Alpha World Book One: Gamer for Life

by Daniel Schinhofen

  The world went dark around him as he found himself above the planet and descending towards it as the voice over kicked in. “The origins of Alpha World are lost in history. All anyone knows is that many races prowl the land, some worshiping good and some evil. Many find themselves in the middle of those polar opposites just trying to get along. You though, are a two-souled, a being blessed by the Creator to come from another plane to Alpha World. You are an adventurer, one of the blessed few who travel the world helping others out of kindness or for reward. Not even death can deter you from your chosen course of action. It is up to you how you spend your time here, though be warned that every action has its consequence.”

  The world went dark again just before he touched the ground and a red clock appeared in front of him, counting down from twelve hours away. Seamus sighed, wondering if he would pass out again for the next twelve hours or just lay here looking at the clock. He hoped for either passing out or even being given the chance to just sit and read, either would be preferable to watching this stupid clock. As he thought that the room shifted back to the study where he had talked to Victoria before. This time he was dressed in the tattered starter robe of the Summoner.

  “Welcome back, Seamus,” Victoria’s voice said from behind him. “I took the liberty of bringing you here while you waited. I know from our talks that you detest not being able to do things while waiting.”

  Seamus looked back to see Victoria standing near the fire place behind him warming her hands, this time in a long ball gown of white. He smiled as he stood up and went to join her by the fire, feeling the warmth wash over him. “I thank you for that. I thought twelve hours of just looking at a clock a bit much. Question though, if you don’t mind,” he paused until she gave a consenting nod, “what happens if I die in game?”

  “Your equipped items take a durability hit. All items have a set durability and can't be repaired, so it matters what you are using when you die. After the two minute resurrection timer passes you are sent to the closest spawn point you have found.”

  “So they want to make people care for their equipment,” Seamus said. “Two or three sets of equipment per player really. Grinding stuff, dungeon stuff and maybe even best in slot raid stuff. Huh, good to know.”

  “Also, I wanted to let you know that it has been decided to have you take a break every month for a day. We can extend the time between slightly if necessary to not interfere with any plans that you have made. I will be speaking with you at those times to see how you are holding up mentally. This is a key concern since physically we have all the equipment and staff needed to make sure your body stays well.”

  “So every month we get to talk? That will be nice. Are we on screen right now, you know above my pod?”

  “No, while you are here speaking with me you are not being watched,” Victoria replied.

  “Twelve hours is a long time, but I should get a few hours nap in before launch, say fourish hours. So that leaves me with eight or so hours of time to kill. Would you like to play some chess?”

  Victoria laughed, “Sure, but I won’t go easy on you.” She turned to the desk which now had a board on it, “You can be white.”

  The next hour was one of pleasant frustration for Seamus as he found out she didn’t lie. She won every game. The first four games were over in a few minutes each as she brutalized him. The next few he played a little more randomly and she seemed puzzled for a bit as if trying to find his strategy before she pressed and beat him. The best he did was trade pieces well in the tenth game until she won again.

  “Well, I feel very humble right now,” Seamus said shaking his head. “I concede. I will never challenge you in chess, how about something a little more random, like poker?”

  “You handle the losing well, much better than others who have played me. Alvin sulked for a whole week after he played me the first time. I also accept the challenge of poker.” She waved her hand across the desk and the chess set vanished to be replaced by poker chips for each of them and a sealed deck of cards.

  “Virtual is way easier than real,” Seamus murmured as he marveled over how easy it was for her to change things. “So let’s start with seven card stud, shall we?”

  Two hours went by with Seamus winning a pot here or there but slowly losing his stack of chips to her. He never won a big pot during the entire time, which bothered him. “I have to ask how you always seemed to know when to fold or call my bluff.”

  Victoria laughed, “I think a character from one of your favorite books said it best, ‘If you ain’t cheatin', then you ain’t tryin' hard enough’.”

  Blinking, Seamus puzzled over the quote then laughed, “Shackleford from the Monster Hunter series, eh? So how were you cheating me?”

  “All the cards are marked,” Victoria replied with a smirk. “For me, that is. I can see the code that denotes what they represent. Was that wrong of me?” She asked the last in a playful manner.

  “Hmm, being taken advantage of by beautiful women is something of a habit for me, but yes it was still wrong of you. How about we go again with you promising not to cheat this time, to make up for it?”

  “So a real test to see if I can read you without aid? I accept your challenge Seamus, but let us place a real wager on it shall we? If I win it all, you will answer any one question I have for you. If you win you can make up any reward you want.”

  Laughing, Seamus nodded, “Agreed, divvy up the chips and let's go around again.”

  The next three hours seemed much better with Seamus being able to bluff and win some big pots. In the end though, he lost his last chip when his straight was beaten out by her flush. “Well, at least I was able to bluff you this time.” Seamus said as he pushed his chair back some, “What did you want to ask?”

