by Cosimo Yap
“No, I haven’t. Let’s go now.”
“Don’t you need to pick out an emblem?”
“I already have one—a white circle, the healer’s symbol.”
“All right,” Alan said, as he was practically dragged out of the room and to the nearby capsule room. He entered a capsule and selected the Market as his destination after withdrawing an item from Administrator storage. Into Cyberspace he went.
He skipped through the initial welcome messages—the Market was equivalent to an auction house in a MMORPG except you could test out the items you wanted to purchase, or go to the bazaar, where you could potentially find great deals. People seemed to enjoy the experience of shopping, and the Market tried to fulfill that need in every shape and form.
Alan would have preferred to just search through a list and find the best price, but Eve wanted him to handle a few transactions in person.
Alan met up with Daisy in front of a pet store Eve recommended. It was unlike any pet store Alan had been in before, and was the size of a large department store.
On the left was a wide variety of cute animals: small, furry creatures ranging in size from baby squirrels to panda bears. There were also little blobs of slime and small reptiles, each in their own habitat like at a zoo.
On the right were combat pets, deadly creatures to be trained for battle. Most were still young, with videos displaying the fearsome beasts they would someday become. Loyal hounds, venomous serpents, and exotic pets like a flying fish that absorbed shield energy and discharged it in an attack.
In the middle of the store were combat pets that were also cute or just plain cool. On prominent display was a small dragon egg, priced at 100 platinum marks or 200M credits. Next to it was another egg that would grow into a fiery bird that resembled a phoenix, 50M credits. There was also what appeared to be a rock, for 10M credits.
A Crystal Golem. As it grows it will generate and shed power crystals that will sell for tens of thousands of credits. It is also quite adept at absorbing energy and is almost impossible to damage with conventional energy weapons, Eve sent.
Daisy ran over to a fluffy animal that resembled a cross between a fox and a ferret. An attendant went up to help her.
Alan examined the combat pets and was surprised to find that Razor Puffballs sold for 10k credits apiece. Maybe he should try to capture a few.
We should sell the unidentified egg now if you are unwilling to use it, Eve sent. Raising a pet could prove a good—
No. We’re not keeping it.
Very well, then we sell it. Ask for an appraisal.
Alan flagged down an attendant, then brought out the prize he had received for reaching the center of the insect colony back on Incipe—an unidentified Spider Egg. He held out the egg at arm’s length. He hated bugs.
The attendant took the egg and placed it carefully onto an incubator-like machine. After scanning it, she said, “This appears to be a Queen Arachnid egg. Please wait here as I fetch my manager. He handles all of the larger deals.” She walked off behind closed doors.
Queen? We should have gotten it sooner, Alan sent.
According to my database, the market price of such an egg is 500k credits, but it has spiked as high as 650k, with a low of 400k. The Administrators were only offering 100k for the egg.
Why would anyone want to raise such a monster?
Players have strange taste. Additionally, Queen Arachnids can become fearsome Control Point or dungeon bosses. There is a dungeon competition held every few years in which players, or groups of players, try to build elaborate dungeons, often themed. Prices for pets capable of becoming bosses at are their height then.
Daisy walked over with the pet she had been playing with earlier; it was nuzzled against her cheek, resting.
“Are you thinking of buying it?” Alan asked.
“No, it’s cute, but it isn’t real,” Daisy said. She petted the animal slowly.
“Just because it’s digital doesn’t mean it isn’t real,” Alan said. “The AIs in the Game have a frightening amount of intelligence. I don’t think the creators had morality on their minds when it was created. Each small creature here may be capable of its own thoughts, its own decisions. Besides, nothing is really real.”
“Nothing is real?” Daisy asked.
Alan looked around. “You say that none of these animals are real, because they are simply bits of data within the Game. But how do we know that reality isn’t simply bits of data of a larger game, made of strings instead of electrical signals? All of our feelings, our thoughts, are just the product of random signals and noise. At least we know the Game has some underlying structure.”
Daisy tilted her head.
“Sorry,” Alan said. “A few too many philosophy classes, I think.”
“No, it was interesting,” Daisy said. She held up the small creature in front of her face. “Maybe I will buy you. My love will be real, at least.”
For some reason, Alan blushed and looked away. Too much cuteness, perhaps.
A Haxlard arrived, dressed in a green robe with a green mask. “Praised be the Three. Welcome to my humble shop. You’ve brought in quite the remarkable specimen. I am ready to offer 400,000 credits for it.”
Eve sent a table to Alan, a list of previously sold Arachnid Queen eggs.
“But I’ve seen in my research that the eggs have sold for as high as 750k credits,” Alan said.
“At the height of buying season, yes, but now the market price is different. I’m afraid 450k is my best offer.”
“I suppose I’ll have to find another buyer, then,” Alan said. “I could always just hold onto it myself until the time is right. An easy investment.” He turned to leave.
“Wait, 500k is the best I can do,” the Haxlard said.
Alan turned his head back, and said, “500k might be the current price, but it isn’t the best that you can do.”
