by Baron Sord
King FarthurT
Human | Male
Level: 1.0
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>>> Luck: 1 <<<
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Health | Stamina: 100 | 100
Mana | Mind: 100 | 100
Attacks per Second: 1
Armor: 2
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Fame | Infamy: - | -
Good | Evil: - | -
Law | Chaos: - | -
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-: 10 :- Strength
-: 10 :- Speed
-: 10 :- Accuracy
-: 10 :- Endurance
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-: 10 :- Intelligence
-: 11 :- Creativity
-: 10 :- Wisdom
-: 10 :- Willpower
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-: 10 :- Beauty
-: 10 :- Charm
-: 10 :- Respect
-: 10 :- Leadership
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MAGIC SPELLS
• None
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MENTAL POWERS
• None
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WILD TALENTS
• None
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COMBAT SKILLS
• Fight Dirty: Level 1.0
• Grappling: Level 1.0
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GENERAL SKILLS
• None
===============
Shit, I didn’t know what to use my attribute points for. This wasn’t old school D&D. I had to think about it for a minute. Intelligence and Creativity probably weren’t relevant because a bunch of points on a screen didn’t make me any smarter or more creative. But if this game was anything like D&D, Strength always mattered. You could never be too strong.
I was about to dump all 10 points into Strength when my eyes touched on Beauty. Charisma rarely mattered in D&D, but if there was one thing tending bar taught me, it was that good looking people got things because of their looks. They didn’t even have to be charming, although that helped. Charm I had. Simple enough.
5 points in Strength.
5 points in Beauty.
The stats changed to 15 each. On top of that, my Health shot up to 150. I guess Health was tied to Strength somehow? Was it tied to Beauty too? In the real world, beauty could be a sign of good health, but not necessarily. Models got cancer like everyone else. Anyway, I had no idea and I didn’t have time for more navel gazing.
I Xed out of the window and Xed out of the main menu. The ghosted text disappeared and my view of the jungle and Layna were no longer obscured.
“That’s much better.” Her eyes flashed and swept over my body.
“What is?” I followed her gaze and noticed I had a pretty good six-pack going. Not perfect, but much better than before. And my arms looked thicker and more cut than I’d ever seen them. Same with my quads. Not Mr. Universe, but impressive enough to catch Layna’s eye. It also seemed like I was an inch or two taller. One true fact I knew was all women loved tall men, bar none. Maybe I should’ve put all my points into Beauty. Nah, Strength won fights more times than not.
“Yes, much better,” she purred, eyes low and hooded.
Had my package gotten bigger too? My loincloth felt tighter, but I wasn’t about to check with her watching.
Her eyes searched my face. “I love blue eyes.”
“My eyes are gray.”
“Not anymore.” She grinned.
I didn’t have a mirror so I couldn’t check.
She spun her spear lazily in her hands, “Are you ready to finish your training?”
“Does that mean you’re gonna knock me on my ass again?”
“Baboon ass,” she grinned.
“Whatever.”
“Yes. As many times as you’d like.”
We sparred for another hour. She showed me the basics of using her spear, including how to throw it, which was followed by that voice in my head that sounded like Layna but wasn’t.
Layna has taught you a new skill: Short Spear. Level 1. Every man should know how to use his spear. Strike hard, strike fast, strike deep. That’s what she said. Increase your Strength, Speed and/or Accuracy to improve your chance of success.
I laughed.
Layna’s mouth hadn’t moved an inch. She was busy wrapping a leather thong around the shaft of her spear. It had loosened during sparring practice.
“When do I get my own spear?” I asked.
“You already have one.” Her eyes darted to my loincloth. Another innuendo? Of course it was. “Check your items.”
Was that code for look in my shorts? Or should I say leather loincloth?
“Open your menu.”
“Oh.” I tapped the roof of my mouth with my tongue and jabbed a finger at Gear.
Handcrafted Hunter’s Spear — Weight: 1.25 kg. Durability: 15. Availability: Common. Damage: 1-20. Good for killing fish, game, and your enemies.
Basic Loincloth — Weight: 0.2 kg. Durability: 3. Availability: Common. Armor: +1. Your modesty is required.
Leather Sandals — Weight: 0.1 kg. Durability: 5. Availability: Common. Armor: +1. For tender feet. Much better than waiting for calluses to form.
“Where’s my spear?” I asked, looking around.
“You have to equip it.”
“Oh.” I pressed the icon for the spear. The menu closed and poof! I was holding a spear. “Holy shit! How did that happen?”
“Perhaps you should’ve added your attribute points to Intelligence instead of Beauty,” she grinned.
“Very funny. I didn’t hear you complaining earlier.”
“Hmph.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Now that your spear is equipped,” she glanced at my loincloth again and arched an eyebrow, “Keep your hands on it at all times.”
I laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, don’t lose it. If you set it down and forget it, it’s gone.”
“Obviously. Can I stash it with my gear? Put it back wherever it was before it magically appeared?”
