ã€ŠDawnlands, A New Beginningã€‹


 Chapter one

    The creature loomed menacingly twenty foot away from him, its four scaled arms hung down, a different weapon grasped in each of its four fingered hands. Its snouted face thrust forward, towards him, snarling and displaying its cracked, yellow fangs. Suddenly it roared, spittle spraying out, and started a charge in his direction, arms pumping. As it closed with him, one hand came up, holding a mace, and swings it violently towards his head.

    The lightly armored man drops to one knee, allowing the mace to whistle past just above his head, then rolled forward avoiding the broadsword that was following closely behind. As the blade slid smoothly above him, it flickered slightly, phasing in and out of reality, along with the hand and arms that grasped it. The man grunted in disappointment before he thrust the dagger he held up into the armpit of the sword wielding arm. The green skinned hand spasmed, releasing the sword which flew away into the surrounding foliage, rotating rapidly like a thrown boomerang, scything away the leaves and small branches in its pathway. The creature screamed with a mix of pain and anger at this, spinning around to bring its other two weapons into play, but too late for its opponent had continued his roll beyond the creatures reach.

    Regaining his feet the man studied the injured beast, seeing one arm hanging uselessly, green blood down it to drip onto the forest floor. Its charge had taken it well past him, allowing the man plenty of time to prepare himself for the creatures next attack, but he was surprised when it placed the head of the mace it held on the ground, and lean against the shaft to and return a studying gaze to the man. This was different, for on all his battles, this creature had never before displayed a calculatory nature, and he stepped back to consider his next move, now aware that this situation required a different approach than he normally used.

    Considering the awareness the creature now displayed, he stared at the space above the creatures head, and read the message that appeared.

    Level 7 Gurk

    Semi Intelligent warrior from the Clan of the Void.

    Heath : 1890 / 2500

    Must be the heuristic learning protocol, he thought to himself, knowing that it was pretty inevitable that there would be changes over time with the interaction that the creature experienced. The protocol had only just been implemented, and previously this creature would just have turned and charged again. How quick the changes had happened, and how much, concerned him. He hoped that there was limits to this advancement, or with time, even the simplest of creatures would advance beyond reason. Think this, he pulled out his longsword and twirled it experimentally while eyeing the Gurk.

    The Gurk shoved the useless limb beneath a leather bandoleer that crossed its chest, securing it against interfering with any future actions, hefted the mace back up and advanced upon the small human before it, carefully now it had been injured. There was a glint of intelligence in the creatures eyes that had not been there before, a good indicator of the greater danger it now presented.

    The human quickly went through a few combat options that were open to him in his mind, discarding the least favorable to success, before finally deciding on one. Holding his longsword horizontally in front of him, he ran directly at the Gurk, taking it by surprise as he had never before challenged this creature in such a direct manner. When he was about seven foot away he launched himself into a forward dive, aiming for the space between its two bowed legs. The Gurk thrust all its weapons at once forward and downward to block this assault, but as expected by the human, this was a fatal mistake. The Gurks muscular chest, designed to support four arms, hampered the thrusts when all four pectoral muscles tensed together, interfering with each other. The weapons struck the ground in front of the creature too late.

    Coming out of the roll that he performed after the dive, the human spun around and thrust the longsword into the back of the Gurk, spearing it from front to back, splitting the creatures heart in two along the way. The Gurk froze, flickered in and out of existence again, but this time with a brief color change, then sprawled to the ground, dead.

    The human looked down at the slain creature, a look of annoyance on his face. Thrusting forward one leather shod foot, he nudged the body, causing the contact point to fractal into geometric rainbow colored shards. Throwing down his green stained longsword in disgust he snapped a command into the air.

    ¡°Logout.¡±.

    ...........

    The man lay on the bed, an eyeless, white plastic mask covering his face. As he moved, wires attached to the mask swayed gentry as they arced up to join to a machine placed on the wall behind the bedhead. The man was dressed in a casual business suit, which was unusual considering his location. Green flickering LEDs blinking on the machine suddenly turned red. He twitched slightly, like someone had stuck a pin into him. Beside him on the bed, his hands clenched into fists before he opened them and stretched the fingers out as far as he could.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    After a few seconds stretching his hands, the man carefully lifted them to the mask he wore and removed it from his face with some difficulty, for the contacts inside it had adhered to the skins surface. Pulling it free, the face beneath was flushed and sweaty, but the expression was cold, displeased with some unknown reason. Placing the mask carefully to one side the man swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.

    Behind him a door opened and two people entered, both wearing lab coats. One of them was a young female, her blond hair gathered up un a bun at the back of her head, carrying a white towel in one hand. As she approached the bed the man seated on it held out one hand and she placed the towel into it carefully. The man used the towel to clean his face, carefully taking the time to make sure all the sweat was removed, and then dropped it carelessly onto the bed beside him.

    ¡°Can one of you explain to me what the hell that was ?¡± he finally spoke, the annoyance clear in his tone. ¡°I thought all the graphical problems had been corrected. This kind of shit can not happen when the update is applied, player won¡¯t accept it and will flood us with bug reports and complaints.¡± He turned his gaze onto the older male. ¡°John, you reassured me that the coders had fixed this, and yet I saw two major graphic errors in that test, and I was only immersed for five minutes. Is this going to delay the release ?¡±

    ¡°No sir, I can guarantee this issue will not impact upon the game after the update rollout. The new data compression routines we have implemented will clear that up. The mask you were using was one of the older beta versions, and the final version is much more capable of handling greater data streams. In fact, the graphics should be even sharper with the release version of the mask.¡± The speaker was not much older than his female partner, but his dark hair was slightly streaked with grey hair, making him look older than his actual age.

    For a few long seconds there was just silence as the suited man stared at him. He then let his eyes turn away and continued. ¡°I was extremely happy to see the NPC learning protocol was working. It was a bit of a shock when that Gurk took a moment to examine me, not an action that this type of creature would have done in the past. One question though, how far will this protocol allow the creature to develop ? Its not in the interest of the players to have creatures develop to a point where they can not defeat them, or create a tactical genius out of one of them. That¡¯s really detrimental to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Again, no. This protocol does not affect the intelligence of any creature, only its situational reaction. It adapts and alters its behavior and actions in regard to the situation it is currently in. It has a limit, of course, but its real purpose is to bypass players using the same system time after time to defeat a creature. Creatures now learn from their loss, or wins, and adapt their attacks and defenses, therefore making sure players can not plan ahead and use forum advice on how to defeat certain creatures. Keeps it honest and interesting for new players.¡±

    The suited man stood up and brushed his clothes to remove any wrinkles. ¡°Good. Now tell me about the other player hardware options and their current state.¡±

    The greying man turned to his female compatriot. ¡° Alice, your closer to these than I am, so I will let you answer this.¡±

    Alice glanced from one man to the other, She had not been expecting this and was unprepared. ¡°Well, ¡° she started, ¡°as you know we also have the suit and the pod. Most players will only be able to afford the basic mask which will allow for about four hours access online a day. This is ready for release right now and the advertising boys tell be the cost for this unit should be about five hundred dollars. You already know what this unit is capable of, so there is no use going on about what it can do. The suit is also ready for release, and should sell in the region of about two thousand each. With a suit a player gets the advantage of higher graphic capabilities, as well as the added smell and touch sensations. I am informed that avatar control is about double that what is possible in a mask. The suit, though, is limited to about ten hours continuous online use before the hard coded auto log out feature activates.¡± She paused there, contemplating on what to say next.

    ¡°And the pod ?¡± the suited man questioned, ¡°What about the pod ?¡±

    ¡°Well. The pod should be ready by the time the update is due, though in very limited quantities. It is a quite complex bit of machinery, and there were a few kinks in it that were hard to iron out, but these have been overcome now. The pod is full immersion and has the full set of sense protocols installed into it, as well as providing reality quality graphics as well. The pod allows for a full twenty four hour immersion before the auto logout happens. I¡¯m told that due to the complex nature of the pod, the minimum cost for this unit will be ten thousand dollars, but as I mentioned, there is only a limited amount available at present, and if popular, most purchasers will have to wait about an additional month before they receive it.¡±

    The man grunted, happy with the response. ¡°The company can handle that, and the news is better that I thought it would be.¡± He looked about, making sure no one else had managed to get into earshot. ¡°What about¡­..the other one ?¡± he whispered.

    A frown passed over the face of the girl. ¡°The other one ?...¡± a puzzled expression flitted across her face before clearing with understating. ¡°Oh, you mean the tanks.¡± She turned to her partner and instructed him to close the door and waited while he did as he was told, then continued but in a lower volume than normal. ¡°The tanks are going well. We have about a thousand completed units installed so far in alpha base, and expect an additional ten per week to be completed. All the test volunteers have been virtual for the past month, fully testing the tanks, and the reports they are sending us are that they are experiencing no problems at all and far surpass expectations. The only complaints we are receiving back is that the pain threshold set on the tanks may be a little high, but that¡¯s easily fixed. Personally, I think they are just grumbling about a feature they are not used to. I was up there last week to make a few minor adjustments to the nutrient fluids, and all of them seems to be in excellent health, no issues at all. We will be decanting them next week. If you want, you can come with me and question them yourself ? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will come, I will be looking forward to that. From all the information I have been getting, it looks like we are ready to take the game to a whole new level of gaming, one that will blast all the other game companied out of the water. One final question, there will be no problems with converting all the older players characters to the new system ?¡±

    ¡°Definitely not, it will seem like a whole new game to them when they switch over.¡±

 Chapter Two

    Phil was well prepared when the moment came, all of his group had been warned well in advance. He knew that his character would be erased, for that had been clear on the contract he had signed before joining the game. Somehow, this upset him, because after spending five weeks submersed in the game, he had grown fond of the life he had been leading. He had only just advanced to such a level that he was gaining a little reputation among the other, normal players. Looking at his internal clock, he saw it was time and lay back on the rough bed, feeling the loose straw sticking into him, knowing he would soon come to miss this feeling. As he felt the darkness creeping across his awareness, he took one final, deep breath through his nose, and relaxed, smelling the smoky beeswax aroma of the lit candle that illuminated his small room. Finally the darkness overwhelmed him and his thoughts drifted away.

    He awoke again, seemingly almost instantaneously, to a feeling like he was drowning. Before he could panic, hands grasped his head and turned it to one side. The feeling of nausea overtook him and his chest and throat spasmed, vomiting forth a stream of tasteless liquid from his mouth and nostrils. He found himself unable to draw an inward breath, then something thrust itself between his lips and down his throat. At first he panicked, but relaxed as the drowning feeling eased slowly, and finally passed away. The tube in his throat, obviously, was providing him with life giving air. He relaxed back on the comfortable surface beneath him, eyes still shut.

    A voice to his left broke into his thoughts. It sounded about the same as he currently felt, rough and tired. ¡°Hey, Phil. You look like shit.¡± He recognized the voice immediately, even though it was low and croaky. It belonged to Andrew Mueller, a fellow test player. Andrew wasn¡¯t one of those he had teamed up with, but they had spent a fair bit of time together in the time before they were all tanked. He managed to turn his head slightly, just enough that he could make out Andrew through his half closed eyes, lying on a bed next to him.

    ¡°Hey, Andy, long time no see. If you think I look like shit, you should really take a look in the mirror.¡± He smiled to take any sting out of his words that may have been inadvertently misconstrued. ¡°I see they have managed to reincarnate life back into your corpse.¡± He tried to lift himself up into a seated position, but there wasn¡¯t any strength in his limbs and failed. There was pain along with the bone deep weariness he felt everywhere within his body. ¡°This is what the old astronauts must have felt like when they came back.¡± He stated to Andrew.

    ¡°Nah,¡± replied Andrew, ¡°This is much worse, much, much worse. At least they could sit up, I have been trying for about five minutes and I still can¡¯t even raise my head off the damn pillow.¡± To illustrate the point he strained and only managed to raise his head a few inches before having to drop it back down onto the pillow. ¡°See, that¡¯s all I can manage and I have been out of the tank for at least an hour now.¡± He closed his eyes, resting from the exertion.

    As the two lay there, resting, the door into the room opened inwards, allowing the entry of two workers, each of them pushing an empty wheelchair equipped with a head brace. Without speaking they rolled the chairs to the side of each of the beds and assisted the supine test players into them. This task was obviously difficult due to the debilitating effects of their bodies being comatose for the past five weeks. After a few minutes of struggling the two were finally placed properly in the wheelchairs, then they were strapped in securely, purely for their own safety, and wheeled out of the room.

    After passing through a series of corridors, all white and sterile, they finally were wheeled into what could only be an auditorium. The room was quite warm and full of many other wheelchairs, all of them occupied. At the far end of the room was a raised dais, a table and two chairs placed centrally upon it. As Phil could clearly see, neither the chairs or the dais were presently occupied, but he expected it wouldn¡¯t be long before this was the reverse. He realized that had been in this room before, but that was prior to his ¡®tanking¡¯ along with all the others who had agreed to be in the game test.

    The attendants wheeled Andrew and Phil into a position among the others, facing the podium, and left them there. From what Phil could see of the others around him, he knew most of them by sight, and all of them were members of the tester group, but none were familiar enough for him to strike up a conversation with. He slightly turned his head towards where Andrew was, finding it a little more easy to do now that his had been out of the tank for a while. ¡°So, how was your experiences with the game ?¡±

    Andrew, who had also been looking at the wheelchair bound people around them, sat for a moment in contemplation before answering. ¡°Ummmm¡­. I don¡¯t think we are supposed to talk about this yet. They did tell us that they wanted to go over all that with them first, and I¡¯m not going to risk losing the money they are going to give us for doing this. After we have been debriefed, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    Phil knew Andrew needed the money and didn¡¯t push him for any more information. Even though all the volunteers for this test had been taken internally from the company, Andrews job was a low paid one, being one of the janitors, and he still had to support his ex-wife and two kids.

    The room was suddenly silent as two people made their way over to the podium and stepped up onto it, all eyes in the room following them. Everyone knew these two, by sight if not by name, for they had been the company executives who had dealt with all of them leading up to the tanking procedure. Naeve Millson, the female of the two, took one of the seats while the other, Daniel Rakowski, stayed standing, facing out into the crowd .Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Welcome back.¡± He started with, smiling as he let his eyes roam across all of them. ¡°We wont be holding you up long here, but first, did you all enjoy the last five weeks in the game ?¡± he paused while there was a series of affirmative remarks from the gathered testers, then continued ¡°Good, that¡¯s what we wanted to hear. We will be talking to each one of you over the next couple of days to get your individual experiences and opinions in regard to your time playing, and please feel free to express any problems or misapprehensions you may have had, as well as any suggestions for improvements.

    At this time, though, we will be taking you one by one to be examined by a doctor, and to start off your physiotherapy to get you back into top form. The physio will take a few days, so while this is ongoing we will provide you will a room for you to stay in. Listen to the doctors and the physio, and please follow their instructions, it¡¯s for your own benefit, remember.¡± As he finished, double doors on one side of the room opened and a couple of medical orderlies entered. They approached the nearest person to the doors and wheeled them out of the room. ¡°While we are waiting for your turn, raise your hand if there are any questions you want to ask us ?¡± People started looking at each other at this, then a realization that he was trying to be funny became apparent when he broke into a laugh. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help that. There are buttons on the armrests of your wheelchairs, press that if you have a question.¡±

    Phil didn¡¯t have any questions he wanted to ask, but it seemed that many others did, for the room was suddenly lit up with attention lights that each of the wheelchairs were installed with. There was so many it reminded him of a Christmas tree. Daniel Rakowski pointed out into the seat of lights, indicating someone Phil couldn¡¯t see. ¡°You, what¡¯s your question ?¡±

    Phil didn¡¯t listen for the question, or the answer, because he had become overwhelmed with a bone deep weariness and had nodded off to sleep. He only awoke when the time had come for him to be taken off to see the doctor.

    ........

    After the meeting Naeve Millson and Daniel Rakowski sat in the canteen. Two steaming cups of coffee sat on the small round table in front of them. Picking her cup up, Naeve looked at Daniel, and sipped it. ¡°I noticed you skirted around that question about the servers, Daniel. When that one was asked, I wondered how you would handle it.¡± She placed her cup back down onto the table.

    Daniel scowled, not at what Naeve had said to him, but at the remembrance of the original question. ¡±Not much else I could have done, it¡¯s not like we can tell them there are no servers. Forget the secrecy around this for a moment, but how do you think they would react by me telling them that everything they were doing was operated by picobots floating in the electrosphere. I have been onboard that research from the beginning and I still don¡¯t comprehend how they can shoot tiny robots up to the top of the thermosphere and have them float up there, being powered by energy drawn from the ionosphere. I also do not understand how they can operate up there like a giant processor and server, running a game down here. ¡°

    Naeve looked amused. ¡°Electrosphere ? Is that what they are calling it ? All I know is what I am told, and what I am being told is this is a game changer, one that once set up will cost nothing to run and will not suffer from downtimes. It¡¯s been described to me as coating the atmosphere of this world with another, digital world.¡±

    Daniel looked seriously at Naeve. ¡°Yes, it all sounds good, but once this thing is completed, it is totally autonomous. It will update itself, expand the game world by itself and ever create its own rules. I know that they say there are systems in place to limit it and direct it, but I have an uneasy feeling that this will all come to no good in the end. For Christ¡¯s sake, if things go drastically wrong there is no, and never will be, any way of destroying the damn thing, not even to just switch the thing off.¡± A haunted look came into his face. ¡°What have we created? Will it be something beautiful, or will it be a Frankenstein¡¯s monster?¡± He quickly lifted his cooling coffee and drank it all down at once.

