Now that I have answers, I make my way back to the apartment. I open the door to find Dean sitting on the couch, the official Pangea Online stream running on the far wall.
He stares at me as I walk in. I’m not even sure how to begin explaining what happened, so I just stand there.
“Sorry about that,” I finally say.
“What happened? You weren’t yourself back there.”
“Yeah, I kind of freaked out for a minute.”
I go on to tell him about my experiences in full-immersion. How the final stage of the track was a replica of the Broken Lands, only I didn’t know it at the time, and how I panicked when Carter didn’t recognize me.
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “I don’t blame you. I just wish I had known. It would have helped me make sense of the situation.” His smile broadens, and I can tell there’s real mirth behind it. “But hey, we made it. We’re in the final round.”
My self-pity fades, and I’m able to smile genuinely. “That we did.”
“And you think the final stage is going to be full-immersion. Like the real deal?” His eyes are wide with excitement.
“I don’t know anything for cert—”
Benjamin appears on the feed, and I let my words fade away. I turn the volume up, and Dean and I watch in silence.
“What a stage, am I right?” Benjamin winks at the camera, clapping his hands and showcasing his natural charisma. “We saw it all. Action, adventure, friendship, betrayal, heartache. Even a last-ditch heroic effort to abandon the hovercar and leap into the final portal. This truly was a race for the ages.”
The camera pans out, showing Benjamin in between footage of all ten stages of the race.
“While most of the stages were classics with a twist, we brought two new tracks to the tournament. The first was modeled off of Apocalyptica, an homage to one of our great tournaments of the past.” All ten feeds switch to footage of Apocalyptica, showing different teams as they took on the course. “We added zombies as obstacles, and the challengers didn’t disappoint. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, and our challengers proved it. They used ice, fire, acid, and much more to put an end to those pesky walking dead.”
One of the panels shows Dean and I rescuing the gnomes, and the subsequent betrayal by the cyberpunk ladies. In another, Dawn freezes the undead and Ryken plows into them, shattering their frozen bodies like glass.
“But the real gem was right in front of your eyes the entire time. The forums have been hot with discussion about the track no one recognized.” The panels switch to the Broken Lands track, panning above Carolton, the dryad, the faeries, and a devastating dragon attack in the forest. “This was your first glimpse into a new world, the Broken Lands, and a teaser for the final stage. A stage never before seen in Pangea, one that will change virtual reality forever, and the crowning achievement of Pangea’s future.”
Benjamin takes a long pause as he stares intensely at the camera.
“After this tournament, Pangea will never be the same. For the first time ever, we will be bringing full-immersion to Pangea Online—starting with a battle royale in our first full-immersion world, The Broken Lands. The final one hundred teams will compete for glory until only one team remains, winning a sizable donation to charity and an exclusive Pangea Online scholarship. Stay tuned for an introduction to Pangea’s newest development.”
The screen goes black, and a medieval style map appears. The camera zooms in on a castle, then pans across to map past Carolton, the Cursed Forest, and Thunder Mountain. We see goblin society on the mountain as they toil among the rain and lightning, elves peer out from the edge of the forest with uncertainty plastered on their faces, and then a display of fireworks from Carter’s nightly show. “Adventure Awaits” flashes across the screen.
“But first…a champion must be crowned. After millennia, magic has returned to the Broken Lands. Fountains have sprouted across the continent, granting magical powers to those who are worthy. Adventurers have come from worlds over for a chance at glory, and the fates have answered. A tournament of heroes awaits, and as the playing field grows smaller, only one victor will remain.”
The screen shifts to an action montage, where I see several of the beta testers wearing leather armor or colorful robes as they battle one another inside of a translucent dome. They cast magic from their palms, some throwing fireballs, others bolts of energy. One hovers in the air and launches an icicle like a javelin. A woman shoots a gust of wind to block a barrage of arrows. Two more battle with swords, using magic with their off-hands. The camera continues to switch from one hero to the next as the number of fighters is whittled down. In the final scene, we follow behind a figure wearing a blue tunic as he summits a hill and lifts his sword into the air.
The clip ends and the stream focuses on the analysts as they speculate on the final stage. A new message from the developers draws my attention away.
Greetings Esil,
Congratulations on advancing to the final stage of the tournament! The package you received is now able to be opened. Inside, you will find the next wave of VR technology. The helmet inside provides neurological feedback that allows full-immersion without cumbersome machines. There’s no need for haptic suits or gloves, as the deep dive experience melds flawlessly with your nervous system. The technology has been rigorously tested, and the full details can be found in the terms and conditions.
We have set up training grounds for each team so that contestants can acclimate to full-immersion before the final stage. You will find an access token in the home portal of each former champion.
Good luck, and as always, never stop leveling!
-Pangea Online Developers
I set my tablet aside and stare at the two black boxes stacked neatly in the corner. It’s crazy how much full-immersion has changed in such a short time. From massive capsules and pods, now it’s all compartmentalized in something so small.
“Ready to do this?” I ask Dean.
“I was born ready.” He moves the two black boxes, sliding mine in front of me and then sitting on the floor in front of his own.
