Dream Stream Reality: Publisher's Pack Books 1-2: (A LitRPG Adventure)

by Derrick Burke

  That's quite the view. Ever look upon a fast-paced city that doesn't sleep from the seventieth floor? Well, that's what I'm doing.

  My stomach doesn't care about the view, or anything else except the sharp pangs that have me doubling over. However, there is a more pressing matter, which I find the answer to through one of the doors in my room leading to the bathroom.

  When all is said and done, I make my way out into the main area, and the others are doing the same. We fix ourselves coffee and Chinese leftovers, which definitely hits the spot.

  “Ugh, that was some serious grinding, Donald,” Fuzzy says, lounging on the couch, just relaxing.

  “No kidding. When we head back in, we should go to the goblin village and see if we can make them vassals too,” I agree, sharing what I've been thinking. “Do you think we can add NPCs to the guild? Or do you think it won't work?”

  Everyone looks interested at my comment.

  “Based on DSR1, we could only hire NPCs on as contractors, as we weren't allowed to make them part of the guild previously. However, I'm not sure how that will work with vassals and whether it will be allowed,” Anya says thoughtfully.

  “Especially since they are freer than they used to be,” Lockie agrees.

  “It would be good if they could; that way they would be able to benefit from the guild buffs among other things,” Fuzzy says.

  “We will have to test it out when we head back in.” Anya grins.

  Yawning, I get up and stretch. “Well, I need to exercise and run through my kata before logging in again. Who's up for a gym session?”

  Blake jumps up with a grin and flexes his arms. “Me! These guns don't grow themselves!”

  Laughing, we all get up to get changed. Taking my bag from where I'd left it, I go to the walk-in closet to put it away when I realise that it already has several sets of clothes hung up and folded.

  My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I see that they are all correctly sized. All the workout clothes are shades of grey and black, while the other clothes are more casual or business attire and coloured to suit.

  Shrugging, I get changed into some loose, free-flowing pants and a singlet.

  Leaving my room, I find the others similarly dressed, though in shorts instead of pants.

  “It's like they knew exactly what size we are, and which rooms we would pick,” I overhear Blake exclaim.

  “No, the walk-in wardrobe was empty when we got here. I remember checking it,” insists Lockie.

  “That just means that someone entered the apartment and placed them in there while we were logged in,” Fuzzy says, shrugging his shoulders.

  “I let them in while you were playing,” comes the disembodied voice of Grace.

  I look around, searching for my tablet, but remember it is on the bedside table.

  “Oh, I'm using the speakers built into the walls and ceiling for surround sound to speak. Within this building, I am allowed to use any speakers to communicate with you and can also track you through the security system,” Grace clarifies helpfully.

  “Well, that's handy. Means I don't have to lug around the tablet everywhere,” Blake says with a smile.

  “Otherwise, I can have a micro earbud sent to you so you can communicate to your AIs without blaring a whole room with our voices,” Grace continues.

  Thinking it over, I like that idea. “I'm going to choose option B and have the earbud. It's not like we aren't used to them anyways. When will they get here?”

  “About five minutes. If the rest of you want to open up your own tablets and introduce yourselves to your AIs, we can get this done and dusted all at once,” suggests Grace.

  “Why not?” Anya says rhetorically.

  The others go to their rooms to get their tablets and log in, leaving me high and dry out here by myself. Sitting back down with a sigh, I wait till they are all done. When they are finished, they come back out with smiles on their faces, like they've just been given the best present ever for Christmas.

  When we are all sitting on the lounge again, the new AIs introduce themselves, each with distinctly different voices. Karma is Fuzzy's, Adelram is Lockie's, Sorrel is Anya's, and Jena is Blake's.

  Karma and Jena have female-sounding voices, while Sorrel and Adelram sound male. So I guess it is just luck of the draw for which gender you get?

