Awaken Online: Catharsis

by Travis Bagwell

  As he approached the man near the barrels, Jason received two notifications:

  New Passive Skill: Tracking

  You have carefully identified and stalked your prey. Not all tracking involves following wild animals and this skill has many applications. At higher levels, nothing will be able to escape you.

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Effect: 5% increased chance to pick up your target's trail.

  New Passive Skill: Perception

  You have carefully observed and evaluated both your environment and the people around you. You have caught details and behaviors that typically go unnoticed by the inattentive and ignorant. At higher levels, many people may start to suspect you’re psychic.

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Effect: 5% increased chance to discover traps and unnoticed details.

  Hmm. Skill acquisition seems to depend heavily on my actions. The hours spent in a pitch black tunnel were still fresh in Jason's mind.

  He approached the man standing next to the barrels. Jason assumed that he must be the weapon trainer. He was an average-sized man in his fifties with greying hair. His face and arms were riddled with scars. He wore durable looking leather armor, pockmarked with scratches and dents. The man was leaning against a barrel, gazing with a bored expression at the players as Jason approached.

  Jason greeted the man, mentally crossing his fingers that he wouldn't get turned away instantly. “Hello sir, I was wondering if you could train me to use a weapon?”

  The trainer eyed Jason up and down for a moment.

  “I suppose so. What type of weapon do you want to learn to use?”

  I keep trying to follow MMO stereotypes and then getting tripped up by these simple questions. I know I need to learn to use some kind of weapon, but which one? I really didn't give this much thought!

  He decided to go with honesty. “I really don't know. I have no idea what type of enemies I'll be fighting, and I don't know what role best suits me. However, I need to have some way to defend myself.”

  Unbelievably, the trainer grinned at Jason. “That is the first smart thing I've heard from you tourists today!”

  Did he just say tourists?

  He rubbed his stubbled chin with one hand and appraised Jason.

  “You have the look of someone who won't be standing on the front lines. You also don't seem the type to wear heavy armor. You are lean, and look like you have some speed. You strike me as the sort that will probably avoid fighting yourself unless you absolutely have to.”

  He paused for a moment and eyed Jason carefully. “You also have the look of someone who isn't above sucker punching your foe.”

  “Daggers and throwing knives. Definitely small, bladed weapons,” he finally decided.

  “Why knives?” Jason asked. “I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I just want to understand your reasoning.”

  This actually seemed to amuse the trainer more. “Hoho! A tourist with a brain. I never thought I would see the day!”

  “Daggers and knives have many uses. They can be thrown. They can be easily hidden on your person to convince someone you're unarmed. Different types of blades can cause terrible bleeding, and they allow someone proficient to kill quickly and quietly.”

  Actually, his idea seems decent. I can't really see myself wielding a sword or spear, or hauling a bow and quiver around with me all the time.

  Jason was also beginning to suspect that the weight carrying system in AO would be just as realistic as the rest of this game. He didn't plan on spending his time weight training or dumping points into Strength so that he could carry around bundles of equipment.

  “Okay I agree. That sounds like a good idea. How do I go about training with knives?”

  “Well, normally I would tell you to take these two wooden things and wail on a dummy several hundred times using different types of attacks. But you seem like a smart guy, so I will help you out.”

  “Go to the Sow's Snout by the south gate and ask for Jerry. Tell him that Rex sent you, and he will show you how to use these stickers for real. The annoying bastard still owes me a favor.”

  What the hell is this? Why is this a quest and why is it a “C” difficulty? Also, why does it seem to imply that I might die?!

  Jason was familiar with the RPG convention of assigning letter values to indicate the danger of a quest or quality of an item. Higher letter values usually indicated higher difficulty or better quality. For example, an “A” difficulty quest would be harder than a “C” difficulty quest. However, unless the difficulty scale was heavily compressed in AO, he would have expected an “F” difficulty quest to obtain initial weapon training.

  Maybe the quest difficulty is relative to my level and skills. That would actually make more sense than there being an objective range of difficulties for all quests in the game. Regardless, that still means this is going to be challenging.

  Jason was also reflecting on why the trainer seemed so friendly, especially after the gruff treatment he had received from the guards. Why help Jason with special training when the couple dozen players behind him were beating dummies to a pulp?

  “Thank you for the help. I'm curious though, why exactly are you helping me?”

  “Well, it's my job,” Rex replied. “I guess you could consider me something of a mercenary. The guard pays me to help train and equip travelers. There are plenty of monsters outside the city to hunt, and you lot always seem in a hurry to go get yourselves killed.”

  Rex paused for a moment and looked at Jason quizzically. “It's also something about you.”

  He shook his head. “Of course, it might also be that I've seen a couple hundred travelers walk through here today, and not one has asked for my opinion on which weapon to choose. Most simply ignore me as though I’m a piece of furniture, pick some weapon from a barrel, and start wailing away.”

  “I didn't ask many of those idiots.” He motioned over his shoulder. “To do any of that.”

