by Terina Adams
“The computer will read the dots and record your movement. That’s how you’ll move your avatar.”
“Move? We’re not sitting for this game?”
“No. The screen is a soft introduction for beginners.”
“That’s me.”
“You’re more capable than that. Virtual’s the best level for you.”
“Not sure I agree with you. What about the ones on my head?”
“For the stats. This is for your eyes.” He handed me small silver lenses, which fit snug around the eyes, like wraparound glasses, blocking out all vision. When on, I saw the word Dominus appear in front of my eyes, hovering in the air.
I pushed them up to my forehead. “Oh my god, this is incredible. I see what’s on the computer screen.”
“The fun hasn’t even begun.”
Jax slipped a belt around his waist. Across the front of the belt were what looked like silver studs. Seeing me look at it, he said, “This is my keyboard. It’s the way I control the game.”
“Do I get one?”
“No, the GM keeps the controls.”
He pointed to the back of the room. “That’s the virtual space. I’ll begin the game from here.”
Which had to mean I was supposed to go stand over there. I headed where he pointed while he started tapping on the keyboard. The deep blue mat stretched across the entire floor space, the only color in the room besides the desk and computers. It absorbed my weight and appeared to move ever so slightly under my feet.
“The floor just moved.”
“That’s its design. It will take getting used to, but once you have the hang of it, you’ll find it’s not too different from solid ground.”
He joined me on the spongy floor.
“Try jumping.”
I did and felt the impact of my fall absorbed by the floor, reducing the feel of my weight.
“The hardest part is leaving the mat after a session. Now run. This is the real magic.”
I did, expecting to run off the mat in a matter of seconds, but instead I remained on the spot. The ground somehow moved like a conveyor belt with me marking time, and because Jax remained where he was, it meant the movement was discreet. I picked up my pace but remained in the same spot.
“What are we standing on?”
“Dominus has many secrets. The mystery’s shattered if I reveal too many of them.”
“This is like something I would expect in NASA, not in some guy’s apartment, and it must’ve cost a fortune.”
He dismissed my questions by looking down at his belt and fiddling with the silver dials.
“And the players you invite into the game. Do they get this setup?”
“This is only for us. Online survivors who reach the level cap are invited to join us here for the virtual experience, which is a whole different level again, but few make the cut.”
“Where are these people coming from?”
“Everywhere. Being an MMORPG, there are no borders.”
“And people are willing to come so far?”
“It’s an honor to reach this level.”
“Am I supposed to feel honored for jumping the queue?”
“You can tell me after our session. We’ll go slow at first. There’s a lot I’ll need to run you through. But let’s get you accustomed to movement first.”
He slid his goggles over his eyes and I copied. My world turned white.
“I’ll just load us a scene. You’ll need reference points if you want to gain control of your limbs.”
As I watched, the horizon came into view, darkening to gray, delineating up from down.
“That’s enough for now. Too much else and it’s distracting. Try jumping again.”
I did, and the virtual environment mimicked the jump. Again the mat absorbed my fall.
“This is amazing, not to mention ridiculously advanced.”
“The more you move, the quicker you’ll become accustomed to the virtual world. It can take time to learn to manipulate your body in here. Gaining complete control of your movement is the secret to success. Try a few cartwheels.”
I flipped into the first cartwheel. My vision altered, turning the gray upside down, then the right way up. I was off on the rotation and fell forward, but the mat was so springy my fall didn’t hurt, and I was able to push myself up quick into another cartwheel with the same result. My mind was having a little trouble relying on the virtual scene, so I failed to land any of the cartwheels on my feet. “This is weird but fun.”
“It’s time to start.”
The gray horizon disappeared as darkness descended across my vision, then soon filled with the word Dominus. It hovered for a few seconds before shimmering into the black to be replaced by columns of avatars.
“Choose an avatar. The only time you’ll see yourself as your avatar is if you look down your body, but this is what other players will see. And there’s no changing skin either. What you choose is what you have.”
“Not sure what you mean, but do I have to choose?”
“The program reads the dots, not the suit, which means you’ll be invisible and at a distinct advantage. So yes, you need an avatar. You can choose a name, but that’s optional. You can also change your voice. For some, it helps set their focus for the scene. Again it’s optional.”
I scanned the figures. “I choose the hot chick in the red suit. She looks like she knows how to kick ass. And I think I’ll stick with Sable.”
“We’ll skip weapons for now and focus on the basics.”
I glanced down my body to see the white suit had disappeared. The first thing I saw were breasts spilling from a thin, flimsy bra, which was supposed to be my top. My waist looked like it had been pulled in with a drawstring and my bottoms were little more than underpants. Below the postage-stamp worth of fire-red material, my strong, muscular legs stretched for miles.
“Definitely a male-designed program.”
“Tyren designed her.”
“Really. Which ones did you design?”
“The men.”
I looked across at Jax, not surprised to see him looking like Hercules or some Hollywood Viking-style warrior.