    Naeve looked at him with some alarm. ¡°Are you serious? That¡¯s not likely, is it? It¡¯s only a game, a greatly advanced game, for sure, but still only a game.¡±

    The laugh that Daniel suddenly gave was not one of amusement. ¡°It will be controlled by the three most advanced artificial intelligences we have managed to develop, and once released will have no human overseer at all, they will be in total control of themselves and everything to do with the game, we, and by that I mean the company, will have extremely limited options to influence or adjust anything in the game . Not only that, they will be untouchable, and have full access to everything on this planet by using their own picobots to infiltrate communications streams and gather information.¡±

    Now Naeve looked as nervous as Daniel. The only response she could formulate was ¡°Well¡­ shit.¡±

    Daniel nodded. That¡¯s not the worse thing. The worse thing is the there isn¡¯t one game up there, floating above our heads, but three.¡±

    ¡°Three?¡± Naeve spoke, confused by this statement. ¡°What do you mean three ?¡±

    ¡°Well, two really, the third is a secret program the company has worked on for the Government. They funded the tanks development as long as we gave them access to a whole separate world for their use. A world where they could train their soldiers, virtually, as well as a world where they could imprison their criminals. The concept is good, but again, I feel this will lead to problems. There is a risk that the game worlds could ultimately merge, blending into each other and allowing access between them.¡±

    Naeves hand rose to her mouth in disbelief. ¡°Oh, my god. How is it that I have never heard of this before, and what is this third world ?¡±

    ¡°Only a few know of this, and all of us were forced to sign a confidentiality agreement. If anyone finds out I have told you about this, I will probably be locked up in the deepest prison they can find. In regard to the third world, I only know of this because one of the developers mentioned something to me before realizing I wasn¡¯t cleared to know about it. What it is and what it does is unknown to me, he wouldn¡¯t tell me after his initial mistake.¡±

    Naeve just sat there looking at Daniel in silence.

 Chapter Three

    Gordon Rammidge, known as Gordo to the few friends he had, as well as his online character name, pulled his virtual reality goggles from his face and dropped them down, carefully, onto the computer table top in front of him. He had finally defeated the ogres cavern quest in Dawnlands, and regained his position at the top of the players ranking, though it had taken him a week of playing every day for four hours. He got up from his computer an lay down on his bed, stiff and tired from sitting down in the one position for the last couple of hours . It had been a rather difficult quest, as the Chief Ogre had an unbelievable regeneration rate. Yawning, he relaxed back into his mattress and pillow, and nodded off.

    Gordon was one of the few original players left who had joined Dawnlands in its beta stage, three years ago, and even with the limited play area and eventual release as a full game, he had yet to find another game that kept his interest, or even excited him. No other release since had the quality of gameplay, or variety that Dawnlands had, and the owners of the game still released expansions and updates, which was unusual for a game of its age. By defeating the Ogre Cavern Quest, added in the last update, Gordon had now completed every known quest or task within the game, one of the few players to have done so. He knew this before starting the quest, and he held out hope that more would be added with the next update. He knew every inch of the game map, as it was only covered an area of one hundred miles square. This was still large for these types of games, considering the amount of work needed to create realistic environments and local citizenry.

    There were rumors of a land expansion in the works, to greatly increase the available surface area in the game, but these rumors had been around since the beta release, and most players considered this as hopeful wishing rather than creditable information. There had been, in fact, a lot of rumours going around about Dawnlands, such as technical development to create new and better methods of accessing the game, but again, this was disregarded as what could replace the VR Goggles, still the best equipment available anywhere. If there was better equipment, even in development, then there would have been press releases of this months ago, and there had not been. Gordon had chased down all rumors of this, as he always searched for better ways to increase the reality experience of his gaming. Every lead led to dead ends and false forum bragging by players trying to gain reputation among the gaming fraternity. The only advancement he had ever located was a hack to the current goggles that allowed a player to install new experimental codecs that managed to add a greater range of colors and sharpened the graphics a little, nice when first experienced, but not really noticeable after a while, and allowed a greater range of sounds and noises. Unfortunately these could brick a pair of goggles with any future, and legal, updates to the firmware.

    It was while Gordon was sleeping off his latest gaming jaunt that the company released the information regarding the games latest, and greatest, update.

    Gordon was woken up by the ringing of the phone next to his bed. It jolted him awake, interrupting a pleasant dream he was having. He was just about to be crowned king of the game, and a beautiful elven queen stood in front of him, the crown raised above his head, her well endowed chest leaning forward towards his face. He was awake before the crown had descended, feeling a little annoyed by the interruption , and reached for the ringing phone. Lifting it to his ear, he spoke. ¡°Hello ?¡±

    ¡°Gordo, its me Tim. It¡¯s been three hours and you hadn¡¯t called yet. Wondered if something was wrong.¡± Came the voice from the other end, and it sounded excited. Tim was one of the few friends he had, living just down the street. They had grown up together, going to the same schools and playing the same games together. Tim had been the one who had helped him finish the last quest. Tim hadn¡¯t joined during beta, being hospitalized at the time to have his appendix out, and had started playing when the full game was released. He wasn¡¯t as avid a gamer as Gordon, but still enjoyed it enough to stay playing all this time. Tim was more of a sports fan, and preferred to play those types of games. Sometimes Gordon joined him because he knew it wasn¡¯t fair if he only played Dawnlands with Tim.

    ¡°Ah.. Tim. Sorry, nothings wrong, been asleep since the quest. ¡° He sat up and rubbed his face to wake up a little more. ¡°What¡¯s up, you sound excited about something.¡± He looked out the window and saw that evening was drawing in, the clouds all pink and purple from the sun setting.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. You mean you don¡¯t know the news ? Wow, this must be the first time I have managed to beat you to the punch. I can not believe this, the greatest thing to happen, and you have missed it¡±

    ¡°Tim¡­. What the hell are you going on about?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to tell you now, I think I will let you find out yourself. All I will say is that this is something you have always wanted, something big.¡± Gordon could hear Tim chuckling to himself at the other end. He then continued. ¡°Look, just go and check the forums, then get back to me once you find out what. I don¡¯t want to spoil this, now anyway, for you.¡± He hung up, still chuckling suspiciously.

    Gordon stood up and ran one hand through his dark hair. It was damp with sweat from the afternoon heat. The call had him confused, especially with the cryptic remarks Tim had made. Greatest ? Big ? He still couldn¡¯t get any idea from this, for he wanted a lot of things but couldn¡¯t single out one that may have interested Tim. Must have something to do with the game, he thought, and all I want there, really, is a new update, but why would he say it was big ? Only one way to solve this, time to check the game forums.

    Logging onto to Lands of Dawn forums, he was instantly aware something major was happening, for hundreds of new threads had been added since his last visit. Normally there would only be a handful of new entries, as just about everything had already been covered. He sat down, realizing he was in for an extended stint searching the forums to see what all the buzz was about, but in the end, the reality was only one thread was really required to find out what happened, and that was a thread headed Dawnlands, The New Beginning.

    Topic : Dawnlands, The New Beginning

    Poster: Energetic Entertainment

    Number of views: 12,768,864

    Number of posts: 36.547

    Energetic Entertainment is pleased to announce to all its loyal players the release of the next generation of Dawnlands. This release can not be considered as an update, or even an expansion, for this is a whole new program, designed from the ground up to provide everyone with a greater gaming experience. The game will be much larger, much more complex and¡­ much more real.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    This new version will be named Dawnlands, The New Beginning, and it will run separately from the older, original game. Players who wish to port their characters across to the new game may do so, but with a penalty, the main one being a reduction in levels, experience and some equipment. Game Money can also be transferred between the games, but as each use a different currency, there will be an exchange rate for doing so. Players who transfer their character across to the new game will have their older character deleted.

    Dawnlands the original, will no longer be updated or expanded, as we now consider this game complete, but will host it as long as there are people playing it. Please note, players can not have a character running in each game, and any player found to be in breach of this restriction will have all characters, money and equipment deleted from both games.

    Now for the good news, what can you as a player expect from the new game, well here are a few of the games features, and a more comprehensive list can be found by downloading <u>the Game Manual here</u>

    Extensive playing environment covering 144 million square miles, or 12,000 miles x 12,000 miles (and expanding)

    All game access costs covered by purchase of necessary equipment to play

    New realistic graphics, sound, smell, touch and taste (dependent upon equipment used)

    New intelligence feature, unique to NPCs, Monster and Creatures

    Withdraw in game currency to real money (exchange rate applies ¨C don¡¯t expect to get rich)

    In game purchases with real currency

    All quests, tasks, errands and missions totally unique.

    100% Player, NPC, Monster and Creature respawn ¨C No living creature will die permaently

    New NPC, Monster and Creature remembrance feature

    New Heuristic Learning Protocol for non-playing beings (they learn from your actions)

    Realistic creature behavior, including NPCs and monsters

    Legally mandated time restrictions on daily gameplay, dependent upon player equipment

    New Settlement feature, build your own towns, villages, castles¡­. even kingdoms

    Brand new player management system

    Realism factor 100% - You will really think you are there (equipment type dependent)

    And much, much more.

    Game items purchasable in game shop for real money., some items only available through real money purchase.

    Now you can live a life in Dawnlands, The New Beginning, doing anything you wish. Players are not restricted to combat characters only and can own and run shops as well as many other things.

    Read the Game Manual for more Information, as well as visit our home site for more information on required equipment and transferring your character

    ***Due to the advanced nature of the program current player equipment will no longer support Dawnlands, The New Beginning. Please go to Energetic Entertainment homepage to find out what equipment is required and what costs are involved.***

    Thank You

    Energetic Entertainment.

    Sitting back in amazement, and a little excitement, Gordon thought about the information provided. It was just enough to get his attention, but he would need to download that game manual and really check it out thoroughly before he knew exactly what this game was about. He already knew he would transfer across, he had done everything in the older game, but needed to know what to expect when he did so. As he sat there thinking about what could be included in the game, his inbox dinged to let him know a new message had arrived in it. While he had noticed the messages arrival, he ignored it at this time. He didn¡¯t have that many people he was friends with, and all of them would just have rang him if they wanted to speak to him. This was most probably spam, he thought.

    His phone rang, breaking into his thoughts. He still had it in his hand from his earlier call, forgotten after he had started to read the game announcement. He looked down and saw the call was from Tim again, so he raised it and selected the accept button. ¡°Tim.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Gordo, Decided to ring, couldn¡¯t wait . Have you seen it yet ?¡± was Tims reply.

    ¡°If you mean the new game announcement, yes, just finished reading it. Pretty exciting stuff, but I haven¡¯t finished checking up on some things about it yet, especially the mention of equipment requirements. From the sound of it, it probably means I¡¯ll have to purchase either an update to my googles, or new goggles.¡±

    ¡°Dead wrong there, I have already checked this out. It won¡¯t be using goggles.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± exclaimed Gordon. ¡°How the hell can they run a virtual reality if it won¡¯t take googles. Goggles are the only possible way to access any decent virtual reality program, all the rest of the crap in the shops don¡¯t hold a candle to them.¡±

    ¡°Well, you would have been right last week, but it seems Energetic Entertainment have been keeping secrets. I have been on their site to check out what is needed to play, and they have three completely new VR systems there that are now available for purchase, but they aren¡¯t cheap.¡± Tim sounded disappointed at mentioning this. ¡°If I decide to play this new version of the game I better start saving now. For what they are asking it better be something worth it.¡±

    Gordon was surprised at this, usually information on new technology leaked fairly rapidly onto the forums, and there hadn¡¯t been even a creditable whisper to his knowledge. Oh, there had been rumors, but only the usual ones that had been around for years, and he had checked them all out thoroughly. Not one of them led back to anything that could be considered as believable. ¡°Three? Wonder what they are?¡± he muttered aloud, nor realizing that this sounded like a question he was asking rather than just a form of cogitation.

    Tim probably thought Gordon was asking him about them for he answered. ¡°Well. First off they have a full face mask that you use while laying down. Uses something called a Picobot Transmission Shunt to connect you to the game. Sounds painful to me, but all the systems generally use this same system. Takes instructions directly from the nervous system. The mask will let a player access the game for up to four hours a day total¡±

    ¡°Wonder how they manage to do that.¡± Gordon interjected. ¡°That could be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Dunno about that, but they state that the system has been fully tested, and passed by the health authorities. Now, next they have a full body suit which basically does the same but allows a player longer time online a day, up to ten hours a day. The third option is a game pod, looks like a futuristic coffin to me, and will let a player stay online for up to twenty four hours continuous play before it makes you take a break.¡±

    ¡°Wonder why they have suck time restrictions on playing ? Seems weird to me, unless they have done this to make people buy the more expensive units to get more gameplay.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± started Tim, ¡±from what I read on their site, the restrictions are health based. They have been implemented at the request of the government inspectors so that people using the equipment don¡¯t suffer any physical harm . The better equipment have capabilities which monitor the players health while they play and maintains the muscular system .¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Was the only reply Gordon had. Until he fully checked out all the information about all the systems, he had no way of really appreciating, or have suspicions about, any of the systems. He really needed to get onto the game site and have a look. Until that was done he wasn¡¯t going to jump the gun and purchase anything that would ultimately prove to be unsuitable to his own requirements. ¡°Look, once I have had time to really look into all of this, I¡¯m not switching over. Give me a couple of days and I will let you know what I will probably do.¡±

    ¡°No problems, Im not even sure myself yet if I want to play the game. It¡¯s a lot of money they are asking and things are a bit tough here at the moment.¡±

 Chapter four

    Gordon spent the whole of the next day checking out the game manual, and the new systems thoroughly, following all links to the relevant information pertinent to each and every one of them. At six o¡¯clock that night he leaned back in his computer chair and stretched to remove the kinks that had developed by being seated in the one position for too long. He was confident that he had managed to chase down every scrap of information available. Twisting his neck from side to side, he heard the cracking of the bones as they released their stiffness. He was happy with the results of his examination of this new game system, and would be happy to join it anytime. Unfortunately his finances, depleted after he had updated his computer system a couple of months ago, were not up to the task of being able to purchase the system he felt he wanted.

    It was the game pod for him, nothing less, but ten thousand dollars meant he would have to find a job and earn that money. Not only ten thousand, he realized after a moment, but even more if he wanted to get a good start in the game. A lot of good stuff could be purchased straight off, for real money, and he knew all the serious gameplayers would be sinking a lot of money into that at the beginning. Also, the prices were not that cheap, for he had scrolled down the list to the bottom and the prices there were in the tens of thousands for one item. Money purchased a great advantage, this he knew as fact, for he had sunk many hundreds of dollars into the original Dawnlands over the past couple of years, it was the only way to be able to hold on to his number one position.

    He suddenly realized that he was about to lose his coveted position at number one, for by the time he managed to afford a new system the other players would have far surpassed him, making it virtually impossible to compete against them in the new game. He no longer desired to play the old version, for after studying the new game , it seemed insignificant to him. He knew this, for he already had that tingly butterfly feeling of desire that he always got when something new came out that he wanted. It was an irritation he couldn¡¯t scratch and that made him feel frustrated.

    His inbox dinged. Frowning, it reminded him of the message that he had got the other day, and had not yet checked out. He hated spam, and with all of the top level mail checking software he had installed, it was pretty rare anything made its way through to the inbox, yet here he was, two in a very short time span. Time to take out the garbage, he thought to himself.

    He was surprised upon opening his inbox to see that neither of the messages were junk, but both from the same sender, Energetic Entertainment. Raising his eyes in amazement, for in all the time he had been playing he had never received a message from them before, he opened the first one that had been sent to him. The message was just about the same information that was on the forums, a message sent to all players informing them about the release of the new game. He didn¡¯t bother reading through it for he already knew what it contained. He surmised the second was a similar one, again advertising the game but on opening it he realized it wasn¡¯t, so read through it.

    Sender: Energetic Entertainment

    Receiver : [email protected]</a>

    Subject : Dawnlands, A new Beginning

    Mr. Rammidge

    As one of the few beta testers who remained faithful to Dawnlands, as well as our number one player, we are surprised to see that you have not yet decided to transfer across to the new game platform.

    As one of our most prestigious players, we hope that this does not indicate you have reservations or concerns in regard to Dawnlands, A New Beginning and have decided to part company with us, and wish to remain with us.

    Energetic Entertainment, therefore, is exited to offer you a rare job opportunity with our company. The length of employment will initially be for twelve months, with an opportunity to extend this at a later date. The employment position will be one you are most familiar with, this being a beta tester for an advanced gaming system not yet available to the normal players. Your task will be simple, to play the game with our new system and allow us to monitor your progress within the game.

    If this offer interests you, please contact our customer service department and use the code BETATANK. A meet will be arranged for you to meet our HR department and have a tour of the facility, and the department, that you could be working in. Details regarding the employment conditions and remuneration will be discussed at that time.

    Hector Alminez

    Technical Development Dept

    Energetic Entertainment

    He had to read through this twice before he fully comprehended the meaning of the message, and afterwards just sat there, numb and thoughtless. It took at least three minutes before his wits returned to him. Looking down, he noticed that his hands were shaking. He couldn¡¯t believe it, a job offer from Energetic Entertainment, the biggest gaming company in the world. Shaking his head, he went back to the message to read it a third time, just to make sure it wasn¡¯t all a dream.

    He thought about the offer seriously, knowing if he rejected it, it wouldn¡¯t be offered again, then realized that until he received more information about what this offer entailed he was unable to make any proper decision. Quickly, he pulled up the company website and navigated to the contact page, then clicked on the Human Resources mail link and sent them a message indicating his interest in the job offer. It wasn¡¯t long before his inbox dinged with a new incoming message, and seeing it was from Energetic Entertainment, he quickly opened it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The message thanked him for his prompt reply, and informed him to be at their Glenvale facility tomorrow at noon, which luckily happened to be quite near to where he lived, where he was to ask to see a Miss Wolverley. He glanced at the time, seeing it was already about ten at night, wondered where the past three hours had disappeared to, then went to bed.

    .....

