by Cosimo Yap
"Tell me." The officer brought the gun closer.
"Ancient Armour, in the trading hub. Talk to the shopkeeper. Tell him that I told you to tell him that I told you—"
"I get it," the officer said, lowering his gun. "Shut up."
Alan nodded vigorously.
"Now," the officer continued, "Icewolf wants you to know—"
Exactly what Icewolf wanted Alan to know he'd never find out, as at that moment the wall behind the officer exploded. A brick flew forwards, knocking out the officer. Ace stepped through the hole in the wall, fists at the ready.
"Did you just one-punch that wall?" Alan asked.
"I did," Ace replied. "You've looked better, Alan."
"Thanks, you look pretty good too but I don't swing that way," Alan said.
Ace grinned. "And to think Thiago didn't want to save you," he turned to look over his shoulder. "Daisy, Alan needs you!"
Alan watched as Daisy entered through the hole in the wall. She took out a vial of silvery substance, pouring it over his wounds. A soft glow began emanating from her hands, and Alan felt his mind begin to clear. Feeling seeped back into his legs, and with it pain.
Alan shut his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of the pretty girl. Then there was a flash of heat, and the pain was gone.
"Nanites and psionics, pretty miraculous stuff," Daisy said. "Now come on, we need to find the area boss."
Alan stepped off the cot unsteadily, surprised to find himself still in his power armor. It had even regenerated enough energy for ten minutes of invisibility. They found his items next door. According to Eve if he had died the items except for Reaper’s Scythe would have despawned with him.
"So, what happened?" Alan asked, following Ace as he charged down the corridor.
"Well, MadMerlin and KingArthur turned our shield generator into a makeshift bomb, taking out the armored vehicles but dying in the process. The blast somehow made a miniature EMP," Daisy said.
Ace ran into two soldiers who shot at him but their bullets didn't appear to do any damage. Ace punched the first and they were pulverized, crumpling under the blow like a piece of paper. A kick took care of the other soldier.
"Damn," Alan said.
"Yeah, I think he's what gamers like to call over powered," Daisy said.
"Enough chit-chat," Ace called out. "We've cleared the first floor now but there's no sign of any area boss. They're required to stay near the Control Point, so we need to make our way into the courtyard."
"Are you forgetting the laser cannons?" Alan asked.
"Thiago and Aphrodite are taking care of one, Kitana and DaLong the other. Come on," Ace said, punching through a wall. Alan blinked, clearing away the dust. Before him was the courtyard, the Control Point at the center.
Ace strode forwards. Daisy stood back in the hallway, watching; Alan waited with her.
Enemies flickered into existence under the arches facing the control points, fifty metal skeletons that looked like terminators, each carrying a minigun, a massive six-barreled machine gun that began pouring round after round into Ace.
He staggered under the rain of fire, whatever passive resistance he possessed beginning to buckle underneath the constant barrage.
Alan whipped out his sniper rifle, taking precious seconds to line up a shot. He fired, and the plasma bolt passed through the target, striking a wall. The robots noticed Alan, turning to direct their fire at him. He and Daisy dived to the side of the hole in the wall as bullets begin pouring through.
Put your hand into the stream of fire, Eve commanded.
What?
Trust me!
After the jumping fiasco?
Do it. Remember Daisy is here to heal you.
Sighing, Alan hesitantly poked his pinky into the line of fire, expecting it to be blown off. Instead, the bullets passed through Alan's finger, as if they weren't real.
They aren't, Eve sent. Mere illusions. There are likely only a few actual miniguns set up and firing. I detect signals emanating from below the control point.
Alan nodded, activating his invisibility before running out into the courtyard. He yelled out at Ace, "Punch downwards!"
Ace seemed to have heard him, as he punched through the ground, falling down through a hole. The machine guns stopped firing at Ace, and began firing at where Alan had shouted from. Alan ran in a circle and then towards the hole.
Below he saw Ace, punching his way through aisles of machinery. The robots began flickering in and out of existence, images distorting.
In the corner, Eve said, highlighting a man scrambling towards a flight of stairs.
Alan turned aimed with his sniper rifle, and fired. The man exploded and a series of messages popped up:
Area boss defeated, Control Point available for capture.
x5 Bonus for taking 0 damage from the boss!
+12500 XP +5000 credits
x4 Level up!
Alan raced over to the Control Point, now glowing a dull teal. As soon as he stepped on it another message popped up:
Capture Control Point?
Yes, Alan thought, more messages popping up afterwards.
Congratulations for surviving the second round of the Survival Test!
x20 Bonus for defeating the most enemies, taking out the commanding officer, and a leap of faith!
+50000 XP +20000 credits
x8 Level up!
The messages were quickly followed by another:
The Survival Test: Round 3
Now that seemed too easy. Maybe something a bit more challenging. A Haxlard war party showed up to help their allies, the United World Government, but the fighting was done by the time they showed up. They’re eager for a fight.