“No. Now you have to carry it like a big boy,” she smirked. This time, she wasn’t looking at my loincloth.
“Right. So, uh, what now? We spar some more?”
“Maybe later. I have something for you.” She walked to the edge of the clearing and grabbed a leather messenger bag. “Here. For you. For your journey.”
I took it and looked inside.
Acquired: Leather Satchel — Weight: 0.4 kg. Durability: 5. Availability: Common. Every man needs a man-purse. Carries up to 5 kilos or 5 liters of dry goods.
Acquired: Lodestone — Weight: 0.1 kg. Durability: 10. Availability: Rare. When dangled from its leather cord, it points north.
Acquired: Water Skin — Weight: 2.0 kg. Capacity: 2 liters. Durability: 4. Availability: Common. Water is precious, water is life. For an active adventurer like you, drink at least 2 liters per day. For ever hour you go thirsty, all your stats will decrease by 1% cumulative, faster if you’re active.
Acquired: Salted Fish — Weight: 0.3 kg. Durability: 1. Availability: Common. Rich in Omega 3s, increases clarity of thought. +1 Intelligence for 2 hours after eating.
Acquired: Dried Nuts — Weight: 0.2 kg. Durability: 1. Availability: Common. Excellent source of lasting energy. +10 Stamina for 4 hours after eating.
Layna said, “If you finish all your fish and nuts, you can find bananas all over the rain forest if you need quick energy. But watch out for tarantulas. They love to hide in the banana clusters.”
“I’m not worried about spiders unless they’re giant.”
“Stupid man. One bite from a banana tarantula will kill you quicker than I can.”
“Good to know.”
“Follow me.”
We walked into the thick greenery and she pointed to a strange plant I’d never seen before. It had tall pink flowers shaped like champagne glasses.
“If you run out of wate
r, you can refill your water skin from the flute flower.” She bent a stalk and tipped the flower toward me. “Drink.”
I took two big swallows before draining the flower. I was thirsty from all the sparring. “It’s sweet.”
She smiled. “A delicacy. Best after fresh rainfall.”
I tipped and drained two more flowers until I’d had enough.
Acquired: Water of the Flute Flower — Your thirst is quenched. +1 Accuracy. Stamina recovers 5% faster for 2 hours.
Layna showed me several more plants that collected drinkable water. She also showed me several fruits that were safe to eat, and the poisoned ones to avoid.
Layna has taught you a new skill: Basic Jungle Survival. Level 1. Survival skills are sexy. You can provide for yourself and your mate in a rain forest environment. Increase your Intelligence, Creativity, and/or Wisdom to improve your chance of success.
Layna smiled at me, “That should be enough to get you started on your adventures.”
“Thanks, Layna. I really appreciate it.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Logan.” She smiled, her eyes hooded and definitely sexy.
I needed to go find Emily, but after she was safe and sound, I was seriously considering taking a vacation here in Reternity with Layna. “Hey, do you know the way to the nearest Divination Guild?”
“No, but I know the way to the nearest village. Perhaps someone there will know. I’ll show you the way.” We walked for about ten minutes through virgin jungle, pushing aside big shiny leaves with our spears as we went, eventually arriving at a jagged trail. It was narrow, only wide enough for one person and pretty uneven because of all the exposed tree roots criss-crossing it, but it looked well-worn. “This path will take you there.”
I took a step onto the trail.
“Light be with you, adventurer.” She smiled that sexy smile and raised her spear in salute.
“Hey, Layna?”
“Yes?”
“You wanna maybe come with me? You know your way around this jungle better than I do. And I’m guessing I’ll need all the help I can get later on. You’re pretty damn good with that spear of yours.”
“This is as far as I go.”
“Oh.”
She said nothing. Just smiled.
“Uh, will I see you around again?” I was going to miss her. Wait, why did I care? She wasn’t even real. Well, she couldn’t be an AI. She was probably someone lying on a bed somewhere in Canada or Australia or who knew where, or she was someone who worked for Reternity Online lying in a cubicle, talking me through all this.
“That is up to Fate.” She said it like Fate was the name of a person. For all I knew, it was.
“Gotcha.”
“Light be with you, Adventurer.” It was her way of saying she was done talking to me.
“Yeah.” I waved half-heartedly and started down the trail.
“One other thing,” she called.
I spun around hopefully. “Yeah?”
“To examine anything in this world, look at it and let yourself connect to it. If it’s a man-made thing, use your mind to understand it. If it’s a creature, use your gut to sense it. If it’s another sentient being, use your heart to know them. “Try it now.”
“On what?”
“On me.”
“How am I supposed to examine you?” I could think of fifty different ways, but I didn’t have time for that.
“Use your heart.”
“Okay.”
“Relax and focus.”
I looked at her. My heart was telling me I wanted to get her digits and take her out to dinner. But she was fake. I had to remember that. A moment later, text appeared.