    The next day dawned, bright and sunny, but Gordon didn¡¯t notice any of this, for everything was a blur to him through his excitement. It was only when he was seated on the train that would take him to Glenvale that mind and body finally caught up with each other. The train trip was going to take an hour, so he sat, looking sightlessly at the countryside passing by his window, his thoughts occupied elsewhere.

    Fifty five minutes later, the train pulled into the Glenvale station, and Gordon alighted onto the platform, looking about in interest. Glenvale was a town created around the facility he was heading for, and the residents of this town were mainly comprised of workers who were employed by Energetic Entertainment, or operated businesses that supported the workers families. He found nothing of exceptional note, for it looked like any other town he had passed through and mentally laughed at himself for daydreaming that this place would be wonderfully different.

    Departing the station, he hailed a cab and instructed the driver to take him to the facility. As the cab pulled away from the gutter, he suddenly remembered that he had never returned that phone call to Tim.

    Arriving at the facility, Gordon exited the cab and made his way through the front doors. The foyer he entered was rather small, considering the size of the building itself, and found himself facing a security counter manned by two uniformed workers. One of them looked up at his entrance, watching him carefully as he approached them. When he was within reaching distance to the counter, the guard spoke. ¡°Can we help you, sir?¡±

    Nervously Gordon asked ¡°I was told to ask for a Miss Wolverley.¡±

    The guard arched one eyebrow at this, which was a fascinating thing to watch as the guard sported one of the best unibrows that Gordon had ever seen. ¡°Do you have an appointment with Miss Wolverley, sir?¡± Both of the guards were watching him at this point.

    ¡°Ummm¡­ yes, I do. I was told to ask for her in an email from Hector Alminez.¡± Gordons nervousness became even worse at this point, and he could feel sweat start to appear on his palms.

    ¡°And your name would be¡­. ¡° came the request.

    ¡°Gordon Rammidge.¡±

    While he stood there, the second guard picked up a telephone and spoke quietly into it, then paused, looked up at Gordon, and again spoke into the phone, again too soft for Gordon to make out what he was saying. His expressionless face gave Gordon no hint in response to whatever he was hearing from the other end of the line. ¡®Mr. Rammidge,¡± he finally said to Gordon, ¡°did this message have any reference, or code word, included in it?¡±

    Gordon scrunched his eyebrows up in concentration, trying to recall the messages that had been sent to him. ¡°Yes it did. The word in the message was BETATANK.¡± The guard muttered something into the phone then placed the handset back into its cradle, nodding at the first guard.

    ¡°Please take a seat,¡± The guard instructed, ¡°Miss Wolverley¡­.¡± He paused , glancing towards the second guard, who nodded an acknowledgement, then continued, ¡°should be down to see you shortly.¡± Losing interest in Gordon, the guards returned to whatever they had been up to before he had arrived, so he made his way over to the indicated chairs situated against the far wall.

    While he was waiting, he occupied himself by looking around the foyer, for he hadn¡¯t really noticed much when he entered. Other than the security desk and the chairs for guests, the area was surprisingly bare of anything else. There were no pot plants at all, which most foyers usually had, and the walls were bare, except for the company logo emblazoned on the wall behind the security counter. A pretty boring entry to such an interesting place, though Gordon.

    He wasn¡¯t waiting that long when a young blond haired woman, about mid twenties of age and dressed in a casual business suit entered from the doorway that led further into the facility. She pushed the glasses she wore further up onto her nose. Looking about herself she noticed Gordon sitting by himself. She glanced at the security desk. ¡°Jim.¡± Was all she said with a slight nod of greeting.

    The guard to whom she was addressing smiled pleasantly at her, and directed her attention towards Gordon with a jerk of his chin . ¡°He¡¯s over there, Miss Wolverley.¡± and handed her a small laminated card. ¡°Make sure he wears this guests pass at all times, we don¡¯t want him setting off the alarms if you enter any restricted zones.¡±

    Gordon pushed himself out of the chair and rose to his feet as the woman approached him. She would be rather pretty, if she wasn¡¯t wearing those glasses, he thought. As she arrived to stand directly in front of him she held out her hand. Automatically, he reached for it and shook it while she said ¡®Welcome to Energetic Entertainment, Mr. Rammidge. We have been waiting for you, you¡¯re quite famous around here, you know.¡±

    Gordon couldn¡¯t help but blush as this, and stammered a response. ¡°Ahhhh¡­ thank you, Miss Wolverley. Just call me Gordon, everyone else does.¡± Then ¡°Famous ? I¡¯m not famous?¡±

    She just smiled back at him. ¡°Sure you are Gordon, your our oldest remaining player, and also the holder of the number one position for most of the last year. We keep track of those players who are exceptional in our games, and you have a lot of fans in this facility, as well as elsewhere, who follow your exploits avidly. That makes you famous to us. That¡¯s why we contacted you. All players who are interested in porting over to the new platform has done so, or posted they would. You, on the other hand, stopped playing totally. No messages, no online access at all and we were concerned that you had decided that this new game was not for you and packed it all in.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ No, definitely not. ¡° Gordon interjected. ¡°I had done everything in the old game, and was still exploring all the available information about the new one. I wouldn¡¯t have left, come one, what other game can hold a candle to Dawnlands. It¡¯s the only way I can realistically, well as realistic as possible with Dawnlands, live that kind of life. I never want to log out.¡±

    A big smile appeared on her lips when he said that. ¡°I am extremely happy to hear that, Gordon, for that lets me know what we are offering you will suit you down to a tee.¡± She grasped him by one elbow and lead him inside the facility.

 Chapter Five

    Gordon awoke with a groan, His head pounding like he had never before experienced, not even after that Christmas he had celebrated with Tim. At least he had an explanation for that example, having downed at least a full bottle of scotch. Gordon tried to open his eyes, but the light that greeted them slammed spikes of pain deep into his brain bringing about a gut churning feeling he may vomit everywhere. Oh, my god, he thought to himself, I must have had an accident . The last thing he remembered was meeting that lady, what¡¯s her name now ¡­. Oh that¡¯s right, Miss Wolverley¡­.. at the facility.

    ¡­ Gordon¡­

    He slowly, but carefully, lifted one hand up, thankful that it hadn¡¯t been injured in the accident, and started to explore his face, using only the lightest of touches with his fingertips. Everything seemed alright there, he thought, feeling no additional pains from his feather like prodding. Finished with his facial region, he lifted his hand even higher, and started to run his fingers around his skull. His hand suddenly froze, stopping in its movement. He lifted it away from his head, the lowered it to feel his long, curly hair.

    ¡°What the fuck.¡± He exclaimed in shock, pushing himself up suddenly into a seated position, an action instantly regretted as wave after wave of aching pain rippled across his whole body. He slumped forward, groaning, throbbing head held between both hands. His discovery that he now had a thick crop of long curly hair instead of the thinning straight hair that he had always had, was quickly erased from his thoughts.

    ¡­ Gordon¡­

    The mention of his name added to his pain, making him whisper ¡°Please¡­ please stop talking to me.¡± As he sat there, rocking in time with the surges of pain, a cold, wet cloth was held to his forehead, the chill bringing slight relief to him. Someone put an arm around his back, and he was gently eased down until he was once again lying down. He felt the lip of a cup placed against his mouth and a cool liquid flowed across his lips, filling his mouth until he was forced to swallow. It was just water, he realized, and parted his lips to allow more to enter, swallowing rapidly to ease the thirst he now felt. As his body relaxed, he understood that the water must have been laced with something, for his body became numb and the pain receded, finally his mind slipped down into darkness.

    ¡­ Gordon¡­

    The calling of his name awoke him, the whisper just barely audible, but something was different this time. He ignored the call of the voice and pondered upon this.. Somethings different, he realized, something¡¯s missing. The thing he could not remember constantly eluded him, and in frustration and annoyance he shook his head. His eyes shot open, as he realized it no longer eluded him. The pain, it was gone.

    ¡­ Gordon¡­

    ¡°What.¡± He growled in annoyance.

    ¡­ Ah, your finally awake, good. My name is Andrea Messner, and I am the manager of the Tank project for Energetic Entertainment. Could you please let me know what the last thing your remember. Please ?...

    ¡°What?¡± Gordon asked in puzzlement. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you are asking, shouldn¡¯t you be telling me what happened to me ? If its of any interest to you, I was with that Miss Wolverley, I have just arrived at your facility. ¡±

    ¡­ Okay, now I can place where your memory is, thank you. Please just lay there, keep your eyes closed and listen to what I have to say, I don¡¯t have that long, so no interruptions until I have finished ¡­

    Gordon closed his eyes, as requested. ¡°I understand¡± he replied, still confused about what the hell was going on, but also realizing it would be best at this time to get more information about what was happening before he asked any questions.

    ¡­ The short version is, you have been at the facility for a week, now, and have agreed to participate in our beta test of the new equipment. Unfortunately, in the time you were with us, you gathered enough information about the game which could affect the results of the test and invalidate the whole process. To bypass this, you came to an agreement with us for a memory block to be placed on your memories covering the time since you arrived. You will regain these memories, they are not lost, only being blocked¡­

    Gordon couldn¡¯t hold himself back at this information ¡°What the hell, I would never of agreed to that.¡±

    ¡­ But you did, Gordon, and even signed documentation expressing your agreement. I¡¯m sorry, but I can not talk any further about this agreement with you, at this time. Anyway, the arrangement between us, as agreed to by both parties, is that you will join Dawnlands, A new Beginning, and play it for a year, using our equipment to access it. We will monitor your progress and fix any errors or bugs you expose in your gameplay. For doing this, we will pay you a weekly salary of two thousand dollars, payable in full at the end of the twelve months¡­

    The voice paused at this point, as if in consideration, and Gordon thought about what he had already been informed of. Other that the memory loss, the arrangement didn¡¯t sound that bad. Good money, even if he had to wait to get it, and playing a whole new game with what he could only assume was the best equipment available, even if experimental. Its what he would probably be doing with his life anyway. The outrage that he initially felt subsided to an irritation. Then the voice continued.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡­ Unfortunately this test requires you to start with a character who can not be in a worse position. You will have no money or equipment. You were not allowed to port across your old character, and therefore must start absolutely new. Our tasks for you to do in the twelve months is to regain your number one position and become the leader of your own kingdom, as we agreed. If you succeed in these tasks you will receive a bonus of one hundred thousand dollars for each of them. Currently, within the game, there are approximately four million players, and the top ranked player at this point is level twenty. So that¡¯s it, Gordon, the whole thing¡­

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound that difficult, I should be able to achieve those tasks within your timeframe. So where will I be staying when I log out from playing? If the equipment is in the facility, then I suppose its in Greenvale somewhere. I¡¯ll need to contact a few people to let them know I¡¯ll be unavailable for a while, and to organize for my apartment to be looked after.¡±

    ¡­ I don¡¯t think you understand, Gordon, you will be playing the game for the next twelve months¡­. No log outs, its full immersion for the whole time. You are already in the game ¡­

    A chill coursed through his veins at this, then he remembered the unexplained change in his hair, and fainted.

    .....

    Someone placed a hand on Gordons shoulder, waking him from his sleep with a gentle shake. The sight that greeted him confirmed everything that he had been informed of by the voice. He was laying on a rough wooden stretcher bed, the burlap base covered with a thin padding made of straw, of which he could feel individual straws poking into his back. Standing over him, leaning forward slightly with one hand resting on one of his shoulders was what he could only assume was a nun. He assumed she was a nun because the white clothes she wore resembled the nuns habit that he was familiar with. On the front of the habit was a green symbol that resembled a circle divided in half along its diameter by a wavy line. This symbol was sewn into the white cloth and was the size of the dinner plates he ate from when at home.

    Gordon turned his head to the side and looked past the nun, and saw the room he was in was lined on either side with rough beds similar to his, most of them occupied. He guessed there was about twenty of the stretcher beds filling the small room, with his placed at the end furthest away from the entrance. The walls of the room were not smooth, but seemed to consist of rough bricks covered with cracked and discolored whitewash.

    His attention returned to the nun when she spoke to him, her brown eyes examining his face carefully. ¡°It is good to see you have recovered from your fever and returned to us.¡± She placed one of her pale, narrow hands on his brow, it was pleasantly cool to his skin. ¡°How are you feeling ?¡± She asked him, her voice soft, but friendly, and somehow reassuring.

    Gordon coughed and tried to speak, but his throat was dry and the words wouldn¡¯t come out. His lips were dry, cracking as he attempted to speak, and his throat felt like he had swallowed a handful of sand. The nun pulled a small leather flask from the rope belt that secured her habit, uncorked it and dribbled a small amount across his lips and into his mouth. It wasn¡¯t much, and stung as it moistened his wounded lips, but managed to remove that parched feeling enough that he was confident that he would be able to speak this time. He attempted to answer her again, it hurt and came out broken and cracked. ¡°Where am I ?¡± he asked.

    Her brow knit in concern as she answered ¡°You are in Angelwood. Do you remember what happened to you, how you came to be here ?¡±

    Angelwood ? thought Gordon to himself, what the hell is Angelwood. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to me at all,¡± he replied out loud, ¡°and I don¡¯t know what Angelwood is.¡± He looked about the room anagin. ¡°Is this Angelwood ?¡±

    The nun laughed, not too loud as she didn¡¯t want to disturb the others in the room. ¡°Angelwood is the city you are in, it is the capital of the kingdom of Greenhills, this,¡± she waved a hand around, indicating the room, ¡°is the Hospice of the Wounded Angel. We take care of those who do not have the means to look after themselves, the injured, the sick and the afflicted.¡± She looked back at him, moved her hand to indicate Gordon. ¡°You were found on the streets, unconscious and fevered, dressed only in dirty rags. One of our kind citizens had you brought to us, to be taken care of. You have been here for three days now.¡± She cocked her head to the side, still observing him. ¡°Do you know who you are ?¡±

    Gordons thoughts had returned to the discussion he had with the Energetic Entertainment representative. She hadn¡¯t been lying to him after all. He was in the game, for sure, and in the worst possible situation they could put him in, penniless and possession less. His mind snapped back his current situation, to see the nun waiting for a response from him. ¡°Uhh¡­. my name ?¡± he muttered aloud, thinking furiously, then decided to use the name he always used. ¡°Oh.. my name is Gordo, what¡¯s your name?¡± and smiled at the nun.

    ¡°Sister Erethian.¡± She replied, returning his smile.

    ¡°So, Sister Erethian, what do I do now ? You say my fever has broken, so does that mean I need to leave here ?¡±

    ¡°No, Gordo, you are still weak from your illness and need more recovery. Rest here for the night, and in the morning the local priest will come and cast a healing on you. If you feel you are well enough, you can leave us after that. I do request, though, that until the priest arrives, that you do not stir from this bed, for you may suffer your illness to return.¡± She turned and addressed another nun behind her. ¡°Bring Gordo a bowl of the broth from the kitchen.¡± Then turned back to him. ¡°eat it slowly, for your stomach will have become unused to eating during your illness.¡±

    Gordon had not seen the arrival of the other nun, as his sight of the walkway was obscured by Sister Erethian, but he was thankful that she was getting him something to eat. He remembered the manual informing him food was vital to a character, and assisted in health recovery, plus he had started to notice a rising hunger ache. ¡°Thank you, Sister.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long before a glazed clay bowl arrived before him, full of a steaming thick meat stew, along with a stiff leather cup full of chilled water, and he licked his lips in anticipation.

 Chapter Six

    Gordon, or Gordo as he realized his name would be from this point in the game, followed the instructions he had received about staying in bed. It wasn¡¯t hard to do, for the one time he attempted to stand up, his body acted like a drunk after a three day bender, it swayed uncontrollably and felt lethargic. Laying supine, he decided to spend the time exploring his character.

    ¡°Inventory¡± he requested, and a semi-transparent screen popped up in front of his vision. Unsurprisingly is was empty, except for the text at the top telling him that he didn¡¯t possess a bag for carrying items. That was something he would have to sort out as soon as possible, for without a bag he wouldn¡¯t be able to carry anything. He cursed the company that put him here, for normally any new player automatically received the cheapest bag possible to store stuff in, a ten slot small cloth bag that reduced carrying weight by 5 percent. Also without the bag, other starting equipment was unavailable to him, for they came pre-stored in the carrying bag. ¡°Close.¡± He snapped in irritation and the screen went away.

    His next command was ¡°Profile.¡± And another screen partially obscured his vision, this one displaying the outline of a human body. In all the other games he had played, as well as what the manual had stated, this screen would normally show the character equipped with a starting weapon in one of the three weapon slots, and basic armor, a shirt and pants. His profile showed no equipped weapon at all, and was dressed in rags, with a protection value of zero. He examined the rags, and saw a further complication, the durability on these things was one. Again he cursed, for a strong rainstorm would destroy them within minutes, leaving his character naked and open for arrest for public nudity. He couldn¡¯t afford that, for the crime attracted a fine of five coppers. ¡°Close.¡± He again instructed.

    After an hour of opening and closing all the windows he could remember, he had yet to find one that possessed anything other than a blank screen. Slumping back onto the straw, he gave up, for no doubt all the other options available to him would present the same emptiness, and gave way to the anger he was feeling. What the hell had he agreed to, and why the heel did he agree to this. He was in an almost impossible position, and couldn¡¯t see a way out of it. He was, basically, stuffed, and he had to stay here for another year, most probably as a beggar trying to get the coins together to afford the food requirement his character needed. There was no way he could regain his crown as the number one player again.

    The bloody admins hadn¡¯t left him the slightest advantage at all, they had even changed the damn quest system, so that players couldn''t just run around basically asking the NPCs to give them one, they were now situationally generated, meaning that they were almost impossible to find among the general mass of NPCs. He would need a massive stroke of luck to come across one of these, this early into the game, and he didn¡¯t think that his luck factor had been avoided from the interference of the admins, he knew they would have nerfed that as well.