“Fine, and this is the last final offer. 500k, and I’ll throw in a pet worth up to 25k for you and that 1k furgy for your girlfriend.”
“Deal,” Alan said.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Daisy said, “and don’t think I’ll be bribed by gifts.”
Ask her if there’s any chance for you, Eve sent.
What? No.
Do it. There is no risk in asking.
Fine.
Alan looked over at Daisy. “Would you ever take a chance on me?”
“No,” she said immediately.
“Oh.” Alan looked down at his hands. He opened his right hand and lifted it up. What do people normally do with their hands? He brushed back his hair, and then tried putting his hand in his pocket. Except he wasn’t wearing pants, he was in power armor, and so he banged his hand against the side of solid medal.
“Umm, right, yeah, I’m going to go now. See ya around,” he said. See ya around? What was that?
“Aren’t you forgetting our deal?” the shopkeeper asked.
“Ah, yes, sorry, it slipped my mind,” Alan said, stopping mid-step.
“It has nothing to do with you,” Daisy said. “I’m sure you’re a wonderful guy, a great gamer.”
“Of course,” Alan said. He began examining the combat pets. All those under 25k seemed inferior; he’d outlevel and surpass each one in strength soon enough.
Daisy put a hand on his shoulder. She leaned in and whispered to him, “It’s just that right now there’s this thing going on between me and someone, something that really shouldn’t be going on. Please don’t tell anyone, okay? I really would give you a shot if I wasn’t already in a relationship.”
“Oh, right,” Alan said, slightly red-faced. “I’ll be sure to research any girls I might ask out in the future.”
“Don’t say stuff like that, it makes you sound creepy. Your approach was right, just ask,” Daisy said. “And rejection is a normal part of life, get used to it. Have you talked to Kitana lately?”
“No, I haven’t. I actually have no idea what she’s up to,” Alan said.
/>
“Oh, right,” Daisy said, “I just remembered she was at the Hunting Grounds.”
“I thought there was a limit to the creatures you could hunt,” Alan said.
“There are rare bounties and bosses that you can fight in the deep jungles inaccessible by vehicle, where they don’t care about population,” Daisy said. “The risks are much higher, though—you have a real chance of dying, and have to spend days on end in the wilderness. I couldn’t do such a thing. The insects, the muck, the diseases, they’re all in the Game.”
“Interesting,” Alan said. He looked over to the shop owner. “Is it okay if I just keep that 25k on credit, potentially for a future purchase? There aren’t any pets that I want right now.”
“Certainly,” they said. “So we have a deal, then?”
“Yes,” Alan said. 500k credits were transferred to his character. A message popped up:
Haggling for a better deal, you have gained a new ability, Barter!
+10 Charisma
“Thank you, Alan,” Daisy said. “Goodbye.”
“Bye,” Alan said as Daisy vanished from the Market, teleporting to her Home.
Stop sulking, Eve sent. You wouldn’t have been a good match anyways. I also knew that she would turn you down. I just thought it would help build character and experience to have you be rejected.
Wait, you had me say that, even though you knew I had no chance?
Yes. None of the signs were there. It was obvious she didn’t view you as a potential mate.
Enough of this charisma crap, Alan sent. Tomorrow we shoot stuff or explore.
Very well.
Chapter 11
Wake up, Eve sent.
Alan awoke. A jolt flashed through his brain. What? It’s 06:22.
You have an important message from Phantom. Alan opened his messages.
Phantom: Your first official guild assignment has been determined. You and Kitana will return to the Black Rose guild within thirty standard days. The details will be discussed then; you are not to tell anyone that you are being sent on a mission, even fellow guildmates. We understand that this mission shortens your Academy semester; thus you have been sent five platinum marks. Depending on mission results, additional rewards may be given. If you are concerned about further training, guild trainers and facilities are up to academy standards and will be available for use once your mission has been completed. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Alan: Message received.
Phantom: Good luck, spend your remaining days at the Academy wisely.
A new quest appeared:
Black Rose Mission (Hidden):
Report to the Black Rose base within 30 days.
Reward: ???
Failure: Guild Expulsion
Alan laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
So I guess we should throw away any hope of reaching Volta, he sent Eve.
Yes. Mastering two skills and acquiring ten Rogue Commendations in thirty days seems unlikely, Eve replied. We do not require Teachers or the Academy to reach a basic or intermediate proficiency in most abilities; I have acquired the data from Academy servers to do so. Instead, we should focus on acquiring advanced, specialized knowledge.
Like hacking, Alan sent. With the Revenant discount, Cerberus’s training will cost 13,500C; we have an Enforcer coin worth 10,000C. Five platinum marks are worth 500 ability points, another 2,500C, and we can buy two more for the last 1,000C with the profits from selling the pet. We’ll have 100k credits left.
Very well. It should be noted that while you can only exchange marks for ability points equal to five times your level, once those ability points are exchanged to C, they are freed up once more. We currently have bought 500 extra ability points, 100 levels’ worth, Eve sent.
Got it. Alan began to connect to the Administrator to teleport to the Market.
