Worldshift- Virtual Revolution

by Scott Straughan

  “Ah, no. Ignore all social media,” Ethan said with a roll of his eyes.

  He didn’t feel like talking to anyone. He still had some friends from school he kept in touch with, but he’d grown somewhat distant from them. You could only do so much through impersonal electronic communications. Either they’d found jobs at a big company and no longer wanted to hang out with him, or they were still unemployed and had grown reclusive, living in grey housing that cut its own lawns and vacuumed its own floors. Ethan wasn’t feeling social anyway. It was just that… nothing of importance had changed since he’d logged on last, a week ago. All the days blended together, since he didn’t really ever do anything in the real world…

  Suddenly, Mr. Featherbottom hooted again. Ethan glanced back up to see the Worldshift logo appear next to the cartoon animal.

  “Hey, Ethan! There is a priority notification from the Tekko corporation to remind you that the first Worldshift realm event starts later today,” the owl announced happily with a little dance. “After the Tower of Ascension update goes live, there will be new features and prizes for participants. You will also have a chance to win both in-game items and real-world money, including a ten-million-dollar grand prize!”

  “As if I could forget that,” Ethan told the screen as he rolled his eyes again. He’d been bombarded with reminders about the event all week, both in the real and online.

  He was looking forward to the event, but he didn’t feel the need to start playing it the moment it went live. Sure, it was technically a race, but he didn’t stand a chance of winning anyway. He would probably start playing once the initial rush was over. It would be less hectic that way, and besides, he’d been using the VR system too much lately. It was terrible for his health being online all the time. Humans need real-life exercise. Ethan didn’t want to become another obese VR addict. Society was full of enough of those already. Ethan suspected VR was the reason he’d never seen most of his neighbors. They had basic income, and drones delivered everything they needed, so they never had to go outside.

  Feeling annoyed for some reason he couldn’t pin down, Ethan walked away from the television. He threw his empty can in the recycling and wandered back to the window. There, he was once again confronted by the rows of grey townhouses, although this time he got to see a white car drive by. Yeah!

  Unity City was much the same as every other city in America. It used to have a different name, but it had been renamed in order to better promote harmony years ago, like every other city. Old names reminded people of the injustices and disharmony of the past, so they’d had to go. The conformity was a little crushing, but Ethan didn’t want to be unappreciative of all the benefits society gave him. He was quite spoiled really.

  Boredom weighed down on Ethan. He needed to go do something, but what? He could go for a walk. That was definitely a thing he could do, but where would he go? The only places within walking distance were the local corporate convenience store and a café.

  Ethan didn’t need to go to the store, and the café near him was a part of the Value Cup chain. That wasn’t his favorite brand. There were a few other big chains that had cafés in other neighborhoods like his, and fancier areas had fancier cafés, but you never saw them competing in the same area. Ethan had no idea how it was decided which neighborhoods got which brands, but they seemed to do it somehow. Anyway, he didn’t feel like hanging out at a coffee shop. Even if he saw someone he knew, he wouldn’t have anything to say to them.

  Should he go downtown? He could call a shuttle to take him into the city. There were lots more registered businesses and recreation facilities there that catered to people on economic support. He would have to avoid the work districts though. There, everything was a premium brand and way too expensive for him. It was ridiculous how much people would pay for a coffee, but that was far from the worst part. The people there looked down on anyone who wasn’t wearing the latest corporate fashions, which were way too expensive for anyone on basic income to afford. No, it wasn’t worth it. He didn’t need some smug snobs sneering at him just because their daddy had pulled some strings and gotten them a meaningless job pushing papers somewhere. What a bunch of—

  Hoot! Startled by the unexpected noise, Ethan glanced back at the television. On the screen, his system avatar was flapping its wings to get his attention.

  “The Tower of Ascension awaits the brave! Soon, its gates will be unlocked, Ethan. You should log in and prepare. It could change your life! Think about all the prizes you might win and all the new people you could meet.”

