“Some fellows like to try out life as a girl in VR World,” Doctor Charles says. “You know, so they can get ahold of those curves whenever they want. Know what it feels like to live on the other side.”
“You mean so they can feel themselves up?”
Doctor Charles laughs. “No judgment here. Hell, I’d probably try it once.”
“Maybe next time,” I say. “I’ll keep my rogue as is for now.”
“Male human rogue it is,” he says. “Can’t really have you playing other races. They’re a bit finicky about that—the people on the Arcadian side I mean—what with Arcadians playing in game from the other side they need to be able to tell who’s who, in game at least. The good news is that you’ll get a racial bonus for vitality and rage, so there’s that.”
Alice pulls something else out of the drawer and turns back to me. Her fingers press at my neck and I feel a sharp jab there.
“Hey, shit!” I say. “What is that?”
“Just a muscle relaxer,” she says. “Something to help the transition. Don’t worry.”
“Yes, it’s all standard procedure,” Doctor Charles says. “We do it all the time. Now—and I’ll need you to answer honestly here; we want you to have the best time possible with your in-game playmate—what are your sexual preferences? Hetero? Homo? Bi?”
“I like girls,” I say. I’m starting to feel a little woozy. Whatever was in that shot, it’s fast acting.
“All right, then,” the doctor says, keying a few things into the vidscreen on the wall. “What kind of girl do you want? Human? Dwarven? Elven? Gnome? Something more exotic maybe? Shapeshifter, succubus, dryad?”
My mind wanders at this last bit. “Dryads would be a bit hard to hold onto, wouldn’t they?” They’re all spirit-like in the MMORPG at least. “Like, who wants to hold a ghost?”
He nods like I’ve said something really profound. “Totally agree,” he says. “So, that’s a no? What would you like?”
“Let’s go elven,” I say.
“Okay, so long as you don’t mind your woman towering over you. It’s okay if they’re supermodel tall?” He leans in close to let me know he’s serious about this question. “Doesn’t make you feel like less of a man? I’m just asking because we’ve had some people regret their decision and I’d hate for you to find you were uncomfortable for the entire vacation because of the Amazon looking down on you from high above—”
What is it with this place? First Quinn, now Doctor Charles. They must’ve had some complaints.
“It’s fine as long as I can wrap my hands around her fine ass,” I say and let my eyelids begin to droop. It’s become an effort to keep focusing on these people in the dark, warm room, in the comfortable, warm chair. I feel like I should be shocked at my own words, it’s not like me to be so ... direct ... but everything feels so distant and I can’t quite bring myself to care about protocol.
“I’m just going to slip the neural network over your head,” Alice says. I force my eyes open and see she’s got what looks like a hair net made of white wire mesh in her hands. There are tiny little discs where the wires meet in some spots. I assume this is part of the biometric feedback everyone keeps talking about. The jelly no longer feels cold and I can’t even feel the mesh as she puts it on. It’s practically weightless.
“Now, preferences for appearance?” Doctor Charles asks. “Of course she’ll have purple eyes, and the standard build. Those elves do stay in shape, don’t they?” Not waiting for a response he keeps on talking. He’s done this a thousand times. He’s like an actor on a local tour who goes through the same spiel three times a day, five days a week. “Do you have a preference for hair color?”
“Silver,” I say. “Long. Straight.” He asks a few more questions, something about class, but I don’t know what I say in response. I feel like I’m falling asleep.
The world blacks out and I’m spinning, like I’m really drunk. I want to throw up.
“Gentle now,” Alice says. “Gentle. What you’re feeling is your senses adapting to the input from the network of interceptors we have on your head. It’s nothing to worry about.”
I’m not worried. I’m trying not to throw up.
I give over to the feeling, eventually. It’s like being on the deck of a boat. A boat on very choppy waters.
#
The blackness subsides and there’s a virtual sheet of parchment in front of my face with a message.
The time has come for you to choose sides. The elves are at war.
The queen rules with an iron fist, and has the might of law—and soldiers—at hand.
The rebels would challenge this rule, and make demands for greater freedom, greater access to the human realm, and greater access to Arcadia for humans.
Which side do you support?
This is a no-brainer for me. Clearly I’m all about greater access to Arcadia. Plus, I know my ancient geek history. I’ve seen Star Wars. Rebels are where it’s at.
“The rebels,” I say. “Sign me up.”
A voice comes through on my audio feed.
“You’ll have to make your way to Silverkeep City. There’s someone important you have to meet there. Someone the Elven Queen doesn’t want you to come into contact with. Find Catriona. She needs you to find her, sooner rather than later. You also should contact Will Fast Fingers at the Rogue’s Den in Silverkeep City. He’s the only way to find Catriona or any of the others on our side.”
Catriona has the answers and she’s waiting for me. She’s in trouble too.
Another virtual message flashes before my eyes.
Quest offered: Find Catriona!
Find Catriona and aid her in her mission to topple the queen’s regime
Reward: Special
Do you accept?
“Yes,” I say, and I open my eyes and, startled at the bright daylight, blink them like crazy. I can tell now I’m not on a boat but on an ancient steam train chugging its way down the railroad tracks. I’m in a window seat and the rays piercing my eyes are coming in through the train’s dirty windows. My pupils adjust and I sit up a little in my seat. I lean my head against the window.
