“Okay we have someone who wants to offer a rebuttal, let me add him to the videocast here–” Kacey leaned out of the shot to access her second computer’s keyboard. The windows on the screen shuffled around and a third head appeared beneath the other two. “Okay, LordDrinkingProblem, you have something to add?”
“This guy is paranoid. There is no way–”
“Then who posted it?”
“–someone is playing a practical joke on you!”
“There was nobody else around! It had a screenshot of the fight! It knew the attack that almost killed my character! I was only a few hundred points from level two!”
“Maybe you just suck. Why don’t you learn how to be a better player?”
“Maybe your mom ought to cup my–” Epicks window froze with his face in a highly entertaining snarl.
Kacey cut in. “Okay, we’re not going to have personal insults on my show. He says the post had information about the fight that only he and the game would know. How do you explain that?”
“Then he posted it himself to get attention because he sucks.” SirDancealot’s window went black.
Kacey sighed, then brightened up when she saw Fitz was in her chat room. She sent him an invite and his window appeared on the screen below the still-frozen Epicks.
“Fitz, please save us from this madness!” Kacey exclaimed.
“Top of the evening to you, Questing Hearts!” The Mad Cupbearer never disappointed. This time he was dressed in a gorilla costume and basketball jersey. He removed the mask and added a propeller hat. He took a king-sized swig of premium draft from his double-pint tankard and smiled the smile of a man proven right.
“So, Fitz, do you think Kings and Conquests is spying on its users?”
“Without question, my lovely!” He took another drink. “By the way, you can’t rely on a word that comes out of my mouth tonight as I am at best half in the bag and completely incapable of finshing a sentence without optional punctuation.”
Kacey was aghast. “Why do you think the game is spying?”
“Because it fits Wyland’s motives perfectly. This guy is going to turn out to be exactly what video games needed exactly when they needed it. Think about it. He creates an entire ecosystem that takes full advantage of the average gamer’s inability to read or even think. He knew everyone would plow into the realm ready to hoover up one self-congratulatory trophy after another. So he built his game to give the monsters 101% of the maximum power the players can muster and then relentlessly beat the living shit out of them until they stop acting like twats. This was an act of utter genius! This guy set out to accomplish the impossible and then did it while eating a sandwich!”
“That’s risky, don’t you think? He’s going to drive away all of his players.”
“Wyland’s dead. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care what the players do. But building a game that effortlessly weeds out douchebags? That is an accomplishment worthy of some kind of prize. The man is a hero, and I knew this whole project was going to be a watershed moment in gaming. Did you hear about FUG’s newest plot to overthrow the Internet?”
“I’m still trying to get over a game taunting its players on public message boards.”
“Well, think about it Kacey. How hard is it to write software that can find itself being mentioned online, look up the player account in question and then address the complainer by name? That’s something an amateur could accomplish in a weekend using hilariously simple programming tools. But even that isn’t the kicker. Fairly Unusual Games is going to launch adults-only servers for Kings and Conquests.”
“Adults only?”
“Yes, and this time, adult isn’t just a euphemism for sex. Adults-only servers will be $100 a month, will have a full range of pay-to-level options in the KNC Store and will require picture ID showing a minimum age of 25 to join.”
“There’s no way anyone will tolerate that.”
“They have twenty thousand people on a waiting list. The top comment on the new adults-only section of the KNC message board was ‘I cannot wait to have a server where I can join a dungeon group and not have to listen to a bunch of 12-year-old idiots for two hours.’ Frankly I can’t say I disagree. I would be thrilled to spend an evening with grown-ups in a video game world for a change.”
“The other parts of the message board must have been a circus.”
“Oh, honeybunches, you have never in your life seen so much free entertainment on such a small screen. Plan your next episode well, because it’s only going to get better from here!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jordan sat contemplating the screen. His choice was rather clear, which was an irony not lost on his assembled guildmates. The more deranged he became with his choices as to the history and personality of his character, the more delighted Marc, Robb and Dave got.
According to the strangely charismatic little creature that began to “advise” him when he selected “petty theft” as one of his character’s moral failings, there was an option to obtain stealth way at the opposite end of a progression and achievement tree that included numerous less-than-savory skills. The quest line looked thrilling.
Jordan’s new character, named “Highwayman,” had four major specialties available. He could choose to aspire to robbery, which would require maximum skills in pickpocketing, impersonations, appraisal and evading capture. He could choose burglary, which would require impeccable stationary stealth, lock picking, climbing and concealment of tools. He could work towards becoming a Confidence Man, a rare category built from diplomacy, charm, costuming and undetectable cheating.
But Jordan had a mission. And for that mission he wanted stealth. He wanted the ability to go where he wished without being seen or attacked. Not only did he want basic concealment, he wanted the option to acquire master-level skills in stealth. It was part of his strategy. If he could arrange to be invisible enough, he might be able to accomplish the impossible without having to reach maximum level first.
Simply put, he wanted to be a Cloak.
