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Troll Nation

Page 32

by James A. Hunter


  And the sensations ...

  I could really feel here. I wasn’t sure what’d I’d expected when I’d first heard about the NexGenVR capsule’s NerveTech features, but it hadn’t been this. I could smell the fresh pine wafting from the towering spruces and sprawling evergreens dotting the mountainside around me. On a whim, I bent over and scooped up a handful of powder and took a bite—cold, faintly flavored with ozone and cedar. The snow melted in my mouth, water trickling down my throat and hitting my belly with a cool splash. Robert Osmark certainly hadn’t been exaggerating—this was definitely a first-of-its-kind game.

  Still, as amazing as this was, could I live here forever? Guess I didn’t have much choice at this point.

  That thought vanished as a semitranslucent display popped up. A hazy image of myself—an average looking guy with sandy brown hair, a medium build, and a slightly pinched faced—floated in the air. Except, I was no longer wearing my ratty old bathrobe and sweatpants; now, I was sporting a tattered burlap-looking tunic with rough stitching, a pair of equally uncomfortable trousers, held up with a length of rope, and some fur boots that weren’t doing much to keep the chill out. An interface bar with a variety of options—race, build, sex, face, name—trailed down beside my floating avatar.

  I glanced up at race, and immediately a new options menu appeared on my right, hovering in the air like a specter. A list of available, playable races. I scanned the first one, Hvitalfar. Immediately, my avatar’s image changed; sandy brown hair was replaced by platinum blond locks, and my skin took on a golden hue while my ears elongated, slimming to narrow tips. It was still me, though, my face and body providing the underlying framework for some new and strange costume. A prompt popped up and lingered at the bottom of my vision:

  <<<>>>

  Hvitalfar (Dawn Elf): The elves of the Shining Plains, also known as Hvitalfar, make excellent Clerics and Sorcerers. Due to their natural affinity for spellcraft and the restorative arts, they receive a 5% bonus to starting Spirit. With their affection for nature and close kinship with animals, they also make admirable Rangers, excelling in the Shaman kits.

  <<<>>>

  I immediately scrolled down, gaze landing on the next race in the list—Dokkalfar. My avatar changed again, this time the skin darkening to a dusky gun-metal gray, my hair going a glossy raven’s-black, which looked almost blue from a certain angle. This race also had pointy ears and I could tell they hailed from the same family as the Dawn Elves I’d just looked at. After a moment, a new text box appeared:

  <<<>>>

  Dokkalfar (Murk Elf): The Murk Elves of the Storme Marshes are a tough and often unlikeable people. Many Dokkalfar prefer to keep to their own kind and rarely venture outside their boggy home lands. A lifetime of living in the dangerous and predatory swamps of Eldgard makes them excellently suited to be Rangers. They also excel in the Rogue class—particularly as assassins, Sicarii, since they possess a 20% resistance to poison and disease—or as mysterious Dark Templars, the enforcers of the Shadow Pantheon.

  <<<>>>

  There were several other races to choose from.

  The Svartalfar, short and squat, who resembled the typical dwarf and excelled in Smithing, Enchanting, and Merchant-craft. They also sported a hefty 50% resistance to fire, probably on account of their forge work. Next came humanoid creatures with dark, Middle Eastern features and pronounced wings jutting from their backs. They looked like living angels. The Accipiter, who could fly apparently, had a few race-restricted specialty classes, and a sizeable bonus to Dexterity.

  Two varieties of humans followed: the Imperials—vaguely Roman looking with short, wavy hair and Mediterranean complexions—and the Wodes. The Wodes, big and blond-headed, looked like the Germanic barbarians of ancient history. Neither of the human races had any extra racial bonus or resistances, but there was a note, which read, “humans can assume any profession or nonrestricted class without penalty,” which was probably a big advantage early on.

  Last came the Risi—a meaty looking humanoid loaded down with thick muscle, faintly green-tinged skin, and a pronounced underbite studded with protruding fangs. Some variety of Troll or Ogre, if I had to guess. The Risi, more than any other race, appeared excellently suited for heavy melee combat and tanking, but I knew without hesitation I wouldn’t be going that route. First, I found brawlers and fighters were great early on, but were often lacking at higher levels. And second—the more important factor—I refused to look like that monster for the rest of my life, no matter what racial bonuses might sweeten the pot.