“You probably go virtual just to walk around like that.”
“The costumes are pretty, but you’ve got to play the part. I’m not going to look good if I’m on my ass. You, on the other hand, will look good in any position. But if you’re on your ass, pretty or not, you’re out, meaning game over.”
My pulse fluttered to quick time with his comment. I clenched my fists to force it back to normal. Firstly, his comment was directed at my avatar, not me. Secondly, who the hell cared what he thought?
“Then you better teach me so I won’t land on my ass.”
My vision changed. The black screen filled with avatars disappeared to be replaced by me soaring over a barren landscape. Dizziness racked my brain, and the next thing I knew, Jax righted me.
“Like I say, it will take some getting used to.”
The world stopped moving below me, but I hovered in midair, the ground tens of meters below me. Again I felt Jax’s hands on my arms as I pitched sideways.
“This is disorienting. I’m not used to looking down to nothing below my feet.”
“You all right to stand by yourself now?”
“I think so.” He probably wanted to distance himself from me.
“Focus on what you feel. The mat is underneath you. It’s still there. Don’t believe what your mind is telling you. At least not for now.”
“Got it. My mind has no idea what it’s doing.”
Jax pointed ahead. His arm appeared in my view as the strong, muscular arm of a warrior with leather bracelets of studs and rings. The tattoo on his wrist was gone but the one down his forearm remained. I glanced at him and realized we were the same height, but his face looked like it had been carved out of granite. When he spoke, his lips moved like a real person.
“The Califax Dome. The end quest. The scene of the fin
al confrontation.”
He pointed to a tall tower rising up from the sprawling city below. Its beauty was unsurpassed in a land with muted colors of browns and gray. Glass panels caught the sun’s light, shimmering soft hues of rainbow. It appeared an impenetrable place, something out of a fantasy, with glass spires and ornate carvings.
“It’s beautiful. Made all the more beautiful because the rest of the scene is bland. Why is it the final confrontation?”
“It is where the seat of power resides.”
“Got it. The enemy is inside and the aim of the game is to get in and topple those in power.”
“Whose side you’re on will determine whether you see them as your enemy or your savior. On the right side, the rulers are not your enemy.”
“So whose side are we on?”
“Opposing factions.”
“We’re enemies?”
“The worst.”
“That’s a great way to start.”
“The Califax Dome is ruled by four powerful factions, Persal, Aris, Set, and Negal. Alliances have been made to hold the peace and allow the four to rule in harmony. But alliances are always broken. Shifting allegiances will tip the balance. Some will choose to rule alone but require the help of other factions. The four are not the only factions, just the most powerful. Perun and Phonus are important although not powerful enough to sit within the Senate of Factions. Something they resent greatly.”
“Do I get to choose a faction?”
“No. You’re Persal.”
“And you are?”
“Aris. Hold on. I’m going to change the scene.”
I staggered, then hit the mat when we whizzed down from the sky, zooming to the ground. “I’d appreciate more warning next time.”
I even lifted my knees up as we landed, expecting to hit them on the paving, when really I’d been sitting down on the mat the whole time. Jax’s hand appeared in my periphery.
“Need some help?”
His avatar face revealed no trace of expression. If his lips could move like real life, then surely his avatar face would also mimic his real expression, which had to mean he shared no expression with me at all. Typical.
I accepted his hand and he pulled me to my feet, keeping a hold until I no longer swayed. “This is going to take longer to get used to than I thought.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll pick it up surprisingly quick.”
We were down amongst the buildings now, but everything looked dull compared to the Dome, and deserted, not a vehicle or person in sight. The streets were nothing more than empty cobbles and the buildings vacant monuments of unearthly fabrication.
“Each faction is warring by nature.”
“Of course.”
“Which makes it a miracle they are able to exist side by side at all. But along with their natural instinct to create war, they have a factional nature inherent in them since birth that does not become apparent till they reach puberty.”
I looked down at my ample breasts. “I would say I’m definitely over puberty.”
He ignored my smart comment, his face continuing to reveal nothing of his thoughts.
“Is this the part when I ask what the factional natures are?”
“It’s extremely important to know the nature of each faction, for their nature is their power, along with any weapons they may gain.”
“What’s Persal’s factional nature?”
“Destruction.”
“Cool. How do I do that?”
“I’m not Persal, so I can’t teach you. You’ll have to learn it along the way.”
“But you designed the game. You should know them all.”
“I’m not about to give you the advantage.”
“I’m so disadvantaged it’s unreal.”
“Then you better learn quick.”
He was as annoying in the game as out.“What about Aris?”
“Bloodlust, rebellion, and thievery. It’s usually an Aris that starts any feud.”
“Why do you get three?”
“It’s the way it works.”
“What about the others?”
“Set is chaos and deception.”
“So, no one makes deals with Set.”
