by Alex Mulder
What exactly is a Sword Saint, anyway?
Luke clicked on the class and saw a description of it pop up on his screen.
SWORD SAINT: The Sword Saint is a master of edged weapons. He can use unique spells to imbue his blades with different types of magic.
It was a vague description, but something about it appealed to him. He chose it as his character’s class, and then the starting stats selection screen popped up.
The attribute system was not all that different from other RPGs. He started with a value between 10 and 18 for his Strength, Agility, Speed, Endurance, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma, and Luck. For his class, they varied a bit, with Wisdom and Intelligence being on the lower side at 12, and his Strength, Agility, and Speed all being between 16 and 18.
Luke had 5 freely assignable attribute points to spend. He dropped one into Strength, another into Agility, and a third into Speed. He put the last two into Luck, figuring that it had been a while since he'd played an MMORPG and he would need as much of it as he could get.
The screen also had an empty text box for him to enter his character's name. Luke thought for a moment and then entered “Kato.” It was always the name he picked, and he took it from the similar sounding name of an ancient Roman statesman that he'd learned about in his freshman year English class.
Finally, he reached what looked like the last screen in the creation process. He carefully examined everything he'd picked out for his character, and then finished with the set up, clicking on the play button in the lower right-hand corner.
His laptop screen dimmed to black, and then a pop-up appeared telling him to press enter once he'd put on his headset.
Finally! Time to find out what all of the hype is about.
Luke put on the headset and then hit enter.
He almost jumped out of his seat in surprise as a world appeared in front of him. He saw other people around him, all of them dressed in steel plated armor, or chainmail. The sky above him was blackish gray, crackling with thunder and lightning strikes. The ground was barren and battle-scarred, reminiscent of the outskirts of a forest after a wildfire.
“Hold your ground!” A heavyset man in a long chainmail shirt was at the front of the group, his hand gripped tight around the middle of a horizontally held spear as if trying to fence something back.
“They're coming!” screamed another soldier. “Don't let them break through to Stark Town!”
Luke, or rather, Kato, looked down at his hands. He realized that he had a sword in one of them; it swung effortlessly. One of the soldiers was a little too close to his blade, and Luke saw a health bar flicker into existence above his head. The accident earned him a contemptuous glare from the soldier, but that was it.
His own health bar, along with a blue bar and a green bar that he was unfamiliar with, was in the bottom left-hand corner of his field of view. Rather than taking him out of the experience, they felt natural, and he almost didn't even notice them at first.
Luke didn't have time to look at them for long. Emerging from a darkish fog a couple of hundred feet in front of him and the other soldiers was a horde of strange looking, humanoid monsters. Luke tightened his grip on his weapon and felt his heart begin to beat faster in his chest.
I feel ridiculous for being this nervous. It's just a game, no big deal.
“Charge!” The heavyset soldier began leading them forward, and one of the men behind Luke bumped into him as the group started to move. It made him feel as though he'd been knocked off balance, and not just in the game, but in his body back in his bedroom, too.
He began to run, moving his legs to carry him forward as the instructions with the headset had explained. His heart was racing even faster now, and something about how fluid and efficient the motions were made him want to laugh with delight.
The feeling only lasted for a couple of seconds as he drew closer to the group of monsters. They were unlike anything he'd ever seen in a video game before, nightmarish black skinned creatures with twisted faces and limbs that were too large to be in proportion to their bodies.
“For Kantor!” yelled the soldier at the head of the charge. The call was echoed by the rest of the group, and Luke felt his mouth forming the words and speaking them out loud without giving it a second thought.
The monsters fought without any weapons of their own, swinging massive claws attached to muscular arms. Luke held his sword in front of him and moved forward defensively, at least at first. He watched the others fight and suddenly understood Ben’s excitement. This wasn't like other games.
The battle was freeform and frenetic. Comparing it to other MMORPGs that he'd played would have been like comparing a scripted theater production to an improv troupe. The way the soldiers squared off against the monsters was unnervingly real, each of them staring each other down as they fought for their lives.
One of the men next to Luke fell from a blow to the neck. His body tumbled to the ground limply, and blood spurted out of the wound as though from a faucet. Luke trained his eyes on the man and a life bar appeared above him, down to the merest sliver.
There must be something I can do, or some healing item that I can use, right?
Before he had time to find an answer, more of the monsters were pushing into the group. Luke realized that he couldn't just stand there, and began swinging his sword in the space between him and the quickly approaching creatures.
One of them was within striking distance, but hopped back, just out of his reach as the blade came close. Luke swung again and watched the creature watching him. There was intelligence in the way it moved that was unnerving.
“We won't give up!” yelled a soldier from his left. “Force them back, at any cost!”
At any cost? Really?
Luke made himself remember that it was just a game, and moved forward toward his enemies. He wanted to get an idea of what his sword could really do and saw a chance as one of the creatures near him turned to strike another soldier. He pushed forward and swung the blade down in a killing arc, cutting into the creatures back. It let out a twisted cry as purple blood began to ooze from the wound.
