Beta 1.0 Test

by Harley Vex

  "So am I," she says, letting a hint of sarcasm slip between her words. "Oh. Everyone goes into the little office to fill out their cards. By the way, it's one at a time in there. And I agree that the lava pail thing needs to be fixed. It's part of the Fatigue debuff, but still very annoying as people will need to cook to replenish their Calories bar."

  "Uh..." I start, but Candi walks past me, leaving her glass on the counter.

  I stand there, stung, as she stalks back into the meeting room across the hall.

  "What the heck?" I whisper to myself.

  There's something going on under the surface, a surface that I can barely scratch.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  My dinner churns in my stomach once I get up to my new apartment. As soon as I cross the threshold, lost in thoughts about why Candi is sending me such mixed signals, my phone buzzes.

  Probably Natalie. I stop and let out a breath. Of course Candi is sending me mixed signals. Salvos is watching her every move. She has no choice but to pretend to blow me off, right?

  I pull out my phone. Yeah. It's Natalie. Mom and Dad don't check on me that often which I understand because Natalie's the one who's sick.

  Hey Mike.

  Boss wants a meeting one on one Monday. Just thought you should know.

  I curse and sit down on my bed. Monday? Seriously? The jerk is going to let Natalie worry about this all weekend? Talk about a power move. I think of her sitting home, scared to go out and spend any money and scared about the future. The more I think about it, the less I'm sure who I hate more: Anthony Anton or her boss. But I text her back before thinking.

  What's your boss's address?

  She responds. LOL.

  Then I get an idea. There's nothing in my contract about not having people over, is there? Of course, I can't be sure, but Natalie should not spend the weekend alone.

  I turn and leave my apartment. My time here might be very limited, so if there's any time to try my idea, it's now.

  * * * * *

  "Are you kidding?" Natalie walks into my apartment the next morning. "This is awesome, Mike. You did well!" My sister opens the white curtains and looks out on the skyline. "The view. This place must be worth at least two grand a month."

  "And it's free," I tell her. "You, by the way, are free to crash here whenever you want."

  Natalie turns and wraps her thin arms around me. Like me, she's tall, almost lanky, and has a curtain of dark hair. Natalie's got bags under her eyes now. She's a bit pale and I can tell she's not feeling the best, but she's holding up against her first treatment well. My sister is strong and I know she'll make it.

  But if she can't pay—

  I have to hold on. I have to make it to streamer status in Beta 1.2.

  "I might have to take you up on it," Natalie says, closing the curtains. She eyes my old Virtual World platform and headset which I've got sitting on the floor next to the TV and laptop. I haven't used it since getting here. "You're not getting rusty in Creationist, are you?"

  "I hope not." I eye the front door, waiting. I've got a surprise for her, a surprise I worked on all last night.

  Natalie puts her own Virutal World platform down next to mine. "So, you set up a multiplayer server? Anything special?"

  "Nope. Just a regular old multiplayer server. Fresh world. Open experience." I let an evil grin spread across my face. "We're not going to log in and play quite yet. Oh, and I ordered six pizzas. They'll be here in an hour."

  "Six pizzas?" Her eyes widen. "But we can't eat that all. Mike, what are you up to?" Now she narrows her eyes at me.

  "You'll see."

  A knock on the door follows, and I maintain my grin as I answer it.

  And on the other side stands Matt, Don, Val, Liz, and Kevin. Don waves and offers a sheepish smile. So other than tackling people and kidnapping them, he's shy in real life.

  "Oh, cool. Are these your new friends?" Natalie asks.

  She's oblivious. I haven't dared tell her who, exactly, my fellow testers are. But once we log in, she's in for a treat.

  "They sure are," I said, letting in the small parade of people. Everyone's brought their own Virtual World platform and gear, and in typical geek fashion, we've got our names on our stuff via pieces of masking tape (me), name tag stickers (Hi! My name is Don), and even glittery cat stickers (Val.) A series of handshakes and first-name intros follow, though Matt offers a fist bump instead. Liz gives Natalie a hug.

  I check the hallway outside, but one tester hasn't shown up.