I press my finger to the locking mechanism, and it scans my fingerprint. The scanner flashes green, there’s an audible click, and the lock opens. I lift the lid and find the helmet inside.
It’s polished black with a mirrored purple facemask that covers the entire face. It looks more like something out of a sci-fi shooter than a gaming headset. Next to the helmet, there’s a pamphlet marked “Instructions.”
Place helmet over head and lie down in a neutral position. Once you are ready, lower the visor to begin setup.
“This is badass!” Dean stares at his reflection in the visor. “Can we try them on?”
“No, I was thinking we would just stare at them all day.” I laugh. “Kidding. Let’s do it.”
I pick up my immersion helmet and head into the bedroom. Once the helmet is on, it feels incredibly light and snug, almost like it was molded just for me. I lay down on the bed and flip the visor.
The tutorial is simple enough. Lines of text scroll down the inside of the visor, telling me that it only works in full-immersion worlds, and that in order to gain feedback in the rest of Pangea, I will need to use the haptic suit connector. I’ll be able to use the helmet to get to my home portal, I just won’t experience true immersion until I’m in the Broken Lands or Training Grounds.
There’s also a note that the helmet shuts off after six-hours of uninterrupted gameplay.
Inside my home portal, a gold coin hovers in the middle of the room, spinning slowly. Dean arrives a few seconds later, and I let him in.
When I focus on the coin, a message appears.
Broken Lands Training Grounds Token
Activate? Y/N
I focus on yes. The coin vanishes and a portal takes its place.
I step to the side and gesture. toward the portal. “After you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The transit
ion from visual-only to full-immersion is a bit jarring. For a moment, I’m disoriented as the world spins around me, but when I feel a cool breeze against my skin, everything stills. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Fresh air fills my lungs and the scent of the outdoors washes over me.
I’ve missed this.
I’m standing in a stone courtyard. Pillars and weathered steps of some ancient ruins surround me to the right. Further away to the left, a rocky hillside descends to the edge of a forest. On the other side, there are rolling hills speckled with towering oaks. Several streams cut through the landscape.
If memory serves, this is the wilderness between Carolton and the Endless Forest. The terrain is great for a battle royale, offering plenty of places to hide items and provide cover. Multiple ruins are scattered through the area.
“Whoa!” Dean crouches next to the grass at the edge of the courtyard, running his fingers over the blades. “This is crazy. I can feel every blade.”
“You’d rather play with grass than this?” I point to a veritable treasure trove in the center of the ruins.
A variety of weapons lay scattered on the ground. Swords, axes, spears, bows, and much more. Behind them, rows of vials filled with colored liquids hover several inches off the ground.
I pick up a blue vial that’s cool to the touch.
Ice potion. Drink to be instilled with elemental ice magic.
I uncork the vial and drink the blue liquid. A chill runs through my core, and ice crystals form along my left hand.
You have activated ice magic. Available spells:
Freeze: Fire a beam of ice that slows upon impact. Cost: 10 mana
Ice Dagger: Fire a piercing ice projectile that deals double damage. Cost: 20 mana
Ice Path (passive): Freeze the ground for ten meters, allowing for faster travel. No cost.
I test out the abilities, shooting snowballs and ice projectiles at one of the pillars. The magic flows out effortlessly, responding to my thoughts in perfect sync. When I use Ice Path, it freezes the ground, allowing me to skate along it.
Dean picks up a red vial and chugs it. “Ooh.” He opens his mouth and breathes rapidly. “That’s spicy!”
The next thing I know, he conjures a fireball and holds it in his palm like a miniature sun. He tosses it to the ground, leaving scorch marks on the ancient stone.
I take a moment to look over the user interface. It’s changed a great deal since my first days in full-immersion. In the top right of my vision, there’s a map. It displays a large square section. Within that is a circle that forms the boundary of the battle royale. Once the actual tournament starts, that circle will shrink between each round. As it shrinks, players stuck outside the circle will take damage until they get back inside. This forces players to fight one another as the circle gets smaller until there is only one team left.
If this is an accurate depiction of where the battle royal will take place, it keeps the NPCs from getting involved. All the towns are several miles from our current location. Not that anyone else would care, but it will be one less distraction for me.
To the left of my vision, beneath my name, there’s a health bar, a mana bar, and a shield bar. The health and mana bars are both one hundred, but the shield is empty. Maybe that is for the different colored bracers lying on the ground behind the vials.
White, blue, and red bracers sit in neat lines. I equip the white one and my shield changes to fifty. Blue grants seventy-five, and red grants one hundred.
An envelope pulses in the corner of my vision next to the map. I focus on it and a sheet of translucent parchment unfolds in front of me.
Welcome to the training grounds for the Broken Lands Battle Royale. This is where you will find information to help you prepare for your upcoming battle.
The premise is simple. In the bowels of a long-forgotten underground dungeon, an ancient script has been activated, forming an ethereal dome in the countryside that is powered by the underground ley lines. To the citizens of the Broken Lands, you are mighty adventurers from distant worlds sent to test your skills. Once a sufficient number of competitors are inside, the dome will begin shrinking in various stages, until only the victor remains. The area outside of the circle is known as the storm. Those caught outside of the dome’s boundaries will take constant damage until they return inside.