    Shit, he thought, this is a whole new game, new rules and new mechanics, his previous gamingexperience wouldn¡¯t give him any advantage at all, in fact it was now a hindrance, as it allowed for assumptionsin regard to game features that possibly no longer existed. He would need to develop a whole new method of playing this game, learning, like a baby, one step at a time. No on would even offer him a job, not looking like the derelict the admins had turned him into.

    This realization depressed him even further, so he just gave up on further thoughts, curled up on the bed, pulled the very thin, threadbare blanket over his body, then went to sleep.

    .....

    The next morning he awoke at dawn, feeling in a slightly better mood than he had the night before, for he had remembered something, he could transfer real money into the game. Quickly he pulled up the transfer funds page and selected the link it displayed. Nothing happened, which shocked him, for he knew he definitely had a little money in his account. He tried the link again, and saw a very unwelcome message appear on the screen.

    No funds currently available.

    While he was angrily looking at this message, trying to work out why it was happening, he noticed a red. Blinking message symbol, and selected it. The message opened, replacing the already open page. It was from the administration team of the game.

    Dear Gordo

    You are now, no doubt, aware that you no longer have access any form of external funds to assist you. As per the contract agreed to, signed by yourself, you will not have access to your normal financial accounts while within the game. The account you are attempting to access is a new in game financial account set up prior to your entry into Dawnlands, where you can transfer in game currency into real dollars, and use these funds for any purchases you wish to make within the game. The money transferred into this account will remain accessible to you at all times, and at the end of your twelve month contract will be transferred into an account of your choosing, if successful in both tasks required of you. Please manage this money wisely, as you will find that there are things you may need to purchase to survive and succeed.

    As an incentive for you, we will credit your character with five copper coins. These coins will be received by you, automatically, once you have obtained a coin purse to keep your money in¡­..

    Also, you will need to keep any information regarding the tasks and agreement between Energetic Entertainment and yourself secret, for a breach of this secrecy could influence the beta test and attract severe in game penalties to your character.

    All best, and good gaming

    Andrea MessnerIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Tank Project Manager

    Gordo waved the window away, again fuming at the conditions he had apparently agreed to, yet could not remember. He must have been a fool to accept such demanding restrictions, or tricked. His hands seemed to be tied at every turn, with no loopholes for a quick escape from his predicament. He hated feeling helpless like this.

    Sitting up, he swung his bare feet out and examined them. They look pretty normal, he thought, if a little dirt stained. From what he had managed to find out about himself, mainly by touch, his character was a human, but until he could find a reflective surface in which to take a good look, he couldn¡¯t be definitely sure. He knew he had curly hair, which proved to be blond when he had yanked one out and looked at it, and from the state of the parts of himself that he could see, he expected that the hair was in need of a good washing as well. He was a dirty, human beggar, surviving on handouts from others.

    This brought back his depression, which didn¡¯t improve when the priest arrived to take a look at him. He could see a look of disgust cross the priest''s face as he approached Gordo, followed by a wrinkling of his nose when he arrived. I must smell pretty ripe, thought Gordo, another low blow put on him by the company. At this point he wouldn¡¯t put it past the company to have also afflicted his character with something disfiguring, like facial warts, or a wonky eye, but couldn¡¯t help but also feel some admiration for the quality of the realism he had experienced to date. Whatever system he was using, it sure had displayed the full spread of sense enhancement so far, as well as unbelievable graphics. This brought about thoughts in regard to how far they had gone down the path of reality. Will I need to go to the toilet, he mused, but decided they had left this out, because after a day, he still had no urge to take a leak.

    As he lay there, letting the priest examine him, he penned a quick note of to the admin team, asking them that if characters ate and drank, did they need to go to the toilet at all. Feeling a little sarcastic towards them, he added as a joke whether characters could fart, as this would put them in some humorous situations, and sent it off.

    The priest finished his examination of Gordo, then raised one hand above him and cast a general healing spell over him. It felt like little electric spiders had crawled across his body, causing his flesh to crawl a little, but afterwards he was surprised he felt quite energetic and full of life.

    As he was about to thank the priest, he felt a sudden, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, and without any warning his bowels erupted with a huge burst of hot air, fouling the air with a vile smell and emitting a terrible, but familiar noise. The priest stepped back in alarm, then even further as the smell struck his nostrils, giving Gordo the darkest look that anyone had ever given him before. All Gordo could do was cover his eyes and shake his head. There was a minute ding, announcing a message had been sent to him.

    The message was a reply to the one he had sent to the admins, who informed him that, no, at this time the toilet feature was not included in the game, but they thanked him for the suggestion in regarding a fart function. They felt this random occurrence would be a useful addition. They also hoped that he enjoyed the demonstration that they had allowed his character to perform. For this he received an award, but not one he would be pleased to display at all, it was the ¡®First Fart in Dawnlands¡¯ award. Mind you, it did come with some handy bonuses.

    First Fart Award ¨C Gained by being the first player in Dawnlands to perform this action

    As the first person in Dawnlands to perform this action you have been granted a unique skill, the Disabling Gas ability. Your Disabling Gas ability can be trained up in levels

    Requirements : Must consume boiled eggs to power this skill.

    At Level 10, your gas has the ability to cause opponents to step away from you, allowing you the opportunity to strike at them once unopposed. Area of coverage circle ten foot in diameter (10% chance +1% per level after level 10)

    At Level 20, your gas has the ability to cause opponents to flee. Area of coverage circle ten foot in diameter from you (5% chance + 0.5% per level after level 20)

    At Level 50, your gas has the ability to cause opponents to become unconscious. Area of coverage circle ten foot in diameter (5% chance + 0.5% per level after level 50)

    At Level 100, your gas has the ability to kill opponents. Area of coverage circle ten foot in diameter (1% chance + 0.5% per level after level 100)

    At Level 150, you gain the ability to choose one target, up to 50 foot in distance from yourself, for your Disabling Gas attack. Player need not be in combat, and has choice of Disabling Gas mode. This attack type is untraceable.

    Wow, Gordo thought upon reading the benefits, that can be extremely useful at higher levels. I just wonder at what type of twisted training methods are required for the skill. The requirements were also a bit annoying, for he hated eating eggs.

    He looked up as he heard rapid, and firm, footsteps approaching him, only to see Sister Erethian heading his way, a ¡¯we are not amused¡¯ expression plastered on her face. Stopping in front of him, she crossed her arms on her chest, obscuring the symbol on the front. ¡°Sir,¡± she said to him, formal to illustrate the point she was not happy with him at this time, it must have been the fart, ¡°the priest informs me you are as well as you could be now, with the exception of a bath, which you definitely need. We are pleased to see you returned to health, but unfortunately we now need the bed you are occupying for another poor soul in need. When you are ready, please come and see me in our reception hall, and we will provide you with better clothes,¡± she paused here, giving his rags a scathing look, ¡°than the ones you currently possess.¡± With that, she turned on one heel and strode out of the room.

    Watching her leave Gordo was surprised at how one single fart, fair enough, it really was a bad one, could change her whole opinion in regard to him. Shrugging, he got up and followed her out, not even looking back for he knew he hadn¡¯t left anything behind.

    She was waiting for him as he entered the reception hall, next to her on a counter was a small pile of cloth, obviously the clothes she had mentioned. As if she had read his mind, she pointed at the cloth pile. ¡±These are for you, they are not much better than you currently own, but will provide you with a little more protection from the weather, as well as making you a little bit more presentable.¡± She pointed at a door set in the wall behind her. ¡°You can change into them in this room, just leave those rags on the floor when you are finished and we will dispose of them for you. I have other patients I need to see at this time, so let me offer you good luck for your future. ¡° She gave Gordo a brief nod, turned and left.

    Gordo picked up the clothes and opened the door she had indicated, it was a small room, somewhat like a cupboard, but it possessed enough room for him to be able to change into the clean, if well worn, shirt and pants she had provided him with. He dropped the filthy rags he had been wearing on the floor and left, leaving the door open.

    Having a quick look at his profile, he saw the clothes improved his armor protection to one, the shirt having a remaining durability of five, while the pants durability was at six. Pleased with this stroke of luck, he strode towards the front door of the hospice, eager to gain his first look at this new world he will be living in.

 Chapter Seven

    Opening the front door to the hospice, Gordo was momentarily blinded by the sun that shone directly into his eyes, forcing him to close them and allowing the warmth of the sunlight to play across his face. Somehow it was refreshing, for this was, to his recollection, the first time he had been in the sunlight in this world. He drew a deep breath in, expecting to savor air that was fresh, and unlike the stale and musty air that he had been breathing within the building behind him, only to experience a series of aromas that were not only unexpected, but also unpleasant. The foul smell of uncollected animal dung, mixed in with the ammonia reek of poor sanitation made him gag. It was like the world around him was one giant litter tray, but one that had been left uncleaned for a week then left in the sun to ferment for a further week. It was strong enough to literally take your breath away.

    He let out the foul breath that filled his lungs in one giant wheeze, unconsciously stepping back as if to escape the smell. Taking a grip on the doorframe with an unsteady hand, he decided the best thing he could do was breath only through his mouth, but upon doing so found that he could taste the damn miasma that surrounded him, it was sickening. He opened his eyes, squinting as they became accustomed to the brightness, trying to take a look at his surroundings, to find some avenue of escape, but found he was unable to see properly when his eyes started to water. Not only did the air reek, but it seemed to acidic as well.

    A voice from behind him broke into his misery, the familiar voice of Sister Erethian. ¡°Yes, it takes a little while to become accustomed to the atmosphere around this part of town, it can hit pretty hard if you are not used to it, or expect it. There¡¯s a bench to your right, so please sit there till you get used to it.¡± Gordo , staggered to his right, found the bench and collapsed into a seated position on sit, wheezing while he breathed. The wall behind him was warm, so he leant back against it, and closed his eyes while taking as shallow a breath as he could. He felt the bench move as the sister took a seat next to him.

    Swallowing, but instantly regretting it, he coughed in an attempt to clear the terrible taste from his throat. ¡°How the hell can you live here, and what is that damn smell.¡± He rubbed the tears from his now red and burning eyes and looked at the sister again. ¡°If it¡¯s this bad outside, why doesn¡¯t the inside smell the same ?¡± he queried.

    Sister Erethian pursed he lips, looking down the muddy street that led away from the hospice. It was lined on either side with large wooden building, roughly dresses people walking between them, carefully stepping over the worse sections so as to avoid whatever lay at the bottom of the pools of water. ¡°We have had special spells cast over the hospice that clear the air of the aroma around here. We have found that the atmosphere here is not receptive to healing, but can not afford to purchase a better place to operate from. Our order is a poor one, and we seek no payment for our services, so we make do with what our deity blesses us with. The reason the air around here is so tainted is fairly simple, for this is the manufacturing section of the city where the tanners and weavers prepare their wares. ¡° she looked at him. ¡°You do know how tanners prepare the leather, don¡¯t you ?¡±

    Gordo just nodded, he was familiar with the historic method of tanning, and the unpleasant side effects of the process. Knowing that the tanners were working here made him understand the reason the air was so fouled. He wipes his sleeve across his eyes again.

    Sister Erethian noticed the understanding that entered Gordos expression. ¡°Most of the patients within the hospice are workers of this area, overcome by the fumes, damaged by the chemicals or injured by the machines they use. These workers only have my order to help them, they do not have the money to afford the healers and priests of the holy orders to help them, we are their only salvation¡±

    He nodded understanding, and, while not feeling like he was getting better, felt himself start to become acclimatized to the conditions that surrounded this area. ¡° Seeing this the sister stood up. ¡°I will leave you here to recover enough to be able to travel, it shouldn¡¯t take you long. When you feel up to it, I suggest you travel as quickly down that road you see before us, as it will take you beyond the area that these tanneries affect.¡± She gave Gordo a slight nod and departed.

    He sat there, watching the workers on the street below milling about, doing unfathomable tasks as they passed from one tannery to another, taking in as few breaths as he could. His eyes still stung, but the unspeakable aroma has eased as his olfactory system became accustomed to it, It didn¡¯t go away, only became bearable. Looking at the workers again, he wondered how anyone could work, day after day, in this environment, for god sake, the smell must permeate every atom of a beings body, becoming permanent after long exposure. This fact alone made him want to depart as soon as possible, so he rose to his feet and made his way down the muddy street with its odd colored puddles, weaving around the workers who passed about him.

    One of the workers, a rather heavyset individual, heavily bearded and wearing a stained shirt, stretched tightly across his rather paunchy stomach, and tucked beneath a wide, but worn, leather belt, stood in the middle of the road, oblivious to everything that was happening around him. He seemed to be occupied with some inner turmoil, so Gordo approached him, sensing an opportunity to gain a task, or even a quest. Gleefully Gordo strode forward faster the last couple of yards, advancing right up to the man, who remained completely oblivious to his approach.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir, I couldn¡¯t but notice that you seem to be in sort of a quandary. Is there anything that I could do to help you ?¡± He asked this pleasantly, for it could be the difference between a positive response or a negative one. He had learnt this fairly early in his gaming career and attributed much of his prior successes to this fact.

    The man blinked a bit, then stared at Gordo, a bemused expression on his face. This rapidly disappeared as the man came back to his senses. ¡°What the feck, ¡° he exclaimed loudly, with an irritated tone in his voice. ¡°Task ? Quest ? I need no help from your type, so just feck off.¡± Snorting in derision, the man stormed off, muttering invectives to himself, and all that Gordo could do was watch him as he strode away. Obviously seeking, or even asking, about tasks and quests wouldn¡¯t produce one like they used to, he had seen mention of exactly this in the manual, but had forgotten about it after reading it. He could see that this would make his task of surviving a little harder. He came to a sudden decision on that street that, no matter the reason, he would never, ever, visit this part of the city again.

    He wasn¡¯t travelling that long before he passed some unseen border, a border where the industrial jungle of the tanners became streets of small, wooden cottages, most with thatch roofs, but the occasional one with red tiles. On the corners of the streets that crossed this area were larger buildings, most at least two stories in height, obviously shops of various types, identifiable by shingles that each had hung above their doorways, their windows dusty with the dirt kicked up by passing traffic. He was surprised that in his travel, he had yet to see any being of a race other than human.

    The street he was walking along made its way into a square, occupied by traders carts, many of them selling cooked food, the smell making his mouth water, and reminding him that he had better find some way of feeding himself. His thoughts made his steps slower and slower, until he realized he was no longer walking when he was bumped into from behind.

    Gordo was push in the back, hard, making him stumble forward a couple of paces. ¡°Watch what you are doing, idiot.¡± said someone from behind him, followed by another push. The voice was high and nasally, somehow annoyingly grating. Gordo quickly turned to find out who the owner of the voice was, only to find himself , face to face, with another player. He knew he was a player for he could see the players name floating above his head in blue text, only players had blue text. ¡®Melbert the Magnificent¡¯ it stated, as if expressing some import about the character, but to Gordo it just sounded lame. The player sniffed, then took a step backwards and covered his nose with one leather clad hand. ¡°My god, what the hell is that smell.¡±

    Gordo looked down at his clothes, and realized they must still be tainted with the tanners reek, but he couldn¡¯t detect it because he was that used to it, and looked back up at the player before him. The player was obviously a fighter, for he was dressed in leather pants and a chain mail shirt, a fairly cheap looking sword clasped to his belt. His head was bare, not only from protective gear, but also from any covering hair, the scalp looked oiled, as the sunlight glinted off its polished surface. Removing the hand from his face, he pointed at Gordo, revealing the neatly trimmed goatee it had been hiding. ¡°You,¡± he said in disgust, ¡®its coming from you.¡± His eyes rose to stare at the area above Gordo¡¯s head, reading whatever was displayed. ¡°Gordo.¡± He stated, then lowered his eyes to stare into Gordo¡¯s face. ¡°Gordo, eh. Well Gordo, you look and smell like a pig.¡± His voice had become even more nasally, and had the tone of someone who had found they had unexpectedly stepped into a pile of fresh dog poo, utter disgust. He then looked at the glove he had pushed Gordo with, and wiped it on his pants leg. Without another word, he stepped around Gordo and walked rapidly away.

    Gordo let his eyes follow the man, before quickly calling out to him before he passed beyond hearing. ¡°Hey, Melbert.¡± The man paused in his departure, before turning around. ¡°can you do a fellow player a favor, man, could you spare a couple of coins to help me out, I¡¯m desperate.¡± He hated asking, but he really was desperate, normally he wouldn¡¯t lower himself to begging for money, but his current situation demanded it. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back, I promise.¡± The armored man strode back to where Gordo stood.

    ¡°The name is Melbert the Magnificent, not Melbert, don¡¯t you forget that.¡± He snarled, looking Gordo up and down again, examining him. ¡°You¡¯re a poor excuse for a player, but I will do you a favor, all right.¡± With that he whipped out his sword and thrust it quickly into Gordo¡¯s chest, pushing until it passed all the way through and poked three inches of steel out of his back. The pain as the sword pierced his chest was terrible, feeling cold like a sliver of ice had lodged in his chest, only to be replaced rapidly with a terrible burning sting. He fell to his knees as all of his strength departed him, only to find that he had a flat metallic taste in his mouth, and spat a large glob of blood out onto the cobblestones that lined the road beneath him. A system message popped up, obscuring his vision.

    You have received a critical hit, you have been hit for 100 points. Health points remaining, zero out of one hundred.

    Gordo looked up, to see the man above him grinning evilly, watching him as he suffered. Callously, he ripped the sword out of Gordo¡¯s chest, causing another bolt of pain to wrack his body, and Gordo slumped onto the ground, face up, his vision receding as he died, seeing the man above him wipe his blade on the shirt Gordo wore, and then, finally, spitting on Gordo. The vision disappeared, only to be replaced with a black screen displaying unwanted words.