  I sigh. Of course. It's my hope that Candi is just busy working on those projects she said she'd have done before Monday. I feel like I'll never unravel the mystery of her. I'd been hoping she'd show up. I left a note on her apartment door last night with Liz's help. She and Natalie would get along.

  The pizzas arrive a bit later and we all make small talk while we eat, seated in a circle on the floor. No one talks about Salvosera. Everyone's obeying the non-disclosure agreement and Natalie's eyes burn with curiosity, but she doesn't ask. That's fine.

  We're about to log into my new server.

  Once we're done eating and fighting food comas, the seven of us gear up. I step onto my platform, palms tingling with excitement.

  Once Creationist's screen comes up, I choose my new world and activate voice chat. The voices of my fellow gamers fill my ears. My screen goes dark, and I half-expect to fall through a void, but Creationist isn't as immersive as Salvosera. I appear in a Wooded Wastelands biome, an area with a gray sky, yellow grass, and scattered graves, and Natalie appears beside me in her blocky elf warrior skin. She waves. "Hey, Mike." Her playername displays over her head: ElfQueen546.

  The next person appears beside us. Comma_Volt. He's complete with his futuristic suit and goggles that he uses during his GameTube episodes. He hasn't changed it since starting his long journey to the Glitch Lands.

  Natalie turns to him. "What?" she asks, confused.

  "It's Don," he says, all humble.

  "Are you the guy walking to the Glitch lands?" Natalie's voice rises.

  Then Val logs in as PrincessKitty21. "Hey," she says with a blocky wave. Her cat skin smiles at Natalie.

  "You're the PVP cat," Natalie says. "I've seen you play!"

  Then Matt logs in as NotBobTheBuilder and gets another shocked reaction from Natalie, who turns in a circle and says something about his Mayan city. Kevin follows, logging in as Meatboy529, and finally Liz joins as Flora_Explora.

  My sister lets out a squeal of disbelief as she finds herself surrounded by five famous Game Tubers.

  And me.

  "Are you kidding?" Natalie asks. "Don't tell me I'm expected to kill all of you. Or that we're being recorded. Mike, you hit the jackpot of a lifetime. I'm so jealous."

  "Hey," Liz says. "We just want to have fun today and play a normal game. As friends. With no one watching us."

  "What do you want to do first?" Matt asks as his hard-hat guy avatar looks around. "I don't like this spot for building, so I think we should find another. There's not much inspiration here."

  "And nothing to explore," Liz adds.

  "Yeah. It's kind of blah. The Wasteland Woods biome is always so flat," Natalie agrees. "Mike. You have got to get me into this. Tell them to take a look at my GameTube channel." Despite her treatment, she sounds more alive than I've ever heard her.

  I gulp because Salvos already has two PVP players and there's only one way Natalie will ever have a ghost of a chance. But I have to try for her. "I will," I promise. "Now, let's figure out where to build our awesome base and have fun this weekend."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The weekend with Natalie is awesome. We can almost forget that her boss has called her in for a one on one Monday. But when Sunday afternoon rolls around, I can tell she's getting nervous, and she talks a lot less with us over video chat. Instead, she focuses on exploring an abandoned castle in Creationist by herself, which worries me.

  But I don't offer her any false hope. I
know better. Kevin tells her to apply for short term disability, just as I've done, but he doesn't understand the setup going on at her office. I don't dare talk about my money on the server and I feel slimy about it. It's not as if I can. Candi's the only one who knows, and possibly Don.

  When Natalie's ready to leave Sunday night to go back home, she hugs everyone.

  "It was awesome," she says.

  "We should get together again next weekend," Val says, stickered helmet under her arm. "You're a good player."

  Natalie blushes. I give her a hug, too, and a pat on the back to remind her that I've got money I can send her.

  But for how long?

  I haven't told her about the possibility I won't be here much longer, and that Salvos has put a target on my back.

  Once left alone, my apartment feels very, very quiet, and I'm exhausted from being on the Virtual World platform for almost two days straight. I drift off and wake the next morning. It's raining. Of course. Fat drops beat against the window and my whole apartment is bathed in gray. I want to roll over and fall back asleep but my bedside clock says that it's nine-thirty.

  Natalie just might be in her meeting by now.

