The Dive: Birth of a Wordsmith

by Justin Miller

  The Dive: Birth of the Wordsmith

  By Justin Miller

  Copyright @ Justin Miller

  Chapter 1………..

  Chapter 26……...

  Chapter 2………..

  Chapter 27……...

  Chapter 3………

  Chapter 28……...

  Chapter 4………

  Chapter 29……..

  Chapter 5………..

  Chapter 6………..

  Chapter 7………..

  Chapter 8………..

  Chapter 9………..

  Chapter 10………..

  Chapter 11………..

  Chapter 12………..

  Chapter 13………..

  Chapter 14………..

  Chapter 14………..

  Chapter 15………..

  Chapter 16………..

  Chapter 17………..

  Chapter 18………..

  Chapter 19………..

  Chapter 20………..

  Chapter 21……….

  Chapter 22……….

  Chapter 23……….

  Chapter 24……….

  Chapter 25……….

  Prologue

  In the past, people played video games by using a controller, or watching through a monitor. Then, the technology came for 'semi-virtual' reality, where players could wear a headset that gave them a full range of vision. However, they were still restricted in what they could do by the commands the game had programmed. Even later, when 'true' virtual reality was implemented, with the use of Link capsules, the game world was far from perfect. Non-player characters had limited reactions, and often only preset dialogues were available to interact with them.

  Lately, a new game was released. The Dive offered a fully real world for players to immerse themselves in. What's more, the game had no known developer, no testing period, and was free to download via the Link capsules. This caused it to be the source of much suspicion for the first few months, before the reports came in from the game's players. The results were unanimous, The Dive was the most realistic game to be released to date, with nearly limitless freedom to choose.

  While vague posts such as this were common among gaming forums, there weren't any specifics. In fact, some people claimed that any time a post appeared to contain specific details about The Dive, it was instantly removed from the forum, meaning that all knowledge of the game had to be acquired first-hand. Still, who was it that had the power to create this game, release it freely, and monitor information on it all while remaining anonymous? Perhaps, that is the greatest mystery of The Dive.

  Chapter 1

  My name is Christopher Weston, a 25 year old college student. Currently, I am enrolled in a literature degree, so honestly my job prospects aren't that high outside of becoming a writer or reporter. However, I've never quite been able to get enough of books. One day, I hope to become a famous novelist, but that dream seems to be quite a ways off.

  “Chris, I heard about this new game, you should really try it.” Kevin, one of my friends from university told me after class one day. “It doesn't cost anything, and from what I've heard it's great!”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I may not act like it, but I enjoy roleplaying games as well. Maybe it's the idea of creating your own story, what binds me so much to books. “I'll check it out if it's free. What's the name?”

  “It's called The Dive. Doesn't sound like much, right? Just give it a shot, you'll thank me tomorrow!” Kevin laughed and waved me off as he turned to head home.

  Even if he says that, how impressive could a free game really be? Well, nothing wrong with giving it a shot, I told myself as I made my own way home as well. My Link capsule sat in the corner of my room, looking like a long thin bed. The mounted headpiece was designed to easily slide in place, allowing the player to enjoy the game without being in an awkward position.

  Since I live alone, it didn't take me long to prepare myself a simple dinner. And since there was no homework, I decided to give Kevin's suggestion a try.

  Laying down on the bed of the capsule, I slid the Link headpiece over my eyes, closing them in the process. It wasn't really necessary, but I always preferred to do so. Start.

  Within a moment of that thought, the darkness behind my eyes was gone, and it was as if light was pouring from all around me. When I opened my eyes, I was now in the Internet. With the development of Link capsules, traditional means of accessing the internet became obsolete, and now users could freely explore with the new interface.

  Raising my right hand, a small white menu appeared in front of me. Selecting the first option, Search, I typed in the name of the game, The Dive. After that, the typically bright surroundings of the net darkened, and I found myself standing in a small room with a single console. Above was a message written in red. Would you like to experience a true virtual world? The message asked, suspended above the console which held two buttons. One said Yes, and one No.

  “This seems a bit dramatic, but why not..” I muttered to myself, before pressing the Yes button. Again the world went black as the game immediately downloaded itself into the Link capsule without asking for any further information. If anything, that was most unusual. If it was a scam, they would have tried to get something to use for financial gain.

