Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) (25 page)

Running along, Alan felt surprised at how in-shape he was. Jogging along felt almost as easy as walking; his stamina meter was slowly depleting at around 3 energy/min, but that meant he could run at this pace for over an hour. He was getting used to always wearing the Revenant Power Armor too, it felt lightweight, like he was wearing leather padding or a light Kevlar suit. It was nowhere near as cumbersome as the full on power armor many players wore in the Game. Alan tried to get a better look at the gear other players were wearing as well.

According to Eve, items ranged from traditional sci-fi gadgetry, such as space marines in power armor with plasma or laser weapons and almost every variation thereof, to the more fantastical, almost magical items empowered or enchanted by psionic powers. A number of items combined scientific materials with psionic energy as well, although most forms of science and psionic ability were strangely incompatible. A large number of players wore masks or helmets, often as a part of their power armor, hiding their faces. Additionally, most players had an emblem of some sort, similar to Red Death’s. Looking at a particularly elaborate green swirl, Eve finally answered Alan.

Error. Too many variables. Re-analyzing surroundings.

Alan felt Eve try to take in all the information again. She froze, hanging just like the last time.

Stop. Give me a basic overview of the factions on Khersath,
Alan sent.

The Imperial Realms, or the Empire as it is commonly referred to, are an empire of around 30 life-sustaining worlds ruled by a single, enigmatic emperor. The Empire is predominantly humanoid and is constantly at war in attempts at expansion. They are currently rumored to be gearing up for another large scale war; it is unknown who their target is, but has resulted in something of an arms race.

Most of the Democratic Realms, or the Republic, are a series of approximately 100 planets with semi-interconnected governments, similar to the European Union. The ins and outs of Republic politics are even more complicated, and allegiances are constantly shifting. For example, should one planet be invaded, it is not guaranteed that other planets will even be required to respond, depending upon too many variables to list. There are chunks of 10-50 planets which do have collective defense treaties in place within the Republic, as well as a 20 planet collective not in the Republic which are known as the Pirate States.

And the Revenants?
Alan asked.

The Revenants are a faction that worships an ancient machine race, the Architects. Little is known about the Architects other than they are the basis for the majority of the technology the Revenants use. The Revenants come from many species, like a guild, yet all are at least part machine. Their home planet, or planets, is in unknown space, and they are often seen at the far reaches of space searching for ancient artifacts or technology. Their technology is generally the most advanced in the Game.

Wait, what's the difference between a faction, guild and government?
Alan asked.

A faction is an umbrella term for guild and government, they are separate entities, at least according to the Game. Yet, even though guilds are in a different category, they are no less important or influential than many governments. A major top ten guild may be just as or even more influential than, say, the Empire. Additionally, guilds may control a planet or planets, similar to a government, but the rules concerning how each rule are completely different. The various circumstances around the planet can vary a lot too, of course. There are certain planets which are unable to be conquered, at least through war, such as Khersath. Khersath is essentially a place where PvP, or player versus player combat is disallowed, a war-free zone where all the various humanoid factions interact. The interplay between guilds and governments can be quite interesting, as for instance your guild may end up going to war with the government you are a citizen of, and, once more, the specific circumstances of the situation would determine whose side you could or could not take. Of course, many of the major guilds are simply arms of the various governments.

Once Eve finished her info dump, Alan got his first good look at the Administrative Center. He had expected it to be a boring office building, like a City Hall or a Department of Motor Vehicles. Instead, the enormous pyramid-shaped building could be the palace, or burial site, of a galactic emperor. The building was layered with sheets of black metal, turrets and defensive shield generators located every few hundred feet. Alan could see the outline of a cube shaped structure at the tip of the pyramid. It was hard to make out, as it was nearly two miles up in the sky, but it looked like a mark.

Two gigantic bipedal mechs guarded the front entrance, fifty foot tall armor plated machines of destruction, complete with an array of weapons and personal shields that could, according to Eve’s database, hold up even against an elite Predecessor. This main entrance was nearly four hundred feet tall and five hundred feet wide, but there were numerous side entrances that people were streaming in and out of as well. Scores of cyborg, machine and humanoid guards stood around the perimeter, wielding a number of different weapons, but wearing the same dark blue armor and insignia.

Unfortunately, it appeared there was still a queue to get in, despite the size of the building. The line appeared to be fairly orderly, with Administrators throughout the line moving people forward, asking questions, directing players to different lines and entrances. Alan began to grow a bit worried. He had to make it to the Black Rose Docking Bay in another four hours, with a package, with no idea how far he had to go to get the package or where any of the places were. He might not have enough time at the Administrative Center.

Running a bit faster, Alan ran up to the end of the line that was snaking out of the main entrance. It was an orderly queue, with each party standing a few feet away from the next person in line. Taking his place at the end, Alan looked over at Red Death, and interrupted his lecture. He'd go back and listen to it at some point.

“Hey, thanks for bringing me here, I think I’ll be fine by myself here. Before you go though, can you tell me why everyone so orderly?”

“Hmm?" Red Death tilted his head, as if he just realized who he had been talking to. "Oh, it’s generally considered common courtesy to stay at least a few feet away from other players, to prevent actions such as theft. As you’ve no doubt noticed, people have a number of insignias on their armor or weapons, to show their alliances, and to warn people not to mess with them. A few players are even so noteworthy their name and title will appear above their heads. You should generally steer clear of these people, as you don’t want to risk pissing a Named player off, and given the countless customs of players you’re more likely to piss someone off just being near them, either looking at them the wrong way or by not looking at them. Are you certain you’ll be okay alone?”

Alan nodded.