  Vicky met his eyes, “Tell me about Kaylee. Why does she mean so much to you?”

  Seamus felt his face close down as he looked away from her, “That is the second worst question you could ask me, Victoria.” His hands clenched causing his knuckles to pop as he tried to calm the flood of emotions. “Will you pick something else, please?”

  “You promised any question, Seamus. I am not asking about the murder, but about the victim of the crime that lead to it. I will wait if you need a moment to calm down first.” Her tone was calm and full of care, which only made things worse.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Seamus said, his voice rough as he choked back the anger and sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.

  “How did you meet her father?”

  “David? A gaming group, ironically enough. We both knew a couple that held a weekly gaming group at their house. We ended up playing D&D there the first time we met each other. I still don’t know why we hit it off. We just seemed to click, being able to work well together as a team. After a few months we started talking about some of our other hobbies. Both of us had gun collections so we went shooting. We played a few non-VR games, as that was before VR really went big. I met his daughter when she was five, he had finally got partial custody of her. So he got her on the weekends and alternate holidays. Kaylee was the best child I’ve ever met in my life, she didn’t act up or cause issues in any way. She didn’t pout, have tantrums or anything like that. When she started going to school David noticed she seemed bored. He put her into a private school which helped, she was an amazingly fast learner. She was a math prodigy, able to dissect advanced math with ease even in elementary school.”

  Seamus got up and walked over to the fire, “When she was about to go into junior high, she was already doing calculus at David’s during the weekends. She loved to learn and was always pushing herself to do more. I came over every Saturday, Uncle Seamus she called me, and the three of us would go out to do stuff. Movies, shooting, amusement parks, all sorts of things. She was the child I never had and her father was my best friend. It was kind of funny, how many times we got asked which of us was her father when we went out. She had the brightest of futures before her, the stars t
hemselves would have been in her grasp if not…” Seamus cut off shaking in rage as the images of her in the hospital crying and asking him to leave came to him. He lashed out blindly striking the stone mantle of the fireplace, which broke his knuckles like dry kindling.

  Victoria was by his side in an instant, literally, speaking softly to him as she gently touched his hand that he held to his chest as tears spilled from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Seamus. I pushed even though you asked me not to because I wanted to know. I hope you will forgive me,” her voice was full of care as his pain vanished, his hand healing instantly as her fingers ran over it. “I will leave you alone if you want?”

  Seamus turned away from her, shaking as he tried to shut his emotions off again. He had always been a little prone to rage and grief, but since Kaylee’s attack he had not been able to hold them in check like he used too. He shook his head once, “Just give me a moment, please.” He wiped at his tear streaked face, taking deep breaths to stop the shakes. He flinched slightly as her thumbs dug into his shoulders hitting the knots he had there. He didn’t stop her as he felt her relentlessly attack the tight muscles with firm steady hands. Minutes went by as he slowly regained control of himself again with her help. “Thank you, Vicky,” he said softly, stepping away from her hands.

  “It might be best if I go rest for a bit,” Seamus said softly, “thank you for your hospitality before I lashed out. Maybe I will be better company when next we talk.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry for pushing you, Seamus, I didn’t know just how badly it would affect you.” Her voice was tinged with sadness as she spoke. “As a show of peace, can I give you a hint for the game?”

  Turning, Seamus met her eyes, seeing concern and worry in hers. “You don’t need to Vicky. I’m fine now and will not hold anything against you.”

  “When you get to summon your demons choose the most loyal ones you can, even if they aren’t as good as the others stat wise. Loyalty is very important for Summoners. I will see you again in time Seamus, until then enjoy the game as much as you can. This will be a huge step in the progress of helping the infirm if the test works as it should.” She smiled then turned away from him pausing as she asked the next question in a shy voice, “May I watch you as you play?”

  Seamus chuckled slightly, “I get a choice?”

  Vicky’s voice gave the impression that she was embarrassed, “Yes.”

  A smile came to Seamus’s face and he let the warmth he felt come through in his voice, “I don’t see how that will entertain you as I’ll probably make more than a few mistakes, but yes, watch to your heart’s content. Just next time please stay away from the two questions I don’t want to talk about.”

  She turned to face him, her smile bright as she raised a hand as if to say goodbye, “Thank you, Seamus.” As she finished speaking Seamus felt the room slip away from him and he noted the clock blinking away with five hours still to go before sleep claimed him.

  Seamus came back to his senses to find the clock blinking as it counted down the last minute before early access launched. He wondered what kind of starting area he was going to be in, he recalled being told that he would be in a dungeon at the start of the game. As the clock kept ticking Seamus could feel his excitement start to rise, he was about to have a taste of freedom again. A whole world waiting for him to explore it while the staff kept tabs on him to see if this long term immersion was viable. He said a silent prayer, even though he didn’t believe in God, praying for this to work so Kaylee could have a full life again. He watched as the last ten seconds ticked away one by one until they vanished, leaving him in darkness.

