Alterlife

by Matt Moss

  I expect a menu to navigate from; something like ‘Start’ or ‘Options’, but instead, the logo and the scenery disappears, and I find myself standing next to a fountain in a crowded town street.

  And in that moment, it hits me and I realize virtual reality for the first time. In real life, I’m sitting in a chair; in the game, I’m standing next to a fountain. I look around with amazement, fully immersed in this other world. The town has an early European feel to it with cobblestone streets, buildings, and shops made from stone and brick with wood tile roofs. Looking closer, I see the signs posted in front of them ‘Inn’, ‘Tavern’, ‘Blacksmith’, ‘Goods’. Some people are walking about, while others are running around the square, stopping by each shop to browse their wares. More than a handful are like me, standing and looking around in awe.

  A person suddenly materializes a few paces from where I stand. Like a newborn babe, he looks around the world in amazement and dismay.

  A fine dressed, middle-aged gentlemen with blonde hair walks towards us. “Ah, newbies. Always nice to see new faces in Alterlife. May I ask your names?”

  “Pigslayer19,” the burly man beside me says without hesitation.

  The gentlemen writes the name down in a ledger and looks to me. “And yours?”

  I ponder for a moment. I’ve always struggled with naming my characters. Even as a child playing the original NES, I would just use the name of another character in some other game. For years, I used Kain from the Final Fantasy series. Come to think of it, the most original name I ever came up with was ‘Ace’. Which isn’t original at all.

  Why not?

  “Ace.”

  He jots the name down. “Very well. I am Gamemaster Deakins. If any of you need any assistance, say the words ‘Summon Gamemaster’ and someone will attend to you shortly. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

  “Yeah. Where’s the whorehouses I’ve heard everyone talk about?” Pigslayer19 asks. I shake my head in disbelief, stifling a chuckle.

  The Gamemaster smiles, turns, and points across the street. “Third building on the left. Ask the woman at the desk how much a night of pleasure costs.” The man runs off in a rush of excitement. When he’s gone, Deakins laughs. “You’d be surprised how many people ask that when they first come here.” He watches as the man walks into the third building, turns to me with a knowing grin, and waits. I move to speak but he holds a hand up to stop me as he counts. “Five, four, three, two, one...”

  Pigslayer19 bursts from the door, shoved by a rather large woman wearing leather armor. He hits the ground and scrambles away before she can throttle him any more. Deakins slaps his knee and laughs. “Gets them every time.”

  “That’s not a whorehouse?”

  He points at the woman. “That is Eldra, the town’s Beasthunter. She’s used to hunting timberwolves and bears for those with enough coin to hire her skills. Still, I get a kick out of people who come here looking for that sort of good time. It clearly says that this game is rated ‘suitable for all ages’ on the package. Can’t have a twelve year old named Pigslayer19 immersed in total realism, now can we? That just wouldn’t be right,” he says with a hint of humor.

  I can see that this man knows a lot about this world and holds valuable information.

  “So you say hiring Eldra would be a good place to start for a newcomer?” From my early years of gaming, I know that animal hides, or pelts as they’re called, are worth money. The meat can also be sold or eaten to replenish vitality. I’m not sure about the game mechanics in this world yet, though. Do I have hit points? Is there a life bar that I’m missing somewhere?

  “She would be a good place to start, yes. She accommodates all skill levels.”

  “What can you tell me about this place?” I ask, looking around.

  He tilts his head. “Did you not follow the tutorial?” he replies.

  ”Must have missed that part.”

  “That’s quite alright. I’ll load it for you.” He pulls what looks like a book from the satchel bag that he carries, opens the tome, and begins touching the pages like it’s a tablet. When he’s done, he meets my eye and smiles. “Have fun.”

  No sooner than he says the words, I’m transported to another place and time, finding myself inside of a metal globe, or sphere-like room, and there’s a tall, thin door on the other side of the small space.

  I speak. “Hello?”