  Perplexed, Ethan stared at Mr. Featherbottom. This was very unusual behavior for him, or any system avatar. They were programmed not to be aggressive advertisers, lest they annoy their owners and get turned off.

  “Huh, Tekko is really pushing this event,” Ethan muttered to himself.

  Tekko was one of the biggest companies in the world. They made practically everything electronic, and they obviously had some influence over his system’s avatar. Maybe his owl friend had a point though. It wasn’t like he was doing anything else important, and this event was obviously a huge deal.

  “All right, I’m going! You can stop bothering me, Mr. Featherbottom,” Ethan said as he headed back toward his bedroom and the VR system it contained. On his way, he heard an excited hoot of acknowledgement from behind him.

  Ethan sighed. His friends were probably online anyway. It seemed like everyone was playing Worldshift these days. Personally, it was Ethan’s favorite game, so he didn’t blame them. He’d gotten hooked on it after receiving a free trial for buying the latest neuro-implant from Tekko. Ethan knew he was playing it a little too much, but it was just so much more interesting than the real world. In Worldshift, he was free to accomplish things and take risks.

  Ethan lay back on his bed. Once comfortable, he put the black visor over his eyes and pressed the activation button. Instantly, everything went dark and the Worldshift logo appeared. A moment later, he was suddenly bodiless and floating high above an undeveloped area full of plains and forests. It was a spectacular view. Clouds zipped by as he zoomed over a sea of green. There was a city off in the distance, but he was so high up that it was impossible to see details.

  “Take me to Handon City,” Ethan told the empty air.

  There was a humming noise, and Ethan’s surroundings blurred as the scene abruptly changed. Now, he was in the middle of a city made up of a diverse mix of buildings. Most of them were only two or three stories tall, but many of them supported huge video screens that were playing colorful advertisements. Behind the flashing screens, a bunch of tall apartment buildings rose into the sky. They seemed to almost sway in the wind, making them appear rickety and unsafe.

  Looking around, Ethan smiled. Under the heat of the hot sun, everything looked dusty and worn, but it wasn’t broken or unclean. No, it was the grime of industry and activity. Ethan was standing on a platform that stood in the center of a small plaza. The plaza was full of colorful stalls where players had set up. As people appeared and disappeared on the teleportation platform around Ethan, merchants at the stalls yelled out to attract customers. Their prices weren’t the best, but they were the fastest way for players to buy or sell all the basic in-game commodities they got from hunting monsters and exploring the world.

  Past the plaza rose a messy wall of buildings and billboards. Four wide streets cut through them, going in each of the cardinal directions. Players were everywhere. Swarms of them milled about the stalls and wandered up and down the roads. The players wore an incredible mix of different outfits and styles. High-tech armor contrasted with ragged cloaks and business attire. Off to Ethan’s right, a woman in a skin-tight suit that was decorated by circuitry was talking to a man in a cowboy costume. The entire place looked vibrant and alive. The air was full of energy as people called out to each other and went on with their business.

  Still smiling, Ethan jumped off the platform. He never got tired of how alive this place felt. It was invigorating! Wit
hin Worldshift, everyone was constantly building things and challenging themselves. This entire city had been built by players, and it had a prosperous in-game economy.

  Ethan landed on the paved stone and walked through the plaza, weaving through stalls and clusters of people until he made his way onto one of the roads. Here, both sides of the road were lined by shops with huge colorful signs advertising their services. More than a few of them had images of guns or swords that glowed with neon light.

  Since the event would go live soon, Ethan needed to prepare, which meant visiting his favorite shop. He swerved away from a cart being pulled by two large flightless birds and then took a right down another street. A shop to his left had a sign above its door that showed a sun rising from behind a row of mountains. Ethan headed straight for it, pulled the door open, and stepped inside.

