Hell's Glitch (LitRPG): Into a Dark Adventure

by Belart Wright

  “You can summon and dismiss a keyboard with a thought while immersed in the Miyabi Full Dive. You can also choose your text with nothing but a thought. With no barriers between your thoughts and the keyboard, you’ll be able to communicate much more quickly with our developers and other players. Menus function in the same manner. Voice functions between players are disabled, as we like to maintain a certain atmosphere within the game. You’ll only be able to vocally communicate with the developer you report your progress to. I’ve begrudgingly allowed this with the advisement of my most trusted designers. Now, I’d like you to choose a player character username, one that suits you. Just remember, make it cool.”

  Sam laughed at this ridiculous man, Milner. Truth be told, the guy was already starting to grow on him with his strange personality. He decided to take Milner’s advice to heart and start with a cool character name. He wanted a name that was dark and mysterious. He also wanted it to be timeless and unique. He came up with it on the spot, Sarem the Sanguine. His thoughts manifested as text on screen. Ideas flooded his head about a cool character to match such a dark name. He hoped that the game had a robust character creation feature so that his ideas may come to life. Milner’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Good, now you’ll be able to create your character.”

  “Yes!” Sam couldn’t help but scream.

  “You’ll start with your physical features such as skin color, height, weight, and body type. I’ll let you create your perfect virtual body in peace. Just say ‘help,’ if you need anything.”

  Good, Sam thought and then he focused on what his new body would look like. He scrolled through the genders and skin colors. He thought about a female character, but his hunch was that the game had a first person viewpoint instead of third person viewpoint. He wouldn’t be able to stare at the virtual babe’s ass the whole time if it was first person, so there was no point in gender bending, he figured. He also wanted an experience completely different from his everyday existence, so instead of transferring two hundred and eighty pounds of his five foot eight Asian self into the game, he made himself into a tall, broad, and superbly muscular man with a deep black skin tone. He wrestled with whether to make the character bald or not and settled for a dark haired close shaved Caesar haircut like he actually had in real life. He went for a full-on black goatee. along with creepy silver eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. He kept his character’s main sword hand on the right.

  That completed the character’s physical appearance and he moved on before he got lost in the minutia of all the other tweaking options.

  Now came the fun stuff. As he read the text on this current menu, his excitement started to build again.

  Choose your class:

  Fighter

  All around combatant. Best at close range. High STR and DEX. Good VIT and DEF.

  Starting Gear: Burnt Iron Helm, Burnt Leather Cuirass, Burnt Leather Gauntlets, Burnt Leather Leggings, Burnt Leather Boots, Steel Sword, Burnt Iron Shield

  Soul Intensity: 3

  VIT 10 DEF 10 RES 8 STR 12 INT 6 DEX 12 SPD 8 SPT 2 BLF 5 PCP 2

  Sam’s character, Sanguine looked every part the fighter in his tough and flexible burnt leather gear. He looked like he had weathered one hell of a battle. Now Sam knew what kind of game he was playing. It was a Planes game, like he and Robert had hoped for. This was some modern day version of one. The term “Soul Intensity” and the way the stats were spread out gave it all away. This stat distribution and the stats themselves reminded him closely of the Death Planes, a game he played to death about ten years ago. Sam read the class’ description to himself, trying to remember what each stat stood for.

  “I think ten vitality is good and would be my max health, so I would be able to take a few hits. Ten defense is solid too. It would protect me from some physical attacks. That’s eight resistance, I think. I’d need to raise it higher if I wanted better protection from negative status effects like poison. Twelve is a really high strength level, perfect for this class and its physical attacks. Of course the intelligence is down to six, not like a Fighter is going to be using spellcraftes or need any magic points. Twelve dexterity is really high too. I could actually wield some of those tricky weapons or probably even a bow. Eight speed seems good for a class like this. It’s not that fast, but more importantly it’s not slow. SPT? What’s that? Is that uh ... sss... spirituality! Spirituality is for spellcrafte slots. See! I knew this game was a rip-off! They even use the same terms! I’ll probably need at least five points in spirituality to get my first spellcrafte slot. And that means that BLF is belief, for characters that worship the gods. And soul intensity three should be about the standard for starting level. But PCP is new, I’ll have to figure out what that is later.”

  Milner’s voice cut in.