  I quickly went back through my options, eliminating the Dawn Elf and the Dwarf—being a glass-cannon mage didn’t suit my play style, and I certainly wasn’t a crafter by nature—which left the Murk Elf, the bird-winged Accipiter, and the two human races. I saw a wiki icon and immediately brought up a search menu. “Look for class kits,” I said.

  “Certainly, Jack,” Sophia answered, which was a pleasant surprise. Hearing her voice was a small point of comfort. Unfortunately, the search yielded a whole bunch of nothing, so I closed out and went back to my character creation screen.

  Usually, in MMORPGs I played as a Cleric/healer, but a mixed class like a Paladin or Dark Paladin might serve me well in this new frontier where I didn’t have a clan, didn’t know the rules, and might have to go it alone for a while. I paused, rubbing at my chin—Rogues were also highly versatile for lone wolf players, so that might be an option to consider, though that certainly wasn’t my preferred class.

  Finally, I scrolled over to the Murk Elf.

  That 20% poison and disease resistance was too good to pass up. Plus, superficial as it may have been, he looked badass and the only other character I could reasonably see myself as was the Accipiter—except I wasn’t so great with heights. So, I selected the Murk Elf, then scrolled through the other creation features, tweaking my appearance a bit—adding some extra muscle here, opting for a short beard there, picking a few swirling tribal tattoos—before final selecting the “create,” option. A new screen appeared asking me what name I’d like for my character. Jack didn’t seem like an appropriate name for a high-fantasy elf, but it was my name, and I was hesitant to give it up.

  Everything else was changing. My face, my body, my world. But I could keep my name, or at least a variation of it. Grim_Jack was my gaming handle, so if I went with that, it would kind of be the best of both worlds. “Grim Jack,” I finally said, decided.

  “Are you sure you would like to create Grim Jack the Dokkalfar?” came the booming baritone voice from before. “Once you create a character, you will not be able to change your racial identity or name. Please confirm?”

  “Yes,” I said again, trepidation mounting in my stomach, not knowing what came next.

  <<<>>>

  Quest Alert: Continue Reading Viridian Gate Online Cataclysm

  CONTINUE WITH JACK to find out what happens next!

  Quest Class: Rare, Class-Based

  Quest Difficulty: Easy

  Success: Read on to continue the adventure!

  Reward: 15,000 EXP; Title: The Traveler

  Accept: Yes/No?

  <<<>>>

  Viridian Gate Online: Expanded Universe

  Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm (Book 1)

  Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance (Book 2)

  Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord (Book 3)

  Viridian Gate Online: Imperial Legion (Book 4)

  Viridian Gate Online: The Lich Priest (Book 5)

  Viridian Gate Online: Doom Forge (Book 6)

  Viridian Gate Online: Side Quests (Anthology)

  Viridian Gate Online: The Artificer (Imperial Initiative 1)

  Viridian Gate Online: Nomad Soul (The Illusionist Book 1)

  Viridian Gate Online: Dead Man’s Tide (The Illusionist Book 2)

  Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand (The Firebrand Book 1)

  Viridian Gate Online: Embers of Rebellion (The Firebrand Book 2)

  Viridian Gate Online: Vind
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  Copyright

  Troll Nation: Rogue Dungeon 3 is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by James A. Hunter, eden Hudson, and Shadow Alley Press, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, subject line “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.

  JStrode@ShadowAlleyPress.com

  About the Author

  I am invincible. I am a mutant. I have 3 hearts and was born with no eyes. I had eyes implanted later. I didn't have hands, either, just stumps. When my eyes were implanted they asked if I would like hands as well and I said, "Yes, I'll take those," and pointed with my stump. But sometimes I'm a hellbender peeking out from under a rock. When it rains, I live in a music box. But I'm also a tattoo addict, coffee junkie, drummer, and aspiring skateboarder. Jesus actually is my homeboy.

  About the Publisher

  We love books and we are crazy-passionate about publishing the best adult Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Action-Adventure around.

  Though our stories can be thought provoking at times, our primary goal is to entertain readers with wild stories and interesting characters you can’t walk away from. We want to whisk readers into a different world where the impossible is possible, where monsters lurk around every corner, but so do heroes, always ready to swoop in and fight back the dark.

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