According to the Conquests of the King, the Cloak specialty was attainable by only a fraction of the player base. It required patience, planning and the dedication necessary to advance levels without significant experience gain by combat. Reaching his goal would be a slow process, but one thing Jordan could count on was the fact he would obtain formidable skills as early as level fifteen. According to the progress lore in his guide, those skills would bloom into deadly weapons by level 21.
“Are you sure you can survive that long?” Marc asked. “Those quests look dangerous as hell.”
“I don’t think I have a choice.” Jordan leaned back in his chair. “If I try to play this straight, it’s going to take forever to get the combat skills necessary to fight my way in to the Safekeep. This way, I can use game mechanics to give myself an advantage. Then all I need is the skill to put it to use and enough luck to stay alive until I can find Wyland’s message.”
“But you’re not going to stop there, are you?” Robb asked. “There’s so much more to these options. You’ve got three sub professions.”
“That is correct,” Jordan replied. “One of the great things about this class are the tradeoffs. Take a look at this.” The character options screen shrank back into the background, only to be replaced by the professions screen.
“I’ve chosen the Vahlanor race. They are humanoid and resemble humans just enough that I can use my low level camouflage and disguise abilities to pass myself off as just another vagabond in human cities. This is going to be important, because I need to base my key informant in the largest city possible.”
“And that triggers your first trade-off.”
“Exactly. Putting myself at a moderate disadvantage by having a key informant in a foreign city gives me enough ‘in danger’ currency to buy myself an important advanceable skill. Mind magic.”
Everyone shouted “whoa!” almost in unison when Jordan brought up the screen depicting his mind magic pro
gression options. On the left side of the screen was a startling masked humanoid creature with enormous tusks armed with a spear crafted from animal bone. It wore a vest and kilt made of thick leather-like material studded with colored beads and a necklace decorated with tiny skulls.
“This is my informant in the southern jungle. His code name is Javelin. He will teach me the principles of using masks to influence my enemies and allies alike. As soon as I’m good enough to deceive him into giving me information only he knows, I will learn the location of my weaponsmith.”
“Aren’t you provided with weapons?” Dave asked.
“I can buy them, but I can’t use my abilities with them until I can craft my own. This quest line will probably take the longest.”
“Knife throwing?”
Jordan nodded. “It’s going to require a lot of patience. But with a little luck, or a lot depending on your point of view, I will be able to trade in this next option for a shot at the knifecraft skill, which will allow me to make perfectly balanced throwing knives. Those knives will make me really dangerous.”
The next screen made everyone gasp anew.
“Who the hell is that?!” Robb almost shouted. On the screen next to the confirmation button for Highwayman’s start towards the knifecraft title was a devastatingly sexy woman dressed in a skin-tight black body suit, contact boots and a bandana mask. She was armed with twin winged culverin pistols and held a mirror-finish black straightblade at her side. She wore a low wide-brimmed hat that covered her face. Straight black hair hung to her hips.
“That is the assassin who has been ordered to kill me,” Jordan replied. “Her code name is Finale.”
“News flash, genius. She’s level 31. You’re dead before you get out the front door.”
“I’m dead only if I make a stupid mistake. I just have to learn how to use my skills to avoid her long enough to get where I’m going. You want to know what the best part is?”
“Oh I can’t wait,” Amy said, rolling her eyes.
“If I avoid her long enough, she turns double-agent and becomes one of my informants. If I keep her alive long enough, she becomes one of my lieutenants and bodyguards.”
“This is better than the Duchess,” Robb muttered.
“Here is option three.”
“You want to be a map maker?” Marc asked.
“I’m going to get primary skill in forgery, because when I put that together with some of the things I can do with a Founder’s level account, it will lead to some interesting combinations. If I complete the quest line, I’ll be able to start leveling cryptography, which might come in handy later.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” Amy asked.
“I have. Kings and Conquests rewards players for not running out into a field someplace and swinging their sword at everything that moves. The minute I started putting some thought into the game I started noticing how every decision led to the most obvious options. The game made me think and it provided me with what all good video games do: A series of interesting choices.”
“But you took all the most dangerous ones,” Amy said. “After all this work, you better hope you don’t just get offed by something unexpected.”
“That’s what makes this game fun,” Jordan replied. “I think Wyland understood that. I think there’s a lot more to this whole thing than just winning a car. I want to know what it is.”
Jordan clicked the “confirm” button. The final stats screen appeared.
Might: 28
Brilliance: 60
Insight: 82
Charm: 92
Quickness: 87
Will: 61
“Ninety-two?!” Robb sputtered.
A magnificent 3D avatar of Highwayman appeared leaning against a building in a moonlit alley. He wore a sleek black overcoat, gloves and a hat similar to Finale’s. He was only partially visible, fading in and out of view by the light of a flickering lantern nearby. He casually reached into his pocket and produced a small device about the size of a golf ball. He struck it twice and lit a long cigarette with it. He placed it back in his pocket. He then looked directly at Jordan with a menacing expression and exhaled a cloud of pale smoke. When it dissipated, he was gone.
A message appeared on the screen. “Congratulations. You have reached Level Six.”