Each challenger will have the same amount of health and mana. All challengers start with no weapons, shields, or magical abilities. Vials contain liquids that grant magical abilities once ingested. Only one type of magic may be active at a time. Drinking a second vial will remove the effects of the first. Each branch of magic has three spells, two active and one passive. Active spells require a mana cost and include cooldowns. When attacks are combined, special reactions may be activated. Along with vials, weapons and shield bracers will be scattered at random around the map. Weapons deal flat damage, and shield bracers may be replaced or looted from eliminated challengers.
Players are eliminated when their health bars reach zero. Eliminated players will leave behind bags of loot consisting of any items they had equipped. If one player from a team is eliminated, the other may continue. When there is only one team remaining, the battle royale will end.
Pain sensitivity in the battle royale will be set to twenty-five percent.
It all seems simple enough. Gather weapons, shields, and abilities, then kick ass. All the items will be randomly generated, so luck plays a major part, but so does adaptability.
Dean tries out different vials as I go over everything I’m reading with him. He downs a light blue vial and then turns to me. “Check this out.”
He runs to the nearby stream and steps in, except his boots don’t sink. He stands on the water like it is dry land.
For a moment, I wonder if it is a glitch. I carefully lower my foot to the water, but when it touches the surface, my boot sinks.
“How?”
He smirks. “Passive ability from the water vial. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Very cool. Time to test them all out. Let’s see what we’re working with, and then we can pair back up.”
I return to the courtyard and grab one of each vial. After we take one, another spawns a few seconds later.
First, I drink the fire vial and it burns like cinnamon.
You have activated fire magic. Available spells:
Fireball: Summon a fireball that deals burn damage. Cost: 10 mana.
Firewall: Summon a wall of flame that deals burn damage. Cost: 20 mana.
Burn (passive): Fire attacks deal an additional 1 burn damage per second for five seconds, stacking up to five times.
Not bad. An additional five bonus damage per second can really rip through one hundred health. Fire magic will be great for an aggressive playstyle.
I test out each ability and then down a silvery liquid for wind magic.
You have activated wind magic. Available spells:
Gale: Fire a blast of air. Can also be used to move objects or deflect other elemental attacks. Cost: 10 mana.
Updraft: Summon a gust of wind, lifting you high into the sky for increased range. Cost 10 mana.
Fleetfoot (Passive): Increased movement speed and take no damage when falling.
There are a lot of benefits to wind magic. As I move around, I feel lighter. Like I can run faster and jump higher. The increased movement speed allows for quicker retreat, and Updraft can be used to attack or scout. This one is great for mobility.
Out of curiosity, I pick up a dagger from the weapon pile and cast Updraft. There’s a sudden surge of pressure as wind lifts me off the ground and carries me twenty feet into the air. The constant pressure of wind makes it surprisingly stable to stand on. I toss the dagger into the sky and aim Gale at it. The burst of wind catches the dagger and launches it fifty feet until it thunks against a tree trunk.
Wow. Now, that is deadly.
Updraft ends and I fall to the ground. Thanks to Fleetfoot, I land softly.
Next, I d
own the light blue water vial. I can’t explain the feeling that accompanies it, but it’s almost like I feel healthier and more refreshed, like my body and mind have been purified.
You have activated water magic. Available spells:
Stream: Fire a steady burst of water. Cost: 10 mana.
Cleanse: Cleanses the body of any negative effects. Can be used while stunned or otherwise affected. Cost: 50 mana.
Blessed (Passive): Ability to walk on water.
While water magic doesn’t have the same firepower of some of the others, it still blasts like a firehose, and Cleanse is invaluable. The ability to clear burns, stuns, or other debuffs is a great advantage even if it uses half of the mana bar each time.
A bright yellow vial looks reminiscent of urine, but the taste is sweet like an energy drink. As soon as I down the vial, my arm hair stands on in, and a thin layer of static coats my body.
You have activated electrical magic. Available spells:
Bolt: Fires a bolt of electricity. Cost: 10 mana.
Chain Reaction: Fires three bolts simultaneously, or double the damage of a single bolt, allowing it to jump up to three times. Cost: 20 mana.
Stun (passive): 3 consecutive attacks within 2 seconds of one another stuns a target for 5 seconds.
Electric magic has the benefit of crowd control. The ability to hit more than one target with a single attack is a great bonus as well.
I cast Bolt, and it zigs and zags before hitting the boulder with thunderous violence. While I can aim at the final target, the path the lightning takes to get there will always vary.
The vial for earth magic is a deep brown, almost like chocolate milk. When I drink it, it tastes exactly what I imagine dirt to taste like. My muscles tense as I down the vial, and my skin takes on an increased firmness.
You have activated earth magic. Available spells:
Boulder: Launches a boulder. Cost: 10 mana.
Rockslide: A barrage of earth and rocks fall from the sky, covering a wide area.
Thick Skin (passive): 10% damage reduction.
Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations Page 23