Half a gold piece! I didn’t want to spend the last gold I had. They seemed really stingy, those Watchers. They were charging noobs for entering their lands. I chose No and continue walking, enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery. What happened next was a complete surprise.
Hermione inflicted 350 damage! HP: 0/80.
You are dead! 60 seconds left till final death! 59 ... 58...57
Hermione killed you! You are dead.
You lost 42 XP.
You have lost Quality Light Spangenhelm. Current experience: 379/1200.
A penalty upon death has been imposed: 10% to all stats. Duration: 10 minutes.
Would you like to be reborn?
What the hell was that? There was nobody there. And I lost my helmet! Darn it! I was a ghost in a cemetery, inside a big stone circle. The world around me looked blurry, thick, black and white. Now, no doubt, I shall have to tell you about death in the Sphere and all that entails. When your HP reaches 0, your character gets attributed the Dying status. This state continues for 60 seconds and countdown begins. During the countdown a player can:
1) Let his soul go and be transferred to the closest respawn point (cemetery)
2) Be revived by an object, a spell, or the skill of another player or NPC.
3) Be finished off by the enemy with further damage inflicted.
Some NPCs feature really beautiful visuals when they finish you off. When it comes to players… well, the videos, in which they finish their opponents off in a variety of creative ways, are very popular on SPHERE’s forums. There’s even a chart list and TOP 10 list of the best kills of the week, month, etc… Upon death, the character and killer receive a kill list specifying the date and place of death, reason for death, name of the deceased and the killer, as well as detailed data on what loot was lost and its value. All this info is input in a kill-rating, which becomes available in the character’s char list. This PWP rating serves as a reason for holywars to bully characters and measure respect amongst players. When a player ends up at a cemetery, he appears as a spirit. Two options then become available: To be reborn, there and then, having received a penalty for death. — -10% to all stats forever, or to flee as a ghost to the place of death, trying to find lost loot, if something has been lost in the first place.
Would you like to respawn?
WARNING! The Invulnerability effect is active within the revival circle.
When you leave the circle, other players can attack you!
Yes. I was in my body once again, able to taste, smell, and see colors. But who killed me and how? I found an interesting icon in the settings. Turns out, I could re-play my last minutes before and after death. I bet they used it as evidence in the case of conflicts between clans. I played the video. There I was, walking, and then, I drop dead. How? There was nobody around. Having looked more closely, I saw a spot in the sky approaching fast from the side of the mountains and rapidly increasing. Then, I saw a giant eagle with a wingspan of at least fifteen meters and a player sitting on top of the bird. Near the saddle, there were a few spears, arrows, large packs and bags. The girl on the bird circled above the spot of my death and landed. She unbuckled a strange looking harness and got off to loot my lifeless body. Looks like The Watchers knew I had crossed their border and found me quickly. I was shot by a beautiful, eagle rider from such a distance, that she appeared to be nothing more than a dot in the sky. Beautiful!
Ok, where am I? The map showed I was a long way from the place of my death. I ended up way to the north, on the closest neutral land. It was a small cemetery on the hillside. In the middle, were the ruins of three ancient tombs, and cracked stone tomb covers were placed side by side. I descended from the circle of a rainbow haze and looked into the opened tombs. They were empty. Not even bones.
Then a loud scream filled the cemetery! I jumped to my feet, turned around and pulled out my sword just in case. If it goes on like this, I’ll end up stuttering for life!
Just a few steps away from me, a terrible creature, a hybrid of bird and bat, was sitting on a boulder. Having opened its large toothed beak, it produced a creaky cry resembling the squeal of unlubricated brakes.
Young Pteranodon
A Pteranodon! The creature had angry, red eyes and gray scales, leathery wings and two limbs with huge claws. It obviously was not very friendly. I rushed back to the circle of Invulnerability, but it only worked until you crossed its border the first time after rebirth. The rainbow haze was gone leaving it looking no different to an ordinary stone circle.