    You have died. Please wait for respawn

    Respawn in two hours, twenty three minutes, nineteen seconds

    The pain had stopped, but Gordo didn¡¯t know where he was, it was dark, and he had seemed to have lost the ability to move. The only thing he could see was the respawn timer ticking down, one second at a time. It was then he realized, in horror, that he would be stuck here, watching the countdown for every damn second of it. Normal players could log out for this, but he no longer had that option.

    ¡°Damn, damn, damn.¡±

 Chapter Eight

    ¡° Five¡­ Four¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ ¡° Gordo counted down in time with the respawn clock.

    The respawn page blinked out of existence as he finished the countdown, only to be replaced with a swirl of grey snow, spinning around him like he was in the center of a tornado. Within seconds it had dissipated, leaving him standing, whole and unharmed, next to a headstone. Looking around, he saw he was standing in the middle of a graveyard, rows of other graves and crypts spread out around him. From where he stood, he could see the wrought iron gates of the entrance, open, and make out buildings beyond them.

    Gordo looked down at his chest, to the area where the sword and been thrust through him, and explored the region with one hand. There was no blood, no wound and the only indication he had received a fatal blow there was a small hole in his shirt just large enough for him to poke two fingers through.

    As he stood there, he thought himself alone at this dismal location, but slowly became aware that other people, most probably players, occasionally appeared in a swirl of grey, then departing towards the gates to continue whatever they had been up to. He didn¡¯t have anything he could return to, so just stood there, watching the parade of respawned players for a few minutes. He knew that being respawned would return him with full health and vigor, but somehow he suddenly felt weary and took a seat on the raised tomb next to him, leaning back against the headstone, eyes closed. It had been a long day since he had departed the hospice this morning and he almost considered returning there, risking the miasma that surrounded it, but realized that he had no idea where he had respawned, nor the direction where the hospice lay. He sighed, wondering what his next move would be.

    Someone next to him spoke as a hand was placed on his shoulder. ¡°Wow, man, you really have a crappy character.¡± Gordo had not heard anyone approach him, so the touch caught him by surprise, making him jerk away instinctively, eyes flying open, head spinning to seek out the perpetrator of the touch.

    Before him stood two players, one a short dwarf, the other a tall elf. The dwarf looked to be just under five foot in height, dressed in what Gordo would call typical dwarvern chain mail and carrying a small war axe in one hand, red hair hanging out from beneath the sides of the conical helm that he had jammed down firmly onto his head, a long beard of the same color, ornately braided, hanging down to his belt.

    The elf, tall and willowy as most elves were, was dressed in a forest green leather tunic and pants, his head bare, showing off his long curly blond hair, slightly pointy ears poking out from the sides. The elf was armed with a bow, which could be seen poking out over one of his shoulders, and a sword, belted to his waist. Both of them were observing him as much as he was doing to them.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ what ?¡± Was all that Gordo could find to say, still mentally shocked by the suddenness of their arrival.

    The two looked at each other, then back at Gordo. ¡°I said you like crap¡­¡± the dwarf looked at something above Gordo, ¡°¡­ Gordo.¡±

    Gordo laughed at this, and examined the information above them. The dwarf was called Garal and the elf¡¯s name was Shan. ¡°Never a true word spoken.¡± he replied. ¡°Not only do I look like crap, but I also feel like it at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Where the hell is your equipment, Gordo ? You¡¯re just about bare naked there.¡± asked the elf, Shan.

    Gordo looked down at himself. ¡°Well, due to unfortunate circumstances, this is all I have at the present time.¡±

    ¡°Your kidding.¡± laughed Garal. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then I seriously suggest you delete that character and reroll a new one. This town may be a starting location, but boy is it tough to survive in, and that¡¯s the voice of experience telling you. We have been here for four days now, and still struggle. From the look of you, I can¡¯t see you improving your position any time soon, so stop wasting your time and get rid of that character.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± replied Gordo, knowing that that option was not possible for him, but also wishing he could do exactly as they were suggesting. ¡°I may give it another day, and decide then.¡±

    ¡°Look, we have to get going, we were in the middle of a quest and need to get back to it before it resets itself, but if you find yourself anywhere near The Broken Sword, pop in and ask for us, we are usually there when not adventuring. You sure you¡¯re going to be alright ?¡±

    Gordo considered asking for a handout to help him get a start, but decided against it. He had tried that once, and look how that had turned out for him. In addition to this, the whole concept of begging in a game defeated his idea of what a game was really about. He would do it himself. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, fellah¡¯s, but before you go, I have one question, if you don¡¯t mind ?¡±

    ¡°What ?¡±

    ¡°Where the hell am I ? This is my first death and I have no idea at all where I have respawned. I have no map yet, so can not even pull that up to locate myself.¡±

    The elf looked at him with pity. ¡®Christ, you really are in a bad way, aren¡¯t you¡­ Well, you are in the royal cemetery of Angelwood. On the other side of those gates, ¡±he indicated the wrought iron gates that everyone was leaving by, ¡°is the main road that leads to the city center. If you turn left, it will take you to the harbor, and turning right will take you to the city gates. The broken Sword, if you¡¯re interested, is neat the center of the city. Until you bind your respawn location to a site blessed by your chosen deity, you will always respawn here.¡±

    Gordo considered this information, realizing it was all really useless to him at this point, as all areas were equally unknown. ¡°Thanks for that. You better get going, I think I have delayed you two enough.¡± They gave him a nod then started walking towards the gate. Gordo watched them as they departed.

    About half way towards the gate, they paused in animated conversation, but too far away for Gordo to hear what they were saying. Whatever they had been discussing finally halted and the elf turned towards Gordo. ¡°Hey Gordo.¡±

    ¡°Yes ?¡± he replied

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t leave you here alone, in that state, Here, take this to help you.¡± He reached into his inventory and pulled something out. ¡°Its not much, but we have no use for it and we wouldn¡¯t get much from the traders if we sold it to them.¡± He raised his hand and threw the item towards Gordo. It spun through the air, the sunlight glinting off its surface as it twirled, falling to the ground about three foot in front of him. He stood up and walked over to it, and found a dagger sticking in the ground, the point sunk deep into the soil. Reaching down, he pulled it free, wiped the dirt from its blade, then examined it.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    The blade information showed that it was a common dagger in poor condition, with only four durability left of the twenty it would have had when new. He looked up from his examination of the blade, prepared to give thanks for this gift, but couldn¡¯t sight the two, as they had already departed. He looked up and thanked god that he didn¡¯t need access to an inventory to possess this weapon, for he could equip it in one of his weapon slots, allowing him to travel without having to hold the thing constantly. Quickly, he opened his profile and placed the weapon in one of the slots.

    Now he was armed, even if poorly, he felt a lot better about his future prospects, for with a weapon he could hunt for food and gain experience. He knew that until he gained the right skill to use this blade properly, it would only impart the minimum damage possible, along with a chance to backfire on him, but that was still better than being unarmed. He was quite happy to accept the 50% fail rate of the weapon, as it now gave him the chance to inflict from one to three in damage, not much, but enough for the smaller critters.

    He looked at the gates, deciding this was the time to venture forth, for his next urgent matter was gaining food, he could feel his stomach starting to cramp a little from hunger, he hadn¡¯t eaten since this morning. Food and money, he corrected, foreseeing his need to also purchase equipment and lodging.

    Departing through the gates, Gordo started walking down the road towards the city center, deciding this was just as good as any. The houses he passed were of far better quality than the ones near the hospice, so he assumed this was a more affluent area. The houses themselves were constructed of fired brick and roofed with either slate of tile. On the streets NPCs bustled about, doing chores and tasks, just like Gordo would have found in any city in the real world. It was fascinating to watch, so realistic, so accurate.

    He passed among them, gathering the occasional glance as they noticed his disheveled appearance, something they were not accustomed to in this part of the city. Even though the glances were ones of distaste, and they avoided his presence when he neared them, not one spoke to him. He really didn¡¯t notice this, as his mind was occupied marveling at the scenery around him.

    It was with some surprise when he found his pathway blocked by one of the NPCs, and he stumbled to a stop before he tripped over them. It was an older woman, looking somewhere in her fifties and dresses in a rather voluminous yellow dress. The dress were rather horrible to look at, but expensive from the material and design used in it. The lady obviously had not noticed his approach, for she was bent over, looking down into a grate that was set into the surface of the street.

    Gordo looked down at the grate, realizing that this indicated that this part of town had a rudimentary sewer system. As his shadow played across the lady, she looked up at him, then took a step backwards instinctively, the beehive hairdo on the top of her head bobbing from side to side. It was then he noticed the fine jewelry she was wearing, which, if real, indicated she was most probably also a visitor to this area, for only the well to do wore that kind of frippery.

    Her eyes widened slightly, mouth open as she looked at him., then spoke as her senses returned from the surprise of his arrival, and appearance. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m terrible sorry, you just surprised me.¡± She then took a step toward the footpath. ¡°Am I in your way ?¡±

    Gordo smiles at the lady and gave a slight bow. He was always respectful to the well to do in games, for it could always lead to some kind of reward or quest. ¡°No, my lady, you are not in my way at all. I was just wondering what you found so interesting about a dirty sewer grate.¡± He looked down at it again, not seeing anything out of the ordinary about it.

    The lady followed his glance and pouted a little in annoyance, then looked at one of her hands. ¡°I have lost one of my rings, and it went down that.. that thing when it fell off.¡± Her expression changed, as if some revelation had made its presence known to her. ¡°You know what this thing is, don¡¯t you, and where it goes ?¡± she asked Gordo, pointing at the grate

    ¡°Sure do, it leads to the sewers beneath the city. That¡¯s where all these things go. If you dropped a ring down there, then it¡¯s in the sewers. I hope it wasn¡¯t an expensive ring.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear man, the ring is expensive, but it is much, much more than that to me. The ring was given to me by the king, personally, and it is something I treasure more than money. I am supposed to see the king tomorrow, and if I do not have the ring, he will notice and be annoyed with me.¡± Her face fell at this. ¡°I will have to decline the opportunity until I can replace that ring.¡± Then again, an idea came to her. ¡°You, my man, you could help me. You look like you need some assistance, so let me be the one to provide it. Get my ring back and I will reward you.¡± She looked at him expectantly.

    Task offered

    Lady Gisselle needs to attend the royal dinner tomorrow, but she unable to attend until her lost ring has been found, or replaced. Lady Gisselle is offering you the chance to assist her with a task. Enter the sewers and locate the lost ring. Return the ring to Lady Gisselle and you will be rewarded

    Reward 1 : 2 Silver Coins

    Reward 2 : Improved reputation with the House of Manaheim

    Time Requirement : 12 hours

    Penalty for failure : None

    <u>Do you accept this Task ?</u>

    Manaheim ? Gordo wondered, trying to remember anything at all from the locked area of his mind, before making up his mind, after all any positive reputation has to be a benefit, plus the money will definitely come in handy. A thought occured to him at this point, wondering how he would be able to locate this specific gate position when he was in the sewers.He looked down at it, and noticed a small engraving on one endof it. Bending down he managed to make out what it was, 2135 West / 7541 South. ¡°Yes, I can help you, Lady Gisselle. I will find your ring.¡± There was a light ding, and a message appeared before him.

    Task accepted. Time remaining 11 hours, 59 minutes, 46 seconds

    Lady Gisseles face lit up with happiness. ¡°Thank you,¡±she effused profusely, ¡°Oh, thank you. When you find my ring please return it to my home and the reward will be yours.¡± She handed him a card. ¡°Here, take this and show it to the doorman, he will call me instantly. It also shows where you can find my residence.¡± Gordo, looked at the card, it listed the address, a street that he had no knowledge about in regard its location in the city.

    He tried to hand the card back, stating ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lady, but as you can see, I do not have anything I can keep your card in, I have no purse.¡± He winced at this, thinking how silly it was that both men and women in the game carried purses to store their money in, for there was no such thing as a wallet here. Without notes, the wallet was never conceived, and not needed.

    She just smiled at him. ¡°Oh, you silly man, no need to worry about that, for you can have mine. I carry no coin, for all know who I am, and send their bills direct to my home. Here, ¡° she untied her purse from about her ample waist, and handed it to Gordo, ¡°Take it.¡±

    Taking the purse, he tied it about his own waist, the waistbandshrinking to suit his character. Instantly, he felt it grow a little heavier as five copper coins dropped into it, the earlier reward from the Admins, as promised. Quickly storing the calling card within it, he bowed to Lady Gisselle. ¡°Thank you, lady Gisselle, I will be as quick as I can.¡± Turning on one foot, he strode off in search of the entrance to the sewer system.

 Chapter nine

    Finding an entrance to the sewers proved to a fairly simple process for Gordo, he just asked the first city employee he found, this being a dirty street sweep who was passing by, pushing a cart before him. At first Gordo thought the old man was hunched over his cart as he pushed it, but realized when the man stopped to collect some dung that he suffered from a spinal disfiguration, for even standing as upright as he could, his back arched like a bow.

    Talking to this taciturn character was a chore, for his monosyllabic responses required additional questions to be asked before anything of use could be learned. It took Gordo twenty of minutes before he finally managed to extract the location of a sewer entrance from him. This proved to be a main grate, designed so as to allow sewer access, placed in a small alley about five streets away from his current position. Quickly he navigated his way through the streets and entered the alley where it lay.

    A small trickle of soiled and discoloured water ran down the middle of the alley, constantly fed from the streets at each end. Gordo carefully made his way down it, towards a darker patch he could see half way down. Upon reaching the grate Gordo stood over it, looking down at it, and was struck in the face by the warm fetid air that rose up from it, hearing the spatters and splashes as water fell through it, falling into the darkness beneath. Through the tears that the rising air brought to his eyes. He managed to locate the catch that held the grate in place, lifting it up once unlatched, allowing the little light that entered the alley to illuminate the hole.

    With the grate out of the way, he could make out the top of a ladder that disappeared downwards into darkness, the metal pitted with corrosion and filth that had washed down over them, rungs layered with slime. They didn¡¯t look too secure, and he was concerned about using them as a method of climbing down.

    Peering down, in an attempt to see how far it went, he could just make out little red lights, like the glow from fiery embers. At first he wondered whether there was something on fire down there, then, as the red glows moved about, he came to the sudden realization that these weren¡¯t embers, they were rat eyes, peering up at him. Shuddering at the thought of rats, he took a step backwards, serious reservations on continuing in this task. He hated rats, hated them beyond belief.

    Realizing the importance of getting this task completed, as well as the countdown clock he knew was ticking down towards its failure, he slowly descended into the hole, stepping gingerly downwards until a seeking foot found the bottom of the ladder. Turning, he found himself standing on a stone step surrounded by slowly flowing water travelling along the bottom of the arched tunnel he now found himself in. He was amazed to find that the area was dimly illuminated by light from the fungus that grew from the ceiling, hanging down like tattered lace, moisture dripping occasionally from the lower ends.

    The bioluminescence wasn¡¯t that bright, only allowing him to see about fifteen foot in either direction along the tunnel, but enough for him to be able to see it was constructed of rough hewn stone, stained with a series of high water marks up its walls. Gordo looked at these, and hoped that the water wouldn¡¯t rise up while he was down here. He then wondered at how deep the current contents were, for the only way for him to travel along the tunnels was by walking in the liquid that ran through it.

    The tunnel ran from his right hand side, past him and continued on his left hand side, and thankfully, the rats seemed to have run off. Gordo discovered that the smell down here was rather pungent, too, , but could not hold a candle to the aroma that had permeated the air around the tanneries, so he found it bearable. Sighing in resignation, he decided it was time to enter the tunnels and hesitantly took a step off the platform he was standing on, and into the fluid.

    At first his bare foot encountered the cold, polluted water, but as it sank further into it, he encountered the sludge hidden at the bottom. It was thick, and oozed thickly between his toes just the same way that mud does when you stand in it, but in his mind, he knew that this substance was not comprised of mud, cringing at the thought of where it had come from. The discolored water around his mid calf became cloudy as the sediment puffed up from where he had disturbed it, mixing freely with the liquid and increasing the strength of the aroma about him. Finally, his foot met the solid floor of the tunnel, one foot below the surface of the water.

    Standing there, calf deep in what could only be kindly referred to as effluence, Gordo inspected each direction of the tunnel, considering which way he should choose to start what could only be referred to as a crappy task. Looking down the left hand side of the tunnel, which was heading in the direction of the grate he was seeking, Gordo could see a patch of brighter light coming from the roof of the tunnel about fifty foot along it. He couldn¡¯t see anything similar to the right, so he chose to head towards this light, which he assumed showed the position of one of the street grates.

    Gordo splashed his way along the tunnel, concentrating on making sure he lifted his feet properly, for the gunk he was wading through reluctantly released its grip each time he stepped forward. This made his advancement treacherous, for if he let his attention slip, he knew he would find himself face down in the muck and the mere thought of that made his stomach churn. This is too much realism, he decided, and vowed to inform the admins of exactly this when he was once again above ground. Playing in a realistic game world was fantastic, but there was a limit to the amount of realism a player would put up with before it became intolerable.

    He finally made his way to the brighter patch, and, just like he had assumed, it was a grate on the road above allowing light to enter the tunnel. On the bricks of the tunnel wall beneath the opening, at about eye height, was carved 1215 West / 7522 South. He smiled, pleased that his hypothesis about the grate numbers being duplicated within the tunnels, matching the ones recorded above, seemed to be correct. A few more of these grate numbers, he thought, and It will be easy to work out the direction of the one I am after.

    The chittering noise of rats could be heard echoing along the tunnel towards him, reminding him that he was not alone down here. Listening, he was unable to determine the direction the noise was coming from, or even how far away they may be, for the echoes interfered with any indication of each. Making sure he had his dagger ready for a quick hand equip, he continued his travel along the tunnel.

