Battle Avatars

by Ed White

  The girls laugh.

  Deadpan, I nod. “Don’t you have to train?”

  Conquest: Sexy romp.

  Serving lass sees something in you. She offers a roll in the sheets. Do you accept?

  Y/N

  I wave away the prompt. “Be serious for a moment, Jonesy, I’m talking about the learning curve. Why can’t I choose a class?”

  “None of us can, even if we remort. The purpose is for the game to see what you’re best at and for you to learn as well.”

  “Some Zen bull?” I glance at Ex. “Know thyself?”

  Jonesy waves his hand. “If you say so.”

  Shaking my head, I disagree. “But you already had a class, that doesn’t make sense.”

  He frowns and pouts his pouty lips. “Rules?”

  “Maybe you need more training, or the game is updating?” One of the ladies, deeply tanned, with leather top and a silk dress, pulls me over to her side of the corner table.

  “Whatever, man.” Jonesy flaps his hand in a dismissive wave. “We’re in this to train you up and reform our mercenary company. Granger, Lisa, everyone.” He emphasizes Lisa.

  I look at Ex.

  “What does your imp say? I’m sure he has more info than I do. Doesn’t really make sense to me either. But we all signed those papers.” He winks. There’s a lot of winking going on. I frown at the giggling ladies.

  Ex shrugs. “You’re my primary concern, Greywaters.”

  “Do imps see other imps?”

  Jonesy laughs, while Ex stares up at me. “Sure, Greywaters, and we talk about you all behind your backs. The sooner you both start training, the sooner you return to the Citadel to gain your class and move on to your primary Realm.”

  Jonesy grins. “What did he say?”

  Leaning back in my chair I sigh as the dark tressed, tanned beauty plays with my hair. “He’s in a rush to bust my balls.”

  ***

  Like a star destroyer dropping out of hyperspace, we punch the air with our arrival to a battle-scarred complex of ruins deep within the thick jungles of the Wilds.

  “I don’t understand. Why fast travel? Isn’t true learning to be gained from the journey?”

  “This is the destination to the journey.”

  Lot of Zen in this imp. For a game with lances, armors, and monks, the wuxia of it all lurks below. Guess we’ll be meditating like the monk back in the citadel soon enough.

  “So, since we’re here all alone,” I cast my head around to be sure, “and no one can see or hear you anyway, don’t you think it’s time to brief me as promised?”

  “That’s what we’re here for. You a bit slow, laddie?”

  “Slow? You lot are the ones being ‘slow’. I don’t know exactly how long it’s been out in the real world, but don’t tell me you didn’t know the moment I logged in.”

  The imp stares with an eyebrow raised. “You done? Had your say?”

  “My say? Are you my contact or not?”

  “We’re here for your training. You understand the meaning of the word ‘training’?”

  I throw my arms up. I should be enjoying myself. I’m being paid to play a VR game. Why worry about whether the Conglomerate contacts me or not? Maybe I’ve been duped into this by a corporate behemoth and they’re not interested in contacting me.

  “Okay, let’s get started. What’s next?”

  Ex reaches into his dragon-skin jacket and pulls out a two-foot long metal baton with empty slots around its wound leather grip.

  “What’s with all the lances and armors in this game? Friggin’ Lancelot.”

  Ex telescopes the staff before I react, hitting me on the head, nuts, and between the ankles, tripping me over.

  Spitting dust, I look up at him as he grins.

  “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

  I grunt. “Is that a Thunder Lance?”

  “No, it is your SX/GN baton. As a ‘novi’, you must learn to construct and improve upon it. The baton is the tool of a novice, and will help hone your skills.”

  “You mean ‘SX/GN’, like the monks? I want to play a warrior class.”

  Ex falls silent.

  “Okay, okay. Monks are warriors, that’s not what I meant.” I sigh and point at the baton. “So, by enhancing that baton, I increase my intelligence and dexterity? Actual attribute proficiency bonuses?”

  “In time. As will your magic skills and abilities, all dependent upon your core attributes.” He offers the baton to me again. “It also serves as a fine weapon.”

