The forest ahead thinned out slightly, and the clear impression of an open road came into view. I stopped for a moment, crouching down low and remaining as silent as possible. Several minutes passed while I listened closely and searched about as best I could for any signs of danger. After some time, having seen nothing and noticing no change in the sounds of the forest around me, I stood up slowly and approached the narrow road.
Much to my delight, once I reached the trail I was not immediately pierced by dozens of arrows, nor did a horde of raging ogres burst forth from the brush to pummel me mercilessly—at least not yet.
Ding!
Unlocked skill discovered! You have discovered the Subterfuge skill tree and the associated Stealth sub-skill.
Sweet! Who doesn’t love Stealth? I thought.
Another thought occurred to me, and I opened my character sheet to see if my intuition was correct.
Dreya Dae
Human Female
Level - 0
0/200
Health 120/120 Aura 280/280 Endurance 120/120
Class – Warden
Specialization –
Mastery –
STR - 12
CON - 12
DEX - 14
INT - 12
WIS - 12
CHA - 16
Abilities
Spells
Skills
Perception – 2%
Environmental – 3%
Subterfuge – 1%
Stealth – 1%
I was on the right track. I had just discovered the Subterfuge skill tree and its Stealth sub-skill, and both were at 1%. However, that wasn’t why I had wanted to check my sheet. What I was actually interested in were the two skills that I had discovered before. Looking at Perception, I noticed it was already at 2%, and the Environmental sub-skill had advanced to 3%. Apparently, by paying close attention to my surroundings, I had been able to increase both skills in a relatively short time. This was very good to know—my decision to treat this as a tutorial was already paying dividends.
With this knowledge, I decided against simply taking the road into town. Instead, I walked a few paces back into the forest and traveled parallel to the trail, all the while making my best effort to remain as quiet and concealed as possible. I knew that my efforts were far from a complete success. In fact, I was sure my clumsy bumbling made a great deal more noise than I realized. I only hoped that it would count towards increasing my Stealth skill.
While I slowly picked my way through the undergrowth, I didn’t ignore Perception either. During my painfully slow trek alongside the road, I took great care to observe as much of my surroundings as I could. Every tree, bird, and wandering creature became the focus of intense scrutiny.
Initially, I thought it would be tedious. Walking around and staring about at random forest denizens didn’t seem like the most thrilling of activities to me. However, I soon became engrossed in my observations. I was able to track a small bird’s flight back to its nest and watch as it tended the three tiny chicks hidden there. I noticed a snake as it made a meal out of an unfortunate and inattentive lizard, and a man bent over staring at something on the road.
Suddenly realizing the importance of this last observation, I froze in place. There was a man on the road! Was he a bandit scout, or just a lone highwayman? As I silently watched the mysterious, potentially threatening figure, he straightened up, scratched himself, and yawned deeply.
Once I could see him more clearly, I immediately realized what I was looking at. He was wearing a poor-quality robe, cinched tight with a shabby-looking belt. In his hand he held a staff that looked to be more suited as a walking stick than a weapon, and a small, tattered backpack hung loosely from his shoulders. This was no dreaded bandit or any other threat—he was just another noob like me, probably only on his way to town just as I was.
While he was certainly no threat, I wondered if he might present me with an opportunity instead. Hidden as I was, I could easily get in a surprise first attack with my bow and possibly even a second shot before he could react. I still had no XP, and a quick kill here would certainly remedy that situation.
I quickly decided against it—I simply wasn’t a player killer. While I had done my fair share of PVP combat, it was always in an arena setting. I hated games with open PVP where anyone could just attack you at any time. Most of those games featured a lot of idiots who levelled quickly, then preyed upon any lower-level players they came across. I really disliked those tactics since they sucked the joy out of so many games for so many people.
I took a little more time to evaluate the situation before deciding what to do. While I wasn’t a player killer, that didn’t mean that this guy wasn’t. My mind was made up when he tangled his staff in his robe and nearly tumbled to the ground in the middle of the path. This guy was no player killer and probably not even a savvy gamer. He was just some dude trying to figure out the game, just like I was. Once my mind was made up, I rose from my hiding spot and called out to him.
“Hey there!”
In his surprise, he almost fell face-first onto the road again.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” I said to him as I slowly approached from out of my cover.
“It’s ok; you didn’t, I was just...” He fumbled for an excuse, obviously embarrassed by his clumsiness.
Not wanting to let him struggle with the awkwardness, I cut in.
“I just logged on and am heading for town. Want to travel together?”
“Sure!” The relief was plain on his face. “That would be great.”
Now that he had regained some of his composure, my new companion was able to take a measure of me in return. Or, more accurately, it seemed that he was taking measurements of me. Sparing a mere second to look in my eyes, his gaze quickly wandered south. Typical. Were all of us guys so obvious? The temptation of the situation proved too much for me to resist.