  “PCP is short hand for the Perception stat. Perception is a multifaceted stat that affects a player’s field of vision, among other things. It’s a stat archers will want to invest points into as well as those who like to discover all sorts of hard to find treasures.”

  Interesting, Sam thought. He’d have to remember to try a point in PCP every so often to see how it affected things. So far, he felt the balance was good, but that had to be easy since they mostly copied the stats wholesale from The Death Planes. Even the distribution of the Fighter’s points and his equipment seemed exactly the same aside from the new Perception stat.

  “Okay, let’s see who’s next.”

  Knight

  Defensive combatant, able to outlast opponents. Best at close and mid-range. High VIT and DEF. Good STR.

  Starting Gear: Ashen Knight's Helm, Ashen Knight's Armor, Ashen Knight’s Leggings, Ashen Knight's Greaves and Sabatons, Ashen Knight's Gauntlets, Arming Sword, Knight Shield

  Soul Intensity: 3

  VIT 12 DEF 12 RES 6 STR 10 INT 8 DEX 8 SPD 6 SPT 3 BLF 8 PCP 2

  Sarem looked like a towering metal sentinel in the Knight’s armor. The helmet obscured most of his face, aside from his eyes and a few small holes on the left side where it looked like some weapon had pierced it. The Arming Sword and Knight Shield both looked weighty compared to the Fighter’s sword and shield. The Knight was the defensive side of the Fighter’s coin. They were nearly the same, but the Knight had more range with its starting weapon and a better head start when it came to using spellcraftes thanks to its higher INT and SPT. With some effort the Knight could become a paladin type near the beginning of the game. Good classes, but Sam wanted a less standard style of play. The next class fulfilled that perfectly.

  “What a badass! Look at that shadowy assassin gear!”

  Cutthroat

  Sneaky assassin, able to dispatch unaware enemies easily. Best at extremely close range and one-on-one combat. Extremely high DEX and SPD. Good INT.

  Starting Gear: Twilight Hood, Twilight Armor, Twilight Pants, Twilight Boots, Twilight Gloves, Deflector, Dagger, Throwing Knife x10

  Soul Intensity: 5

  VIT 7 DEF 6 RES 7 STR 6 INT 10 DEX 15 SPD 15 SPT 4 BLF 4 PCP 3

  Soul intensity five meant that the Cutthroat started at a higher level than the first two classes and that meant that it had more stat points distributed at the start. Sam added up all the numbers and it found that the Cutthroat had seventy-seven total stat points compared to the seventy-five of the Knight and Fighter. So each soul intensity increase only granted one point for increasing a stat. It was identical to the Death Planes.

  “These guys are shameless.”

  Sam thought of Fulton Milner.

  “Lead designer my ass! You’re a copycat, Milner.”

  The Cutthroat had a great advantage in mobility over the other classes, but its crippling lack of defenses insured that it wasn’t a good class for people just beginning the game. It was strictly an expert class, just like in the Death Planes. If this was a simple game console, it would be a no brainer. Sam would choose the Cutthroat, but this was a VR sim and he didn’t think he could count on his own physical coordination, or
rather lack thereof, to be up to par for operating a class like that. He begrudgingly moved on despite really liking the class’ badass all black gear.

  Ranger

  Adaptable combatant, although highly specialized. Prefers ranged battles. Extremely high DEX. High STR, and RES.

  Starting Gear: Ranger's Bandana, Ranger’s Pouched Vest, Ranger’s Leather Tassets, Ranger's Tall Boots, Ranger’s Archery Gloves, Short Recurve Bow, Hunting Sword, Army Arrows x25, Absorption Herbs x2

  Soul Intensity: 4

  VIT 8 DEF 6 RES 12 STR 12 INT 6 DEX 15 SPD 8 SPT 2 BLF 2 PCP 5

  Another really cool class. It was distinct from the rest, yet balanced. Long range bows weren’t the best option in a game like this, but with patience many enemies could be cheaply killed with it. The Ranger could fight up close too, but lacked the defense and HP (health points) of the Fighter. Sarem looked like a grizzled vet in the Ranger’s gear, but he thought he might come back to this one.

  Scholar

  A highly intelligent user of soul based spellcraftes that defy nature. Adept at long ranged combat. Extremely high INT. Good SPD, good DEX.