  I take the baton from the imp.

  Weapon

  Type: Melee.

  Name: Baton

  Cost: N/A

  Level: 1

  Rank: 1

  Tier: 1

  Affinity: None.

  Effects: None.

  Hit: 13

  DAM: 3

  Two handed: 4

  PD: +1

  ED: 0

  Attributes

  This weapon adds to defense and damage.

  Requirements

  Level 1.

  Strength.

  Dexterity.

  Upgrade: ley crystal +1.

  Do you wish to equip?

  Warning: soul bind on equip.

  Y/N

  “Soul bind? That means it will respawn with me right, so it can’t be looted from my corpse?”

  Ex nods. “And more, it can’t be traded, sold, or auctioned away, and will level and rank as you level up.”

  Weapon attunement:

  Requires bond. Can be soul binding or prerequisite once a subclass is chosen.

  Required to activate its functions/magic.

  Equipping the baton, I wave away the notices, and look over at the imp. “So a baton becomes a Thunder Lance or an Ouroboros blade? I can evolve it along a skill tree?”

  The imp stops and gestures. “No, it will always be your baton, but through training with it, you can wield tools like the Ouroboros once you gain a class.”

  “This is a tool like the Ouroboros blade? It can manipulate reality? Tear it apart?”

  A stern expression crossed the imp’s face. “All tools are a form of weapon, lad. All weapons are tools for killing or defense. Choice determines actuality.”

  “That’s dark.”

  “Think of the Ouroboros as a needle, not a blade.”

  I shake the baton. “So what does that make this?”

  “A tuning fork. But for the novice, a focusing lens.”

  “Ohhh. Lenscape. That’s deep.”

  Ex walks toward the center of a large clearing within the ruins. “Come, time to train against attackers.”

  ***

  Laying sweaty and exhausted, covered in leaves and loam, I look up at Ex. He grins. “Give you some advice from an old master. Keep tryin’.”

  The heat is oppressive and I wonder whether my UI has any settings for air conditioning, or at least, turning down my sensitivity to the humidity and constant insect irritations. The sky above is blue and clear. My training ground, this clearing amongst the ruins, offers no chance of shade. Even if shade afforded itself, the humidity simply can’t be escaped.

  “I’ve been ‘trying’ all afternoon, Ex.”

  “At least you’ve learned one thing, lad.”

  That stirs a touch of hope in my belly. “Really?”

  “You know to call me ‘Ex’.”

  Rolling onto my back, the baton resting across my thighs, I close my eyes. The little imp bastard has run me through a number of maneuvers and martial arts moves, all I suspect, to familiarize my mind and body with the system and to calibrate the interface. I’ve gained no added proficiencies, but have unlocked my basic skills from Acrobatics and Athletics, yet I failed with Stealth and Insight. I’m sure he’s designed to guide me in all of these, but I’m aching literally and figuratively to go on an adventure. At least Jonesy led me straight to their labyrinth and a fun challenge.

  “Ex, isn’t there a quest I can go on?”

 
“Surely, but you’ve still a few techniques to learn. Time for you to attempt some ley bending and channeling through yourself and your baton.”

  “Ley bending?”

  “To draw upon the energy of the earth around you and bolster the reservoir within you.”

  “Like a walking standing stone? Oh, like a leygun armor.”

  “You aren’t so slow after all.” Ex kicks me in the side.

  I knew it, there was always going to be meditation involved.

  Standing, I breathe in deeply, the earthy cling of the jungle drawn in. Focusing inward, I feel for a core in my belly—what some call chakras, vortices or fields of energy within our bodies—my dantian. If Lenscape is also about kung-fu magic, I’m sold. I love this stuff.

  Really, I focus into my lower dantian, but nothing is happening. I open my eyes and Ex is staring at me. “Why isn’t it working?”

  Ex shakes his head. “What are you doing?”

  I frown. “Drawing energy to me.”

  “No, lad, this isn’t Tai Chi, although we do focus our chi.”

  “So this is just a button mashing thing? Without the buttons?”

