Battle Avatars

by Ed White

  I laugh. “That’s damn crazy and not very PC of you.”

  He frowns.

  “Autistic state?” I ask.

  “They call it ‘Dream Walking’. Like when people sleep walk. They integrate a basic AI system hub with your brain and…”

  “Like a friggin’ cyborg?”

  Jonesy huffs. “No, it’s not like that. They don’t put it in your brain. Come on, man. You talk about that job like you’re walking through it in a daze, time zips by...”

  I raise my hand. “That’s different.”

  Jonesy raises an eyebrow. “How? Because that job sucks.”

  “And you’re gonna try this out?”

  He slaps his hands together. “Hell yes. I ain’t gonna just try. They’re going to pay.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. How many jobs was Jonesy going to go through in life?

  “There’s a focus group to further test the Dream Walker technology. Before the game legislation is put forward, we’ll all remort, start fresh. It’s the best time for you to join.”

  “Like my job will agree with this crap. I don’t think so.”

  “Then leave that place. David, man, with your background in sales and marketing, you can work for the Conglomerate too, in and out of the game.”

  He made a good pitch. But then he should, having worked at my job, before he quit during the mergers and became a cop.

  “Look, they’re hiring people to showcase before legislation is tabled in Canada, Europe, and here. You really haven’t watched the news lately?”

  I shrug.

  He deadpans. “Of course not, always at work. Tired and burnt out when you get home. Sounds like no one would notice if you were in the Lenscape.” He shakes his finger at me. “You know, that’s why what’s her name left.”

  I grunt. “No, no. People calling my girlfriend ‘what’s her name’ was probably the reason.”

  “Girlfriend? Did you two see much of each other? Maybe. That you did, would explain why I ain’t seen you over here in months.”

  That was true, but I was sick too often to spend much time out.

  ***

  I wake up with Jonesy in my face, leaning over me with one arm hooked around my calves.

  “Hot damn, David, you passed out. You can’t let that place kill you.” He sits back, still elevating my legs. EMT training as a cop. “Maybe Lenscape can’t come soon enough. There’s a lot of talk regarding their medical tie-ins.” He raises his free hand and offers me a blue pill with a tiny Lenscape logo. The hell?

  “Drugs?”

  “Yeah, man, it’ll balance out your heart rate and settle you down. Sets you right to enter REM sleep and enter the game.”

  “So LSD.”

  Sitting up isn’t an option, my stomach roils as nausea claws up my throat. With a resigned sigh, I take the pill. “How do they get away with this?”

  “That’s not LSD and it’s not a prescription drug. And anyway, that’s what the legislation is all about, the whole thing is international now. Human rights, the lot. Whatever—this is legal, the Conglomerate already owns pharmaceutical companies too. It’s what ‘conglomerate’ means.”

  Woozy, I refrain from nodding. “Uh huh. Give me my drink.”

  Unbeknownst to me, both my and Jonesy’s drinks have soaked into his carpet after mine fell to the floor and Jonesy knocked his off the coffee table leaping to help me.

  “Hook your heels on the back of the couch. I’ll get some water.”

  “So they use elements of the game in medical research?” I hear the fridge open and close.

  “Yeah, all sorts. Nervous system disorders, brain stuff, sleep patterns. Military and training possibilities too. I’ve seen you go on the web, you don’t follow social media. The heck are you doing? Looking for porn?”

  I stifle a laugh. “No. I read up on mystery history and film and TV news.”

  “You’re still into that lost civilization, ancient alien stuff?”

  I frown. “You think aliens are farfetched? How’s that different than living in a virtual world?”

  Jonesy smirks. “Uh, because it’s real? And it’s more like a dream scape, hence the name?”

  “Oh,” I raise a finger. “That’s cute.”

  “And shit, Lenscape is all about that. It’s lost civilizations, ancient magic and high technology of the ancients. It’s right up your alley. I listen to you about what you can and can’t eat, why don’t you listen and give the game a try? You wouldn’t hesitate in the old days.”