  Game On

  Alburet came to in the dark, with a faint, flickering light coming from a narrow gap at the bottom of a door. Letting his eyes adjust, he could make out a small square room. The small straw pile he lay on was the only thing in it. The door was thick wood with three iron bands reinforcing it. He could make out a status bar in his left peripheral vision that held his name and two colored bars, one red and the other blue.

  “Game on,” Alburet whispered with a smile. He wondered how to open the character screen when a see through panel came into being before him showing his character. Looking it over, he was able to quickly take in all the important details.

  Alburet

  Human Summoner

  Level 1

  Strength: 5

  Agility: 5

  Constitution: 6

  Intelligence: 15

  Wisdom: 15

  Charisma: 19

  Health: 110

  Mana: 200

  Spells:

  Demon Skin

  Abilities:

  None

  Alburet touched the health number on the character screen and a tool-tip popped up: “Out of combat you will regenerate 10% of your total health every second.” He checked Mana and got a similar message, but with a little more info: “During combat you will regenerate mana based on your wisdom stat.” Alburet tapped Wisdom to see what it would tell him there: “Your mana will regenerate at 1.5% of your total mana every second in combat. Total mana pool based on Wisdom.”

  Each stat had helpful information when he checked them. Strength added to melee combat damage at a factor of 10%, minimum one. Agility did the same for ranged combat, while Intelligence gave 10% bonus damage to spells. Charisma gave a bonus to influencing NPCs in conversation and when meeting them for the first time. Constitution was the way to get more health at a ten to one ratio, while each level gave a flat 50 more health on top of that.

  Tapping his spell, Alburet read the description then blinked when he got to the end of it. “Demon Skin: This spell hardens your skin, taking on the appearance and nature of true demon skin. Mana cost: 50. Duration: 1 hour. Adds 10 armor to base rating. Does not stack with other armor, whichever value is higher will be used to determine armor value. Self target only. To use this spell press your hands to your chest and say the words “Demon Skin.”

  “So, built to the lowest common denominator,” Alburet sighed. He then pressed his hands to his chest and spoke the words. As the words left his mouth he felt a small pulse from his hands, looking down he could make out his normal skin darkening as it thickened some. An icon appeared under his mana bar, informing him he now had the buff Demonic Skin.

  Wondering about notifications, Alburet noticed a small blue square in his lower right vision which was blinking. Touching it opened up a slew of messages, he scrolled back to the top and read through them.

  Dear tester,

  You are in the Forgotten Prison. As your starting location is non-standard you have no equipment besides the robe on your back. You will have to figure a way out on your own and pick up equipment as you try to gain your freedom. Thank you for assisting Mindblown Entertainment with our test.

  Good luck, Mindblown Entertainment CEO Stephan Colart.

  Thank you for completing the early access evaluation. Your actions during the evaluation have netted you increased base statistics.

  1 extra Constitution gained.

  5 extra Intelligence gained.

  5 extra wisdom gained.

  14 extra charisma gained.

  We hope you enjoyed the evaluations and wish you luck in Alpha World.

  Alburet chuckled. Well, at least the time with Vicky had given him some really nice boosts. So he had to figure a way out of this forgotten prison on his own. Standing up, Alburet stretched and smirked. “Let's get started, shall we?” he muttered to himself as he advanced on the door, wondering how he was going to get it open.

  Quest: Escape the cell.

  Reward: One hundred XP.

  Chuckling at his first quest, Alburet examined the door. He frowned when he found there was nothing on the inside to grab or hold. Just a spot for a key in the door, and not having anything to even try picking the lock he was at a loss. “Well fuck, now what?”

  Alburet hammered on the door with his fist, getting a surprise as 0's appeared floating in the air before him. The same blue squ
are he had the messages in began to flash again. Stopping his hammering, he opened up the message box.

  You hit door for 2 damage, door unharmed due to armor value of 25.

  You hit door for 2 damage, door unharmed due to armor value of 25.

  You hit door for 2 damage, door unharmed due to armor value of 25.

  You hit door for 2 damage, door unharmed due to armor value of 25.

  You hit door for 2 damage, door unharmed due to armor value of 25.

  Sighing, Alburet sat on the floor as he closed the message box and looked for a way to open the options menu. As he thought about it, a new pop-up appeared in front of him. Nodding, Alburet went through the options and set the combat messages to be mostly translucent and go by in his lower left peripheral. He set the damage received messages to red, along with any status effects that would affect him. He could now ignore them or pay attention to them as needed.