  Right then, there is a chiming sound coming from the door. It opens and in walks a young-looking man with a staff uniform on. He's holding a metal case in one hand and comes around to us, putting the case on the table.

  Afterwards, he stands there quietly, looking at us for a moment.

  Grace takes the initiative and says politely, “Ryan, these players aren't the rich tipping kind you are used to. I will explain to them how the devices work. Thank you for bringing them to us.”

  Scowling at the walls, then at us, he lets out a grunt and then leaves without saying a word.

  “Nice fellow,” remarks Lockie.

  “Great customer service skills, I agree,” Blake says sarcastically.

  Getting up, I open the case when the light turns from red to green. Inside are ten tiny, and I really mean tiny, thin microchips. There is also an extremely thin metal rod with what looks like a very small magnet on one end and a button on the other. Everything is set into hardened foam.

  “What you are looking at are new DSR headphones, and the magnetic tool to set them in your ear properly. They connect automatically to your vitals and do various tasks, all of which your AI controls,” explains Grace.

  “What is the range on their connection?” Anya asks.

  “You just need to be within a certain distance of either this building, specific relays within the city, or your tablet,” replies Grace. “You can also place calls and listen to music. They are powered by the ambient electrical currents within your body, so no batteries needed. You also won't even know they are there if you run your finger over them, as they fit seamlessly with your skin.”

  “That's awesome! No more crap in my ears. How do we put them in?” Kazzrak says enthusiastically, getting up and staring down into the case.

  “Lockie, you have the steadiest hands,” says his AI, Adelram. “Please pick up the metal rod and place the magnet end over one of the headsets, then press the button on the other end.”

  Getting up and complying, I see the headset Lockie picks up twist itself in mid-air and stick to the magnet. Damn. Polarised and very powerful.

  “Now take the headset and place it into the ear canal as far in as you can see and press the button again, then remove the rod,” continues Adelram. “Do that for both ears.”

  Deciding I'll probably be more comfortable sitting down, I do so on the edge of the sofa while Lockie inserts the microchip into my ear. I feel a slight tickle and then nothing else when the rod leaves my ear.

  When he completes the second one, I hear a small chirp, and then Grace's voice fills my ears at just the right volume. “How do they feel in your ears? I can pick up the sounds of your surroundings, and they seem to be working fine.”

  “I can't feel them at all, and you are crystal clear, Grace,” I reply, noticing the grins of the others.

  Lockie then gets to work on the others, and he gives the rod to me when it is his turn. Following the directions, I place them in his ears just fine and replace the metal rod in the case.

  “Just leave the case by the door and I will get someone to pick it up as a non-priority task,” Grace says. “If you go out the hall and head back to the elevator, I'll take you to the gym and exercise area for the VIPs.”

  “Let's go!” Blake shouts, jumping the back of the sofa and racing to the door.

  Who needs pre-workout when you have energy levels like that?

  We take our time to get to the elevator, just to curb some of Blake's excitement; otherwise he will be a raging beast in there.

  When the elevator dings and opens, we walk out into a lounge area with a full kitchen. I can see a fellow behind the counter making a f
ew smoothies at the same time. A couple of the tables have people sitting at them, but the majority of the room is empty.

  Taking a gander out through the large, open double doors, I see a massive area that is all open. Support pillars are sparingly placed around the room, looking like they are more there to section off areas than to hold up the next floor. Great designer.

  A massive number of various machines and free weights take up a third of the room. Another third is taken up by what looks like a CrossFit and parkour obstacle course. The last area has a flat, open area. It looks like the last area is covered mostly in a dense matting that will absorb some of the shock of hitting it hard.

  There are a various people using the equipment around the gym. Quite a few are actually using the parkour and CrossFit section.

  I think we all just creamed our pants a little, let's be honest. This gym is a godsend. Blake squeals like a little girl and skips over to the weights section.

  “I’d better go and help him, just in case he drops some iron on his head,” says Anya, shaking her head and following Blake.