  The room on the other side was decidedly old-fashioned. A long wooden counter ran along one wall, and wooden shelves containing a plethora of items filled the space. There was a woman behind the counter. She had long blonde hair and glasses, and she was dressed in conservative business attire. She also had a glowing yellow dot floating above her head to signify that she was an NPC. As a computer program, she wasn’t nearly as smart or adaptable as a real person.

  “Hey, Jane. Is Harold available?” Ethan asked as he walked toward her.

  The woman smiled politely. “Hello, Ethan. Welcome back. I’ll send Harold a message to see if he is online. Just wait a quick second.”

  “No problem. I’ll just scan your catalog while I wait,” Ethan replied as he tapped his wrist device and opened the shop menu. The items on the shelves were basically just for display.

  Worldshift was a game that went out of its way to make players do things for themselves. Thus, there was no centralized marketplace. Except for a few basic items that could be acquired from NPCs, everything was bought and sold between players. Very few complete items dropped from enemies as well, so players had to level-up their craft skills and make them themselves. This in turn led to many craftsmen opening shops, especially since a lot of crafting required a large workshop full of specialized machines. The result was a free-wheeling economy that required lots of work and investment but could be very rewarding. Players could make far more money by leveraging high crafting and setting up a business than by exploring and clearing dungeons.

  Ethan was interrupted from his shopping by Jane’s voice. “Harold will be with you soon. He’s just in the back.”

  “All right, thanks,” Ethan answered before turning back to the log. He hadn’t seen anything new yet, but he had nothing better to do while he waited.

  It only took a few minutes for the shop’s owner to appear. The door beside the counter opened and a middle-aged man stepped out. He had a short-trimmed beard that was beginning to go grey and a scowl on his face.

  “Ah, if it isn’t my most annoying customer,” Harold said as he walked toward Ethan. “Are you here to pick up some stuff for the big event?”

  “Pretty much. I was wondering if you had anything new to show me.”

  “I’ve been working on some new lifelines, but I don’t have anything useable right now,” the shopkeeper replied with a shrug. Harold was a craftsman who specialized in grappling gear, hookshots, and climbing equipment.

  Ethan sighed. “That’s too bad. At least the ones I’m using right now are your usual good work.”

  “Only good, eh?”

  “Sorry, you’re the best there is in the entire game, and I mean that,” Ethan told him with a friendly grin.

  Harold huffed in disbelief. “It’s amazing how the crafting system is set up. There are so many tools for item creation built into this game. It’s weird. When you get into the advanced stuff, then everything is customizable, and I mean everything. It’s like I’m creating a blueprint for a 3-D printer or something.”

  “Except for all the game magic and super sci-fi technology.”

  “Except for that, yes. Don’t think that makes it easy though. It’s super complicated stuff. I know a fair bit of 3-D design coding, and this is actually harder if also similar in a lot of ways. I don’t know what they were thinking making it so hard. I wouldn’t have the time to learn it if the game time wasn’t dilated and the learning software wasn’t so advanced.”

  Ethan chuckled. “That’s how I feel about climbing, shooting, swordsmanship, and everything else.”

  Worldshift was designed to be as realistic as possible. That meant operating the weapons in the game required players to know how to use them. For instance, shooting required real marksmanship skills. There were no shortcuts. Instead, the game software actually interacted with the player’s brain and helped it learn complex tasks faster. It was very advanced technology, and a bit creepy if you thought about it, which Ethan didn’t. The game time was also set up so that it went by faster than in reality. One hour in game was only fifteen minutes in reality, although that was standard in many VR games.

  Harold snorted. “I certainly didn’t start playing with the intention of becoming a glorified rope salesman, but that’s what I am now. I just can’t stop tinkering.”

  “You still do a fair bit of adventuring. It’s why your gear is so great, because you test it out yourself.”

  Harold huffed in annoyance. “I spend less than half my time outside this shop.”

  “Well, are you planning on joining in the event yourself? That seems like a good excuse to get out of the shop.”