TYMIAN: One of the monsters of Yvvaros, or “Yvvarites”. Highly intelligent, often hunting in large packs. Tymians live in caves and are rarely seen during daylight hours.
Luke felt satisfaction with his kill, but along with it came a strange realization of his own power in the game world. He could cut into the creatures, and they would bleed just like anything in real life. It was hard for him to know that and not be affected by it, especially with realistic examples of simulated violence all around him, screams, and nightmarish howls filling the air.
Two creatures approached him from the right. Luke lifted his sword to catch a claw strike as it came toward his shoulder and then immediately swung at the other one. The first one attacked again, managing to strike Luke before he could block. His vision flashed red, and the health bar in the corner of the screen lost a third of its length.
That much from one hit? Damn, I'll have to be-
Luke didn't get a chance to finish his thought. Another vicious strike came at him from a blind spot, and his health bar shrunk down to a dangerously low level as it made contact. He tucked his shoulder and rolled on the ground, quickly standing up among the other soldiers and regaining his bearings.
“This is it, soldiers.” The heavyset man was still alive, his previously gleaming chainmail shirt now spattered with purple blood. “We die today for Kantor to live another day.”
He let out a roar and charged forward with what was left of the men. Luke followed and realized that there were only a few allies left standing against the uncountable number of monsters surrounding them.
One of the creatures was hobbled over the fallen body of a dying soldier. Luke had a clear shot at its back and took the opportunity to stab his blade squarely through the monster's shoulder blades. A health bar above its head drained from around half to nothing, and a small empty bar in the corner of Luke's visio
n went up by a notch.
5 XP GAINED
Luke managed to cut through two more of them with quick, accurate swings of his blade. He was charging toward a third with his sword lifted high above his head when one of the creatures threw itself onto him, knocking him to the ground. The last thing he saw was the monster's grotesque face, its mouth overfull of razor sharp, blood covered teeth. His vision shook and then filled with red before slowly fading to black.
Luke felt nauseous. He understood exactly what had happened, but his mind rebelled against what it saw, even though logically, he knew that it was just a game. He wanted to close his eyes and lie down, mimicking what had happened to his character to break with the cognitive dissonance he was experiencing.
“Just relax, you're going to be okay.” A soft, feminine voice was suddenly in his ears. “You are in the Temple of Rygon. Our healers have brought you back. You're lucky to have a bound soul, especially after heading into a battle like the one you faced.”
RYGON: The seekers of the Universal Truth and the keepers of soul magic. The main religious faction of the humans of Yvvaros.
Luke’s vision slowly returned. He could see a high roof above him, and curious colored glass windows. It was clearly some type of temple, a place of worship and apparently, revival.
“The continent of Yvvaros is a harsh land.” The voice was coming from a tall, blonde woman dressed in a white flowing robe. “Many sacrifices are required from its inhabitants. And we thank you. The battle that you fought down there prevented Stark Town from being overrun by Tymians.”
Luke shook his head, and slowly climbed out of the bed he was lying in. Something about the woman’s mannerisms made him vaguely aware of her status as an NPC, one of the AI-controlled actors in the game world.
“I am the High Priestess, Azalene. You are safe up here, in the floating city of Kantor. I cannot thank you enough for holding the front line on the surface. The sacrifice you made, along with the other militia members, will not be forgotten.”
HIGH PRIESTESS AZALENE: The matriarch of the Temple of Rygon, binder of souls and channel of the Universal Truth.
It dawned on Luke that all of the men he’d fought alongside with in the battle had been NPCs. The whole thing had essentially been a glorified tutorial, a little more integrated and subtle than those found in many games, but effective.
“Your health has been restored by our magic, but you still are fatigued from the battle.” Azalene smiled at him and reached for a plate on a table next to her. “Here, eat this. It will restore your stamina.”
Luke took the plate from her and looked at it blankly.
How exactly do I eat food in this game? It’s not as though there is a button I can press or anything…
Feeling a little foolish, he picked up a slice of bread from the plate and examined it. It looked just like any he’d seen before in the real world. He opened his mouth as he brought it up to his face.
10 STAMINA RESTORED
The bread disappeared, and the screen briefly flashed green. Luke noticed that the stamina bar in the bottom left corner of his vision had been slightly replenished. He felt satisfied, not just from having figured it out, but also from the very act of “eating” the food. It was a very strange sensation to wrap his mind around.
“Your stamina can only be regained through eating,” said Azalene. “If you grow fatigued, you will begin to lose Health and Magicka.”
Luke glanced down at the last status bar on his screen, which was a dark blue. He assumed that it was Magicka, but was still unsure of what it was or what exactly it was used for.
“So uh, do I have to do a quest now or something?” he asked, suddenly feeling as though he wanted to run out and begin exploring.
Azalene smiled and shook her head.
LEVEL REQUIRED: 10
“I will have many tasks for you, later,” she said. “You are still recovering at the moment. Some fresh air would do you good, but be careful and stay close to the city until you feel confident in your abilities.”