Screeching, in a flash, the Pteranodon got closer. The distance separating us shrunk. It hit me with its beak, knocking me down. It hit me in the back, but the armor withstood the blow. The impact sent me rolling down the rocky slope, hitting every rock on my way.
You received 4 HP damage! Current health: 54/72
Young Pteranodon attacked you! You received 22 damage.
Current health: 32/80.
You dealt Young Pteranodon 3 damage!
My sword didn’t inflict so much as a scratch on the beast’s scales. What was I going to do? The monster’s defense was too high; I could never overpower it. Without thinking twice, I ran down the slope, trying to avoid the boulders and slipping on small stones. Turns out, trying to run away from a flying beast isn’t a good idea. Another hit to the back sent me lying face down on the ground. I screamed in pain as the beasts’ sharp claws pierced through my leather armor right into my shoulders and pulled me up into the air.
The ground below me appeared farther away with each second, as the Pteranodon rose higher, crying triumphantly. Not without some effort, yet quite confidently, it carried me away to a place known only to the flying beast. Frantically, I considered my options. I really didn’t want to die again. From such a height, crushing onto the stones below didn’t seem like a very attractive prospect.
I tightened my grip around the creature's paws. If it decided to let go, I would surely die. I had lost my sword during the battle, yet I still had my dagger. I somehow managed to pull it out, and holding it with one hand, stabbed the Pteranodon’s paw. And with its tip, I poked into the thick, leathery wing.
You dealt Pteranodon 5 damage!
You dealt Pteranodon 7 damage! You have wounded the creature.
Each 5 second, it receives 1 bleeding damage!
A sprawling hole was growing in the wing that was slipping over me. Screaming with pain, the creature began rapidly descending. It tried opening its claws, in an attempt to drop me onto the stones beneath! Experienced skydiver that I was, I wasn’t about to let that happen! I took a strong grip around the creature’s paws and controlled it like a parachute. I was not going to let go easily.
Below me I could see cliffs, snow-covered slopes and mountain groves. Still screaming, the Pteranodon was falling, and like a ship’s sail in the wind, I flipped the creature’s torn wing. Having spotted a flat area covered in snow, I jerked hard, shifting my body weight onto the creature's right paw, forcing it to descend.
I let go of its paws and begin to fall, screaming. I reached the ground, up to my chest in thick snow. I was alive! Though, the hit bar was fading gloomily. It had reached the red zone, having dropped by two-thirds. At least, I didn’t crash. Fortunately, the Pteranodon did not seem to feel any inclination to continue our fight. His mournful cries were fading away in the distance.
Have you ever tried to get out of the snow when you are stuck right up to your throat? I guess not. It took me about ten minutes to free myself. I was sweating and had expended almost all my stamina. The system prompted me:
You are starving! Restoration speed reduced by half!
You are thirsty! Stamina recovery speed reduced by half!
You are in a cold zone. You are freezing.
Each minute, you lose 3 hit points, until you find a source of heat or warm clothing.
It was clear that I was not going to last here for long. I had to get out. I made a mental note—always have some extra food and some firewood.
The icy crust on the surrounding snow was strong enough to sustain my weight. I crawled out onto the hard surface, and, shuddering from the piercing cold wind, looked around. I spotted a cave! The slippery surface I fell on was a steep rocky cliff with no obvious way to descend. However, in the rock, hidden by snow and in between the heaps of stones, I saw a cave entrance. It would be impossible to spot from above.
I wondered what I might find there. My health was running out and hypothermia was about to set in. I considered it might be time to use the Soul Return Stone and turn up in a warm, cozy tavern in Eyre. On the other hand, I was extremely curious about the hidden cave. Could there be countless treasures inside?