I couldn’t puncture his concentration. He continued on as if I hadn’t spoken. “Negal is pestilence and fire, Phonus rules the night, and Perun is thunder and lightning. They’re the main factions you need concern yourself with.”
“Destruction as a superpower sounds the best.”
“Each faction will use their inherent nature in surprising ways. Don’t assume any are more superior. And you’re in luck because at the moment Aris and Persal have formed a secret alliance against the rest of the factions, which means I’m not going to kill you straightaway. At least not while you have your uses. But remember, there are no true ties between any of the factions. I could betray you just as easily as bed you.”
My heart did a huge, giant leap. “Really…is that included in the game too?” And would my avatar reflect the flush rushing up my throat right now?
“Usually we’re too busy fighting and deceiving everyone to bother doing much else. But anything is possible.”
“Good thing because you’d get a slap.”
“The best way to succeed is to trust no one. Everyone lies. Set are the best at it, but each faction has their agenda and none care about the other factions. It’s all about power and ruling.” Again he ironed over my comment without response. There was no shifting him from game mode.
“Not too different from reality then.”
“Every move you make is for that goal alone. If you remember that, you’re a quarter of the way to succeeding. Form alliances, harbor secrets, cheat, lie, and fight. That’s the way to win.”
“You have a cynical view of life.”
“We’re not playing real life. Yet.”
I took that as him trying to be funny, but wasn’t too sure.
He took my hand. I went to tug it back, but he said, “We’re moving again.”
This time we landed in a street with a bustle of people. Before I stopped myself, I gripped hold of Jax’s arm, until we’d slowed our movement, then he released me at the moment I released him.
“Let’s walk,” he said. “This is Califax City. One of the few places the factions mix with accord. Behind us is the Dome. Everyone here is from one faction or another.”
Jax and his design crew had obviously lost incentive to make the crowd fancy. Everyone passing us wore blank expressions, staring ahead like we weren’t there except for their parting as we passed through. Their clothes were nothing but jumpsuits of varying dull colors.
“Step outside Califax and the factions are divided. They are forbidden to mix to keep the bloodlines pure. Can’t have a mix of factional natures. Could give someone the edge they need.”
He was so into this game. He and the other designers had thought up rules right down to bloodlines and ancestry. Perhaps it was a reflection on life where he grew up. To be honest, I could understand the lure of the game. Dominus had piqued my interest while I filed away all the information he fed me.
“How are you supposed to tell what faction someone’s from?”
All the animated people coming toward us froze. “Come.”
We approached a short woman in a dull green jumpsuit with thick, long red hair. Jax turned her head to the left and swept aside her hair. Behind the ear was a tattoo. It looked like an eye, a big, curving line at the base and another arching one over the top, with two bowing down in the middle.
Jax let her hair fall back. “The symbol for truth.”
“She’s a Set.”
He stared at me. “Why do you say that?”
“Deception.”
“You’re catching on.”
I turned his head so I could see his tattoo, the one he wore in real life. He’d even gone so far as to tattoo his gaming faction onto his skin.
“And this is Aris?”
He nodded. A fat bol
d line in the shape of a scythe, with a jagged handle, intersected a curved line tattooed to appear as if it was dripping.
“Bloodlust. Persal?”
The tattoos for the rest of the factions appeared in the air before me. Next to Persal was a fractured circle, boring for such a whopper of a power.
“Of course. The circle is symbolic of eternity, the universe, the cycle of life, whatever, but the circle’s broken, meaning the end of all things. Total destruction.”
“Congratulations. Most of the longtime players are yet to work that out. Every child is tattooed at birth according to the faction they are born into. For reference, each faction’s nature and symbol will appear to your left when in game mode.”
“Can we disguise or change the tattoo?”
Warrior Jax turned his expressionless face to me, leaving me at a loss to his thoughts.
He spoke the thread of my idea. “So you can deceive others into believing you have one power when you really have another? You sure you haven’t heard of this game before?”
For some stupid reason, I swelled with pride at his compliment.
“You should be in Set. But the answer’s no, the laws forbid it. But some don’t follow the laws.”
“Do we?”
“Yes. We never designed that feature in the program.”
Weird. “Why did you say some don’t follow the laws if you never put it into the program?” He was forgetting this was a game, made up and in his control.
He ignored the comment. “I think we should leave it there. There’s too much to learn. It’s impossible to cover it all in one session.”
“We never got to fight the factions.”
“When the factions fight, not a lot will be left. Therefore we limit how much fighting we do.”
“I thought the purpose of the game was to fight?”
“If you were online, then sure. But virtual is different. Think guerrilla warfare. Stealth and cunning, learn each other’s weaknesses while deflecting your own. You need to maneuver yourself into the best possible position before you engage in any skirmish. Remember factions fight with more than weapons. You risk too much if you attack without the best game play.”
The scene disappeared and I was left staring at white. I pulled my goggles off and my mind took some time to adjust to staring at normal Jax.