Why hacking, though? Eve asked.
Alan cut off his connection to the Administrator, making sure none of the conversation would be heard by them. He looked around the empty white space in his Home.
I’m never going to beat a Predecessor following the rules, Alan sent. He brought up the ability he thought was key; it hadn’t changed:
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Data Interaction
S*
???
S
Error.
That’s what I’m afraid of, Eve sent. What happens when you are caught breaking the rules?
Alan ended his connection to Eve, reconnecting to the Administrator. He activated hypercognition and hacked them.
Alan found himself in the center bunker of his base, the newly named Citadel. He exited the bunker and flew upwards. The Citadel was a circle with the radius of a few city blocks. In the distance was an entire city, the Administrator’s “mind.” Alan began to fly closer, trying to get a better look.
It was grey, divided into separate quadrants of buildings whose purpose Alan couldn’t determine. Most of them were just large, grey rectangles, with power lines extending outward. A dark grey wall twenty feet high protected the city. Spherical turrets that had single straight barrels were spaced every few meters on the wall—thousands of them.
A shield appeared, obscuring Alan’s vision of the city. A ball of blue electricity emerged from the shield. It moved faster than he could dodge, hitting him square in the chest.
Alan’s vision flared black, and when he could see again he was back in his Home. The Administrator turned to him.
Player. This is your first warning. You are not to attempt to hack into Administrators or the Game itself. If you break this rule again you will be given a large number of penalty points. A third attempt at such unlawful actions will result in rejection from the Game and a temporary banning. You will not make a fourth attempt.
Got it, sorry, I was just testing a new ability, Alan sent.
Greetings, traveler, how may I aid you today? the Administrator replied.
Alan stared at the Administrator for a second, then sent, How do I remove warnings?
Warnings may only be removed by Chief Administrators. They will often require a certain level of reputation with the Administrators, a fee, and a redemption quest to remove.
Okay, thanks, Alan sent.
That was dumb, Eve sent.
Alan ignored her. He then collected the marks the Black Rose guild had paid, went to the market to purchase two additional platinum marks, exchanged the seven platinum marks for 700 ability points, and proceeded to Cerberus’s chambers.
***
“I’ve decided to become a hacker,” Alan said. He was in Cerberus’s specialized capsule, about to spend far too many ability points.
“Very well,” Cerberus said. “Might I make a suggestion first? Buy the thrifty Rogue talent and specialize in hacking for talented. Each will decrease the cost of training by 5%, allowing you to double dip by decreasing the ability points and the C you spend.”
“Why is the training cost decreased by those abilities?” Alan asked.
“This is the Academy,” Cerberus said. “Teachers discount as if you were spending your points with an Administrator. Now spend.”
Alan accepted Cerberus’s suggestions. Two messages appeared:
You have gained a new Rogue talent, Thrifty! Costs to develop your character’s skills decreased by 5%. Discount is not retroactive.
Talented (Undeveloped) has become Talented (Hacking)! With your newfound talents, the cost to develop Hacking abilities has been decreased by 5%. Additional Hacking upgrades unlocked. The Citadel’s capacity has expanded. The base is now at 3% of capacity.
Alan felt a rush of knowledge as a light engulfed him, connections forming in his mind. He turned to Cerberus.
A message appeared:
Accept Cerberus’s training for 12,000C? 400 ability points will be converted to 2,000C, resetting the total ability points bought to 800. One
Enforcer coin will be exchanged for 10,000C.
Accept. Alan was left with 172 ability points.
A thin ray of light shot out from Alan to Cerberus; Cerberus stood straighter, a spark in his eyes that Alan had not seen before.
“Excellent. Let us finish what we stared.”
***
Alan stood at the center of the laser grid, back in the training ground, Cerberus beside him. Laser beams struck Cerberus, but appeared to cause no damage.
“There is but one path left,” Cerberus said. Alan turned toward the left, to the forest clearing. He maneuvered through the laser grid with Eve’s help, wondering what type of training would be next.
As he entered the forest clearing, four soldiers appeared, each wearing basic power armor and wielding laser rifles. Accompanying them was a single psionic medic, identified by the white dot emblem on his power armor. The medic carried no weapon.
“Your first task is to escape the forest without casualties,” Cerberus said. “You may not help or hinder your squad in any way, and you may not move more than five meters away from your squad. You may give out orders.”
Alan looked around; there was only forest. He looked at the NPC soldiers, and said, “Move forward.”
The soldiers began moving forward.
“Stop.”
The soldiers stopped.
“Dance the Macarena.”
They began dancing in sync.
“Fire into the trees about fifty meters ahead, ten meters to the right.”
The soldiers fired at the approximate location Alan gave while they danced. They missed a lot. He tried connecting to their minds, as he detected they had faint presences.
Cerberus stretched out a hand and stopped him. “That’s cheating. You’re leading this squad, not controlling them.”
“All right,” Alan said, “not sure what the point of all this is.”
Have the soldiers take the following formation, Eve sent, an image accompanying her message.
