Rules-Free VRMMO Life
Foreward
This is not the story of a hero. It is not the story of a vigilante. It is not the story of an anti-hero. This is the story of a villain.
The trend in LitRPG stories is for the main character to be a Hero, or at least a good guy, trying to make his way in the digital world. This mirrors, to some extent, the way most video games are played, where you’re locked into the ‘heroic’ role.
My gaming experience comes more from Dungeons and Dragons than from MMORPGs. And yes, in most D&D campaigns, you are heroes, who go around, find bad people and monsters, kill them, and take their stuff. Not necessarily in that order. You do this for righteous reasons, or maybe because you’re being paid.
But there is a tradition in Pen and Paper RPGs that every long-established group comes across eventually. Maybe your last campaign ended (either in victory or defeat). Perhaps the current DM is letting someone else in the big chair, so he can play for a while. Could be that one of the group is going to be absent for a while, and you don’t want to move the main story along without them. Or sometimes the DM and Players are simply bored with the same old routine.
Whatever the reason, eventually you decide to shake things up, and try something new. You might pick up a new system, switching from D&D to Champions for a while. You might decide to do a new campaign setting, moving from the Forgotten Realms to Ravenloft. Or maybe you decided to each create a character, and then the DM tells you to switch sheets with another player.
But sometimes you get to play in that rarest of things, the Evil Campaign.
For those readers who are more World of Warcraft than Dungeons and Dragons, allow me to explain. The Evil Campaign is when the party is made up of evil characters. Often, these characters are utter stereotypes and caricatures of evil. This is where you get the tropes of an Orc Barbarian who slaughters everyone, the Necromancer who kicks puppies and raises orphans as undead slaves, the Rogue who constantly steals everything that isn’t nailed down (and some things that are), and the dark Cleric who smites the good people with unholy might.
The reason, of course, is because it is a reaction to the ‘freedom’ to do whatever you like, after being constrained by ‘goodness’ for too long. Anyone who has dearly wished that they could just smack the hell out of one of their annoying coworkers, but hold back because ‘it isn’t right’ or ‘you will be fired’ knows what I mean. The release to do anything they wish, without consequence, tends to make people go a bit crazy.
Eventually, you get sick of ‘Evil for Evil’s Sake’, and either tone the characters down a little, or allow the campaign to end and go back to being heroes. In Mark Millar’s Wanted, they call it hitting the wall. Wesley assaults a police station, kills the cops, and is about to rape a female officer, but stops, because it is pointless. The same happens in Evil Campaigns. You reach a point where you realize you’re in a rut. Different rut from the Hero rut, but still a rut.
Most Evil Campaigns end there, with the players happy for having gotten it out of their system, and the DM happy to go back to more ‘traditional’ campaigns. But every so often, the Evil Campaign continues, and you get to see the caricatures evolve into actual characters. And those can be some of the most interesting campaigns of all.
This story is dedicated to the Evil Campaign, in all its horror, and all its glory.
Prologue – Age of Anarchy Online
The year is 2076. Technology has advanced to the point where virtual reality has become fact, rather than science fiction. Gone are the days of clunky controllers or goggles, that only gave a crude facsimile of reality. Artifacts of yesteryear are the huge pods that forced users to lie immobile in order to work. Those primitive aids couldn’t compare to the abilities of the Chip.
The original implanted computers were designed for the military. Give a soldier the ability to process data faster, identify threats, run facial recognition, use a tactical network to triangulate the source of a sniper’s shot? The benefits were obvious. However, they were simply computers placed in a soldier’s skull, linked to their gear by short range radio communications. The real breakthrough didn’t come until 2025, when neuroscientists were first able to have an implant interface and be controlled directly with the human brain.
By 2035, all children were ‘Chipped’ at birth. The younger a user started with the chip, the more neural connections formed, and using the chip became as natural to them as breathing. The effects of this were profound, increasing learning speed and memory retention. Even older people showed benefits the longer they used the chip. As with any technology, familiarity increased proficiency, but the pliable minds of children took that to a whole new level.
In 2050, World of Destiny became the first VRMMORPG designed exclusively for use with the Chip. Two weeks later, another company based in China came out with the first pornographic Chip game, but people barely batted an eye, and wondered what took them so long. Anyways, WoD was a major hit, boasting a previously unheard of 88% realism rate.
One of the major finds during this time was that there was a major ‘bleedthrough’ effect when using VR with the Chip. While the phenomenon had been seen to some extent in the Pods of yesteryear, with the Chip, it became pronounced. Bleedthrough referred to when traits learned in the real world would manifest in the virtual environment, and vice versa. Of course, this included things like skills and knowledge, but the effect of some titles and achievements, especially those dealing with mental or social abilities, could be seen as well. People who had social achievements in games gained confidence in the real world, and people who had suffered hardships in real life found that their gaming suffered as well.
However, even with 88% realism, the makers of WoD tried to keep their game world as ‘safe’ as possible. Many actions that would be illegal in real life were punishable with a system ban in game. Though many decried this ‘easy mode’, none of the so-called ‘hardcore’ games were able to get any traction against World of Destiny.