  Words begin to appear in front of me and bounce up and down in the air, alternating with animations in their own respects for demonstration. They’re simple commands like jump, sit, walk, use right hand, use left hand. By saying the word ‘items’, I can access my inventory and see what goods I have on my person. Supposedly, a character can carry up to three hundred items, and up to five hundred pounds before becoming overweight. If this happens, dexterity and stamina are reduced until the set point is reached. Basically, get rid of some shit.

  The word ‘equip’ brings up the weapon and armor list, along with what my character is equipped with--including any enchantments or artifacts. Right now, I can see that I’m wearing a cotton tunic and light cotton pants. I recall the forums, and understand that there are magic-imbued weapons and armor to be had as I progress through the game. That’s where the money’s at. Those rare items are what I’m looking for.

  ‘Health’ brings up a hit point bar that I can either hide or display on my HUD, or heads-up display, along with a ‘stamina’ bar.

  ‘Map’ brings up the world map and highlights where I’ve recently been. A nice feature in case I ever get lost.

  Then the real kicker hits. The words need only be spoken once. From there, the game learns the user and everything is controlled by my mind.

  For instance, if I develop my character to become a Mage, I cast a fireball by simply thinking it and aiming for whatever target I want to hit instead of speaking the words ‘cast fireball, use right hand’.

  Very cool.

  The fighter class has skills like ‘dash’ that are also controlled at will by the mind. The tutorial is basic on character classes, but reassures me that there are many more and that the world of Alterlife will answer any questions I may have in time. This is just a basic overview of how to operate in the world.

  This is unreal.

  It asks me if I would like to replay any of the content provided in the tutorial. “No. I’m ready to dive in.”

  The thin door opens and I walk into the white light.

  I’m transported back into the game, standing beside the fountain. Gamemaster Deakins is no longer there, nowhere to be seen. On the edge of the fountain, there’s a note. I pick it up.

  “Go see Eldra,” it reads.

  Walking to the door of her shop, I’m a little nervous. Could Deakins be playing a trick on me now? I go through the open door and see the big woman sharpening a hunting knife with a whetstone. Red, thick hair and standing six foot tall, she raises her eyes to meet mine.

  “I swear to Thal, if you ask me about a good time I’m going to skin you with this knife.” She points it at me to make her point, then returns to honing the blade on the stone.

  “I’ve got no time for that, Eldra,” I reply and look around the barren shop at a sparse supply of heavily-used swords, spears, bows and arrows. The place smells like old wood and leather.

  Her eyes raise from her work to meet mine. “Then you must be here for a hunt. That’s what I do; see the sign out front? It says ‘Eldra the Hunter – Guided Hunts and Adventures.’ Not Eldra the Whore.”

  I smile at her. “You keep what you kill,” I add, repeating the smaller words on the bottom of the sign.

  She runs a finger across the blade to test its edge, then puts it away in one of her many sheaths that she wears. “Well, at least you can read. There’s my prices. Let me know what you decide,” she tells me, pointing to a wood sign near the desk, then goes to the back of the shop.

  I walk closer to get a look. Five gold coins for a small game hunt. Ten for boar. Fifty for
wolf. One hundred for bear. Apparently, Alterlife deals in gold coins, much like most other video games.

  She walks to the back of the counter and places her hands on the table. They’re larger and stronger than most men’s hands, and I imagine they could crush about anything she laid them on. “So, made up your mind yet? What’ll it be, newbie?”

  I’ve got no time for the small stuff. “How much to hunt a dragon?”

  “A dragon?” she barks back and sizes me up with a chuckle. “A noob like you would do best to hunt rabbits. There’s not a soul in Alterlife that can take on a dragon by themselves. Only one that’s ever been killed was done so by a raiding party over a hundred strong.”

  I lean on the counter, intrigued. “A guild?”

  She nods and folds her arms. “Aye. The Black Knights of Condren. Word of their feat spread quick after they captured the dragon’s heart, and every fool with a dream of glory went hunting dragons. Needless to say, most didn’t return.”

  “What happens when you die?”