  Ex smiles and extends his hand. Energy strikes upward from the ground like a minor lightning bolt. Stepped leaders touch at his palm and are gone. “You draw the energy to points you require, or pull it into you to recharge and replenish the pool within. With it, you can heal or kill, it too can serve as a tool or become a weapon.” He drops his hand. “You’ll know you’re done when you earn your skill unlocks.”

  “Are they ley points or mana points?”

  “No. You channel ley energy into two pools within you. Mana fuels magic. Life force is your health. MP or HP, there’s no ‘LP’ stat.”

  I nod. “Right. Got it.”

  “It’s all the same kiretic force of ley energy, but it is measured separately in your stats for clarity. Your baton will help you to evolve this skill, and with it, your baton will ascend in level. Focus on your core and the channels of power within your body.”

  “Oh!” Of course. “My meridians. Give me a break, this isn't ancient China.” Or is it? Lenscape is set during the Ice Age and it doesn't say where. All that ancient cultivation knowledge had to come from somewhere.

  “These skills are ancient and universal, lad.” He doesn't have to say it—keep tryin'.

  Stabbing the baton into the ground, I focus on the skill and feel a warmth in my feet that rises through my legs into my abdomen. It fades quickly, likely because my excitement has distracted me.

  General Skill Unlocked (active): Ley Bending.

  Gather and redirect ley energy to perform special abilities or replenish health.

  “That’s it?”

  Ex laughs. “Not by a longshot, lad. Let’s try some more. A skill is unlocked the first time it is used. But in here, you’ve got to practice, to cultivate your chi...and don’t do that with the baton, we’ll try that method later.”

  “Keep tryin’?”

  “Indeed.” Ex seemed quite pleased by my comment, and I have to admit, he’s growing on me, as is Lenscape—it’s a game I can finally enjoy, with a level of realism I’ve always wanted.

  Chapter Nine

  Ex tilts his head to one side. “Now, let me explain something about enhancing your baton. To upgrade a baton, and to take on certain classes at higher levels, you require kirite.”

  “Kirite?”

  “Let’s just call them ley crystals. There are four key forms—red, blue, white, and black. You follow?”

  I nod. “Yeah, that’s pretty simple.”

  “Watch your lip, lad,” he states with an eyebrow raised, before he continues. “Many items have ‘sockets’ where a ley crystal, as many as three, can be added. There are items that have as many as six—your baton is one such weapon. To add a crystal to an item, or remove it, you need an artificer known as a kiretic master. For each level you attain, a socket is unlocked.”

  Nodding, I look over my baton, studying its empty sockets.

  Ex continues. “Each color has its own power and purpose. Think of the crystals as stored ley energy. Black is the most common, and is a generalized type of power source with a variety of uses. It isn’t really black. If you hold it up to an intense light, you’ll see it is a dark purple, which brings us to the next two forms of ley crystals. Red is used to power weapons and deal damage. It can empower berserker rages and violent beasts. If you kill a creature empowered by a red crystal, it will drop and you can collect it. Blue, as you’d imagine, fuels healing. White is a rare form. You see, long ago, before the devastating High Wars came very close to ending Reality, the disparate energies of the life force combined into white, but since that time, they combine to black. Of course, that’s all you need know while you train. The goal is to collect these crystals and find an artificer.”

  “Wait. Do I collect one of each type or…”

  Insight: Success!

  “You’re learning already, lad!”

  I rub my chin and frown. It is rather obvious. “Decide the role. Tool or weapon, combine the crystals by purpose. Socket a blue crystal for healing. Wait, I thought the crystals might be elemental in nature.”

  “There are elements, don’t get ahead of yourself. You will discover that soon enough.”

  “Not to bring up the Ouroboros again, but…isn’t it made of crystal?”

  “Precisely. An Ouroboros is pure kirite. Imagine the power. But consider their color and their purpose. Remember, white crystals are the rarest, so you will have more of the others to discover.”

  Swinging my baton, I smile. “Safe to say mobs drop red ley crystals?”

  “How about we seek out a quest and find out?”

  “Now we’re talking!” Slapping my hip, we set off into the jungle.