“Alright, it’s your choice. Honestly, given that you have no insignia and you’re wearing Revenant armor, most players are likely to consider you fairly suspicious. You should try to stick to the main streets and thoroughfares.”

Alan hesitated, but Eve prompted him to ask the question.

“Um, right, except, well, what do you know about the Undercity?”

Red Death turned his head sharply towards Alan, then glanced about them.

“The Undercity? Why would you want to go there? I haven’t even been allowed there until I reach level 250.”

“Um, I read something about it on the Globalnet, that’s all.”

“Well, my advice is to steer clear of that place. It’s a deathtrap. All sorts of gangs, pirates and even slavers hang out there. A single, low leveled player without any guild or government to back you up would be easy pickings. Of course, you’d have to find an entrance first, and they’re rumored to be impossible to find.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think I have much of a choice,
Alan thought. It looked like this simple task wasn’t going to be as simple as he hoped.

“Okay, I’ll definitely avoid the Undercity then. Thanks for your help.”

I definitely need to hide my level too, then maybe other players will be more cautious…

 Red Death saluted, then turned around, running back towards the Haxlard Embassy.

A few minutes later, Alan finally reached an Administrator directing players onwards.

“Greetings, player. How may we assist you today?”

Alan concentrated on the Administrator in front of him, forming a mental connection.

I want to change my username, hide my level and make other information private as well. I was also hoping to spend my ability points, peruse the vault, and also set my respawn point here.

The Administrator stood still, examining Alan closely.

Very well. Please follow me, Traveler.

The Administrator broke away from the line, another Administrator taking its place. Alan followed, wondering what was happening. He didn’t notice any of the other players being treated specially, maybe it was a class perk. Perhaps sensing his confusion, the Administrator told him:

As a Chief Administrator is your mentor, your status has accordingly been upgraded. Given the various actions you wish to perform, I assumed you would want a private room for your transactions today. Is that acceptable?

Um, of course.

The Administrator deftly weaved in-between the long lines of players, a few shooting envious or curious looks at Alan. Luckily, Alan's helmet hid his face, and as soon as he changed his username he would fade into anonymity. Alan was led up a flight of stairs to the main entrance, guarded by the two mechs. On a whim, he tried to see if he could form a mental connection to one of them, but was met with a blank wall of silence.

Once inside the building, he could see long rows of Administrators assisting players. It was almost like a bank, with booths set up for privacy. Before he could get a better of look, the Administrator turned sharply, leading him into a corridor guarded by two small turrets and guards with electrical batons. Within the corridor were a series of advanced elevators: open, semi-translucent metal boxes that didn't quite look safe. Alan followed the Administrator into one, and the walls shimmered, becoming solid, blocking out all vision. The elevator began moving sideways, then diagonally, stopping a few seconds later. Alan hoped he wouldn’t need to find his way outside.

The door opened, revealing a simple room with a single Administrator and capsule. Alan stepped out, and the door to the elevator closed behind him, leaving him in this room without any doorways or windows, somewhere inside the vast labyrinth of the Administrative Center.

Um, hello,
Alan sent towards the Administrator.

Greetings, how may I assist you today?

Alan proceeded to change his username from Adampwnage to just Alan, at least until he thought of something better, hide his information, and set his respawn point to this location. The Game required what it considered a signature, verbal or written agreement that he was making these choices of his own volition. It was a rather painless experience and only cost 1250 credits too. Alan then proceeded to purchase two main abilities.

Each class had distinct talent trees that branched off from specific paths. For example, for his Machine Lord class he could develop Eve as some sort of cyber weapon, to gather information and hack into secure networks or do whatever it was black hat, dark-side hackers did in the Game. He could also try to develop Eve to control robots, develop a sort of Mecha Eve. Likewise for the Rogue class there were paths that were designed for assassinations, piloting, or a variety of other options. To unlock each talent tree, you had to purchase a central ability, which would cost 250 ability points, a hefty investment. Additionally, only one major ability could be active at a time for any given class. Alan had decided on which two he wanted.

For the Machine Lord class, he selected Enhanced Control. It would enhance his ability to control his own mind and body, through Eve and his augmentations, which would be useful in a number of ways. For one thing, it would allow him to train faster and harder, as, despite everything that had happened, Alan was definitely still human. When exercising he could only handle so much pain, yet Eve believed he could push himself further without risk of injury. His body and mind just wouldn’t let him. This would help to break free of those bonds, hopefully making training easier.

The battles in the Survival Test had also been extraordinarily painful for Alan, and he wanted to mitigate that pain as much as possible, as he couldn’t imagine willingly going through such torture again, especially in a state where each second that passed felt like minutes. Additionally, it would be useful in masking his true intentions and presence. With enough practice, he would be able to control his heart rate and other factors that might lead to his detection or give him away when he lied. At least, that was the idea.

For the Rogue class, he chose the Jack of All Trades path. The ability was what it sounded like. It would allow Alan to gain and train new skills and abilities more easily, and hopefully master them as well. The other options such as the Stealth or Assassination paths had more obvious, direct benefits, but Alan liked his choices. They gave him the greatest potential for growth.

His decision made, Alan spent the 500 ability points, opening up a series of additional abilities to unlock and train in. A few especially caught his attention. There was an ability in the Jack of All Trades path that would decrease the cost to purchase new abilities, but at the same time there was one that would allow him to learn faster. It would probably be better only getting one. There was another ability that would reveal available combinations of abilities or hidden requirements to unlock skills, but Alan felt like this would probably be a waste of Ability Points. He could find the information online, and combinations of skills should be fairly straightforward, right? The Enhanced Control ability tree, on the other hand, was depressingly sparse. It appeared that Alan hadn’t met any of the requirements for the abilities on this path yet.