  Starting Gear: Thinker's Cap, Scholar's Gown, Practitioner’s Pants, Practitioners Boots, Practitioner’s Gloves, Staff, Soul Shield, Imbuement

  Soul Intensity: 5

  VIT 6 DEF 5 RES 8 STR 4 INT 15 DEX 10 SPD 10 SPT 15 BLF 2 PCP 3

  A very specialized class. Definitely suited for expert play if this was anything like The Death Planes, which so far it was identical to with its classes. With virtually no defenses, this class was a nightmare to start in the former game. The early bosses all fought close range, giving no time for spellcrafte casting. With a starting fifteen points in spirituality, the Scholar had slots for three craftes. That confirmed Sam’s theory of getting new spellcrafte slots after every five points put into spirituality.

  “Sorry, I never liked mages. Let’s see who’s next.”

  He also didn’t like how strange the Scholar’s robes and cap made Sarem look. Having a giant like Sarem wielding a staff looked pretty ridiculous to Sam.

  Raider

  A bandit that relies on reckless strength. Collects equipment from defeated foes. Extremely high STR and high VIT. Good RES and DEX

  Starting Gear: Fallen Soldier Helm, Cross Bandolier, Mercenary Tassets, Fighter Boots, Iron Bracers, Hawk Shield, Steel Axe

  Soul Intensity: 3

  VIT 12 DEF 8 RES 10 STR 15 INT 4 DEX 10 SPD 8 SPT 3 BLF 2 PCP 2

  The Raider was definitely a fun class. It was similar to a Fighter, but with a greater specialization in offense. With fifteen points already invested in strength the Raider could even wield those unwieldy strength based weapons that no other class could, and could do it from the beginning of the game. No one would confuse the Raider for a defensive fighter. Sam made a mental note of this class as well, though didn’t like the Raider’s uncoordinated patchwork gear. After staring at it for a while, he had to admit that it did look cool on Sarem. He especially liked the avian look that the masked helm had.

  Barbarian

  A cave dwelling warrior who excels at fighting and shuns society. Extremely high VIT and STR. High DEF.

  Starting Gear: Fur Headdress, Fur Loincloth, Big Club

  Soul Intensity: 4

  VIT 16 DEF 12 RES 6 STR 18 INT 1 DEX 4 SPD 8 SPT 4 BLF 5 PCP 1

  Sam didn’t linger too long on the Barbarian. The gear it started with was too crappy, not to mention Sarem looked absolutely stupid in the fur covered getup. No, the mercenary did everything the barbarian could do but better.

  Primeval Prophet

  A sorcerer attuned with nature. Can summon forth the power of primeval pyromancies. High RES and SPT.

  Starting Gear: Burned Crown, Burned Prophet Robes, Burned Patched Pants, Burned Shoes, Burned Wraps, Tattered Wooden Shield, Ignitor, Oil Sword

  Soul Intensity: 4

  VIT 8 DEF 8 RES 12 STR 8 INT 6 DEX 6 SPD 6 SPT 12 BLF 6 PCP 4

  “Damn, this is shameless. It has to be a sequel. No way Milner could be this blatant.”

  Just like in The Death Planes, the Primeval Prophet was a strange class. At first glance it appeared weak or, at best, mediocre thanks to its spread out stat distribution. But the Primeval Prophet had a killer secret to it that made it stronger than it appeared—or, at least that was true in The Death Planes. The class’ burned tatters left Sarem looking like he’d barely survived a catastrophe. Sam didn’t like the look.

  Vagabond

  A fleet footed traveler that is well versed in multiple weapon disciplines. Very high DEX and STR. High SPD.

  Starting Gear: Traveler’s Cowl, Traveler’s Long Coat, Traveler’s Pants, Dark B. Boots, Dark Bracers, Shortsword x2, Throwing Knife x5

  Soul Intensity: 4

  VIT 6 DEF 9 RES 8 STR 13 INT 5 DEX 13 SPD 12 SPT 6 BLF 2 PCP 2

  Another specialty class, this one geared towards high offense and mobility. The Vagabond lacked all sorts of defenses. Hell, it didn’t even come with a shield. The Vagabond’s high level of dexterity meant that weapons in its offhand did more damage, so it was a beast at two handed fighting. It was a class that could easily wield both strength and dexterity class weapons. Another class for Sam to consider. Sarem looked pretty awesome in the badass navy and black long coat with the dual Shortswords.