  ***

  After an hour’s walk and plenty of sweating, we reach another outcropping of cliffs with ruins carved into and built atop them, all in various degrees of reclamation by the thick roots of the jungle trees. Gripped in a stranglehold, the serpentine roots pry apart the ancient stones and their immense trunks straddle the carved rock faces. The imp turns and grins, his arm gesturing toward a collapsed area of the ruins opening into a gaping abyss, ten feet across and who knows how deep.

  “In there?”

  “Yes, lad. Your first dungeon?”

  “Ha, very funny. No, not my first.”

  Ex crosses his arms, eying me impatiently. “Get a move on then.”

  “What’s the quest?”

  “Enter the hole, fight monsters, find loot.”

  “Oh, you’re a joker you are.”

  Ex shakes his head. “Look at the entrance, have patience. Learn.”

  I do so and my HUD pops up.

  Quest: Explore the Lemurian Enclaves.

  Rewards:

  500 XP.

  Ley crystals +1.

  Assorted treasure, 1000 GP

  Foes: Primitive Lemurians

  Reward: 50 XP each.

  Enter Subterranea and explore the enclaves of the ancient god kings of Lemuria.

  Should you choose to descend into the underworld, you will face roving bands of the Lemurian Remnant, who wander the lost cities of their fallen god kings.

  “Okay, I like that, I can deal with that.”

  Quest accepted.

  “Wait, you expect me to go down there with a glorified stick?” Shaking the baton, I turn to stare at Ex.

  He’s gone.

  “Oh, it’s gonna be like that.”

  Turning back to the broken ruins of the collapsed cave or ancient temple entrance, I approach the black hole. A strong, cold, dank draft blows up from it, and while I imagine it could, there’s no stench of death and doom wafting up from the darkness. Gargantuan roots grip at the edge of the pit, while creeper vines dangle down into the abyss.

  What should be in every adventurer’s gear? Rope.

  Do I have any?

  Nope.

  Time to rock climb, something I�
�d been known to do, and the one thing I was better at than Jonesy, IRL. Looking around, I gather some sap and chalky clay to rub together and dry out my hands. With the baton secured over my back, thinking once again of the magical or dimensional sheath in which an Ouroboros can be stored, I laugh to myself. Just as easy to equip from a virtual inventory as to worry about dropping items. I continue my descent, a glow from the baton providing a light source. I wonder whether that affects its charge.

  Charge:

  To activate.

  To recharge.

  Limited number of uses in a given period.

  Charge at an eschen (nexus of power) or via the skill Sacred Root.

  That answers that, as usual. Ask and you shall receive. Ley bending is as essential as Ex said.

  Further into the abyss, the light from above fades and my eyes adjust. Thank you, game logic. Of course, there’s some form of light down in the enclaves to allow gameplay without limiting sight, barring the purpose of darkness when necessary, to hide threats. Large seams in the rock give off a pale glow, and staring at them I expect to see a HUD explaining them to be a form of ley crystals. It doesn’t pop up. They aren’t ley crystals.

  I reach back and deactivate the glow of my baton.

  A hundred feet below, wide stone stairs reveal themselves, stretching out from beneath the ruined boulders and rubble strewn from above, strangled by thick roots. Continuing my descent, I reach the stairs in a matter of minutes and follow them into the enclaves themselves.

  Locomotive-sized roots creep down the side of the serrated cliffs. The shrill calls of birds echo off the rock, drifting in from the unseen world above. Collapsed ceilings of stone have created openings allowing the huge jungle trees to grow inside the caverns, generating thick clouds and mist.

  The main cavern is large enough to house entire city blocks, and it does. Vast architectural forms carved from the living rock with exquisite detail rise up into the darkness above. No limestone formations are these, but crafted by hand, by living beings. The precise, sharp lines jutting from the pale rocks appear newly cut, instead of an unknown depth of time. As well as carving out caverns, the ancients left free-standing monuments and halls in the center of broad avenues between the gargantuan structures which form the walls of the enclaves. The deeper I travel, the fewer the collapsed holes to the surface world above.