Luke nodded and then looked around again. The temple he was inside of was huge, and it curved up into a geodesic dome. The light that spilled in through the stained glass windows filled the inside with color, blood red, ocean blue, and jungle green.
“Alright,” said Luke. “So… can I just head outside?”
The High Priestess Azalene smiled at him again and then began walking over to another bed, where another player had just materialized.
This is launch day. She’s going to have her work cut out for her as more new people begin streaming in.
Luke walked toward the large, curved double doors in the front of the temple and pushed through them. What he found outside caught him completely off guard.
KANTOR: The last city. Floating over a hundred meters above the ground, it was initially built by the Temple of Rygon as an offering to the Universal Truth. After the Severance Onslaught of 231, it became the last refuge of humanity, the only outpost untouched by the carnage.
He was in Kantor. The High Priestess had casually mentioned that it was a floating city, but no words could have prepared him for what lay in front of him at that moment.
The city was humming with activity and packed full of other players. The way they moved gave away that they weren’t NPCs, traveling in unpredictable paths, with varying degrees of urgency. Kantor was a gorgeous piece of architectural work, all of the buildings made of white marble with gold trim. The sandblasted brick walkways were clean of any litter or debris.
All of that was impressive, but what Luke was dumbfounded by were the clouds that hovered at eye level in the air directly in front of him. The edge of the city was no more than a kilometer from where he was standing, and beyond it was the empty nothingness of the sky.
Birds were thick in the air, flying in small groups and chirping merrily. Some had settled on the edge of one of the nearby buildings, watching him with eerily realistic eyes as he walked.
The Temple of Rygon was in the city center. Kantor itself was a floating disc covered with essential buildings that had an administrative feel to them. Luke walked forward slowly, finding himself unable to keep from looking side to side.
It felt as though he was standing on top of a gigantic, gleaming white coin that had been lofted into the air and forgotten by gravity. Most of the other players around Luke were conversing with NPCs or one another.
He saw a couple off in the distance at the edge of the city gleefully dancing near the outer wall. Beyond it was nothing but open air. A group of players were getting their thrills by competing to see who could be more daring in their flirtations with it the ledge. One of them hopped over the uppermost railing and dangled from it by one hand, laughing and whooping.
This is going to take some getting used to.
The thought of doing that himself made Luke’s stomach twist into a knot. The headset was more immersive than Luke had been expecting. All he could think about was the new frontier that awaited him.
A noise chimed in Luke’s ears. He noticed that a new icon had appeared in the lower left-hand corner of his vision, a small scrap of parchment. Instinctively, he reached his hand toward where his pocket would be as if to pull out his phone. He was wearing a pair of rough-spun, cloth trousers, and it took him a second to notice and check a small bag hanging from his belt.
Inside of the bag, which stretched surreally as he reached his hand into it, was a tiny scroll, rolled up and secured with string. Luke pulled it out and opened it, straining his eyes to read the words inscribed on it.
It took you long enough to get through the tutorial, Luke!
I’m down on the surface right now, but if you hang around Kantor for a minute or two, I’ll meet you back up there. I know what you’re thinking, and I’m right there with you! Even the other VR games I’ve played haven’t been like this! It’s almost too real!”
- Ben “Silverstrike” Dobson
The words inscribed on the scroll looked as though
they had been hand written. Luke shook his head and took a moment to appreciate the detail that had gone into the world around him. Part of him wanted to rebel against it a little, as though finding the limits and rough edges of the simulation would allow him regain a sense of control.
Another part of him, a larger part, wanted to tip forward and lean further into the experience. He felt a chill run up his back as a couple of flowers growing in an earth box in front of him tilted to the side as a breeze blew by.
The wind… I can almost feel it.
CHAPTER 3
Luke made his way over to the very edge of Kantor while he waited for Ben, or as he was known in game, “Silverstrike”. He chuckled at the childishness of his friend’s naming choice.
Well, knowing Ben, it’s not all that unexpected.
The floating city was filled with shops, a couple of inns, a few NPC homes, and not much else. Luke remembered Ben mentioning that it, along with one other small NPC towns on the ground, were the only zones in Kantor that were unavailable for player and guild development. They were designed to be neutral areas for open trade and events, and as such, they were unique within the game.
Their unaffiliated status wasn’t the only thing that set them apart. Luke leaned against the outer railing that separated him from the very edge of the floating city. He could see another smaller town down almost directly below it, and beyond that, the continent of Yvvaros.
There were few, if any, signs of other players having made significant headway into the greater land expanse of the continent. It all just looked like an empty, untapped frontier. Luke was up against the southern edge of the city, and far off in the distance he could see the land slowly turning from grassy plains and hills into parched desert and dunes.
“Hey there, ‘Kato’!” A voice that sounded eerily familiar in cadence, but subtly different in depth called out to Luke from behind. He turned around and couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face as he recognized his friend.