The clacking noise the train makes as it lumbers down the tracks reminds me of fuzzy toddler mornings spent moving wooden trains on wooden tracks. The granny next to me notices I’m awake. Old broad, anyway. Gray hair in a bun. Wire-rimmed glasses. You know the type. Probably has yarn in her bag and is going to break out the needles at any moment.
The train makes a massive screech, jolting to a stop, then it comes to motion again. It reminds me of something, like fingernails on a chalkboard except magnified ... Everything’s rattling me.
My fear must show on my face because Granny leans over to me and says, “Don’t worry, boy. This your first visit to Arcadia?”
“I think so,” I say. I wonder what her name is, and above her head in blue lights the name “Violet Charm” appears. Hmm. Interesting. But not Catriona. I officially love being in game. Ask and you shall receive! This is way better than gloves and goggles; I can tell that much already. I realize that Violet is talking.
“Steam trains take some getting used to. But you know how the elves are about their magic. Or maybe it’s the other way around. You know how people are with their technology. Can’t have the bullet trains going haywire when they get too close to the portal.”
“The portal! Can we see it yet?” The portal is the gateway to Arcadia, and it’s the first thing you see when you roll a toon and start up in the MMORPG.
“Sure enough, sonny.”
I wonder if this world will match the goggles and gloves version of Arcadia that I know. I can’t imagine that it won’t. When the magical barrier was opened and Arcadia proper made itself known to the world, the goggles and gloves version of the world’s most popular MMORPG added an expansion with a new continent, the continent of Arcadia.
Soon enough, I and my fellow clan mates spent all of our time in the virtual Arcadia. It had everything we wanted.
We’d all been promised that the gloves and goggles version of Arcadia matched Arcadia proper.
For the first time, I wonder if that is really the case, or if I’ll find myself having a completely new experience, one that I’m wholly unprepared for.
I crane my neck to better see through the dirty windows.
In the distance there’s a gleaming white archway, one that sparkles with glittering white light like it’s lit up all over with thousands of Christmas lights. It looks like the archway to heaven to me.
“What are you doing here, grams?” I ask.
“Oh, you know. Always wanted a bit of magic in my life. Always wanted to be a princess. I guess Arcadia gives us all that chance, eh, sonny? Can’t afford the real thing, but this is just as good. This is my third trip. I’ve already been as a pretty young thing. Thought I’d get real this time.”
My attention diverts to the security team moving through the train. They’re asking for IDs and tickets. I find my documents and hand them over. They ask me my name. “Tr-Trent Webb,” I spit out.
The guard looks at me like I’m missing the point. “Your game name,” he says.
“Oh. It’s Leeroy. Leeroy Jenkinz,” I say.
“Goddamn it, Leeroy,” one of my fellow passengers says. I smile. It’s happening already.
“All good here,” the guard says and hands my paperwork back to me.
I look over to where the passenger’s voice had come from. There’s a young knight in shining armor (KISA) smiling at me across the aisle. Her toothy smile gleams almost as much as her white armor. “Good one,” I said. “Never heard that one before.” But I’m smiling while I say it. I check the KISA’s name, luvs2heal. Might be someone good to know later on. Of course, that’s true of just about everyone in the game, so no need to rush into alliances. Still ... I will her a friend request.
A message pops up in my vision.
You have become friends with luvs2heal. You will now be able to locate luvs2heal on a map, and you’ll get +1% to experience gains when grouped with luvs2heal.
I look down at the paperwork in my hand. I didn’t have time to check it out before, but now that I do, I’m surprised by the picture on my ID. According to this, I have large dark brown eyes, and long, thick dark brown hair. Plus, I’m muscled as shit. Totally ripped. I look like I belong on the cover of a romance novel. I forgot that the VR would change my appearance too.
I look down at myself. Yup, belly be gone. At my hips are two very sexy knives. I draw them out and see they look like the ones promised to me in the VR World sales room, complete with diamonds in the hilt. I take a closer look and this flashes in my field of vision.
+1 AGI/level Dual Wield Heirloom Daggers
Nice. Plus one per level will stack pretty quickly. Pretty decent boost to my primary stat right out of the gate. All of a sudden I want to look in the mirror. What other goodies are available to me? “Hey, grams, do you know where the bathroom is?”
She looks at me funny. “You don’t have to piss do you? It’s not necessary in VR. I don’t even think they have a bathroom on this train.”
“No, no,” I say. “Just wanted to look in the mirror.”
“Of course.” She smiles knowingly at me. “First timer,” she says, like that means everything to me. “Should be one in your bag. Just pull it up.”
Right. That strikes me as weird, but I take her word for it. I think about my bag and suddenly there’s a holo interface in front of me. It’s this rugged leather beast of a bag; it’s got twenty-four slots, all but one of which are empty, though it does look like I’ve some gold to my name. The single filled slot has a dark rock in it. It looks like a homestone, but it’s not lit up like I’m used to seeing in game. “What’s up with the rock?” I ask Granny.