  “I'm going to do my katas and then join you guys over in the weights,” I say, eyeing the open area.

  Not waiting for a reply, I head over there, close my eyes to centre myself, and then begin. Starting slow, I warm up and slowly increase my speed as my muscles begin to loosen.

  Losing myself in the relaxing feeling of my body moving around almost on its own, I don't even notice the time pass.

  Suddenly I'm jolted out of my mental trance by Grace's voice. “Dodge roll left.”

  Taking slightly too long to react, as her voice jolted me out of my trance, I still comply, though not quickly enough, and I feel like I've just been hit with a wrecking ball on my shoulder. I come up with my eyes open in a ready stance, ready to strike back, even if my shoulder hurts like hell. Definitely going to be a bruise there. I hear a solid thunk as a twenty-kilogram kettlebell weight lands on the floor.

  Slowly, I look over in the direction it came from.

  A group of people are looking over at me and smirking. My brain catches up then and I recognise Vicky and her group from the lobby. I also notice that there are four other kettlebells spread out between us. Instantly I come to the conclusion that they were trying to hit me on purpose.

  One of the guys flexes his arms to the laughs of the others as I speak softly to Grace. “Grace, thank you for telling me to dodge. That would have hurt quite a lot more if it wasn't a glancing blow. Please can you tell me if they did this on purpose?”

  Standing there, more surprised than anything else, I can feel wisps of my anger floating up. Whether I feel like letting go or not will depend on her answer.

  Grace answers, “The visual and audio proof is inconclusive. Vicky suggested a game of who can throw a kettlebell the furthest in response to a comment of weakness from the large fellow, Darius. They apparently just happened to throw the kettlebells in this direction.”

  “So if I retaliate, it would turn bad for me, not them?” I ask quietly.

  “Yes, only because there is evidence of you waiting and asking these questions instead of just reacting. I advise if this happens again to react immediately if you are going to. It will work better with the self-defence clause.”

  “I see.”

  “However, I have notified the building AI, and it has made the decision that even if inconclusive, they have caused harm to others and are not fit to use the equipment. The guards who are currently working out in the gym have been notified, and they are now going to remove the group. They have been banned for a period of two months.”

  Small consolation, but action taken nonetheless. I quickly squash the anger trying to rise from within.

  A group of nine guards in workout clothes herd Vicky and her group out of the gym. Vicky's death stare stays with me until she walks out of the room.

  “Grace, how is she even in the VIP section?” I ask quietly.

  “Very simple, her parents are high up in the government chain of command. I'm not privileged to more information than that.”

  Sighing, I spot Lockie and Fuzzy on the parkour equipment. It looks like they may be playing a game of tag. As I watch, I see Lockie take a wrong turn and swing face first into Fuzzy's sweaty armpit full of hair. Fuzzy grins manically and gets him in a headlock while still in the air.

  I wince and gag a little as I see that. I've been there on the mats with Fuzzy when we are sparring with each other.

  Lockie quickly taps out and springs away with a horrified look, running full pelt to the showers, with Fuzzy laughing him all the way there.

  Walking over, I call up to Fuzzy, “Yo, Fuzzy, I'm going to do weights and resistance training. Want to spot me on the heavier ones?”

  He grins at me and nods. “Sure. Looks like Lockie's done for now. Unless you want to play lock tag?”

  “Nah, I'll be right. Not completely sure how your bulk can move around all those obstacles like you do.” I shake my head.

  “Dodge tanking does wonders for your dexterity outside the game,” he replies.

  We spend a good two hours working out different muscle groups. During the course of it and getting thirsty, we found that we could order protein smoothies and they would be delivered to us. Hydration with protein. The best kind.

  Lockie had rejoined us, and we all worked out on similar machines with music playing in our ears, but we could still hear our surroundings. If we wanted to, that is.