  Taking the glass, I raise my head at a slow pace, breathe deep and pop the small pill. Ooo, sparkling water. Fancy. “What’s next?”

  Asked too soon. Jonesy stands over me with a headset and a round device with a central, blue lens. He takes the glass from me.

  “Here. The headset harmonizes your brainwaves or some such.” He takes my right hand away from the headset and places the blue jewel on my forehead.

  Laughing, I touch the device. “Shit, I thought it was a monocle. You know, ‘enter the Lenscape’—sight beyond sight.”

  Jonesy sits on the coffee table, deadpan. “Yeah. No.”

  “But it’s a theme, right? Sight beyond sight? Get it? So my third eye can see?”

  Jonesy shakes his head.

  “Anyway, there’s no way my job will agree to me coming to work in a dream state, dream walking.”

  “Look, D, you’ve got to take some time for yourself. You say ‘no’ is always your first answer? I cry bullshit. You’re always doing for others. We’re young. If you really think your job is causing this illness, then you’ve got to get out now. Or sue them.”

  He was right. It started as a summer job, and I never left. Hours of overtime, often without pay, as time in lieu, and what did that get me? Lying on Jonesy’s couch.

  “Alright.” I secure the headset and turn it on. I bet the jewel on my forehead glows. “What’s next?”

  Then it hits me, an overwhelming sense of release, euphoria, and relief—an escape from the pain I feel every day. A tunnel of light, like hyperspace, flows around me and I’m standing in a darkened room lit by an immense irregular crystal sphere orbited by four smaller crystal shapes. A man hovers in the lotus position below the central sphere, clothed in white robes set aglow by the irregular crystals.

  “The hell?”

  A voice sounds in my head.

  Welcome to the Lenscape.

  Chapter Two

  The booming, commanding voice falls silent as displays open in front of me showing stats and symbols. Text plays out in the lower center above a health bar.

  You are currently logged in as ‘guest’. Do you wish to continue?

  “Yes?” I look around the vast, dark hall, unable to see any further details, save for the polished, quartz-like floors, as the status screen follows my line of sight.

  The monk, as close as I can get to him, gives off his own glow, or rather, is translucent and glowing. His white robes, marked with a golden “V” from shoulders to navel, don’t reflect the light of the crystals as I first thought. From my vantage at the edge of a chasm, thirty feet from the man, his features stand out. No bald monk here, with short-cropped black and grey hair, hooked eyebrows, and a short, forked goatee. Not the things you think of in a monk, unless you follow wuxia. Jonesy described the Lenscape as a multitude of gaming types, with his preference being the RPG sort of adventures. Quests, battles, monsters—stuff we grew up with. So I suppose the monk-dude fit in.

  “Jonesy?” No answer from him, but the game voice speaks again.

  As a guest you have the option to choose from:

  Continue your previous session

  Or

  Enter the Haven.

  The two options appear on my screen. “How do I choose?”

  Nothing.

  The monk hovers in silence and it isn’t clear whether he spoke or some game engine interacted with me. Really, it’s all a game engine, AI, whatever.

  Moving my hands failed to place them betwee
n myself and the screen.

  Access your Lenscape device to scroll through your User Interface.

  “What’s a Lenscape device? Where is it?” That’s when I notice a slate on the back of my right hand flashing on and off. I give a tentative tap of my left hand, activating a section of the status window. I swish my fingers across the device, and a cursor symbol appears as options glow from one to the next.

  “You’d think this would be voice-activated.”

  Should you wish to, vocalize your choice. As you continue in the Lenscape, you will familiarize with your interface such that it will become intuitive.

  “Uh huh.” Studying the two options to recall the damned name of my destination, I decide not to continue wherever Jonesy’s last conquest left off. Pun intended. “Enter the Haven.”

  You have chosen to reenter the Haven. Your achievements on your last quest are accessible in your User Interface and your Armory.