    After a few more grates, and some backtracking, he had yet to sight any of the rats, but their chittering continued to dog him. He had, though, managed to work out from the grate numbers the right way he should go to reach the one he was seeking. He was thankful it hadn¡¯t taken that long, for he had already been down here for what felt like a couple of hours, and he wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible.

    Two tunnels and a right hand turn into a third left him looking towards what he calculated should be the right grate, but his approach to this one was partially blocked by fallen brickwork, for the walls of this tunnel had collapsed, leaving him just enough room to crawl over the top of them. Something else also blocked him, something that revolted him, for rats were running about on the fallen stones, their wet fur looking oily as it stuck to their frames. It looked like he would have to battle though these rodents to get to the grate.

    Sighing, he equipped the dagger, reached down into the foul water with his other hand and sifted through the muck with his fingers until he had located a small chunk of broken masonry. Lifting the stone, he threw it at the closest rat, missing it by a good twelve inches, but close enough for the rat to turn and attack him.

    The rat, thankfully only a normal incarnation of this beast, lunged forward to sink its teeth into him, but one slice with his dagger sent it back, reeling, with a slash across its body, and three health points less. He quickly inspected the creature to see how injured it was.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Rat, Normal.

    Health: 2 / 5

    Attack : teeth, Claws

    Damage : 1-2

    Special : 5% chance of infection if struck. Infection will cause 1 damage per five seconds. Infection will last for 1 minute.

    Aha, Gordo thought, they only have five health points as the rat jumped at him in another attack. Swinging his dagger, he attempted to strike the rat again, but the no skill penalty came into play, and his attempt missed. The rat latched its teeth into his arm and bit down hard, sinking its yellow teeth deep into his flesh. ¡®Rat bites you for two damage, health remaining 98 points.¡¯

    Gordo yanked his arms back instinctively from the pain of the bite. It stung, the pain similar to the time he had once been bitten by a dog. It almost made him drop his dagger, but he hung on grimly and swung the rat, which had not released its grip, against the tunnels wall, knocking it free of his arm and ripping a small lump of flesh away. Across his vision scrolled the words ¡®Rat suffers four damage, you have killed a rat. Experience gained 2 points¡¯ The rat lay on a small pile of rubble, unmoving, until it suddenly evaporated into nothing as he watched.

    Inspecting the wound to his arms, Gordo was relieved to see that the infection feature of the rat had not activated when it bit him. He watched the blood ooze out of the wound and rundown his arm, shaking his head. Blood and excrement, he thought, and no filters available to lower this reality. What kind of hardware have they put him in, he wondered, the settings must be set to full. Another thing he had also learned that these rats only gave experience and had no treasure for him to gain. As his character was a new player, he knew that it would take two minutes to regain those lost health points but decided not to wait this time, and reached for another stone.

    Twelve rats later, along with three stops to recover from being infected, he had cleared the rats that had been on the rubble slope in front of him. And now he sat, taking a breather while his health recovered from the last battle. He opened a window and saw that he was quarter the way towards gaining his first level. He was looking forward to seeing that first level, for it would take him of the big fat zero he had on his level count at the moment. Gaining that level would allow him to put one point into an attribute, of which all were also at the zero mark, but he had yet to decide which attribute he would advance.

    Closing the window, he opened a second, this one displaying game stats, and located the stat showing his current position on the game players ladder.

    Gordo. Level 0. Current standing : 7,754,398

    This made his eyes open a little, for there had been less than five million players in the game when he had started. His eyes quickly located the number of currently registered players, and saw that the amount was now just greater than eight million, and ticking higher as he watched. He also saw that as the numbers of players rose, his position on the ladder became lower. No time to waste, he urgently realized, sitting here would only make his position even worse.

    Hefting his dagger once again, he stood up and proceeded to climb the pile of loose stone in front of him. His accent was slow, hindered by the stones that turned beneath his feet, threatening to cause him damage and injury. Finally managing to reach the top uninjured, he took a peek to see what awaited him.

    There, before him, about five foot away, was the grate exit he had been seeking and glittering in the sunlight that it directed down into the tunnel, was the ring he was sent to retrieve. Unfortunately this location was also occupied by what his sight told him was a huge rats nest, a pile made up of a variety of rubbish that had been pulled out of the water running down the tunnels around here., and poking its head above the mess was another rat, this one much larger than the ones he had already dispatched. He looked at it to identify the creature.

    Rat, Queen

    Health: 15 / 15

    Attack : teeth, Claws, Breath

    Damage : 1-5

    Special : 15% chance of infection if struck. Infection will cause 5 damage per five seconds. Infection will last for 90 seconds.

    Thankful that he had not yet been detected he carefully lowered himself down a bit. Shit, Gordo thought. Two bites with infection, and I am a goner, what the hell am I going to do now. Surprise, he thought, that¡¯s my only chance. A surprise attack, if successful, will give me bonus damage, but I better make sure that first strike is a good one. Gordo prepared himself for a surprise attack, counted to three silently, then sprung into action.

    Thrusting with all the might he had in his legs, he dove forward, over the top of the rocks hiding him, and towards the queen rat, dagger thrust out in front of him. The queen, who had been looking around for her missing pack, was caught unaware by this, and its momentary hesitation of surprise allowed Gordo that vital thrust with his dagger. It struck home successfully, wiping out six points of health from the rat and stunning it. This stun gave Gordo the chance to regain his feet and perform another successful strike before it recovered, another three points stripped from its health.

    Unfortunately for Gordo, his attack on the queen rat, while a success at the beginning, had left him in easy reach of the creature when it recovered from the stun, and it took quick advantage of this by sinking it teeth into one of his legs, imparting the maximum damage it could.

    You have been bitten for 5 Points of Damage. You have 95 health points remaining.

    Grunting with the pain, Fordo took another swing at the rats head, but missed. The rat held on determinedly to his thigh sinking the teeth in even further until they were stopped by his femur. Thus occupied, it couldn¡¯t avoid the next thrust of the dagger, which struck it in the back for two points damage, leaving it with four. The rat release its grip on his leg and backed up to gain the room for another attack, but slow enough Gordo had the time to thrust forward in an attempt to skewer the damn thing. Another miss, he realized as his blade inexplicable twitched to the left of the creature. Seeing its opponent off balance from the thrust, the rat scurried forward and again bit downwards on another limb, this one being his other leg.

    Queen Rat bites you for 2 Points of Damage. You have 93 health points remaining. You have been infected.

    Bring back his extended arm, he smashed the pommel of the dagger down on the rats head, not having the time to turn the weapon around to its bladed end. The pommel made a hollow thunk as it struck, causing the rat to suffer another two points damage. It was down to two point remaining and Gordo started to feel he had a fair chance of success here, but this was wiped from his mind when it clawed him with its back legs for three damage.

    He shook the rats off, sending it flying back towards its nest, and stepped back to gain a few seconds respite. The fight hadn¡¯t been going long, but he could see that his fatigue bar was only half full, indicating he would be slower and have a damage penalty against his attacks. He needed to finish this off quickly. Looking at his health, he was disheartened to see that he would fail this task, for as he watched another five points of health disappeared from his health, the result of the infection the rat had given him. At its current progress, it would run for another eighty five seconds, and impart eighty five damage in the time, but the real kicker was that he only had eighty five health left. He was going to die here, no matter the result of the fight.

    The rat stood in front of him, about four foot away, snarling, displaying its long and yellowed teeth at him, waiting to see what this man would do next. Without looking Gordo slowly felt about himself for one of the rocks around him and closed a fist around the first hand sized one he felt. In one swift smooth movement, he flung the stone at the rat to distract it, while quickly advancing with his dagger.

    What happened next was a relief to Gordo, for the rat tried to leap out of the path of the stone, but failing to do so, and the stone connected with its skull. A lucky throw that damaged the rat for two points of damage, just enough to kill it. His following thrust was a miss, sprawling Gordo face down on the loose rubble. Rolling onto his back, he lay there, watching his health bar slowly tick downwards towards zero and his death.

    As his health bar dropped to thirty, something rather unexpected happened, it jumped back up to thirty one. At first he thought he was imagining it, but a second look proved this slight reversal as being accurate. In confusion he tried to work out where this bonus point had come from, the slapped himself in the head, but carefully so as not to give himself any damage. It was so obvious that he had overlooked it totally. It was his regeneration factor, he regained one point of health a minute.

    He lay there, waiting for the infection to run its course, and then for his health to recover enough for him to continue on in his task, laughing loudly at his own stupidity. He heard a ding as he gained his first level advancement. He knew he was going to live.

 Chapter Ten

    By the time his health bar had recovered to thirty points, Gordo felt that he had spent enough time sitting there, doing nothing, and rose to his feet. He felt confident enough to believe nothing more would disturb him and allow his health and fatigue to keep on improving even as he continued on. The tunnel roof above him was low enough that he couldn¡¯t stand fully upright, so he walked over to the shining ring in a hunched position and collected it from where it lay. It was a nice bauble, he saw, and probably worth a fair bit of money, but didn¡¯t have any benefits attached to it, so he placed it on his little finger, the only one it would fit on.

    Next Gordo turned to the rats nest with some distaste, thinking he would have to pull the thing apart to see if it contained anything of value, but the minute he touched it, the whole thing fell apart, all the valueless items disappearing. This left a small pile of mixed items where it originally was, making his search a little easier. The first thing he spied was an object he was in desperate need of, a rather dirty small cloth bag. He picked the item up and equipped it, gaining ten inventory slots as he did so. Even though it was dirty and worn looking, he knew that this item was indestructible, an item without any durability attached to it. He took a quick peek into the bag page, and was not surprised to see it was empty. Sighing, he closed it. Well, he thought, it was worth a try, for sometimes these things could be found with useful stuff already in them.

    Nudging the rest of the items about with his foot, he saw they were a variety of ripped and damaged clothing articles, all with minor monetary value, not worth filling his inventory up with, for each occupied one slot of inventory space, and it would be difficult to find a shop owner who would take them off his hands. This choice to leave them behind was difficult, for in his present condition every copper counted, but then he changed his mind, for if something more valuable came to light, he could always just drop them. Picking them up, he shoved them into his bag.

    Once he had removed all the cloth items from the floor and into his bag, he could see a small sprinkle of coins on the stones, obviously collected by the rats for the nest because of their shiny appearance. Picking them up gained him another twelve copper coins, leaving him with a total of seventeen copper coins, equal to the buying power in the game of one dollar and seventy cents. He had no idea what this would purchase him, but he knew it wouldn¡¯t be much, that was for sure.

    Now he possessed a bag, he took off the ring and dropped it into one of the remaining slots, no use risking it getting lost again, he thought, as the ring disappeared. He took a quick look about to see if there was anything that he had missed, or forgotten, then made his way down the slope.

    The return trip to the exit was uneventful, for which he was thankful, and by the time he was climbing up the ladder his health and fatigue were just about fully restored. The alley was just as he had left it, dim and empty, so he closed the grate, dropping it into place with a resounding clang, and letting the latch click back into place. His trip through the sewers had left their mark on him, the pants he wore were mired with filth right up to his thighs, dripping sewer water onto the alleys cobblestones.

    In a vain attempt to clean some of the muck off his clothes, he brushed his hands over his pants but only managed to smear the mess even further. Giving up before the situation became even worse, he decided to wait for the stuff to dry and hopefully it would be easier to remove. He looked along the alley to the road at its mouth, bathed in afternoon sunlight. Grinning to himself, pleased at how quick this task had gone so far, he stepped forward and out of the alley.

    The road was well occupied by the locals of this area and his appearance on the road in such a disheveled state attracted much attention, none of it welcome. Those near him stopped in their tracks and stared, shocked at the appearance of such a disreputable looking person into their small part of the world. As Gordo Watched, he could see them slowly ease themselves further away for where he stood.

    Uneasy with the scrutiny that he was attracting, he remembered a small fountain he had passed on his way to the alley and decided to make his way back to it to clean himself up a little. He jogged all the way there, the trip taking almost no time at all and jumped into the water.

    After he had rubbed at the worst parts of the filth coating him, ducking under the water to wash away whatever he had managed to loosen, he emerged, while not sparkling, mostly clean. His clothes would dry as he walked in the late sun, and the smell that had impregnated itself onto him was mostly gone. Stepping out of the fountain, he allowed the water to drip off him as he pondered his next move, the visit to Lady Gisselles to return the ring and gain his reward.

    A small street urchin provided him with the directions to her residence, though it cost him one of the few copper coins he possessed. From the directions received, it wasn¡¯t that far away, about a twenty minute walk into the nobles sector of the city, and briefly he wondered how a street urchin knew so much about the noble sector. Probably a thief, he decided in the end, they always seemed to know their way around the rich parts of any settlement.

    Following the directions, he quickly made his way through the city streets, occasionally stepping out of the way of carriages and carts that travelled along them, stopping once to purchase from a food vendor something that looked like meat, skewered on a stick and roasted over a brazier that was placed on the carts flat surface. It cost him another of his copper coins, but tasted wonderful, and removed the hunger icon that had been flashing urgently in a corner of his vision. The meat resembled chicken in texture, but the taste reminded him of the best steak he had ever eaten, moist and slightly spiced. He was tempted for a moment to go back and buy a second but decided against it, once the task was complete he could always return for another.

    He suddenly stopped, and slapped a palm against his forehead, realizing what an idiot he was. Lady Gisselle had already provided him with directions to her residence, and he had wasted a copper coin on the urchin to gain exactly the same information. How could he have forgotten. With a shake of his head, he continued on, determined next time to think before he parted with any of his money.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He could see that Lady Gisselles residence, once he had arrived, was the most opulent residence in this street, if not area, indicating she must be a person of some importance, one who seemed to have easy access to the ruler of the city, something worth remembering. The mansion was a three story residence, made from reddish gold granite, marble steps leading up to its entrance, which were protected from the elements by a portico held up with a series of carved columns.

    At the top of the steps, just in front of the wooden door, stood a guard dressed in blue leather armor, a polished steel breastplate strapped around his chest and a matching helm on his head, with a long green feather affixed to it. The guard stood at loose attention, watching him closely as he started to climb the steps. In one quick movement, the guard spun the spear he was holding across his chest, blocking Gordo from advancing any further, then pushed forward until Gordo was forced to retreat back to a lower step.

    ¡°Halt.¡± The guard demanded, looking at him down his nose, a look of distaste on his features. ¡°State your purpose for being here, or depart before I have you arrested.¡±

    ¡°I am here to see Lady Gisselle.¡±

    The guard laughed at this, and it was not a pleasant laugh. ¡°You.¡± He exclaimed incredulous. ¡°Lady Gisselle wants to see you ?¡± The guard gave another thrust with the shaft of the spear, knocking Gordo down a further step. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, she does not consort with your type of¡­ person. Now go, before I lay this spear shaft alongside your head.¡± The guards voice had acquired a nasty inflection by this time, and Gordo was starting to feel afraid for his wellbeing. He took a quick look at this NPCs information and found the guard to be at level one hundred. His fear deepened.

    ¡°Hold one a minute,¡± exclaimed Gordo urgently, ¡°yes, she did ask me. She lost something and asked me it return it to her.¡± He lifted the ring he had found to where the guard could see it, to illustrate this statement

    The guard looked at the ring and held out one hand. ¡°Yes, that is Lady Gisselles.¡± He said in recognition, and held out one had, palm upright. ¡°Give it here, now.¡± The guard was now speaking angrily at Gordo.

    Pulling the ring back out of reach, just in case the guard tried to grab it, Gordo reached into the pouch at his waist and retrieved the card that he had been give. He held this out towards the guard instead. ¡°I was told to give this to the doorman, is that you ?¡± The guard snatched the small piece of cardboard from his fingers and raised it to his face, reading it.

    Reaching back, the guard rapped on the door, then returned his attention back onto Gordo, obviously waiting for some response. Behind his back the door opened, letting forth the sound of many people talking. A liveried servant dressed in yellow stepped out, looking back and forth between Gordo and the guard.

    ¡°Yes, Sir Lian ?¡± he asked the guard, looking askance at Gordo.

    The guard, not taking his eyes of Gordo, held out the card towards the servant. ¡°Take this to Lady Gisselle and inform her that there is one of the lower classes here, and they have one of her rings in their possession. Tell her it would be my pleasure to confiscate the ring and beat a lesson into the lout.¡± The servant took the card and disappeared back through the doorway.

    The guard, Sir Lian, and Gordo stood there, a couple of steps apart, looking at each other. The silence made Gordo apprehensive, so he decided he might try to use this time to gain a little information. ¡°So, Sir Lian,¡± he started nervously, ¡°what¡¯s happening inside ?¡± he asked the guard.

    ¡°None of your business, vermin.¡± Snapped back the reply, coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t stick your nose in the business of your betters or someone may cut it off.¡± He rubbed the dagger at his side suggestively, so Gordo wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

    The servant had left the door open when he had departed, so Gordo was able to catch snatches of conversations from within, mostly unintelligible, but a few came through in little clear cryptic remarks.

    ¡­.and when is Dark Lord Voltanus due to arrive?......

    ¡­ the Darkland spies are everywhere, the king is worried ¡­

    ¡­ you want a Settlement Stone ? Oh, my gardener claims there is one in the Green Forest Caverns¡­

    ¡­ no sooner did the last infection get cleaned up, that Silverbrook spawned a new one¡­

    ¡­ Moongates are a myth, my dear fellow, a myth. ¡­.

    ¡­ got to do something about the tower, no one has been able to gain access to it ¡­.

    His studious listening was cut off with the reappearance of the servant, who, upon noticing Gordo concentrating on the voices that were emerging from it, close the door firmly. ¡°Sir,¡± he started, a touch of sarcasm in his voice, ¡°Lady Gisselle apologies, but she is unable to attend you at this time, but has instructed me to accept the ring from you in return for a payment of two silver coins.¡± He held up the nominated amount between his fingers, his other hand held out for the ring.