A moment later:
Final Wave: Haxlardian Warriors, Lvl 250-500
Enemies remaining: 12
Time until arrival: 1:00:00
Then:
Fort Point captured. Would you like to take ownership of Fort Point or designate another owner?
Highest possible tax rate: 5%
Current tax rate: 0%
Please designate an area boss: either a randomly generated NPC, a provided robot or a willing player.
I'd like to take ownership, Alan thought.
WAIT, Eve cried, but it was too late.
Additional messages appeared:
United World Government hold on the entirety of San Francisco, California, United States of America, Northern America, and Earth will be broken if Fort Point is not recaptured in 24:00:00.
United World Government reputation changed to Hated. They are now hostile.
Um, what just happened, Eve? Alan asked.
Should you control a single Control Point, you gain control of the surrounding area, Eve sent. However once a required number of Control Points are held by one group, varying levels of control are attributed! The levels of control are as follows: Plurality, holding the greatest number of points in an area, Majority, holding more than half of the points in an area, and Entirety, holding all control points in an area.
The United World Government had control over the entirety of Earth and has majority control of our solar system. The amount of control a group holds varies upon the level of control. The group with the highest level of control determine the in-game laws, and are only able to influence real world laws once they hold an Entirety Control Point and every Control Point in a given region. A notable exception is that native, indigenous species of a given planet or solar system may govern the area’s real life laws and taxes while only holding a majority, rather than an entirety.
So basically I just broke the government’s monopoly? Alan asked.
Yes, Eve sent.
Alan groaned inwardly. If it's so important, how did the government let us take over the Control Point?
You are undergoing the survival test, and aren’t expected to last, Eve sent. An estimated 1% of players survive each round. And, once the test is complete it will be trivial for the United World Governm
ent to regain the Capture Point, which must be held for a day for it to actually count.
Alright… Alan replied.
Ace walked over to Alan after pulling himself out of the hole. He looked perfectly fine, messaging someone with a small black box.
“I have connections with the government," Ace said, "and if you paid reparations for the stolen rifle and returned control of Fort Point I’m sure they’d reset your reputation. They do support the growth of new players.”
Accept his offer.
“Um, sure. How much do you think they’d want?”
Ace messaged someone, then replied, “Including a tax for the… method of acquirement, they say 10,000 credits should do it.”
“Um, alright,” Alan agreed as Ace sent another message.
Shortly after, a message appeared before Alan:
Transfer 10,000 credits and control of Fort Point to the United World Government?
Alan accepted the transaction.
Reputation with United World Government reset to neutral.
Huh, so you can make transactions from wherever? Alan asked Eve.
You may transfer credits when you are in the vicinity of an Administrator, Eve sent, highlighting an Administrator in the corner of the underground room. As you are undergoing the Tutorial who exactly you may trade with is limited.
Alan thanked Ace for getting his reputation sorted out, then began walking back to the bunker.
***
Ace gazed off the edge of the battlements, watching the waves as they gently lapped against the coast. They were calming, another after-battle ritual required by his newfound powers. Maybe he should learn to meditate. He held the communicator to his ear.
"Why did you have me save him?" Ace asked.
"He could help Operation Phoenix," a digitized voice replied.
"Well, if this is the caliber of defense our Control Points have, I can see why the operation exists," Ace said.
"We're spread thin enough as it is. A single laser cannon costs as much as a set of power armor, and we have tens of thousands of points to defend spread throughout the world. Enough questions, I have further orders."
"Yes sir," Ace said.
"Continue with the plan, but watch him. I want reports on his actions."
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed," the voice said, and the communicator cut off.
"Yes sir," Ace whispered looking out at the ocean. This world was amazing, and there were so many things he wanted to do. But orders were orders. He stood up, and walked back to Daisy. Ready to continue the mission. Always.
Chapter 7
Alan examined the remains of the bunker. The top portion had been destroyed, and the stairs were covered in rubble, yet it was still possible for him to make his way underground, where Alan found Thiago, sitting next to Aphrodite and DaLong on the row of cots.
"So," Alan said.
"So," Thiago said. "Do you want something?"
"Yes, I want to know why you wanted me left behind," Alan said.
Thiago shrugged. "We didn't even know if you were still alive, and we had to take the fort quickly. From how the fight turned out I was mistaken to have dismissed you, but there were more pressing concerns."
He's lying, Eve sent.
"You're lying," Alan said.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Thiago stood up, walking over to Alan.
Alan calmly stared back. "Yes."
Thiago hovered over Alan for a second, then smiled. "Good, because I am. Now go about your business." He turned his back to Alan, walking back over to Aphrodite and DaLong.
Alan shook his head, then began to browse all the items, as he now had a little over 16,000 credits, worth an amazing $160,000. He recalled the prices from the Trading Hub, and realized every item in the bunker was overpriced. There weren’t even any items that were direct upgrades to the gear he now had, just side-upgrades, such as weapons more effective against machines, or armor that could take a much larger beating, but lacked an invisibility function.