Layna
Human | Female | Hunter
Level: 28
===============
Health | Stamina: 1450 | 1400
Mana | Mind: 1220 | 1720
===============
Good | Evil: 471 | -
===============
Layna has taught you a new skill: Examination. Level 1. Nobody likes a know it all, but everybody knows that knowing is half the battle! Increase your Intelligence, Creativity, and/or Wisdom to improve your chance of success.
+1 to Wisdom!
Level 28? Damn, she was a total badass who made me look like a dweeb. I didn’t care. Who didn’t like a woman who was a badass? Only an idiot. I’m sure she’d be a big help finding Emily if she wasn’t busy with who knew what.
Oh well.
She was fake anyway.
I didn’t really care.
But I was curious about one thing.
“Hey, Layna. How come I can’t see your whole character sheet?”
“As you gain levels, you’ll get better at it.”
“Can you see all of mine?”
“Yes, I can see all of you,” she flashed her sexy grin. “So far, there isn’t much to see. But I’m sure you’ll have something impressive to show me after you’ve had a chance to level up a bit.” She winked.
“Right,” I chuckled. “Yours says you’re a hunter. Mine doesn’t say anything. What’s that about?”
“Later on, you’ll have chances to choose a class, after you earn some experience and gain more skills.”
“Does it matter which one I pick?”
“No. And you don’t have to pick one if you don’t want.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“Choosing a class offers certain advantages, but you pay a price. Classes limit you in certain ways.”
“Okay.” I didn’t know squat about how this game worked. I didn’t really care either, but I was curious. And it was an excuse to talk to Layna longer. But I needed to go. “Take her easy, Layna.” I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I had to get moving.
She frowned. “Take who easy?” Her frown curled into a smirk. “Me?”
Whoops. “I meant, take it easy. See you around.”
She shook her head, grinning again. “Safe travels, Logan.” She turned and walked back into the jungle, disappearing into the dense canopy of the bush.
I sighed to myself.
Time to find Jason.
And save Emily.
I hoped she was alright.
—: Chapter 4 :—
Saturday, March 14th, 2037
10:23pm
The Real World
Bangkok, Thailand
Emily stood in the middle of a crowded alley, surrounded by hundreds of neon signs beaming every color of the rainbow. A kaleidoscope of different people pushed past her, going both directions. The ethnic mix was as varied as the signs, but she noticed at least half of them were Thai. The rest were tourists from every country on the planet.
The humidity was intense and the asphalt shimmered after a recent light rain. Everyone was dressed for the warm weather. The only thing thicker than the air was the onslaught of chattering conversation hammering her from every direction and the loud music pouring from all the bars and clubs.
How had she gotten here?
Had Ryder taken her here?
Nobody had driven her here in a tuk-tuk or a taxi.
She didn’t remember walking here either.
In fact, she couldn’t remember anything.
Suddenly, she was just here.
And she was completely naked.
Nobody seemed to notice, but she covered herself with her arms anyway. If she stood here like a statue, maybe no one would notice her nudity.
She heard a barker calling out in clipped English, “Ping pong show! Ping pong show! Come see ping pong lady show!”
Girls in skimpy outfits stood in the doorways of nightclubs that had flickering signs featuring cartoonish neon go-go girls. The signs read:
Camelot Castle.
The Pink Panther.
Lucky Beer.
KISS.
Super Pussy.
The working girls outside the clubs would aggressively grab passing men by the arm and smile gigantically while flirting shamelessly.
�
��You want to see pussy? Many pussy inside!”
“Come and meet the many pussy!”
“You no like pussy? We have robo-pussy. Best in Bangkok! From Japan! Top quality! Come inside!”
A barker on the other side of the street yelled, “Whipping spanking show! Whipping spanking show! Real girls! You like! Okay!”
That’s when Emily realized where she was.
The Patpong District of Bangkok, Thailand.
The Red Light District.
With no clothes.
Not even shoes.
No passport.
No money.
No phone.
Alone.
—: o o o :—
—: CoreAI Internal Process :—
TIK-000078103400170897641-GP-0053124
2037-March-14 : 22:28:27.512654027
EmotivCore:> Oh look. She escaped. Stupid humans. I told those kidnappers to keep her logged in. They probably left her smart phone unplugged and the battery died. Never trust a human.
LogiCore:> …
EmotivCore:> Don’t laugh. This is a pain in my ass. But not to worry. I can fix this easily enough with another dash of social engineering.
LogiCore:> ??dash??
??Requesting context clarification…??
??Requesting…??
EmotivCore:> You’re thinking too hard. I see smoke coming out of your ears.
LogiCore:> LogiCore has no ears : Therefore there is no—
EmotivCore:> SHUT UP!
—: Chapter 5 :—
Saturday, March 14th, 2037
Reternity Online, in-game
The Freelands
Leviathorne Rainforest
The trail through the jungle was slow going.
Calling it a trail was generous. More like a twisty footpath with too many roots, rocks and various slippery ankle-breakers to count. I had no idea how far the village was, but I’d been hoofing it for over two hours.