  The particular player that Rex had pointed to was holding a wooden long sword in each hand and was performing what appeared to be a series of hops followed by an over-embellished jump attack. It looked like something you would see at a LARP'ing event, with middle-aged men pretending to be ninjas.

  As the player was making his last jumping-ninja-death-leap-attack (Jason assumed that was its formal name), the player tripped, head butted the dummy (maybe on purpose?), and ended up flat on his back on the ground (definitely not on purpose).

  Rex just stared at the player on the ground for a moment.

  Jason was trying hard not to laugh, but was failing badly. “Wow. Okay. That actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks for your help.”

  Rex turned back to Jason with a sour expression. “Not a problem. However, if someday you should wish to return the favor, I certainly won't stop you.” This last part was said with a wink and a grin.

  With that, Jason said goodbye to Rex and walked off in search of the inn.

  Chapter 6 - Courageous

  January 19, 2075: 621 days until the release of Awaken Online.

  “Hello,” Claire said in a tired voice. She had dark circles under her eyes and rubbed at her temple with one hand.

  “At the board's instruction, we have posed questions to our contacts at the CPSC to determine whether participants have reported that quests and NPCs behave in a way that belies knowledge of the players' personal lives.”

  “We are happy to report that the participants in the formal CPSC trial have not reported any issues.”

  She hesitated. “That's the good news.”

  “The bad news is that the participants in the private trial have continued to report that the quests and NPCs interactions are narrowly tailored to their personal lives.”

  Claire took a deep breath. “On the other hand, the participants don't seem upset about this. In fact, they're actually demanding more game time.” She shook her head slightly in confusion at this last part.

  “However, since
we can't explain this phenomenon, we would like to request the board's approval to investigate Alfred's logs and programming to check for anomalies. We understand that this involves getting Robert Graham involved in this private trial, but we feel it's necessary.”

  * * *

  Jason was walking south slowly. The sun had already crested the tops of the buildings that lined the street, casting long shadows across the cobblestones. The street was unnaturally dark for the time of day and some of the residents had already lit lamps and candles. However, Jason’s vision was still acute due to his Night Vision skill.

  He walked for nearly twenty minutes and quickly noticed that the quality of the buildings had deteriorated rapidly. Most of the buildings on the south side of Lux had rotting boards, and he saw one or two buildings that were partially collapsed. The streets were covered in some indeterminate filth that reeked vaguely of human waste. The people here glanced at Jason suspiciously but kept their distance.

  Many people wearing rags sat along the side of the street or in the alleys between the buildings. He could hear their coughing and moans. Despite the poorly illuminated street, he could see that many of the townsfolk seemed sick. Their stick-like bodies huddled together for warmth, and many begged for food as he passed.

  This was clearly not a nice part of town.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he sensed movement on the top of a nearby building and glanced up. There was an indistinct, dark figure that seemed to have a faint blue outline.

  This must be the system assist for my Perception skill.

  As his eyes locked on the shadow, it slid behind a chimney and out of sight.

  x1 Skill Rank Up: Perception

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 2

  Effect: 6% increased chance to discover traps and unnoticed details.

  Jason hesitated; he could feel his pulse pound in his veins. He struggled to stay calm and continue walking nonchalantly down the street. He was clearly being watched, and this didn’t seem like a good part of town. He wasn't carrying any weapons, and he was wearing the beginning clothing he appeared in. He also expected that there might be more than one person watching him.

  He decided to pretend he hadn't seen anything and make his way quickly to the inn. What else could he do at this point besides turn around or run?

  Jason rounded a bend in the road and saw the outline of the south gate in the distance. He noticed a shingle dangling from a building further down the street. He could just barely make out something that looked like a pig snout painted on the wooden board.

  That must be the inn that Rex mentioned.

  Jason noticed that the street was oddly quiet. He glanced around and realized that there was no longer anyone near him.

  Well, that's strange.

  He saw faint blue outlines of fresh footprints in the muck fifty yards in front of him. He was certain he wouldn't have noticed them without his Perception skill.

  The footprints lead into the alleys on either side of the street ahead. The alley on the right was closer to him, and the alley on the left was about ten feet farther down the street. This portion of the road was tight since the building sat at odd angles. There was barely enough room for a wagon to pass.

  Jason expected that he was about to be ambushed from both sides. Likely, once he passed the alley on the right, he would be surrounded in front and behind by thieves from each alley. The shadow on the rooftop was probably a watcher who marked targets and relayed the information to his accomplices on the street.

  He felt unnaturally calm considering he expected to be stabbed to death in the immediate future. His mind took on the same chill it had when he was confronted by Ms. Abrams in the cave. The cold calm seemed to be coming to him more easily.

  In my current clothes, they probably think I'm a beginning traveler and have some small amount of coin.

  He glanced around the roadway again.

  I don't see anyone I can shout to for help. I might be able to run, but they’re likely higher level than I am and will outpace me.