Curiosity overcame the voice of reason. Through the dark, narrow cave entrance, I could see a dim flickering light all the way at the bottom. I headed inside. A cool, dry tunnel led to a spacious, square room. Near the far wall, I saw a dark, rectangular stone pedestal with someone laying on top. I approached cautiously, anticipating a trap. If this happened to be a random, dynamically generated instance, anything could happen. In the stone bed, I saw repeating outlines of a body. It looked like a man lying down. Rather, it was an elf with pointed ears and noble facial features. His hair was a golden color, and he was dressed in expensive looking blue and gold robes. He did not appear to be dead, yet he wasn’t asleep either. There was not the slightest sign of breathing. He was completely motionless as if plunged into the stasis of timelessness. Next to him, under and the fingertips of his right hand lay a sword illuminated by a dim beam of light that appeared to be shining from nowhere in particular. It was straight and double-edged, with a blade that slightly tapered towards the point, and a silver handle. The metal of the blade was a deep, dark blue with silvery sparkling flecks. What a gorgeous sword. Am I really this lucky? I had to take it! Even if it was a trap, death seemed a small price to pay for such a beautiful, expensive weapon. Even if I could not use the sword, I was sure I could sell it. I really did need some initial capital. I leaned forward and took the sword from the pedestal. Somewhere nearby, an invisible bell rang hollow and sad, and a huge notification began to flash in the global Sphere chat:
WARNING!
THE SECOND OF THE SEVEN HAS APPEARED IN THE WORLDS OF SPHERE! BALANCE HAS BEEN BREACHED!
What the hell? I was looking at the large blinking letters in the global chat, the chat section designed for administrative alerts throughout all the SPHERE’s worlds. What did it mean, ‘the second of the seven?’ Was it anything to do with the sword I had picked up, or was that just a coincidence? The sleeping elf didn’t awaken nor had his facial expression changed. I exhaled feeling relieved. Sleep, dear elf, sleep. I will find a better use for your sword. I opened the sword’s stats and laughed:
????????
Just as I expected, it was a completely unknown object. I had to find a specialist in Eyre to identify the weapon. The freezing effect, which I had forgotten about, was consuming my last vital HPs. I had nothing I could use to heal myself or get warm. I could feel I was freezing. I had to return immediately, otherwise I would die right here. And it was very likely, I would lose the sword. I looked around but found nothing of interest. I reached for the Soul Returning Stone. The clock showed half past four a.m. Wow, I’ve spent quite a while here. Time to get back to the cozy room in Karn’s tavern. Tomorrow, with a fresh mind, I’ll figure out what to do next.
CHAPTER 7. STAR METAL
When I woke, it was almost eleven. Alena was nowhere to be seen. Her car wasn’t in the parking lot, and I realized, my dear wife had gone to the gym. The dog her friend left us to look after was whining, locked behind the bedroom door. I hoped Alena hadn’t forgotten to walk the dog that morning. After a shower, I went into the kitchen and activated the appliance voice control.
“Toast with omelet and ham. Strong coffee. Recipe 1-3!” The control display came to life and flashed green. Other indicators followed blinking in various colors, informing me of the stock of required ingredients. Inside the machine, numerous elements of the sophisticated mechanism came to life, making various sounds. While the breakfast was being made, I turned on a screen above the bar counter and opened the page of SPHERE’s forum. I was curious to find out more about the sword I had discovered and the mysterious notification from global chat that appeared after I had picked it up. But the forum pages didn’t offer much explanation. It turned out, a similar notification had appeared once before, about a month and it read:
WARNING! THE FIRST OF THE SEVEN HAS APPEARED IN THE SPHERE’S WORLDS!