  And I wait, because there's no way I'm going to be logged into Salvosera while she's in distress.

  I walk to the kitchen and choke down some leftover pizza that tastes like cardboard. Natalie still doesn't get back to me. A meeting shouldn't take too long if her boss just wanted rid of her, right?

  At last, she texts me.

  Can't talk much. I can't take another day off or I'm gone. Not feeling good.

  Hang in there. I've got your back if it goes south.

  Already told Mom and Dad. Thanks because they don't have room.

  True. Mom and Dad moved into a small, cozy cottage once Natalie and I got out. Being retired, they just can't help anymore. Besides, they're comfortable now. They served their time. Natalie and I are just getting started.

  I swallow, debating on what to tell her. I'm not sure how long I'll make money here.

  Oh, totally understand.

  A weight comes off my chest and allows me to take a breath. But we both know what'll happen if I don't stay here. Natalie's life will be ruined because she won't have a choice but to rack up medical debt. And then what for? She could lose her home. Or she'd put off getting treatment.

  I toss my half-eaten cold pizza and go downstairs, taking the elevator to the basement level. I slide my keycard, issued the night I got moved in, and unlock the steel door. Already, someone—probably Val judging from the tiny frame—is in a Salvos Simulator, embroiled in a fight. I tense, watching her, waiting for her to fall back and die, not knowing it would end her budding career. Then I remember and let out a breath. Val's Princess Kitty. She has a following from playing all those PVP arenas. She won't have a problem taking her following with her when Salvosera blows up and Creationist is left to die, even if Salvos stops supporting her.

  But me, on the other hand—

  I have to log in and make sure I'm not completely screwed. I left off at the mouth of that doom cave. Breaking a sweat, I watch as Val triumphs over whatever she's fighting and bends over, catching her breath. I get changed into my Salvos Suit, shocked no one else is down here yet to check out 1.1, and get into the box. Once I close the door behind me, the login process begins, and everything turns black as a tingle washes over my body.

  No screen appears to tell me that I'm now in Beta 1.1. I find myself seated at the mouth of Death Cave. The sun is just rising, and I jump up when I see a Common Ghoul taking damage from the light and turning to attack me. I backpedal, making sure no Lavaworms are sneaking up behind me. So mobs have spawned here while I was logged out. Great. The world keeps going even when I'm not in it.

  The Common Ghoul dies.

  But that might be a good thing.

  I bolt through the Scattered Woods which appear to be the same until I reach my house. The beautiful tower of dirt rises on the other side of it while my waterfall farm bursts with matured Barley crop. Good. My Calories bar is depleted and I once again have the Fatigue debuff. I need to eat. But at least the Poison is gone.

  I've got twenty percent of my health left, give or take a few measly percentage points. My status bars won't drop from my view, urging me to pay attention. I bolt into the house, unwilling to take any chances. The Loaves are still in my hotbar from my mostly-failed cave run, so I eat two, savoring the flakiness. My health recovers and fills and the annoying tremble leaves my knees. Whew. That encounter with the toxic centipede thing cut my life way too close.

  I can't die again.

  But I also can't make zero progress.

  Right now, they could be watching me.

  Without asking I know I'm expected to figure out some awesome way to conquer that cave and turn it into a super successful mob farm, and I can see no way into it without, well, dying. I eye my crappy trap near the house and to my shock, the legs of two Common Ghouls and the coil of a Lavaworm jump up and down against the end slabs. Maybe 1.1 tweaked the spawning a bit and that could work in my favor. Or these mobs spawned while I was logged out. Of course Salvos's only goal won't be to destroy the troublemaker. They've got to balance the game.

  "Finally." I go outside, head over, and kill the three mobs, who are all dumb and don't see me through the slabs.

  The Lavaworm is tough and takes me five hits with my Flint Hatchet to kill. It's my first time killing one by hand. It dies with a crackle and drops two dark gray blocks and two Spark Clusters.

  "Awesome. Spark Clusters are renewable energy."

  Lavaworms drop Basaltic Rock, it turns out, and two Spark Clusters. Useful. So this Spark stuff is renewable and if it comes out of Lavaworms, flammable.