  Armory. That sounded cool.

  A shimmering wave arcs from the darkness above in a tornado of light around me and just as quickly spins out on a pink marble floor as I am transported to a place of white marble columns, colossal structures, and gardens that shame Washington and challenge Olympus. Mixed crowds of people walk the wide avenues between the impressive buildings and monuments to elder beings. Each wears unique garb from various stages of gameplay.

  Surrounded by the megalithic wonderment, I decide to glance down on myself and see the unexpected—boobs.

  “Nice, Jonesy, nice.”

  Clearly his guest option gave him the opportunity to play with whomever he happened to be dating. Besides a modest set of breasts, I’m wearing ornate leather clothing with numerous tag-like tassels marked with arcane sigils. Hanging from my back is a short lance.

  “David, there you are. I’ve been sending chat requests to you.” As the voice reaches me through the crowd, a text message repeats on the glowing screen crowding my vision.

  Turning, I see a decidedly more impressive version of Jonesy, his avatar, waving at me, behind my intrusive status screen. With wider shoulders and larger muscles, his avatar wears a plated body suit that only enhances the lines of his trim form. Glowing lines and patterns marked areas of raised plates, giving me the impression of exaggerated circuit graphics. I guess this wasn’t simply a fantasy game.

  “Jonesy, there’s all sorts of things flashing in my eyes.” I wave my hand in front of my face. “Every time there’s a voice, text repeats what’s said. How the hell do I turn it off? Is it like a hologram? Can you see it too?”

  “No. And you must have the alerts muted. Hold on.”

  “Why am I running around as a woman?”

  “Now who’s not being ‘politically correct’? Who do you think I’ve been playing with?”

  “Yourself.” I shake my fist up and down.

  “That’s real funny. Look, we’re just doing this to get you used to the game, if you don’t want to see yourself, stay in first-person view. The hell does it matter?”

  I shrug. “I am in first person view. You mean I could see myself if I wanted?” The speech to text or whatever no longer repeated everything Jonesy said. “Look, just set my avatar to a default male body, please.”

  “Okay, I’ve adjusted your settings, but all you need do to close the HUD is double tap the Lenscape slate on your hand and when you create your own character, you just need to think about accessing it.”

  Create my own character. I’d have to buy the game system first. “So it’s a heads-up display. Can I see my character sheet?”

  “Character stats? Sure.” He shifts his weight, waiting for me. “Oh, come on, man, think about your character.”

  “She’s got a nice chest?”

  He slaps my shoulder. “Your abilities. Call them up.”

  Character

  Name: Lia.

  Species: Human.

  Level: 1

  Class: Warrior.

  Subclass: Trovain.

  Affinity: Clan R’aio.

  HP: 10/10

  MP: 150/150

  Attributes

  Strength: 30

  Dexterity: 100

  Movement/Speed: 10

  Combat Rate: 3

  Constitution/Endurance: 30

  Physical Defense: 2

  Energy Defense: 6

  Body: 30

  Stun: 60

  Recovery: 12

  Intelligence: 10

  Mental strength: 30

  Senses: ?

  Presence/Charisma: 30

  Abilities/Skills

  Resistance to electric shock.

  Weapons

  Trovain Thunder Lance.

  “Hot damn, that’s a long list!”

  “You must’ve called up the full stats. What matters is your strength, dexterity, intelligence, constitution, and of course, your hit points and experience.”

  “XP, right? I don’t see it.”

  Jonesy sighs. “It’s there. You’re locked at level one. You know, my guest user login. But if we go out into the Wilds around here, we can unlock the level and at least familiarize you with all of this. I asked you to at least go online.”

  “I don’t even own the gear. How was I to do that?”

  The sigh again. I clear the stat screen and focus on Jonesy. His arms are crossed.

  “The voucher I gave you?”

  “When?” I raise my arms.