Motioning towards my face, I chastised him. “Hey! My eyes are up here.”
His crimson cheeks were nearly priceless. And while I saw the humor in the situation, I also felt an odd sense of indignance at his blatant ogling of me, and as a man, it was an odd emotion for me to experience. Could the game already be getting into my mind? I definitely needed to reroll as soon as possible before it could get too weird.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s just everything here is so real, and you’re the first person I’ve met, and well, you’re… umm, attractive?” He stammered.
That last bit sounded like a question, but felt more like a plea for mercy, as if he hoped that his phrasing would be acceptable to me. While I hadn’t been able to see my face, I had seen most of my body. And from what I could tell, this body was remarkably true to how I originally designed Dreya. To call it attractive would be something of an understatement.
I hadn’t designed Dreya’s body like some silicone porn star as so many people did with their female characters. Sure, I wanted my gaming companion to be attractive, but my idea of what that meant was definitely not some Barbie doll porn actress. I much preferred a more realistic type of beauty. All the fake-looking stuff just ruined it for me. So, while her figure would definitely qualify as hourglass, her curves were gentle, with realistic proportions. Her body was toned and athletic, but not overly muscular. Instead of rail-thin legs, her thighs and calves had form and definition, but not bulk. And her breasts, while full and shapely, did not have the ludicrous dimensions so many seemed to be enamored of. She was a near-perfect representation of natural beauty—at least in my mind.
So, yeah, if he was experiencing anything like the visual intensity I was, I could see where my appearance might throw him off a bit. I decided to let the poor guy off the hook.
“Yeah, no problem. Just, eyes up here from now on, okay?”
Oh, did I say I was letting him off the hook? Forget that—I might as well have some fun with it while it lasted.
“Of course. Again, sorry about that. I’ve only been
here a couple of hours, and I’m still not used to how super real everything is,” he replied gratefully.
“I know what you mean,” I responded sympathetically. “I was mesmerized by a couple of leaves for a while when I first logged in.”
“Ha-ha, me too,” he laughed. “Well, actually it was a small stream where I spawned, but I know exactly what you mean.
“Also,” he continued, “I’m kinda surprised that the first person I meet in this game is a hot-, umm, attractive chick.”
“What makes you think I’m a woman? Lots of men play female characters.”
“Oh, I see you didn’t read the user guide before jumping in.”
Uh-oh. I thought to myself.
“No. I only skimmed a little info I found online before just diving in,” I replied.
“Oh, I see. That’s not surprising then.”
That was enlightening. I guess he was going make me work for the information.
“Care to explain?” I asked.
“Right. Sorry. Kinda left you hanging there, didn’t I? So, how the game generates your avatar is by first combining your past gaming experiences and preferences and then using them to form a character template. That template is then incorporated into a physical model based on your real body. Everyone here is basically themselves, with their gaming styles grafted onto a representation of their actual body.”
What? That couldn’t be true. While the character template part made sense based on my prior gaming, the body thing just didn’t add up—then it hit me. Oh, fuck! Was that the anomaly? Did the glitch hit somewhere between the game’s creation of my character template and it determining my body? If so, that might explain why it stuck with Dreya as the body model. She was my most played character by far, and it made sense that she would form the basis for determining my gaming preferences. If I got glitched while the game only had Dreya’s information available, maybe that’s why it gave me her body.
I had just one question. Well, no, I actually had LOTS of questions, but only one that he might be able to help me with at that moment. The rest would have to wait until the communication tabs became active again, or my eight hours were up, and I was automatically logged out.
“Does it happen in that order? The system first looks at your prior gaming experience and then generates your body?”
“Yes. It’s how the system is able to slightly tweak your body to better fit your playstyle—things like making minor stat adjustments or factoring in your racial preferences and such. Otherwise, it would have to go back and redo your physical body afterwards.”
Well, at least now I had a working theory. As I considered it, I guessed it wasn’t too bad. I could reroll later, and as long as there wasn’t another anomaly, I would get a body that I would be much more comfortable with.
That also meant, at least as far as the players went, what you see was pretty much what you get. No geek hiding behind a towering half-ogre or creepy dudes pretending to be hot chicks. Well, except for me. Not the creepy part, just the dude part. And even that would only last another few hours.
4
We introduced ourselves to each other. His name was Zander, and he was an Evoker, which turned out to be the spellcaster class in Second Skin. We compared notes and quickly found out we were both similarly bereft of any useful skills. While I had my bow and sword, and Zander had his staff and a small dagger, we had no real combat abilities between us. Actually, we had no abilities at all—combat or otherwise. Although Zander answered my inquiries about his abilities, he then quickly admonished me.
“You told me you didn’t do much research on the game before jumping in, so there is no way you would know this, but things like Skills, Abilities, and even Attributes are closely-guarded secrets in Second Skin. Since it’s widely known that there are no Skills and Abilities at level zero, telling you I have none gives away nothing.