  "I'll need some sort of auto killer on this trap. Then at least it will be cool." I can drown them by placing one of those irrigated Fertile Farm blocks in the right place, maybe.

  That reminds me. I run back inside with my new prizes. My Flint Chisel combined with Spark Clusters in my Crafting Tab turns each Cluster into a Spark Brick. I end up with twenty in total. The Granite is also refinable. Great. I can experiment and look productive while I think about how to really progress.

  I eye my new Clay Oven and Stone Brick Oven, both of which still sit outside for safety reasons. After some experimenting with fuel bricks, I learn a few new things:

  1.) Clay Ovens can handle Peat Bricks. That's it. They cook one item per brick. Spark Clusters make Clay Ovens explode, though you get about three seconds of ominous rumbling before that happens.

  2.) Turns out Stone Brick Ovens handle Spark Clusters just fine, and each Cluster cooks or smelts two items.

  3.) Granite Chunks can be smelted into Granite Bricks, and each piece of Granite yields two Granite Chunks. Honestly, I can't grasp the reasoning behind that, but Creationist lets you make tools out of Monster Eyes and even weirder things, so it's an improvement in the logic department.

  4.) Basaltic Rock can be smelted into Basaltic Bricks. I just have two of those now, but I have the feeling I've figured out which type of oven can handle lava.

  I'm not going to check to see if the lava bucket issue has been fixed yet, because that's a long walk and for all I know, Salvos has made lava capable of burning through Clay Pails. It would match the oven, at least. Check that. They probably have made that change after watching my embarrassing trek home. So lava will wait.

  Since I'm down to two Spark Clusters, I'll have to wait for more Lavaworms in my trap. So far, there are none. The spawning hasn't been increased that much. That means the Death Cave.

  "I need armor," I say. "That's the only way forward."

  I've got three Dreadmoth Plates and four Silk. I arrange them in different formations in my Crafting Tab, but nothing happens no matter what I try. This stuff has to have a use. Then, at last, I check and find that the Dreadmoth Plate is refinable. But how?

  Turns out I can cook Dreadmoth Plates. I use my last two pieces of Spark Ore to c
ook them into Hardened Dreadmoth Plates which are darker green, shiny versions of the original. I pull them out of the Stone Brick Oven's GUI and open my inventory and Crafting Tab again.

  And I arrange an upside-down triangle of Hardened Dreadmoth Plates. Nothing happens, so I add two Silk above the bottom two Plates.

  And lo and behold, a dark green, pixelated helmet appears in the output. It's even got a dark grimace across the front that looks awesome.

  My jaw drops.

  I have my first piece of armor.

  I just might survive Beta 1.1.

  The problem is, I've got a lot of Dreadmoths to kill before I get an entire set of armor.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  And what's even more awesome?

  Dreadmoth spawns have been nerfed. That in-game night, I only see one distant Dreadmoth against the fading light of the setting sun. The rest of the night is filled with Lavaworms and Common Ghouls, and one Swamp Ghoul that wanders all the way up from the Northern Swamp. I stay in my house even though I'm wearing my new Plate Helmet. A single helmet isn't going to protect me much; I know that. In fact, wearing it has only filled about five percent of my silver Armor bar.

  The sun rises, and the one distant Dreadmoth despawns.

  I gulp. If Dreadmoths are less common, Salvos probably decided to balance that by making them tougher. And there's only one way to get an answer for that theory.

  "That's going to suck," I say, letting my head thump to my window.

  I guess I shouldn't complain after my last two encounters with those green, grimacing monsters that spit acid. But now I need some freaking armor before I face certain death.

  I also need to stay long enough to convince Candi that Salvos should give Natalie a shot. I haven't seen her all day, and I'm tempted to log out and check for her, but if I do that now, I won't look good. And then I won't be able to help either of us.

  I exit the house and kill two dying Common Ghouls with my new Granite Hatchet (yes, it's made from those Granite Bricks, Plant Twine, and Common Sticks) which kills them in five hits instead of six. A slight improvement. I don't bother with the mob drops and check the area for Lavaworms. I spot one bouncing away in the distance only to stop next to a wandering Duck. The monster doesn't spray the peaceful mob with fire and lava. I'm jealous.