Alan proceeded to the Administrator to spend the 91 ability points he’d gained. He scrolled through the list of abilities, examining a few new ones that were now available to him, but none stood out. Alan wished he’d saved additional points so he’d be able to purchase the Talented ability, but he’d gone into the battle not expecting to survive, and had placed all of the remaining points into his stats.
So, what do you think, should I upgrade my stats? Alan sent.
I am conflicted.
Hmm… Alan checked his experience logs. Well, based upon the experience I got from previous rounds, and for the completion of a test, I should gain 10 levels at least once this round is done, if I survive or not. How about I spend 43 of the points on stats?
That is acceptable.
Alan proceeded to further increase his agility by 13 points, and, at Eve’s request, increased his intelligence, willpower and strength by 10 points as well. She apparently wanted to test its effect on his actual ability in-game, to better optimize future attribute point allocations. Supposedly stats began experiencing diminishing returns, the point at which they did so varying from player to player.
As the bunker was now rubble, and added little to no fortification, it seemed like they would need to meet the Haxlards in open battle. There wasn’t another shield generator for sale. Thiago wanted to try hit and run tactics, if possible. To prepare for the battle, Alan decided to review everything he’d learned and the fights he’d had so far. With Eve’s help, he was able to watch each encounter from his own perspective. Eve pointed out things he could have or should have done differently. The amount of time the actual fights took up though was surprisingly little, so he also decided to try to think deeper about his interactions in the Game so far.
Was it a coincidence that Alan had ended up joining this group? The only reason that had happened was because Alan had met Kitana, who was in the same building he was. It occurred to Alan that he had never asked Kitana how she knew Icewolf. He decided to look for her.
Alan found Kitana outside, kneeling on the ground carefully sharpening her sword with a small whetstone. Alan watched as she sharpened the katana with smooth, even strokes.
She finished, gracefully laying out the tools before packing everything up with care. She looked up at Alan.
“Uh, hi, your ability with that sword is definitely quite impressive,” Alan said, hoping Kitana hadn’t actually killed anyone in real life, but too scared to ask if she had. “By the way, how do you know Icewolf?”
“Icewolf?" Kitana tilted her head slightly. "Oh, right, your sponsor. I met him the day we started the Tutorial. My sponsor, one of my previous sword instructors, was in one of the other capsules, unable to logout at the time. At least, that’s what Icewolf told me.”
“Oh, okay.” Alan felt a bit disappointed; maybe there wasn’t some conspiracy. “Well, want to pair up for this battle? I’d feel better if I had someone covering my back at melee range, and I can handle anything that’s farther away.”
“Very well.”
Alan went back into the bunker, lying down on a cot.
Hey, Eve, why doesn't everyone have an AI? Like why doesn't the government hand out personalized AIs for all its trainees or something like that?
Having a personalized AI you are able to interface with in the Game severely limits your ability to develop psionic talents and requires a specialized capsule. Additionally, based upon my analysis of current data, I am operating at a much more advanced, proficient level than most other AI. I am unsure of why that is the case.
Okay, so the ability of Eve seemed to surpass anything anyone else had, but what was that the result of? The specialized gaming capsule? Icewolf had said there was a captain that had wanted to sell the capsule on this particular planet, but why? Who benefited from having a capsule capable of increasing the abilities of an AI on earth? Wait… Alan checked his status window.
Eve, according to the data you acquired, why are the Administrators c
onsidered a faction? As the Administrators of the Game, shouldn’t they be completely neutral?
Negative, the Administrators act similarly to a typical NPC faction in an RPG game, with a capital city, government and even guild associated with them. Not only are they the only known AI controlled faction, they are also the largest, most powerful faction. Their main objectives seem to be to simply administrate the Game, maintain balance, and enforce rules. The vast majority of space is actually considered to be unlawful, chaotic territory, while the major cities and planets are civilized, primarily based upon their Administrator presence. The information I downloaded includes little about them, though. Perhaps we should speak with the Administrator here?
Um, alright.
Alan walked over to the Administrator in the bunker. At first glance, it looked like the sort of android you’d expect in sci-fi. The Administrator had a humanoid design built with translucent, silver metal plates covering its circuitry, like a living suit of armor with wiring inside. Now that he thought about it though, Alan had yet to see the Administrator move a single part of its body other than its head.
Alan opened his mouth to begin talking with it, then, glancing at the people around him, wondered, You can hear me, right? Did you hear my earlier thoughts?
Correct, a rigid, mechanical voice responded in his head. Whereas Eve and the Administrator back at his Home base sounded female and almost humanoid, this Administrator sounded much more robotic, transferring the reply with even less inflection. I can hear you quite distinctly, traveler. I only listen to thoughts you deliberately project at me, thus I do not know any of what you thought before this projection.