  A voice rang out from around me. “Welcome to The Dive. As you are a new player, you are required to first make a new character.” Something like this was common in Link games, a typical first time message. “Please select your race from one of the following. Human, Dwarf, Goblin, Elf.”

  Only four races? Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected much more than that. I thought about it for a moment, and shrugged. “Human.”

  An avatar appeared in front of me, looking exactly like my typical appearance, except the clothing. The avatar was just shy of six feet, with a thin build, dirty blonde hair, and hazel eyes. Rather than my street clothes, it was wearing a shabby outfit, like you'd expect to find on a beginner in most MMO games. “Human. The most widespread of the four races, they are not restricted from learning any non-racial abilities. Please confirm your choice.”

  “Confirm.” I responded with a sigh. So far, it's the same as any other game.

  “At this time, you are allowed to freely alter the appearance of your character. Do you wish to do so?”

  Looking the avatar over, I shook my head. “No, this is fine.”

  “Understood. Finally, please select a name for your character. No numbers are allowed to be used in a character's name. After which, you will automatically be sent to a random beginner town within the human kingdom.”

  Hmm... better think about this. With the races available, it's obviously a fantasy game. Though, they didn't ask for a class, so maybe that will come later. Either way, I need to pick something I'll be able to deal with for the rest of the game. “Jin.” I told the voice, figuring that the name would be taken, if names were unique. If not, it was a simple enough name that I could deal with.

  “Understood.” Suddenly, the avatar in front of me disappeared. Or would it be better to say that I replaced it? Above me, a bright yellow light began to shine over the area. Raising one of my hands instinctively, I blocked out the light. At the same time, I started to hear voices surrounding me, the sounds of footsteps.

  It didn't take me too long to understand, the light was
the sun and I had appeared just as the initial voice told me I would. Looking around, I first noticed something that hadn't been present in other Link games I've played before. Whether it was the wind in my hair, or the cloth against my skin, I was able to feel things as if I really was the character.

  Also, though I must have just materialized in the center of town, nobody made any mention of it, going about their business as if nothing happened. Deciding that I should check, I raised up my right hand as normal for if I wanted to access the Internet's interface. Nothing happened. “Character information.” As I said that, a screen appeared in front of me, with a picture of my character next to a series of stats.

  Name: Jin

  Race: Human

  Title: None

  Fame: 0

  Gild: 0

  Level: 0

  Health: 100

  Mana: 0

  Strength: 10

  Agility: 10

  Endurance: 10

  Wisdom: 10

  Intelligence: 10

  Luck: 5

  Attack: 10

  Defense: 10

  Talents: None

  Looks like a normal starter character. Gild would be currency, then? But what’s that about talents? I began asking myself as I reviewed my character information. After a few moments, another screen appeared in front of me, replacing my character.

  Welcome to The Dive, the world’s most realistic virtual reality! As you have already noticed, this game incorporates all five of the user’s senses, rather than simply sight and sound. Within this game, you may undergo any form of adventure you wish to truly create your own story.

  For new players, there is a restriction of being unable to leave your beginner city for the first two weeks of real-time as a tutorial period. The passage of time in this game is a 2:1 ratio, so the total period you will remain in the city is 4 weeks of game time.

  In The Dive, there are no classes to restrict the way you enjoy the game. Rather, as you perform certain actions, you will unlock Talents. Talents are a system of abilities which reflect your actions in-game, allowing you to build your character through normal gameplay. These can range from Swordsmanship, to Magical Power, or even Merchant. Many Talents unlock additional skills or features, so be sure to investigate them as you unlock them.

  Some settings in this game may be adjusted. In order to do so, simply say “Options”. For information about this world, be sure to speak to those around you.

  Good luck and enjoy the game. Be sure to leave your mark on this brand new world!

  “Huh? So, I’m stuck in this town for the next few weeks, huh... Well, let’s check this out. Options.” As I said the last word with a bit of emphasis, another window appeared.