  At some point we eventually found that we had finished everything we needed to, and we each warmed down with stretches and slow katas. We each take another smoothie as we leave the gym.

  “Grace, could we please have the chefs make up some teriyaki chicken with fried udon noodles? I'm kind of craving it,” I ask as we make our way through our front door.

  “Ordered,” Grace replies. “It will be here in roughly twenty minutes. Just enough time to have a shower. The air filters are running higher than normal for some reason.”

  We all laugh at that. I'm glad she has a sense of humour. Though, she is definitely not wrong; we need showers like no tomorrow.

  Half an hour later, we are clean and digging into another amazing dish. Way better than I can make it, I have to admit. Groans of pleasure are radiating from our taste buds with aplomb.

  Lockie turned on the massive TV for the first time, and we’re watching a gaming news channel. Most of what is on is just hype and the happenings of some of the more important things that are going on in DSR2. They are in the form of short skits.

  Funnily enough, we see ourselves when we first logged in from an outside point of view instead of as first person. Whoever edited this did it with a movie quality, and if I didn't know better, I would feel like it wasn't actually me.

  It's a good thing that when you subscribe to this channel, you have to input your headgear ID so that they know whether to show the version with various bleepers and fake clothes on or the eighteen-plus version.

  We sit there and laugh, watching as Dosan took a leak on a nymph and his subsequent punishment that led to a series of fortunately unfortunate events. We systematically took down the Guardian, and it showed what we received for the quest hand-in to the Bonded Guardian. Hence the title from Eric of Firsters.

  Then it cut to us travelling through the forest to the fortress. It thankfully didn't show how we got into the fortress, as that would be handing over state secrets in how to defeat us from the inside. It did show us getting the quest from the felorians and also how we managed to defeat Lord Varim and his minions.

  We are going to have a lot of copycats now using those ideas. More power to them, I say, just hopefully we aren't going to be on the receiving end.

  We had also taken up a good twenty minutes for that skit. Next up were some of the others and what they were up to. No one else was able to get to even level 10 in the same time frame. The highest at that time was a group of level 7s. It was none other than Rosie and her group. She hadn't changed her face
at all in game, and she was playing a night elf.

  Of course.

  I tune out for most of the rest, just watching the images and not paying much attention. My mental capacity is more interested in filling my stomach, as somehow, I can't get enough food in there.

  Something makes me look up, though, and I see something interesting and scary at the same time.

  A news presenter is sitting behind a desk while images play behind him of a house and crime scene. “The body of Pierre Devore was found today at his home residence by his brother Juan Devore. Pierre Devore was allegedly playing his character Belvar in DSR1 during the final countdown of the server shutdowns before DSR2 would be released. His brother says they were playing together, but he didn't respond to any texts after they were forced out when the countdown reached zero.

  “Juan Devore allegedly found his brother's body lying in his bed, with the DSR headset cut and a slice on his temple. That is all the information that has been released so far. The DSR Corporation is now under fire for the death, which looks like it could be related to a malfunction of their headsets. The CEO has yet to comment on this incident. We will update you when we have more news.”

  We all look at each other with astonishment for a moment.

  Holy shit. Possibly the first death related to a malfunction of a DSR headset.

  “That just happened?” Blake asks quietly.

  “Yep,” Fuzzy responds.

  Not wanting to dwell too much on problems I can't fix, I change the topic. Slapping my full stomach gingerly, I lean back, finally satisfied. “Oh, by the way, had a bit of a run-in with Vicky in the gym too.”

  “Dude, you can't drop bombs like that when we are too full to think properly,” Anya says dully. “Especially after what we just watched!”

  “What did the bitch want?” asks Lockie pleasantly.

  “There wasn't conclusive proof, as they made it look like an accident, but they were playing at throwing the kettlebell in the general direction of me,” I reply nonchalantly. “The big guy named Darius also has a good arm, considering if Grace didn't warn me, I would have some broken bones right now.”