In 2072, Icestorm, the makers of World of Destiny announced that they were developing a new VRMMORPG, which they were calling Age of Anarchy Online. Set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, AAO proudly boasted a 110% ‘Better Than Life’ realism rate. Because of the high realism, and the long time demand for something more ‘hardcore’ from their audience, Icestorm announced that there would be no system rules in AAO. So long as you weren’t hacking the system or exploiting bugs, the company wouldn’t stop you, whatever you did. When asked about ‘virtual crimes’ in such a setting during an interview, Icestorm’s CEO simply smiled, and said, “Just because there aren’t system laws, doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. If you’re in a city, and you break a law of the city, the guards will attempt to arrest you. If you kill the guards, the city will post a bounty on your character. If you are caught, then you will go on trial. If you are convicted, you’ll be sent to jail.”
“With AAO, we’re giving the players a chance to do literally anything they can imagine. But don’t be surprised if you take your imagination too far, and the NPCs, or other players, get imaginative on you. For this reason, AAO is going to be restricted to users who are over 18.”
Now, in 2076, AAO is finally ready for launch.
Book I – Tutorial
Chapter 1 – Heroes
The time had come. All the preparations had been made, the plans set, the orders given. The horns of war sounded over the frozen tundra. Dwarves from the underground city of Steelforge readied their mighty war machines. Elves from the woodland city of Sharnassa prepared their bows as the druids prepared their magics. In the skies above, the Gnomes of Gnomedeep prepared their flying
machines to do battle. From the human lands, strong men in gleaming armor marched at the front, while mages gathered behind, readying their magical onslaught. From across the world, the armies of the free races had gathered, and with them the heroes of those lands.
King Darius Flynn, leader of the Free Alliance, stood at the head of the army, and called out, using magic to enhance his voice. “TOO LONG HAVE WE SUFFERED UNDER THE THREAT OF THE LEGIONS OF THE UNDEAD! TOO LONG HAS THIS CURSED ARMY OF THE DAMNED BEEN ALLOWED TO RUN RAMPANT OVER THE WORLD! TOO LONG HAS THE NECROMANCER QUEEN, MIRIS, BEEN ALLOWED TO DARKEN OUR SKIES WITH HER THREATS OF WAR!”
The human king drew his sword, Doomblade, known as the Call of the World for its legendary powers. Raising it high in the morning sun, he cried, “THIS DAY, WE FIGHT! ALL THE FREE PEOPLES OF THE ALLIANCE HAVE GATHERED HERE, TO END THE TYRANNY OF MIRIS AND BREAK THE ARMY OF THE DAMNED FOREVER! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILIES! FIGHT FOR YOUR FUTURE! FIGHT, AND FEAR NO EVIL! FOR KAZEROTH!” The army cheered. Swords clashed on shields. Spears were raised. Beast companions howled. Turning his back to the army now, King Flynn pointed the sword at the legions of the dead that approached them, and said, “CHARGE! AND TEAR DOWN THE WALLS OF FROSTCROWN!”
And thus, upon the icy fields in the blasted lands of Frostcrown, the heart of the Necromancer Queen’s domain, the armies of the free peoples of the world did battle with the Necromancer’s Army of the Damned. But in the end, they were merely a distraction, to draw out the armies from the citadel. Spies working for the Free Alliance had found a secret way into the Citadel, and it was decided that a small band of heroes, elites amongst the elites, would raid the citadel, and attempt to end the Necromancer Queen while the armies were occupied.
Known throughout the free world, the heroes of the Lords of Light were gathered at the entrance to the secret passage that would lead them deep into Frostcrown. Their leader, Torgan, smiled as he looked over the raid group. They were the strongest of the guild, thirty-two level 100 characters, each clad in the best epic gear they could gain through hard-won battles. The Paladin nodded to them, and said, “All right. The war’s begun. We’re the first group to attempt this raid, so keep your heads in the game, and don’t get distracted by the shinies. I’m looking at you, Bercilac! If I catch your DPS slacking because you get distracted by the loot, I’m going to plant my foot up your ass, both here, and IRL!” That got a good laugh from the raid, and broke the tension.
“Fine, fine! Just don’t go flirting with the boss this time!” The gnome Rogue, Bercilac’s comeback got another round of laughs, so Torgan let it go.
“That only happened once! While I was under the Charmed effect! And she was a fucking succubus!”
Raunaeril, their best Ranger, spoke up, “Now, now. He’s just jealous that you were the one to win King Flynn’s favor. If Bercy had won, we wouldn’t be standing here, about to go fight an immortal lich queen. He’d be sitting comfortably in Windguard Castle, warming himself in the king’s bed!” The rather flamboyant (but straight) Bercilac muttered curses while the rest of the raid laughed. Torgan simply smiled. He loved fighting with these guys.