    Shrugging, Gordo placed the ring in the servants palm, while taking the coins with his other hand. The exchange made, the servant retreated back into the mansion, again closing the door behind him.

    Task Complete

    You have returned the ring to Lady Gisselle and she can now attend the royal dinner. You have received 2 Silver Coins as your Reward. You have gained 100 reputation with the house of Manaheim as your reward. You have received a hidden reward. You have received experience.

    Congratulations, you have gained a level, You are now Level Two

    Level two already, thought Gordo gleefully, I¡¯m on my way back, and rubbed his hands together while opening the game ladder to see his improvement.

    Gordo. Level 2. Current standing : 7,985,354

    He had actually fallen in the rankings, rather than risen, also noting the number of players signed up had dramatically increased, now at nearly ten million.

    His introspective thought were interrupted by a rough nudge to his chest. ¡°Get a move on, you. Clear the steps.¡± He looked up to see Sir Lian preparing to give him a harder poke with the butt of the spear so Gordo quickly stepped downwards, leaving the mansions entrance. On his way down a carriage pulled up at the bottom, and a darkly cloaked individual alighted. As Gordo passed the person swathed in the cloak, he couldn¡¯t make out anything at all in regard to nature if the individual, for the cloak covered him ?¡­ her ? from head to toe, the cowl casting darkness across the features. Whomever it was that this cloak obscured paused as he passed, as in allowing passageway, but Gordo had a feeling it was in observation of him and a shiver ran down his spine. There was also a subtle aroma of death and decay about this person, and Gordo walked as quickly as he could away, trying not to break into a fast run.

    He didn¡¯t look back, but could feel the yes on his back, following him.

 Chapter Eleven

    Two days and two levels, so far, Gordo mused as he walked along, not so great a result. I need to find and spend more time around other players, was his decision, that way I will gain access to their quests and tasks, access to gaining experience quicker. He was annoyed with himself, for he knew that his former gaming experience should give him some sort of an advantage, but this game was so different that he was unable to work out where, or how, that experience could be applied. Fighting was just about the same in all games, previous experience there didn¡¯t really count, for you have to gain it anew each time. Experience was only good when applied to the game it is gained from, he realized in horror. Dawnlands, the original, was nothing at all like this much improved version of it, with everything being new, differently designed and applied. He no longer could consider himself a veteran player, but just another noobie, learning everything from scratch, regaining his experience, and hopefully regaining his pre-eminent position at the top. He had no shortcuts to advancement, it was going to be one long, long grind.

    He then realized he did have an advantage, one that he will have to use to its fullest if he was to have any chance at all. Time was his advantage, for he could, and would, stay in this game twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days of the year, while all other players, to his knowledge, only could spend a few hours per day in game. This cheered him up, knowing that everything wasn¡¯t quite as bad as it could have been.

    Thinking of other players made him remember Garal and Shan, the two who had helped him at the graveyard and their offer to him of meeting up at The Broken Sword. They had been friendly enough, and seemed to be the kind he should try to hook up with, or at least see if they were open to him tagging along with them for a while. A couple of day doing this should hopefully increase his levels a bit. He also had those two attribute points to distribute, something he would have to consider carefully before he used them.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to find the wide road towards the center of the city and he walked along it, keeping to one side to avoid the merchants and traders that hurried about, as well as the occasional player, who everybody seemed to step out of the way for. Foot traffic became thicker the closer he got to the center, and player numbers escalated rapidly. You could tell a player from an NPC, mainly due to their equipment, as well as their total disinterest in anything that wasn¡¯t connected to their current tasks or quests, it was like most of them just rushed about without taking time to appreciate the reality around them. More pity to them, for he had always taken the time to appreciate good game design.

    Entering the plaza at the heart of the city, was an experience in itself, for this one was of a proportion he had never seen before. The central section of the plaza was a square of short grass of which he estimated to be about an acre in size, dotted with the occasional tree. Surrounding the grassed area was a further flag stoned area, doubling the dimensions of the grass section. This paved area was full of trolleys and carts of all nature, some being food vendors, the others comprised of merchants selling a variety of goods. Pausing before entering the meandering streams of players and NPCs who filled this area, weaving aimlessly about, and around, each other in the gathering gloom of the setting sun, he took a look around himself.

    To Gordo¡¯s left, on the corner of the street entering the plaza, stood a three story building painted a cheerful green. Hanging above the door was a shingle illustrated with a cabbage. In puzzlement, he scratched his head, not because he knew that shingles informed you what the building was, but because he had no idea what a cabbage represented. He needed to get closer to also see what was written on the shingle for in the falling darkness he couldn¡¯t read the words from this distance. Shrugging, he walked over towards it.

    The gold lettering of the sign slowly became visible the closer he came to the building until he could just make it out. Allaway the Greengrocer, purveyor of fine produce, proclaimed the board grandiosely, making him chuckle slightly in amusement. The chuckle stopped as his eyes noticed the board hanging in front of the building adjoining the greengrocers. It showed the image of a sword, broken in half and overlaying each other, creating the shape of an X. The name below this confirmed his original thought upon seeing it. He had reached his destination, for this was the Broken Sword Tavern.

    Like the grocers, it was a three story building constructed of blackened timber beams and what he assumed was whitewashed wattle and daub , reminding him greatly of those old English buildings he had seen in a story once about William Shakespeare. The large windows along the front of the building were made up of small panes of bottle eye glass, distorting everything in such a manner that nothing could be discerned within except for shadow movement across the panes and flickering but contorted torchlight. Looking up, he could barely make out the eaves of the building as they poked out from the wall above, but just enough to allow Gordo to see it was comprised of a thick thatch, again in the style of those Tudor houses. Gordo smiled, this is what a tavern should look like, he thought, admiring the architectural design before him, while hoping the interior was equally as realistic.

    He was not disappointed on entering though the door, instead he was awestruck in amazement, as the interior seemed to be about three times the size that the exterior promised. He just had to check it out again so he walked back outside and entered a second time, only to find that his initial sight was correct, the inside was far bigger than the outside.

    He found himself at the top of a small set of stairs leading down into the main room, which allowed him to see right across the room without his sight being obstructed. Many people filled the room, occupying the wooden tables and benches that sat on the straw and dirt floor beneath them. The walls were of similar construction to the outside, whitewashed walls supported by blackened timbers, while wagon wheels hung from the roof, their rims lined with enough candles to illuminate the room below. On the opposite side of the room he could see the main bar, from which barmaids could be seen moving back and forth, delivering drinks and food to the patrons, the aroma of stale beer and roasting meat filling the air. Smoke filled the air, stinging his eyes and bringing tears to them. He felt he had fallen in love with this place on first sight, for this tavern was just too good to be true. As he stood there, appreciating the view, he heard someone calling out his name.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Hey, Gordo.¡±

    He looked about the room to see who was calling his name, finally catching the movement of someone in the crowd waving a hand to gain his attention from against the far wall to his left. Concentrating in the dim and smoky atmosphere that occupied the tavern, he made out the shape of the elf that he knew, and actually had been seeking, for it was Shan, and there next to him, almost hidden in the crowd, was Garal, the dwarf.

    Giving a quick wave back, Gordo walked down the stairs and worked his way through the crowd, many of them giving him disgusted looks due to his appearance, along with an occasional shove to get him out of their presence. He could hear many of them commenting about him once he had passed, with such terms as ¡®frigging noob¡¯ and ¡®what the fuck¡¯ common among them. About half way across the room, he accidentally bumped the elbow of one of the players, causing him to spill the drink he was holding. The man spun around in anger and Gordo took a step backwards as recognition struck him, for it was a familiar face that he saw, one belonging to Melbert, the player who had killed him earlier. Holding his hands up in front of him in a peace gesture, Gordo tried to calm the enraged player down. ¡°Sorry, Melbert, it was an accident.¡± and took a further step backwards.

    Melbert snarled, turning his features into something terrible to behold, and reached for the dagger at his waist. As his hand gripped the hilt, a light of recognition showed in his eyes, and he paused, looking at Gordo. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the little piggy I slaughtered today.¡± He spat out, then continued. ¡±I see you didn¡¯t learn your lesson, piggy, you have again forgotten what my name is. This time I think I will carve it into your flesh before I slice your throat.¡± He pulled the dagger out and stepped towards Gordo, the room about them slowly becoming silent as everyone stooped to see what was happening.

    From the crowd a hand emerged and wrapped itself around Melberts hand that held the dagger, halting Melberts approach. ¡°Hold it right there, Melbert. You know the rules, no fighting inside the tavern.¡± A familiar voice spoke, and Garal stepped out of the crowd, his hand still gripping Melberts. ¡°We all saw what happened, and know it was an unintentional accident, Gordo didn¡¯t mean to jog you elbow and you did back into his path after all. Why don¡¯t you let me buy you a new drink and forget about it.¡± Garal spoke low but in a purposeful manner, indicating that this situation was over and Melbert had better accept it.

    Melbert, whose gaze had switched to Garal when the dwarf had grabbed him, snarled again and pulled his hand free of the grip upon it, then carefully sheathed the dagger. ¡°Keep your drink, dwarf, I don¡¯t accept anything from midgets, and that includes being interrupted in teaching someone a few manners. You will get yours one of these days.¡± He switched his glare to Gordo. ¡°As your you, piggy,you are lucky I am leaving this city tonight, but be very wary, for one day soon I will be returning to this city to repay some debts.¡± His gaze swept across the room, passing across all of the patrons who had surrounded them by this time. ¡°Debts which many of you in here owe me.¡± He flung the cape he was wearing dramatically over one shoulder and stormed off up the stairs of the tavern, disappearing into the darkness outside.

    Many of the players laughed at this display, but a few returned to their tables and drinks thoughtfully, their eyes constantly straying back to the door that Melbert had departed through. These ones obviously knew him, and took his threats seriously. A meaty hand clapped Gordo on one shoulder, causing him to stagger forward a few steps. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, Gordo, that man is nothing but hot air, his farts are less toxic than his speech.¡± Gordo looked around to find Garal at his side. ¡°Am I right, fellahs ?¡± Many affirmatives to his words came from the surrounding players. ¡°If he leaves the city, then good riddance to him, we will all be better off without his presence tainting the game about us. He¡¯s been nothing but trouble since he arrived. What else can you expect from a stinking necromancer.¡± He led Gordo to the table that was still occupied by Shan.

    As he sat down with them, Shan looked him over. ¡°I see you have decided to stick with this character, then?¡±

    Gordo grinned at him. ¡°Yes, it growing on me. I have even managed to gain a little experience since I saw you, I¡¯m level two now.¡± The elf just shook his head.

    ¡°So, what class are you, then, Gordo. I can¡¯t see any mention of what your class is when I inspect you ?¡± the elf replied.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided which class I want to follow at this point, I have decided to check everything out before I choose.¡±

    The elf and the dwarf looked at each other, confusion on their faces. ¡°Um.. what do you mean you haven¡¯t decided on a class, you have to choose one when you create your character, not later. If you don¡¯t choose a class then you can¡¯t join the game.¡± spoke Garal, bafflement clear in his question.

    Gordo have him a look of confusion of his own. ¡°What ? Surely that¡¯s not the case, I must have an option in my settings to choose my class, and I have not yet decided which class interests me yet, so that means I can play before I choose it¡­ doesn¡¯t it ?¡± The more he talked, the more confused he became, then quickly opened his profile page and searched it. Yes, it stated his class as unavailable, but couldn¡¯t find any options to choose a class, then changed to the settings page and did another search. Finally he sat back and looked at the other two. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have an option to choose any character classes, it only informs me its inavailable. What the hell¡¯s going on ?¡±

    ¡°I think you had better contact support about this, Gordo. Maybe that¡¯s why your character is so crappy, maybe it¡¯s a game bug and you need to create a new one ?¡± Shan patted him on one shoulder reassuringly as he spoke, and Gordo nodded in agreement as he composed a note and sent it to the admins.

    Dear Admins

    I think there may be a problem with my character, for it currently is showing my class as being unavailable. I can not find any option in settings or on my profile page to choose a class. Is this an error with the experimental system I am using. Could you please look into this and let me know if I have to restart with a new character.

    Thanks

    Gordon Rammidge

    He sat back after sending it and looked at the others. ¡°I think I will just wait here for a reply. No use carrying on if all this character is going to do is be wiped.¡± He raised one hand to gain the attention of a servant. ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink while I wait.¡±

 Chapter Twelve - updated

    Gordo was the first to break the silence that had encompassed their table since he had messaged the admins. He cleared his throat to pull the other two away from their introspective thoughts, and once their attention had switched back to him, he spoke. ¡°Look, I came here to hopefully talk to you two about the game, so if you have a few minutes free, could you answer a few things for me ? ¡±

    Shan quirked an eyebrow at him. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind, and I don¡¯t think Garal will either.¡± He glanced at the dwarf who just shrugged his shoulders, indicating he couldn¡¯t see a problem with it. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time left online today, and will be logging out soon, so start asking, and we will answer as much as we can in the time we have remaining.¡±

    ¡°Pardon ?¡± queried Gordo. ¡°If you are logging off together that means you two know probably know each other outside the game.¡± He didn¡¯t know why he asked this, for it was fairly normal for friends to play together in games, and leave together. ¡°You two friends in real life ?¡±

    Shan laughed at this, but Garal answered his question. ¡°No, we are not friends outside the game, we are brothers, twins, in fact. I, of course, am the older one, the smart one.¡±

    Gordo held up one hand, cutting off the expected retort from Shan, laughing as he did so. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste our time left, with you two obviously rehashing old disagreements.¡± Brothers, he thought, so much fun to listen to when they bicker, but there isn¡¯t time for that right now. ¡°What I need is to find the opportunity to join in on a few quests to get my levels up, and hopefully manage to make my character a little more competitive. I can¡¯t do that alone, so what do you say about me joining in on one of your quests to gain a little experience, like the one you are already doing. ¡± He waited for their answer, hoping that they would accept his offer, for he knew the question could come across as pushy, and demanding.

    Garal answered his question in a thoughtful manner. ¡°Sorry, we completed that quest before coming here, it didn¡¯t take us that long once we realized what we had to do. Other than that, we don¡¯t have any other quests, they are damn hard to obtain.¡± He paused for a moment, thinking about something. ¡°About you joining us, we can¡¯t give you an answer on that, we will have to have a talk about it after we log off. Tomorrow, when we come back we will give you our answer then. You going to be here tomorrow ?¡±

    Inwardly Gordo laughed at himself, knowing he definitely will be online, just like he will be for every day for the next twelve months. ¡°Definitely.¡± He stated. ¡°Meet you in here at¡­ let¡¯s say ten ?¡±

    Shan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a date. Now, before we disappear on you, anything else you want to know ?¡± he asked, looking questioningly at Gordo.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got lots of questions, but they can wait until tomorrow, but the one thing I need to know is this place, why the hell is it bigger inside than out. That¡¯s not normal, is it ?¡± Gordo asked, his gaze wandering around the tavern again, still amazed at it¡¯s interior. As he looked around one of the barmaids approached the table to clear away the empty mugs. He glanced at her as she reached across him, then his head whipped around to take a second look as her appearance registered in his brain. He hadn¡¯t taken much notice before of the waitresses that wandered the room, being occupied in his talks with Garal and Shan, but now he had time to make full use of his attention for these rather buxom ladies.

    His eyes roamed up and down her voluptuous figure, barely hidden beneath the tightly corseted top and short billowing skirt of the dress that covered her, the ample proportions of her chest straining the stretched linen that supported them. Her blond hair was drawn up into a long ponytail, allowing her unblemished features to be fully appreciated in their beauty, her dimples small, but suddenly noticeable as she smiled at the attention Gordo was giving her. To say he was stunned by her beauty would be an understatement, as it took Garal shaking his shoulder roughly to bring him out of the trance he had fallen into. Blinking, he looked around, wondering where the barmaid had gone.

    ¡°If you are looking for the barmaid, Gordo, you¡¯re too late, she left a couple of minutes ago, so you can close your mouth now.¡± Shan said laughingly. ¡°Now you know why we come to this tavern, it¡¯s the reason everyone comes here, so much so the owner got a special spell cast to make it large enough inside to fit us all in.¡± He looked over at the bar, where a couple of the barmaids were picking up mugs. ¡°Beautiful, aren¡¯t they.¡± He sighed at this. ¡°What a pity they won¡¯t get involved with us players, and we have tried, let me tell you, we have all definitely tried.¡± Shaking his head, he lifted his hardened leather tankard up and took a long drink from its contents. Placing it back down again in front of him, he advised ¡°Ah, also, don¡¯t try anything unwanted with any of them, that will only earn you a three day ban from this place. You force your attention on them and the owner will come down on you like a ton of bricks. They are known as the Untouchables around here.¡± He spoke all this in such a melancholic tone that even Gordo started to feel sadness.