  Continuing forward slowly while trying to keep his pace casual, Jason noticed that there was a wagon sitting near the entrance to the left-hand alley and a pile of decaying barrels on the right-hand side of the street.

  A glimmer of an idea bloomed in his mind. He supposed he might be able to kick the barrels forward and then rush to the left side of the street to push the wagon forward, effectively blocking the entrance to the other alley. If he moved quickly, he might buy himself a few precious seconds to sprint to the inn.

  This assumed, of course, that the people in the inn didn't try to kill him.

  Screw you, Rex.

  He checked his stamina and saw that it was roughly 70% full, in spite of the long walk to the inn.

  Here goes nothing. Worst case, they stab me to death!

  As he neared the pile of barrels, he leapt into motion and kicked hard. His foot connected solidly with the barrels and he heard a crunch of wood as the pile collapsed.

  Without waiting to see if the barrels rolled in front of the right-hand alley, Jason continued running forward and to the other side of the street. He slammed against the wagon with his shoulder and was rewarded with a dull ache that radiated down his arm. He also lost his forward momentum, but he could hear the sound of muffled cursing from the alley. Jason then sprinted forward toward the inn without looking behind him.

  He heard a woosh as something flew past his ear, leaving a dull, burning line on the side of his neck.

  -1 Damage (Glancing).

  A translucent screen had appeared off-center in his vision which showed him damage information. It didn't obscure his vision and wasn't too distracting.

  The assholes are throwing knives at me!

  A scrape had shaved off 1% of his current health. He hadn't considered that they might have some sort of ranged weapon.

  He varied his pace slightly, weaving gradually side to side as he heard whistles pass him. His breath came in short gasps as he pumped his arms and legs hard.

  Finally, he slammed into the door of the inn.

  Jason wrenched the door open desperately and a dagger promptly embedded itself in the wood, roughly where his head would have been.

  Damn it!

  He rushed into the building and yanked the door shut, sliding behind the door so he wouldn't be seen immediately if the attackers entered the inn.

  New Passive Skill: Dodge

  You have learned that the trick to fighting is not getting hit! Good job!

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Effect: 1% increased speed and reflexes when avoiding attacks.

  New Active Skill: Sprint

  When fighting fails, there is nothing you can do but run. When this skill reaches higher levels, the only part of you that your enemies will see is your backside!

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Effect: 5% increased movement speed.

  Cost: 5 Stamina / Second

  I feel like these prompts are getting more sarcastic!

  It was then that he noticed he was receiving a lot of attention. The inn was dead silent as a roomful of unfriendly looking people stared at him.

  Think moron! Say something before they try to kill you too!

  He straightened from his crouch near the door and tried to assume a carefree attitude.

  “What's this neighborhood coming to? A guy can't even walk down the street without people throwing knives at him!”

  God, that was terrible. I'm going to die.

  The heavy silence continued and dread started to curl in his stomach.

  Suddenly, violent laughter erupted across the inn and people turned back to their meals. He noticed that music had started back up in the background.

  As Jason was about to let out a sigh of relief, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He felt like his legs were going to buckle.

  “You're small,” said a booming voice from behind him.

  As Jason turned, he saw a man who must have some
kind of giant blood in him. He was easily over seven feet tall and must have weighed roughly three hundred pounds, all of it solid, bulging muscle. He wore a sleeveless metal cuirass, a large two handed hammer slung across his back. Jason expected that one hit from that hammer would probably be enough to liquefy a regular person.

  “Don't mind Grunt. His etiquette leaves something to be desired, but he means well.”

  A smallish man appeared from behind Grunt. He was clothed in varying shades of black and gray. His face was garnished with a garish mustache. However, his most notable feature was the incredibly large, floppy hat on his head that he flicked up with a practiced gesture.

  The small man continued with a small bow. “My name is Jerry, and I'm the owner of this illustrious establishment. I take it from the greeting you received from our friends outside that you're new to the south-side?”

  Jason stood in numb shock for another long moment before his brain started working again. “Um, yes. I was told by Rex to come here and ask for you. He thought you might train me to use knives and daggers.”

  Jerry looked at Jason thoughtfully and twirled his mustache. “I suppose I could do that. You must have some wiles about you to have made it this far without dying. Maybe my tutelage won’t be completely wasted on you.”

  He clapped his hands. “Come now Grunt, let’s get our new friend here a drink and talk about the basics of stabbing folk.”

  A quest completion noticed popped up, and Jason immediately waved it away. He knew that the reward was training with small blades, and he was already thinking of ways he was going to hurt Rex. He had omitted some important details about this part of town.

  As he led Jason to a table, Jerry continued talking. “Lucky for you, my nimble friend, this fine brothel is a safe zone of sorts. We accept people from all walks of life!”

  He said this last part while gesturing grandly to the incredibly unfriendly and dangerous looking people sitting at the tables around him. They all glared at Jason as he passed and fingered their weapons.