“Holy–” Robb lost the capacity for voluntary speech.
Chapter Twenty-Two
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA – Game developer Fairly Unusual announced today their plan to emerge from bankruptcy has been approved by Federal District Court Judge Samuel T. Cogburn. The company’s stock rose nearly nine percent in heavy trading on the Western Exchange Technology Board. Meanwhile, a housewife from the Seattle area gained nationwide notoriety last Friday afternoon when she became the first player in Fairly Unusual’s Kings and Conquests role-playing game to earn a real silver coin during her adventures. A dispute broke out among collectors seeking to obtain the first-of-its-kind treasure, bidding up to six thousand dollars on a popular game asset auction site before the offer to sell was withdrawn. Mrs. Edna Dooley will appear in an exclusive interview tomorrow evening on the Fantasy Network to show off her unique coin.
Elsewhere in the KNC Realm, the first player character to reach level ten was discovered to be operated by unapproved automation software. Unfortunately the player, whose name is being withheld on account of his age, apparently fell asleep and awoke to find he had inadvertently live-streamed the moment when his character wandered into town and was run over by a spooked horse.
***
Highwayman and Arianne slipped out the back door of the Leafless Inn. Highwayman had narrowly avoided being caught practicing his forgery skills when the two characters failed to notice a magistrate sitting at the next table. It turned out having nine copies of the same signature in front of you tended to raise suspicions in the local constabulary. Jordan rapidly improvised a mind magic attack that made the magistrate think he had forgotten to put on underwear that morning. In the ensuing confusion, he and Arianne made their escape.
Arianne had been focusing almost exclusively on her appraisal skills, believing them to be a good complement to Highwayman’s talents. The two were putting more than a little effort into avoiding the authorities. Highwayman had an obvious motive. Arianne was trying to avoid the potential of coming to the attention of the government in Threelands.
A cutpurse was leaning along a blood-soaked wall in the alley. Across from him was a stack of wooden boxes. The street was only a few yards away. The lighting was dim at best. Flickering orange glows were visible behind the second floor windows.
“This guy is going to try something,” Amy said.
“I’m way ahead of you,” Jordan replied.
From the game’s perspective, the encounter was Arianne vs. Cutpurse. The lower-level NPC didn’t have any chance at all of detecting Highwayman, who had virtually vanished into thin air a moment before the cutpurse looked up. He was casting a shadow, naturally, but his most recent three points in camouflage gave him the ability to make his shadow look like part of the background clutter.
The cutpurse pushed itself up to a standing position as Arianne neared. He had enough time to take a single step before Highwayman appeared quite literally out of thin air behind him. A hand over the mouth, a razor sharp dagger between the ribs right into the heart and a quiet “shhhhhhh” later it was all over. Nobody would ever find the body either. The results of the encounter appeared on each player’s screen.
180 Experience Points
The points faded and the treasure inventory appeared.
"61 coppers, eight silvers and a gold,” Jordan recited. “Plus a bent key and a fake treasure map. Not bad. We’ll add that to the community fund.”
“How do you know it’s fake?” Marc asked.
“Because he has nine skill points in forgery,” Amy replied. “He can spot a badly done fake from across the room.”
“This is a pretty good racket,” Robb
said. “Use Arianne for bait and kill everyone that tries to mug her.”
“We can do better than that,” Jordan said. “I need to do the fence quest for Gilmor so we have someplace to sell our loot. I can’t carry very much without screwing up my combat balance and disguises. First, however, we have to get the Express Train out of jail.”
Dave was prepared for the next step. He had gone through all the preliminary requirements to build the most over-the-top crazed berzerker barbarian he possibly could. His theory was that while other characters would be required to calmly and rationally build their skills and stay out of trouble, his avatar would go the other way. He wanted a character that would thrive on chaos and unpredictability. All he would need would be something to set him off. So the group’s engine of the unpredictable was going to be Robb.
The NNG cameraman hadn’t forgotten the Mutant Sorcery option from the playable demo all the way back at Supercon. He and Dave had worked long into the night with Jordan to find a set of skills to assign to the two characters that would create a positive (or negative) feedback loop, depending on your point of view. The theory was that Robb’s character would be practically required to do things that would set off Dave’s berzerker. The metaphor Robb preferred was that his mutant was a long sharp pin and Dave’s barbarian was the sleeping rabid bear with a gigantic ass as a target. The results were guaranteed to be both entertaining and quite expensive for innkeepers.
Before Dave could be unleashed on the Realm and gain his first skill points, however, it was necessary for some other player to release him from captivity. This was just part of the barbarian way. It was the class rite of passage. Dave didn’t get choices of ancestors or places to live like the others. Everything depended on how much blunt-force trauma he could inflict during that first fight. That was the only thing that would qualify him for the eventual designation “Barbarian.” The battle to escape was guaranteed to do one of two things: Kill the aspiring player character or give it an explosive advancement in strength, speed and destructive potential. Where he ended up was entirely dependent on how fast Dave could get started.
Overpowered: A LitRPG Thriller (Kings and Conquests Book 1) Page 8