“But every class uses Attributes differently, and the effects of each Attribute are different for every class. Knowing how the Attributes work for another class can provide an advantage to someone looking to cause harm. Inquiring about another player’s Attributes is usually considered bad form and is viewed with suspicion.
“The same goes for Skills and Abilities, but even more so. And everything I’ve said about players not appreciating it goes double for the NPCs. Since the NPCs are, for the most part, far weaker than the players, they are even more protective of their secrets.
“Also, Skills and Abilities not only differ between the classes but also between individuals. For example, let’s say I, as an Evoker, gain a Fireball spell. My Fireball may differ in some ways from another Evoker’s Fireball. My Fireball’s range and blast radius may be larger or smaller. Also, as I increase in proficiency with my Fireball, the increased effects may also be different. I might gain an increased burn duration, while another Evoker might gain an increase in initial blast damage.”
While Zander was divulging all this knowledge, I could see him transform before my eyes. His usual awkwardness melted away, and he gained an air of confidence that was absent before. Before me was a true geek, now comfortable in his own element. And while I found his transformation amusing, I was also very grateful for the insights he was providing. I could have committed a grave error, even made some enemies or at least turned off potential friends and allies if I’d made inquiries about Skills and such. To be honest, I definitely would have asked about those things if given the chance. And I certainly would not have seen the harm in divulging my own information. Zander’s little dissertation had saved me from potentially causing myself a great deal of harm.
“Thanks a lot, Zander,” I replied when he had finished. “I didn’t know any of that.”
My genuine smile and appreciation seemed to throw him off his game, and his awkwardness returned immediately.
“Yes, well, umm, sure. No problem. Yeah, you’re welcome I guess.”
Confidence had definitely left the building. Oh well. Then one more question occurred to me. The answer to it might help me have a better handle on myself and wouldn’t provide any insight into Zander or anyone else, so I felt it was safe to ask, even in light of his previous cautions.
“So, what would an average starting stat number be?”
“Ah, yes. Another good question.”
I hadn’t asked any question, good or otherwise for quite a while. Was he trying to flatter me?
Confident Zander-geek quickly returned as he began to put his knowledge on display once more.
“You see, most regular people—the non-adventurers—can have stats as high as 8 to 10. That would be high, mind you. One might also have a stat as low as four in an extreme situation. Now, us adventurers are quite different. Being extraordinary as we are, 10 would be a typical minimum, but the starting range for most stats tends to range between 8 and 12, with perhaps a few select Attributes being higher.”
Based on what he told me, I realized that I actually had a pretty solid set of starting Attributes. Nothing was below 12, and my Dexterity and Charisma were both a bit higher than that, and I wondered if the anomaly was once again to blame. I certainly wasn’t overpowered, but based on what Zander said, all of my Attributes were definitely higher than average. Good to know.
“Thanks again, Zander. That was very helpful.” I rewarded him with another genuine smile. When did I get so good at manipulating him?
Zander only mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch as he reverted back to awkward geek mode once again.
Since there was no way I could keep trying to work on my Stealth skill with Zander in tow, we started off down the road towards town. We both had the same vague impression that the town lay somewhere ahead but lacked a precise understanding of how far away it was.
Although I couldn’t advance my Stealth, nothing prevented me from using my Perception skill. So, as we walked, I paid close attention to the sights and sounds of the forest surrounding us. I even tried to decipher the smells, but aside from detecting the earthy scents
of nature, they revealed nothing to me.
Apparently, Zander was doing the same because we traveled in a comfortable silence for quite some time. It was that silence which probably saved us from a potential disaster.
I’m not sure which of us noticed it first, because we both froze in place simultaneously. I couldn’t put in words what made me realize it, but I knew something was approaching us from the road ahead. Perhaps it was a change in the forest sounds or the soft tones of rattling metal, or maybe it was the voices carrying through the woods, I didn’t know for sure. I just knew something, or someone, was coming and that at my level, I simply could not afford to meet an unknown foe on the open road.
Wordlessly, I motioned for Zander to follow me off the path. Dashing into the cover of the undergrowth, I quickly found a spot where we could meld into the forest and observe the road. While we waited, I nocked an arrow and readied myself. I was still level zero with no XP, dammit. If there was even a chance to remedy that situation, I was going to take it.
Soon, two figures came into view walking down the road towards us. They were humanoid for sure, but definitely not human. Each was short by human standards—only about five feet tall, with green-tinted skin. Their arms and legs were thin, but where those limbs were exposed, tightly corded muscles spoke of strength well above what one would expect from their small stature. They were garbed in mismatched bits and pieces of armor; a section of leather here, a few links of chain there, and both wore ratty-looking garments underneath their makeshift armor. One had a bow slung over his shoulder, while the other had several blades sheathed about his body. As I observed them, a single word came unbidden to my mind.
Second Skin Omnibus Page 3