She peers at me and I feel a weird tingling for a moment. “Oh, a homestone,” she says. “You have to attune it once you find an inn. Haven’t you even played regular VR Arcadia?”
“All the time,” I say, feeling stupid. There’s no mirror in my bag.”
“Did I say there was? Foolish boy, pull up your character screen.” She says it sternly but I narrow my eyes at her as I realize she’s struggling to hold back laughter. Having a little fun with the noob. Okay. That’s cool and all.
Still, I do as she suggests and think about pulling up my character pane. All of a sudden there’s a transparent rectangle of glowing information in front of me. My stats. My armor. My image. My name, Leroy Jenkinz, underneath. I can see myself in all of my lithe, muscled glory. I look down at myself to see what I’m wearing, and sure enough, the clothes on the pane match. Full leather gear, twin jeweled daggers at my hips. This is the me I’ve always wanted to be. I feel stronger. I’ve got a hard-on realizing this dream has come true. Fuck, this is going to be fun.
I check out my stats to make sure they match my expectations. I do not want to fuck around in this simulation. At the VR World clinic I gave myself what I’d already earned in the Arcadia MMORPG with gloves and goggles. That is to say, I was max level.
LEVEL 1 CHARACTER STATS
NAME Leeroy Jenkinz, CLASS Rogue, RACE Human EXPERIENCE (EXP)—01/100
CORE ATTRIBUTES
2 + 1 AGILITY (AGI) = +3% to dodge and critical hit
1 SPELLPOWER (SP) = 10 spell points
1 FORTITUDE (FORT) = 10 health points
1 POWER (PWR) = +10 damage
Base damage is equal to ten times the level plus the power bonus.
ARMOR/ENHANCEMENTS
Chest—black leather vest
Legs—black leather pants
Feet—black leather boots
WEAPONS
+1 AGI/level Dual Wield Heirloom Daggers
SKILLS
Stick’em—Basic move to build rage points. Bonus chance to crit. Requires one dagger. Rewards one combo point.
PROFESSIONS
ACHIEVEMENTS
You’ve arrived!
My stats are nothing like they should be. It looks like they’re completely nerfed. “What? What the fuck?” I say.
“What is it, dearie?” Violet asks.
“I’m level one!”
“Of course you are. You’re a first timer. They make everyone go through the starting sequence when you first arrive. Full immersion is a whole new ball game, my friend. VR World has to make sure you enjoy the experience, and to do that you can’t go full bore right out of the gate. Once you hit level twenty you’ll have full access to Arcadia. Don’t worry. It will go quickly. Especially since you’re so familiar with the game already,” she says.
Jesus. This is a massive setback. I can’t just dash in and save the kingdom; I have to fucking level up first so that I can manage to take on something bigger than a rat. I pull out my grimoire and check out my spells and talents. It looks like things are a little simpler in full VR. There are fewer things to look at and manage.
Too bad. I like tweaking. I’m a fiddler. Addicted to it, you might say. Doesn’t help that it was the reason I got my first first-in-game. My team was just a split second faster than a rival guild’s because of a tweak I’d suggested to a character’s assault plan. Shit like that stays with you.
Then I figure out that I’m not looking at as many spells as I’m used to because I’m not used to being level one. Fuck. Keeping it simple for a while then.
I wave the screen away so I can enjoy the scenery as we approach the great arch.
I turn back to Granny Violet. “So, what happens after level twenty?”
“As I understand it, the developers are working on some additional end-game content. But right now that’s max level. I imagine they’ll work on the next set of levels after they release the dungeons. They have to build everything from scratch, you know. The programming is radically different for full immersion.”
“Do they know when they’re going to drop any of that?”
“Oh, it’s a year or more out still, I’m sure.”
My mind is a little boggled holding the three A
rcadias in place. There’s the gloves and goggles version, which has been around forever and added an Arcadia continent to its map within months of the discovery of the real Arcadia. Then there’s the real Arcadia, Arcadia proper, a land of elves and unicorns and magic that actually exists on our planet and has for quite some time, but it’s been hidden, like Atlantis was. And of course there’s the Arcadia I’m in. Arcadia full immersion. A proprietary experience with different levels, designed to give tourists the flavor of Arcadia Proper, and gamers a real life Arcadia gloves and goggles experience.
The train slows and then stops just shy of the portal and we all have to pass an inspection on this side of it. I present my papers to the right person and they start the train back up and we move again. Into Arcadia. I’m glued to the window. Everything inside me is electric with excitement. Holy fucking god, this is amazing. I’m finally going to Arcadia.
As we chug closer to the portal, I get a strong sense of anticipation, and then as we pass under the arch of the portal, a serious jolt of power blossoms through me. It’s like I grow into the fullness of my character stats in the course of a few seconds. I feel powerful. I want to let out a barbaric yawp with how good I feel. This is so much better than being an ordinary human.
Then, the steam train transforms itself into an open-windowed tram. It’s no longer black or jerky, but moving smoothly. Its framework is comprised of gold columns, and richly painted frescos cover the arched ceilings of each car.
Arcadia Unlocked: A LitRPG Novel (Arcadia LitRPG Book 1) Page 3