  She snorts. “What do you think happens?”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Game over?”

  “No. But you lose half of all stats and experience points. And all of everything else that’s on your person; property, items, coin. When someone dies, they, most likely, give up the adventuring life and spend the rest of their time doing something else. A trade of some sort that can still make the game fun and profitable. It’s too hard and takes too much time to recover from a loss like that.”

  That’s not so bad. I can handle that. It’s better than permanent death.

  “How did they do it?”

  “How did who do what?”

  “The Black Knights. How did they kill the dragon?”

  She leans on the counter with one arm. “Well, first off, they have the numbers and plenty of high level characters in the guild. Some say they have a wizard whose power is so great that he put the dragon to sleep. Others say there is a Warrior who has maxed out two of the hardest skill sets to max out; which is unlikely because the game constantly changes and updates to keep things interesting and moving forward. Nearly impossible to earn the rank of Grandmaster.” She taps on the counter and looks past me in recalling. “Seems that I even heard someone say that there’s a song that a Master Bard can play to tame a dragon. Who knows? All I know is that after the Black Knights killed the first dragon, everyone and their brother wanted to join the guild. This, of course, led the Black Knights to put in place strict regulations on who they accepted into their ranks.”

  I look down, then back up after a moment's pause. “What if, one day, I wanted to hunt a dragon; would you go with me?” I ask her.

  She chuckles low. “Sure, new guy. You obtain the powers of Thal, and I’ll go with you.”

  “Who is Thal?”

  “He’s the God of War here in Alterlife.”

  “There’s gods here?”

  She looks at me like I’m daft. “You are from planet Earth, right? As long as there are people to believe in gods, then gods are real in some way or fashion. But just like the real world, I wouldn’t worry about ever running in to one, though.” She stands up straight and gives a sarcastic grin. “You’ll see that this world isn’t much different than the real world. This one’s just more fun.”

  Not good, because I have an addictive personality. What the hell have I got myself into?

  “Eldra, I don’t have any coin to pay you.”

  “Sure you do. Every noob starts with twenty gold. It’s in the bank. In this quaint little town of Eden, the bank’s the largest building. Hang a left at the fountain and you can’t miss it.”

  There’s a bank! I grin at myself.

  Don’t even think about it.

  I drum on the counter. “Then I’ll be back in a jiffy. Sign me up for a boar hunt.”

  “Easy, killer. I don’t want your blood on my hands. You gotta crawl before you can walk.”

  3

  MAN OF THE WOODS

  We spend the next three hours hunting rabbits outside of town. I gripe that they’re too easy, but Eldra assures me that this is where I need to start. Ten hides fetch a coin, and the re-spawn rate is good. And I can see my dexterity stats raise as well.

  “In Alterlife, there isn’t a level-progression like in most games. Your character constantly gains stats in real time instead of reaching a certain experience point to level up,” she tells me.

  It’s crude work hunting rabbits with a small knife, but it’s raising my experience points nonetheless.

  “Can’t we go after something bigger? Something that’ll raise my XP a little more?” I suggest.

  “Rabbits are fine for now. Maybe tomorrow we’ll upgrade you to a groundhog,” Eldra says with a chuckle. “I’m going to take these skins to town. Try not to get hurt while I’m gone.”

  “Right,” I say and drive my knife into another poor bunny. They all squeal the same, but it’s not that bad of a cry and I know it’s just a game.

  Hunting comes natural to me as I grew up in the mountains and started tracking deer in my early years. We grew up poor and venison was a regular meat on the table in our home. It was an all-out celebration when one of the boys brought home supper. And dad made sure we always gave thanks and counted our blessings.

  As Eldra’s away, I continue to increase my stats. “Damn, this is slow going.” I venture further out into the field, feeling a little adventurous, but not so far that I lose my way or can’t see if she comes back. Nothing but more rabbits. Another hour goes by, and she returns. “Not bad work for a day. How long you been on?” she asks.

  “I don’t know. Five, maybe six hours now.”