  “Months ago. The months ago since I saw you last?”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh.” His eyebrow rises on a face etched by annoyance.

  “You bought me a Lenscape gear package?”

  He looks to the side. “I earned it. Money earned in the game is valid for Lenscape purchases. It’s also a subject of the pending legislation.”

  “It makes sense to gift me a game so I can begin purchasing too, but how the hell do they make money if the currency you earn is their money? What about in-game purchases with your real dinero?”

  He turns his head back to me. “Are we going to have that discussion about the Fed again?”

  He means the theory that the US Federal Reserve and all central banks are not managed or controlled by the countries in which they reside. But, I simply meant it sounded odd that a digital currency in a game held a value to the company that generated it.

  “No. We don’t want to get back into that discussion.”

  “It’s like Galacom. They don’t charge people for their service.”

  “I still question how that works. A multimedia entertainment platform based on watching and being watched.”

  “Same here in Lenscape. There are more people who log in to watch people play then do play.”

  Horrified, I look up and around me, past the marble architecture into the mottled, azure sky. “People are watching us now?”

  “No, we’d have to turn our streams on.”

  Pointing at the PCs around us I shrug. “What if their streams are on? What happens if you cross the streams?”

  Ignoring my joke, he waves me off. “Nah, at best we might appear as a glowing soul orb. Privacy settings.”

  “The hell?” That was closer to my joke than I intended. “A soul orb? Like ghosts?”

  “Orbs when we’re alive and boxes when we die.”

  “Boxes?”

  “When we die, a soul box hovers over your body, giving you the option to reclaim it after you respawn. But, there are character types that can do more than loot your corpse. There are some out in the Realms that can steal your XP direct from the soul box, or outright steal your soul box.”

  Weird as the thought of a bunch of orbs and boxes floating around was, it did make sense: this is an RPG game, and normal is boring.

  With his arms held out, Jonesy gestures around us. “Anyway, it’s all about the souls. Money makes the world go round and the economy in here will affect the real world.”

  Sighing, I nod. “Must be how farmers and the like felt in England during the industrial revolution.”


  “The steampunk era?”

  I begin walking. “Sure, the steampunk era. So what are we doing here? How do we get to the Wilds? Let’s get our grind on.”

  “Dude, don’t say it like that. Especially in that avatar. That’s not how it goes.”

  “So, what are you wearing?”

  He shivers. “Damn, you gotta stop doing that until you’ve chosen your own avatar.”

  “Shut up, man. Look, change my avatar now, before we do anything else.”

  He laughs before calling up his UI, and I continue. “That armor, is it a power suit?”

  “Not the way you think. It’s called a leygun, and it runs off, well, mana or magical energy. Life force.”

  “Leygun, like ley lines? Standing stones and alignments across England and Europe? Or Dragon Lines in Asia?”

  With a blank look, he shrugs. “If you say so. If you stare at the armor long enough, information will pop up and tell you stuff.” He raises his hands toward me before I can try.

  Eye roll. “But don’t stare at you in this avatar. Very funny.”

  He slaps his ass. “Only if you want to.”

  I wait as he finalizes the reversion to a default male avatar. Light flashes around me and when I switch to third person POV, I see a dark skinned male similar to Jonesy’s avatar.

  “Such a shame,” he says.

  This is why people called us Davy Jones. Same humor, same sarcasm. If opposites attract, I suppose my future wife will be dramatic and humorless.

  ***

  We move to the Wilds by a fast travel method known in the Lenscape as the Way of the Walk. Jonesy filled me in on the details. Available within the region of the Wilds around the Haven, the Way of the Walk also serves as one method to journey between worlds, across the settings of the Lenscape. The primary way to cross worlds is the Grand Gate, located at the center of the Haven, near the Citadel Crystalline, where I entered the game and ogled the monk hologram. Only new players and guests spawn within the Citadel, and new players create their characters within. Below level six, players cannot enter the Grand Gate and level up to do so to venture out into the Realms.