  “Of course I am. I’m not going to miss the chance to explore a completely new area the moment it gets unlocked.”

  “Do you want to join up with me? It would be useful to have another expert climber along,” Ethan asked.

  “I’ll keep you in mind, but the rumor going around is that the event won’t allow parties to enter together. Supposedly, everyone has to enter alone and find their own way up the tower.”

  “Huh, that’s odd. I’ve never heard of an event like that in any game. Usually they encourage team play,” Ethan remarked in disappointment. He knew a few other players he’d been thinking about teaming up with. Although lately, many of his friends had stopped inviting him to join their parties. They complained he was far too reckless and wasn’t focused enough on winning or getting the best loot.

  “I’ve heard it from reliable sources,” Harold assured Ethan. “It must be because of the prizes. Ten million could set someone up for life, so they don’t want players forming huge factions before the event even starts.”

  “Makes sense, I guess.”

  “Well, if that’s all you want to talk about, then I should get back to work. There is some stuff I’d like to get done before the event.”

  “Fine, I’ll just talk to Jane about replenishing some of my supplies and selling off some junk.”

  “Go right ahead,” Harold replied before turning and heading back through the far door. It shut with a solid thud behind him. When he was gone, Ethan walked to Jane’s counter.

  “You’ll give me a discount for being a loyal customer, right?” he asked the digital character.

  Jane shook her head and gave him a polite smile. “No, I reserve that for the cute boys.”

  “Ouch!” Ethan laughed as he opened the store menu and began shopping. He wasn’t sure if Harold had taught her to say that or if it had come with her program.

  Ethan quickly scrolled through his inventory and sold the items he didn’t need. He then bought some health potions, ammo, and a spool of Harold’s special lifeline to replenish the wire he’d used in the Chaos Plains. It was expensive but tougher and lighter than the regular stuff.

  When he was done, he closed the interface and met Jane’s gaze. “Bye, Jane! Try to keep Harold from becoming too much of a shut-in.”

  “No one can budge him when he’s working, but I’ll try,” Jane replied politely.

  After a wave goodbye, Ethan headed back outside. There were a few people walking down the road and going in and out of the nearby shops, but he ignored them and
tapped his wrist device.

  “Teleport me to the Tower of Ascension,” he said aloud.

  CHAPTER 3

  THE THRESHOLD

  Instantly, Ethan’s surroundings blurred again and then shifted until they reformed into a completely new environment. Grey snow-peaked mountains blocked the horizon. Ethan was looking up at them from within a desolate valley. Tufts of rugged grass and moss grew between the weathered rocks that covered the ground. All around him, over a hundred colorful tents were staked into place. They were large structures with peaked roofs, and their fabric shifted and rippled in the cold wind that was blowing through the camp. The bright colors gave the camp a festive air, even though it was obviously a hastily constructed settlement on the edge of the world.

  Players of all kinds were scattered among the tents. They talked among themselves or gazed toward the sight that dominated the setting. On the far side of the camp, there was a rocky hill with a single path going up it. At the top of the hill stood a tower that defied belief. Most of the visible structure was made of smooth stone that looked to have grown organically instead of being built by someone’s hands. It was also massive. An entire castle could have fit within its girth, and it rose unbelievably high into the sky. The tower pierced the clouds and dwarfed the mountains. Its heights continued into the heavens, so he couldn’t see its top—if it had one. Various smaller structures protruded from the sides of the tower. None of which seemed to follow any theme. Some were made of steel and glass, like giant bubbles or oil rigs, while others looked like wooden forts. There was even a huge glowing crystal.

  Worldshift was very realistic and mimicked all the senses, so Ethan sometimes forgot he was in a simulation. However, the incredible sight of the tower instantly reminded Ethan that he wasn’t in the real world. Nothing like this structure could have possibly existed on Earth. It had an appealing lack of harmony.

  Ethan whistled in awe. “Wow, the pictures on the net don’t do it justice.”