“All right. Enough of that. Let’s get this raid on the road! Rogues in front. Keep stealthed, and look for traps. Signal when you meet enemies, and wait for the Vanguards to draw agro before attacking. Healers and Mages stay behind the vanguards. Keep watch on your mana, don’t let it get too low. You need a break to regen, you call out. Rangers, in the back. Your wilderness skills won’t be as good here, but you’re tougher than the mages, so if anything comes at us from behind, you can survive long enough for help to get to you. Everyone got it?” They nodded. “All right then. Lords of Light, let’s burn this mother down!”
(Later)
The battle had gone on for, literally, twenty minutes. The elites of the Lords of Light, the top guild in World of Destiny, were battered, and in some cases broken, strewn about the throne room at the top of Frostcrown Citadel. They had gotten the Necromancer Queen, Miris, down to 30% health when she unleashed a devastating auto-hit AOE attack, putting the raid in dire straits. Their mana depleted, their health bars near empty, the pain they felt, even with the 50% reduction, was too much to be believed. But Torgan gritted his teeth, and smiled up at Miris as she advanced towards him to make the killing blow.
“[RADIANCE OF THE ALMIGHTY!]” With a yell, he activated the precious skill with a twenty-four-hour cooldown. At once, the entire raid glowed with a golden light. Wounds disappeared, mana and health bars rose to full, and the raid got a ten-second buff to attacks against Undead. This skill which completely healed a Raid Group, was what Paladins got when they reached Level 100, and finished a certain quest chain. Once per day kept it balanced, but this ability had the potential to overturn a battlefield, as Torgan just showed.
Rising once again, the Lords of Light yelled, and activated their most expensive skills once again. Blows rained down upon Miris, causing hit stuns and other debuffs, which set her up for other attacks. One long merciless chain, taking full advantage of the 10s buff Torgan had given them. And, in the end, Torgan’s sword, [Requiem, Saber of Truth] was the one that struck down the Necromancer Queen. Everyone’s eyes went wide as they saw the same message pop up.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Miris, Necromancer Queen of the Army of the Damned has fallen in battle!
A Raid Group led by Torgan has conquered Frostcrown Citadel!
All hail the victorious heroes!
Several other messages popped up after that.
Achievement: Frostcrown Citadel
+100 Fame
Title: Queenslayer
WORLD FIRST!
For being the first Raid Group to conquer Frostcrown Citadel, your names will be
sung by the bards!
+1000 Fame
Title: Crownbreaker
Queenslayer
The mighty Necromancer Queen has fallen before you. Let the undead fear your wrath!
+10% attack vs. Undead
+10% magic attack vs. Undead
Crownbreaker
Some follow, but you lead the way, throwing yourself into the heat of battle against
the Necromancer Queen and the Army of the Damned.
When equipped:
All damage from the Necromancer Queen’s forces reduced 20%
Torgan looked at the members of the Lords of Light, and said, “All right, you lot. There’s plenty I want to say, so if you’re done gawking at titles and all the loot, use your Homestones, and meet up at the guild hall. I already PMed Cookie, and she says there’s a feast waiting on us.” Cookie was only level 80, but was the only player to have maxed out the Cooking skill in game. If she was cooking, Torgan knew that there would be full attendance to hear what he had to say.
(Later)
In the guild hall they had built together using the treasure they had won conquering dungeons, Torgan sat at the head table, looking on as the two hundred members of the Lords of Light gathered. Before the meal began, Torgan rose, and held up his goblet of wine. “My friends! Today the Lords of Light have done what none others have done before! Once again, we led the way, as the top guild in World of Destiny! The thirty-two of us in the raid party may be the ones who have our names on the leaderboards, but know that we couldn’t do it without all of you. Take Lexichan, who, with her Spymaster class, was the one that found the secret passage we used to infiltrate the citadel. Without her, we would have had to fight alongside the army in a bitter struggle, and who knows what state we’d be in when facing the boss? And all of our crafters, you kept our gear maintained, made the potions and consumables that kept us in top form, and provided those rare enchants that boosted our DPS and healing. And for all of you who were lower levels, your efforts brought in the crafting materials our crafters needed! This was not a victory for us thirty-two, but for the Lords of Light as a whole!”
Torgan paused, allowing the players to cheer, and then said, “And I am proud that I could stand with you, in this achievement. But
I have one announcement before you start eating up all Cookie’s hard work. For me, this is the end.” There was a stunned silence, but Torgan raised his hand just as people began speaking, to cut off any outbursts. “For those of you living under a rock, Age of Anarchy Online opens tomorrow. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has it on pre-order! For those of you that haven’t read the infodump on the website, Icestorm is letting players of WoD [Reincarnate] into AAO. You still start at level 1, but the better character with the more elite gear you [Reincarnate] from, the more points you get for customization and starting bonuses! But that means your WoD character is gone for good.”
He paused, and then said, “So, for this last feast together, I say we eat and drink until we burst! And for those of you going to AAO, I’ll see you in the next world!”
Chapter 2 – Character Creation, Part 1
Announcer: Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
Voices: Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Torgan!
Announcer: Yes, it's Torgan, strange visitor from Kazeroth, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Torgan, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Mike Greene, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.
Rules-Free VRMMO Life: Book 1 - Tutorial Page 1