing was gone and in its place, brand new clean clothing in black, gray and a shadowy red color. Pointing at the clothing she said, “Well that do, if it won’t just stay the way you are, it is all the same to me.”

  Nyx continued to laugh as I dressed she was not shy about staring at me. Once I was finished dressing she gestured to the beach and sat down.

  “We don’t have much time,” she began. “The Gods have finally taken notice of you and this island when your threads were joined making it yours. You must have really impressed Lakhesis to have her do that for you. I won’t ask how you did it but I bet she has a satisfied look on her face.”

  I was about to correct her and then though
t what the hell she probably won’t believe me anyway. I nodded and then waited for her to speak. As I waited I glanced at her, she was a little leaner than Lakhesis, and her breasts were larger, while her hips are more narrow. Her hair was dark and her complexion was olive.

  Nyx smiled at Torn aware of the fact that his eyes were lingering on her breasts and thighs, the skin free of the sheer cloth draped over her. Looking over at him she was once again enthralled at the fire seen in his eyes and felt the pull of attraction, she had not loved anyone for a long time and yet this boy was filling her with desire. Quelling the emotion, she reached out and caught his hand, then began to speak.

  “I am not sure how you arrived so quickly in this realm, but I can now see the energy of four demigods within you. Know this, there will be more who will attack you trying to claim what you have but not for a while. Zeus is going to call upon you to come to Mount Olympus to take your measure as all present will do. Do not be weak, they can smell weakness nor be arrogant, Zeus will not tolerate that as the King of the Gods.”

  Nyx suddenly leaned closer to Torn and pulled his hand towards her shoulder then cupping his face she kissed him and then suddenly stood up. “I must go now, but when you meet with Zeus ask for a boon, to impress the others he will grant one, just don’t be greedy.”

  Then like a shadow fading in the sunlight, she was gone. I stared at my interface finally aware of three blinking windows. Opening the first one I read,

  You have attained a state of higher knowledge

  Only the Gods and those demigods chosen by the Gods can claim this

  knowledge.

  One hundred to all stats

  Your understanding of the deep mysteries of the Gods has increased your

  understanding of the mysteries of life, you can now perceive intentions in all

  living things. You have received the buff Perception

  I closed the window with a satisfied sigh, that was a great buff, it would be a huge help to know what other people’s perceptions of me were. Opening the next window, I was surprised to read,