Naturally, players showered the admins with questions, but no answer was ever received. All the admins wrote, was that the players would find out in good time. Of course, various experienced, legendary players, especially among the English segment of the forum, came up with numerous theories and suggestions, often contradicting each other. The only piece of information that seemed plausible was a short remark from an old interview with one of the game developers. It contained a reference to the seven brothers, who would come with an update. But it was impossible to determine anything more from the context. Yesterday’s notification resulted in a few more threads on the forum, but having been discussed earlier, it didn’t seem to be drawing as much WARNING. However, I did manage to find out the meaning of the phrase—THE BALANCE HAS BEEN BREACHED. This was due to an automatic adjustment of the game balance somewhere in the worlds. Eating the breakfast that my smart appliance had cooked, and washing it down with sweet coffee, I also found out the following:
SPHERE Global procedural generator: When one of the opposing side’s powers got to the point, where it could completely destroy the enemy, the generator came up with numerous perks for the losing side, such as creating unique quests, finding ancient artifacts, or suddenly providing outside help. This was done in a non-linear, sometimes completely unexpected way, but it always fit organically into the gameplay. The “procedural generator’s” decisions sometimes seemed paradoxical, but eventually, they always led to the restoring of balance.
I read an account of a similar incident that had occurred in one of the worlds six months earlier. A strong alliance of clan players got involved in a permanent NPC-war and almost destroyed one of the sides of the conflict. The NPCs were erased from the face of the earth, and whole towns and castles were being swept away. Long story short, it came to the point where power over that world would be seized by a single force. The balance was restored as follows: the dying faction received an epic quest, the fulfillment of which brought a new God and retinue into the world, having stopped the army of invaders. In the end, there was a sudden local invasion of terrible creatures from the worlds of the void. Just a month later, status quo was retained, restoring the balance, while everyone else was recovering from a long war.
Generally, all work on maintaining balance was conducted by the “procedural generator” which operated without a particular request, elegantly, and in a manner that was totally integrated into the gameplay. Each time, it chose a new, but always optimal and appropriate way of doing so. I was beginning to agree with Alex, who called the creators of the generator genius.
Throwing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I asked the smart kitchen to restock the necessary supplies. Usually, Alena took care of it. I really liked smart kitchens; they were so popular that almost every home had one now. They could replace all kitchen appliances including the refrigerator. You just loaded the products you wanted in the right cells, chose a recipe, pressed the button, and the meal was served. Of course, it did not taste quite the same as a restaurant meal, or something home-cooked, but it was still a decent meal.
I had no particular plan for the game today. First of all, I needed to report the completion of the quest to the merchant and identify the things I had found. I needed to figure out where to develop the Leadership skill and to trade a little. And of course, I had to train at the arena.
As it turned out, the only thing that went without any complication was the first item on the list. Ryan, the mercha
nt accepted me, having learned about the death of his people, and the fate of the goods. Afterwards, he was thoughtful and gloomy.
Quest completed: Search for the Missing Van.
You received 334 XP! Current value: 713/1200
You earned 3 gold coins!
Your reputation with Eyre Nation increased by 1. Current value: 1/100 (NEUTRAL)
Your reputation with the Eyre Merchants group increased to 20. Current value: 20/100 (NEUTRAL)
Your reputation with Ryan, the merchant, increased to 40. Current value: 50/100 (NEUTRAL)
Looking at the reputation indicators of the Dan-na-Eyre factions, I began to realize that before I could earn the simple ‘Favorable’, I had to complete at least 80-90 quests. Given the time period they were designed for that would take me two to three months. An ordinary NPCs Reputation grew faster, yet, it was clear that the most interesting things would be revealed only once I had leveled up my reputation with the main faction.
Next on the list was to identify the sword. The narrow streets of Eyre led me, once again, to the market square and into the large blacksmiths "Tordis and Sons". I was only allowed into the section of the shop where the weapons made in the forge were displayed. The master who came out to greet me was a very interesting character. A mighty, broad-shouldered dwarf with a long, black, triple-braided beard. Despite clearly being a dwarf, he was one and a half times average dwarf height.
“Whatcha looking at?” he snapped. “Haven’t seen a Zverg before?” A Zverg! These were a premium race, available only to golden and diamond account holders. The dwarf was just a head short of a human. According to the NPC stats, Todris, Master-Blacksmith, was exactly the kind of person I needed.
Cat's Quest Page 10