  “You’re about done, then.”

  “What are you talking about. I can go most of the night.”

  She looks at me funny. “Did you take the tutorial?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “There’s a six hour limit in Alterlife. After that, they shut you down. I’d say you’re about to get logged off.”

  I must have missed that part. “Six hours? But I can’t get logged off. I need to make some money, fast.”

  “Darlin’, nothing is fast in Alterlife. You’ll have to wait eight hours before you can log back in. Rules and all.”

  I shake my head. “What a stupid rule. Since when did they start policing how people can spend their time?”

  “Some people can’t control themselves. I’m sure you’ve heard about the rise of mental illness cases due to overuse of VR.”

  “Yeah, I heard some reports. So a socialistic approach is how the game developers handle it?”

  Eldra puts the skins I’ve collected into her inventory. “You know how government and people work. This ain’t some new revelation of how things are,” she grunts and makes her way back to the shop.

  I shake my head in disbelief. Seems the ‘man’ is always getting in the way of things. It would be best if he just stepped aside and stopped interfering with everyone’s lives.

  A few more rabbits spawn and meet their demise at the cruel end of my blade. It’s not graphic like in real life, more just going through the motions with some harmless CGI blood splatter.

  Alterlife is rated ‘suitable for all ages’, so they had to tone down the mature stuff.

  Each kill makes me faster and stronger, and I hunger for more. I just need a faster way to get high enough to go on some good raids. A good raid has the potential for some nice loot that can be sold or traded, and I got a short amount of time to get there.

  A line of rabbits spawn beside me and I get each one of them in rapid succession. For every one I kill, another spawns ahead of it, like a domino effect, leading into the nearby woods. I follow the spawns for the next ten minutes or so, and realize that my pack is almost full and I am now standing in an unknown forest outside of town.

  And by myself for the first time.

  It’s a strange feeling being in Alterlife alone. It feels so… real.

  Inside the woods, it’s starting to ge
t dark because of the thick forest canopy. My heart begins to beat fast, my breathing, sharp, as an odd feeling of anxiety creeps over me. Nervous and searching for the cause, I spin around in all directions, my eyes rapidly scanning. Naturally, I find nothing other than the rustling sounds from a squirrel, bird, or some other small woodland animal.

  The spawned rabbits have all run off, and at the far edge of the woods from where I came, I can see some other newbie hacking away at the poor things.

  Is the act of killing one of our first and most dominant instincts? Without the rules and laws of society—for instance, in this game—killing comes as natural as breathing.

  What would happen if the laws of society were to break?

  I start to make my way out of the woods and wonder how much time I have left before I get logged off.

  “Trade for some of those skins?” a raspy voice calls from behind me.

  Startled, I turn and find a small man dressed in old, wool rags approaching me with a sack thrown over his back. Looking harmless and a little bit crazy by his wild, stringy, black hair and a hobble in his left step, I agree to trade with him. “Whatcha got?”

  Not an old man, his eyes dance as he throws the sack on the ground and begins rummaging through his goods. “Oh, this and that. A bit of that for a bit of this might be fair.”

  Maybe I can get a good deal from this guy. “Got any weapons for trade?”

  He stops and jerks his gaze towards me. “No. And yes.” He then commences to tossing things about on the ground.

  Cups, candlesticks, a fishing net, and a charm box all go scattering around him. He pulls a fork from the bag and holds it with revelry. “The Trident of Lightning,” he says in a theatrical voice, his eyes wide and fixed on the silverware.

  “That’s a fork. You eat with it,” I point out.

  He frowns and tosses it to the side. Holding a finger up, he pauses, looks away, then goes back into the bag as things come flying out.

  This guy is nuts. “Listen, I better be going now.”

  “Wait,” he replies with urgency and pulls a rather nice-looking cloak from the sack. He holds it up, offering me a good look. “The Cloak of Invisibility,” he says, more serious this time. He offers me to take it. “A rare item, indeed. In fact, this is the only one in Alterlife, and is highly sought after.”