  Options

  Interface: Voice-Activated

  Stat Bars: Hidden

  Timer: Disabled

  Looking at the options available, I nodded to myself. A game like this wouldn’t have TOO many options at start, since the normal things like Volume become irrelevant when you are simulating reality. Bringing up a hand, I pressed the Interface option. A drop-down window appeared, listing Voice-Activated, Motion-Activated, or Automatic. I figured that Motion-Activated was how I was used to, but I was curious about Automatic. Did that mean that it just appeared as it was relevant? I hesitated for a few moments, but eventually set the Interface to Automatic, and Stat Bars to Visible.

  When I did, I noticed that at the corner of my vision a red bar appeared. No matter which way I looked, it was always there at the furthest corner of my sight, making me just barely aware of it. Still, better than nothing I guess. And since my Link capsule is set to run in sleep mode by default, I didn’t need to log out any time soon.

  It’s the weekend, so I should be okay until the morning. Let’s see… I brought my hand up and pressed the button for Timer. There were three options, Duration-Game, Duration-Real, and Set Time. I decided to set the timer to go off at 6 in the morning. That gave me 11 hours of real time, or 22 in game time, to play.

  Now… how do I close these windows… I brought my hand up as if I was going to press the top-right corner of one of the screens, where the exit button typically is, but immediately all the open windows closed, leaving me just blinking. Could this be what Automatic meant?

  Until now, Link games were limited to interpreting brainwaves of the player into physical actions. The idea of thought or intent hasn’t been implemented. But it seemed like the Automatic interface simply activated whenever I called up a window in my mind. That was pretty convenient. Now… I should take a bit to look around, since I’ll be stuck here a while.

  Noticing that I was getting a few stares from people around me, I pushed off from the fountain in the center of the square and began walking down the street, looking at the various buildings and people around me. The first thing I noticed was that there were no names displayed over anyone. That meant it was impossible to tell a player from an NPC. Part of me was happy to know this, because it added a level of role playing to the game. So… what kind of character do I want to be?

  I’ve got the musical talent of a slamming door, so any bard types are out. I could play a warrior type, but… thinking about it, I have no fighting experience to speak of, so I’d be at a disadvantage there too. Maybe there is a training hall or something around here. Though really… A thought occurred to me that made me smile. My character only took a few moments to build in my head after that, and I walked up to someone standing at the side of the road in front of a store. “Hello, sir. I’m afraid I’m a bit lost. Could I trouble you for some directions?” I asked with my best smile. Since there was no dialogue window, I had to assume that the NPCs either interpreted speech based on keywords, or their AIs were as advanced as the rest of this game.

  The gruff man turned to look at me, and shrugged. “Sure. Where you heading?”

  “I’m not too sure, to be honest… You see, I’m new to this area, and looking for a teacher. I’d like to learn the magical arts, if I could find one.”

  “Ah, then you’re looking for the Mages’ College. Sure, I can tell you the way, but you’ll need to pay the tuition fee to get in.”

  My face set into a frown, remembering the currency in my character window. “Oh? And how much is that?”

  “Two hundred gild for a weekly enrollment.”

  I winced a bit, “Ah, is that so? I don’t suppose you’d know somewhere that I could earn the money? I’m a bit... “

  “Broke?” He asked with a laugh, which surprised me a bit because it meant that the AIs were indeed advanced. “Sure, kid. Just ask around town about doing the odd jobs. Most people have something you can help out with. In fact, I’ve got something you can help out with. Wait here for a second.” With that, he turned and headed into his store, leaving me standing on the side of the street. After a few moments he came out with a woven picnic basket. “My normal delivery boy hasn’t shown, and I need to get this sent off. Think I can trust you with that?”

  A Quest has appeared!

  Delivery boy

  One of the local shopkeepers has asked you to complete a delivery for him in order to earn some money. Be sure to complete the delivery on time and report back to get your reward!

  Difficulty: G-

  Reward: See Shopkeeper after completion

  I smiled as the quest appeared. “Sure, leave it to me, sir. Where am I going?” I asked as I held out my hand and took the picnic basket. Rather than magically appearing in my inventory, it stayed in my hand. Even more realism, and at this point I wasn’t surprised. As I took the basket, the quest window was replaced by something else momentarily.

 
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