  Priest

  A sturdy holy warrior. Uses belief and blessings to overcome the odds. Extremely high BLF, High STR and DEF

  Starting Gear: Hood of the Holy, Robes of Reverence, Pants of the Pious, Saint Shoes, Gloves of Grace, Halberd, Lion Symbol Shield, Prayer Charm

  Soul Intensity: 3

  VIT 10 DEF 12 RES 6 STR 12 INT 4 DEX 4 SPD 6 SPT 4 BLF 15 PCP 2

  The Priest was a really good starting class to the point of being imbalanced thanks to the powerful gear it started with. It was similar to the Fighter and Knight in many respects, but it was far better geared than the other two for becoming a paladin type character with a mixture of divine Blessings—the Priest’s brand of Spellcraftes—and physical attack power. In The Death Planes, the Priests had some good Blessings that could restore their health or transport them to safety without the need for items. And many enemies were vulnerable to belief-based attacks. Sam added another class to his list of potentials before he got to the final class. The black, red, and white robes didn’t look all that bad on Sarem either.

  “What’s this? A new class?”

  Alchemist

  Uses intelligence and nature in tandem to produce wonders beyond comprehension. Extremely high RES. High INT and SPT.

  Starting Gear: Alchemist's Cowl, Alchemist's Cloak, Alchemist's Tailored Pants, Alchemist's Jackboots, Alchemist's Gloves, Tattered Alchemy Book, Blighted Dagger

  Soul Intensity: 4

  VIT 8 DEF 4 RES 15 STR 6 INT 12 DEX 6 SPD 8 SPT 12 BLF 2 PCP 3

  The alchemist’s cloak and cowl looked pretty cool and the rest of the uniform had a military vibe to it, especially the long boots. Strange, that the class used a Dagger and book to fight and had no shield to speak of. It was an interesting class to consider, but Sam didn’t think it would fit his playstyle. It was a hunch. There was another new one too.

  Nun/Pilgrim

  A pious believer of the divine that serves the church no matter what. Extremely high BLF. High DEX.

  Starting Gear: Pilgrim’s Hat, Pilgrim’s Robe, Pilgrim’s Trousers, Pilgrim’s Shoes, Pilgrim’s Gloves, Epee, Maiden Shield, Rosario

  Soul Intensity: 3

  VIT 8 DEF 8 RES 6 STR 4 INT 6 DEX 12 SPD 8 SPT 6 BLF 15 PCP 2

  This new Nun/Pilgrim class was pretty interesting. He guessed that the class name would change depending on if you used a male or female character, probably the gear too. What the Priest normally had in pure strength and durability, this new class had in quickness and dexterity. The Pilgrim even had enough points in spirituality to immediately use some Blessings right away. The black and white Pilgrim’s gear looked sort of silly on Sarem though. He didn’t want a character that just looked like th
ey stepped off of the Mayflower. Though he was a fan of the small white shield and Epee.

  “Oh god! What is this?”

  He was shocked as he looked on at the way the next class’ gear looked on his character. His awesomely tall and chiseled fighter looked like a raving lunatic—no! He looked like a nearly naked serial killer barbarian. That’s the only way to describe it. There was blood and dirt covering Sarem from head to toe. Sam read the class’ description and had a nice chuckle at the equipment that came with it.

  Deranged

  Good for nothing? Is this a joke?

  Starting Gear: Sack, Bloodied Smock, Loin Cloth, Broken Shackles (ankles), Broken Shackles (wrists), Bloody Femur, Rocks x5, Bomb x1

  Soul Intensity: 1

  VIT 1 DEF 1 RES 20 STR 1 INT 1 DEX 1 SPD 20 SPT 10 BLF 1 PCP 5

  “Wow, just wow. Well, at least this is something else new.”

  So Milner did have the talent to create something original, but this? This was definitely a good for nothing joke. This class was useless in just about every way except for trolling. It had no defense or HP at all, not even a shield. One hit from a normal enemy is probably all it would take to do the “Deranged” in. It had a lot of speed and with its gear that weighed virtually nothing, it could move like no other class could, but that didn’t matter since it couldn’t do any damage. Its weapon was literally a giant bone. And it only had one bomb. True, that was one more bomb than the other classes had, but it was only enough to drastically hurt one enemy and probably not even kill it. What was this class supposed to do against the first boss or any bosses after?