    This feeling of sadness made Gordo unexpectedly maudlin. ¡°This game is so different to the original Dawnlands, so many changes and different rules. Sometimes I wish I was back playing that game. There, I had no character problems.¡±

    Shan perked up at the mention of the original game, and his whole appearance changed, losing that indefinable repressed demeanor that it had developed while talking about the barmaids. ¡°You played the original Dawnlands ? So did we. We got all the way to level two hundred before we switched our characters over to here, just made the top fifty thousand.¡±He proudly declared, then, hesitated slightly at this point, before blurting out ¡°You must have been a fairly new player In Dawnlands then, if the character you have now is so pathetic.¡±

    In surprise, Gordo didn¡¯t think about the response he should give and spoke honestly ¡° No, I was level three fifty before joining this game, ranked number one.¡± The expressions on the two opposite were a sight to behold once he had stated this, and he realized his mistake. They both just looked at him in suspicious disbelief.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, is that so.¡± Garal finally said. ¡°You were the number one ranked player in Dawnlands, were you. Sorry, but I find that hard to believe, seeing the character you have now. If you had transferred your character over, you would have started off at least at level twenty, probably even higher.¡± He looked at his brother. ¡°Come on, we have to go, I don¡¯t think I want to spend any more time talking to someone who is obviously lying to us.¡± He stood up, pushing the chair away from him as he did so, and Shan followed suit.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not lying. Why the hell should I lie.¡± He could see they just shook their heads at this in annoyance and started to prepare to log out. As they faded from view he blurted out the only thing he could to prove the truth of his claim. ¡°My name is Gordon Rammidge, and my log in for Dawnlands is antares angel. My character has not been transferred, so log in to my account and see if I¡¯m telling you the truth.¡± They faded totally away at this point, but he could see that they had heard him, for they had turned and watched him as he had tried to pass on his information. He only hoped that they hadn¡¯t faded away enough to have missed the end of it, and he also hoped that his old character was still available if they did try. A ping announcing an incoming message distracted him from his concerns and he opened his mailbox to see the admins had finally answered his query.

    Gordon

    Thank you for pointing out the Character Class absence to us. This was an oversight by our coders working on the Tank project. You will now find this issue has now been resolved.

    Your character has now been issued with the Omniclast class.

    As information on this experimental class has not been included in any game documentation, I will give you a brief explanation here so you have the opportunity to use it to its fullest. This class is planned for inclusion in the game at a later date, and you will be one of ten players testing this class for us, each one of you with a different objective.

    The Omniclast class permits players to choose up to four standard game classes (not including multi class) from the available classes, and access all features and skills associated with the chosen classes.

    To add a specific class to your character, you must visit any guild house of the class desired, and request admission to their guild, paying all costs and fees as deemed necessary by the guild. Membership with a guild attached to a chosen class must be maintained, or said class will become disabled until membership has been regained. An accepted class can not be removed, only temporarily disabled.

    A disabled class will also disable all skills and benefits the player has gained from that class until the class has been re-enabled.

    If two skills duplicate across the chosen classes, then the highest level of that skill will be determined to be the active version of that skill and all benefits and penalties attributed to the parent class will apply.

    Experience gained will be divided among the classes you have currently accepted. This division of experience can be set to your preference in your character settings page by using the sliders attributed to each chosen class. These settings can be changed at any time. The minimum experience any class can be set to is five percent, no skill can be disabled by using the experience division sliders

    Skills and benefits from the classes do not stack, only the highest ranked skill or benefit will apply if the benefit or skill is duplicated across the chosen classes.

    Up to four classes can be chosen, but a player can choose to play with only one if they wish, or three, the choice is up to the player, as long as it does not pass the maximum of four. Class choice must be made carefully, for once chosen no class can be changed or deleted.

    That¡¯s the basics of your class. Gordon. It all sounds nice, and you may think this will give you a massive advantage, but in reality it is not so, for with multiple classes you will find your class specific level growth dramatically decreased. Another negative will be the cross class penalties, for example, any manna based activities, such as spells, will be of decreased potency if a player is wearing any metallic armor or using a metallic weapon. Manna is negatively affected by the presence of metals.

    No one will see the skills you have chosen and any inspection of your character will only display your name, your overall level and your class as being Omniclast.

    Well, that¡¯s it, but be aware, there are many other bonuses and penalties attached to the Omniclast class player that I have not mentioned here, but you will become aware of these as you progress in the game.

    Good luck

    Liam Ainsworth

    Tank Project

    Energetic Entertainment

    The information provided about this new character class made his eyebrows rise slightly in surprise, for it now added a whole new dimension to the possibilities open to him, while also providing unwanted pitfalls. He could definitely see the benefits, but could also see it made his objectives much harder to accomplish, especially considering he would still only receive the one attribute point per general class level attained to allocate towards supporting all the classes he would decide to follow. He could foresee a very slow grind up ahead of him.

    Deciding he had had enough for this day, he made his way over to the bar and waited until the barkeep noticed him. The man looked like a retired blacksmith, with wide shoulders and hairy muscular arms crossed over his chest, or to be more accurate, they were resting on the top of the fat of his chubby belly. His short, dark hair was greasy looking and framed a scowling face as he looked out over the taverns patrons, keen eyes keeping a watch over his barmaids. Wearing an old and cracked leather apron, displaying stains from many years of beer spills, He grunted and scratched under one sweaty armpit for a moment before lifting the sweat stained fingers to his nose, as if to smell them, but saw Gordo looking at him, and wiped them down his apron instead.

    Wandering down the bar towards Gordo, his scowl deepened, eyebrows protruding so far that his eyes almost disappeared beneath them. Slapping a damp dishrag on the bars surface, and leaning forwards enough for Gordo to smell the rank odor of his breath, he spoke. ¡°What ?¡± he growled.

    Leaning back a bit to try to get away from the foul breath blowing into his face, Gordo asked as pleasantly as he could ¡°Do you have a room I can rent for the night ?¡± and slapped a silver coin down onto the wood in front of him.

    The barkeep gave Gordo a smile, a rather unpleasant sight as it displayed his yellowing teeth, all crooked and rotten, then reached beneath the bar and withdrew a small key. ¡°Here,¡± he said, holding it out, ¡°second floor, room twelve.¡± and swiped the coin away as Gordo accepted it. Holding the key tightly in one fist Gordo made his way over to the wooden staircase next to the bar and started to climb it, in search of his lodgings for the night.

 Chapter Thirteen

    He awoke the next morning, the sunlight streaming through the window across his uncovered arm causing small needle stings as the light burnt his skin. Gordo stretched, then yawned before sitting up on his bed. Rubbing his back, he ruefully wished this was one point where the developers had chosen not to make everything so damn realistic, for he had been kept awake most of the night as the straw from the mattress he slept on kept poking through its linen cover and into his flesh. He could see the red welts that covered him as he inspected himself, and hoped that the straw wasn¡¯t overrun with vermin as well. Just thinking of it made him feel itchy all over, but suppressed the sudden desire to scratch himself madly all over.

    He decided that his sleep had been that disturbed that he shot a message off to the admin team straight away, expressing his annoyance in regard to this, and pointing out that he thought it was detrimental to a players interest if they couldn¡¯t even get any undisturbed rest while in the game for an extended period. Message sent, he decided it was time to get up and try to get something productive done. It was now obvious that he would have to resort to a well known method, one that he had not had the need to perform for the last three years, he had to grind away at any, and all, useless tasks and jobs. Once that was done he would, hopefully, have gained enough money and experience to join one of the guilds to get a class allocated to his character.

    Downstairs, in the taverns main area, he was not surprised to find it empty. This was something he expected, for any player worth their salt would have been out and about, gaining experience. Approaching the bar, he decided it was time he got a bit pushy to see if he could knock some kind of minor task free.

    The barman looked up from where he was cleaning some mugs, using what looked like the same dirty rag he had the night before and spotting Gordo, nodded at him in greeting. Spitting in the leather tankard he was holding, he gave it a quick wipe and placed it on the bar next to the others he had already cleaned. ¡°i have some stew left over from last night, if you¡¯re hungry, you can have that with some stale bread for two coppers.¡± He picked up another tankard, preparing to clean it.

    After the cost of his room last night Gordo knew he had only one silver and a handful of coppers left in his pouch. Knowing he would probably be earning more today, he took a gamble and tossed the required amount of coins onto the bars surface, then sat down on a tall stool to wait for it. It didn¡¯t take long before a wooden bowl, filled with reheated stew was plonked down in front of him, along with a knob of slightly stale bread. Ripping off a chunk, Gordo dipped it into the stew and started to eat it. As he ate he watched the occasional player, and NPC, wander into the tavern for either a drink or to grab something to eat. The paucity of customers puzzled Gordo, considering the game now had in excess of ten million players in it, he had expected a greater number of them to be wandering about here. ¡°Hey, where are all the customers ?¡± he asked the barman, ¡°Even last night I didn¡¯t see that many. I would have thought you would be swamped here, with the amount of people I know should be here.¡±

    The barman paused in his cleaning. ¡°You should have been here a week ago, then. I had more than I could serve at that time. Most of them probably have moved on to better hunting ground by now, there¡¯s not that much around here to keep the adventurous happy. You can only kill so many rats and rabbits, I suppose, before you feel like facing something a little more worthwhile.¡± Another spit and polish finished off the tankard he was holding. He looked at Gordo. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for something to earn a little coin, I am looking for someone to shovel out the stables ?¡± One eyebrow quirked questioningly at him.

    Task offered

    Talaman the Barkeep is offering you a task Clean out the taverns stables. He will pay you twenty coppers, and a free nights lodging in reward for completion. Will you accept Talamans task ?

    Reward 1 : 20 Copper Coins

    Reward 2 : One free nights lodging at The Broken Sword Tavern

    Time Requirement : 2 hours

    Penalty for failure : None

    <u>Do you accept this Task ?</u>

    .Gordo hesitated, considering this task. Cleaning stables usually required the removal of horse dung, and he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted another task that would result in him stinking of crap. The barman noticed his hesitation, and interpreted it correctly. ¡°I will also throw in a free bath once you have finished, along with another meal on the house ?¡± he offered with another quirk on one eye.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Gordo accepted, seeing the task message change before him.

    Task Accepted

    You have accepted Talamans task to clean out his stable. Return to Talaman once you have completed this task to receive your rewards

    Reward 1 : 20 Copper Coins

    Reward 2 : One free nights lodging at The Broken Sword Tavern

    Bonus Rewards : A free bath and meal

    Time remaining on Task : 1 Hour 59 Minutes and 48 Seconds

    Penalty for failure : None

    ¡°Head out the back, you will find a shovel and a wheelbarrow. Take all the droppings from the stables and dump them on the pile against the wall. After that take a bucket and wash the floors clean before you spread fresh hay on it. Come back to me when you have finished.¡± He gave an evil laugh. ¡°I would be quick, if I was you, for no-one has cleaned them out for the past two months and the pile is quite high.¡±

    Two hours later found Gordo floating in the promised bath, his clothes taken away by the barmans wife for a good wash. The job hadn¡¯t taken him too long to finish, but had progressively become worst as he reached lower levels of the dung that filled the stables. He still couldn¡¯t understand how three horses could produce that amount of shit in such a short time span, yet alone manage to remain within the stables without drowning themselves. He had been refused entry back into the tavern until he had removed all of his soiled clothes, and only then allowed to go directly to the room that held the steaming bath he was currently ensconced in, thankful he hadn¡¯t needed to travel through the main tavern area to get there. He would never have lived down the remarks that the players would have made if they had seen him.

    While soaking there, luxuriating in the warmth, he decided it was now time to distribute those two points he had unallocated. He knew his allocations would be strength, for that would affect a couple of things, but mainly because it would allow him access to a greater range of weapons. He would have preferred to put them towards supporting a mage type skill, but that would have to come later, he needed a combat skill first to advance fast at this point. He knew that whatever he allocated them to wouldn¡¯t make much difference to him, at this point, as he had been denied the twenty free point most players got to allocate when creating their characters, but he had to start somewhere. It would be a while before he got those up to something resembling decency. He only hoped he could gain some magical stuff fairly quickly that boosted his attributes.

    Strength increased his weapon choice, as each had a strength requirement, but it was a weapons skill level that assisted in damage, something he wouldn¡¯t have until he earned the money to join a guild and purchase a skill. No matter how strong he became, it wouldn¡¯t affect his damage, and similar restrictions affected his other attributes as well. It did affect other skill, non combat skills, such as jumping and lifting capacity, but just not combat.

    The bath was cooling down by this point, and was looking positively dirty, so he decided it was time to get out, eat his free meal and get out of the city and earn some money. He pulled himself up, using the wooden sides of the bath for support and started to dry himself off.

    After his meal It hadn¡¯t taken him long to reach the gates to the city, probably a good twenty minutes walking following the directions that the barman had given him before he had left. A he approached them, he could see that they were guarded by about ten armored soldiers, and while they were not interfering with the traffic passing through the gate, they were attentive, and carefully watched everything. Their gaze fell upon him as he passed them, but they didn¡¯t interfere or obstruct him, and he left the city and entered the wilds that lay beyond them. He had expected to see farms and cultivated land, like you would find outside any normal city, but that wasn¡¯t the case here.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    A grassed and cleared area stretched from the gates for about a mile, at a guess, until they met a densely wooded forest and a well beaten road stretched towards the trees from the city gates, finally disappearing beneath their branches. Wagons and riders on horses occupied much of the road, but a few walking figures could also be made out, probably players who did not yet have the financial capacity to afford alternate forms of transport, or poor NPC characters on their way to destinations unknown.

    Gordo turned to one of the lounging soldiers that were positioned outside the gates. ¡°Where are all the rabbits ?¡± he asked, puzzled by a complete absence of anything within sight that could be construed as being a combat opportunity.

    The guard lazily glanced across at him, then looked at another guard leaning against the wall next to him before returning his gaze back. Spitting out a length of grass he was chewing on, he spoke ¡°Rabbits ? What rabbits ?¡± These guards didn¡¯t seem as enthusiastic about their job as those were on the inside of the gates, in fact they seemed to be a rather scruffy lot, with mismatched equipment. The one that he had spoken to pushed himself away from the wall and looked carefully about the treeless expanse that lay before them. ¡°I don¡¯t see any rabbits ?¡± he turned a baleful look back at Gordo. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to try to scare the city watch with claims like that. It is no joking matter claiming there are any rabbits within site of the city.¡± The look he gave Gordo was positively threatening.

    Lifting his hands up , Gordo spoke apologetically. ¡°Sorry, I only mentioned it because I was told there was rabbits out here that needed killing. If this isn¡¯t correct, then I apologize.¡±

    The guard looked at him for a second before his eyes opens in understanding. ¡°Ah, I see. You are looking for the wild rabbits,¡± and laughed in relief, his fellow guard joining in behind him. ¡°The apologies all mine, I thought you were saying there were rabbits coming towards us. The rabbits you are seeking are not around here, but can be found in the forest beyond the grass. Just follow the road to the trees and you will definitely find them there, the nasty little buggers. If you kill any of them, bring their ears back and you will gain a reward of one copper a pair. Just be careful, for on their own they are fairly easy to kill, but they travel in packs usually. If you are charged by a pack, just climb a tree, and no doubt another like you will be along soon to help get rid of them.¡± He leant back again against the city walls, returning to his lazy posture once more. He waved one hand at Gordo. ¡°One your way, fellow, go.¡± and dropped his arms down, his attention leaving Gordo.

    Shrugging to himself, Gordo started off down the road to the distant trees.

    ¡­..

    Hot from the walk along the road, Gordo found the shade a delightful relief from the suns heat once he had passed into it, so he sat beneath a tree, his back to its trunk just watching the travelers on the road pass him by. Most ignored him, but occasionally someone would call out a greeting or wave a hand in his direction. He returned every one of them as he relaxed and thought about his next move. It was obvious that he wouldn¡¯t find any wild rabbits near the road, for they would have either run away, or have been hunted down by the other players who had travelled through this section of the forest. He decided that he would travel further away from the path deeper into the forest.

    Fifteen minutes¡¯ walk took him further into the forest, the sounds from the road he had left behind him long lost , the silence occasionally broken by the sounds of birds calling out to each other. No grass grew in this area, not even with the thick layer of humus that had been deposited by the trees that grew in this area, and very little light managed to pierce the thick canopy above, leaving it a very dim place. Stopping, Gordo looked about, to see if he could make out anything between the tree trunks that surrounded him, anything other than trees, that was.

    He suddenly heard a noise discordant to the previous forest noises he had been hearing brought his attention to an area to his left, and there, through the trees, he could see in the distance a brighter spot among the gloom. Walking carefully, and slowly he headed towards the lighted area, learning that is was a small clearing among the trees as he approached it.

    He stopped at a point just before the shadow of the forest was replaced by the brilliant sunshine and examined the clearing as he peered out from the tree he was hiding behind. The clearing was a fair bit larger than he had expected, and from the blackened tree stumps that dotted it, he surmised that a fire caused this clearing some time ago, for the cleared space was filled with long grass and wildflowers. Towards the far end was a slight hill, surmounted by jumbled rocks, and a small pond half way across. One other thing he noticed, and he knew that the sounds that had alerted him to this location had come from these, were a pack of wild rabbits, four in total that he could see from his vantage point.

    He drew his dagger, noticing the poor condition it was in, for its durability had fallen to two during his fight with the sewer rats, and hoped it would last through the battle to come., then  lowered himself down onto his hands and knees and started to crawl through the long grass.

    Getting as close to the rabbits as he could without gaining their attention, he carefully parted the grass in front of him and examined the closest one to him.

    Rabbit, Wild.

    Health: 4 / 4

    Attack : Teeth, Claws

    Damage : 1-4

    Special :

    <ul style="text-align: justify">

    <li> 50% chance of bleed effect if bitten. Bleed will last for five seconds, Causing 5 points damage per second.</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="text-align: justify">Power Kick ¨C Rabbits possess a special attack that can be performed once each combat. Power Kick is a strike by the rabbits hind legs, causing double damage. 10% chance of stun effect per successful Power Kick. Stun effect will last for three seconds, leaving the recipient dazed. All future attacks against a stunned victim will be at 100% chance to success and 100% to damage. Power Kick is a cumulative attack, where successive attacks while victim is stunned will extend the stun length. </li>

    </ul>

    Oh my god, muttered Gordo, now realizing why the guards had feared an attack by these relatively weak creatures. If they got someone on their own, and attacked in a pack, a successful power kick would spell certain doom. As he was on his own here, he now realized he would have to change his plan of attack, he couldn¡¯t risk taking on more than one at once. They didn¡¯t have spheres of influence in this game, so how the hell was he going to attract the attention of only one without the others becoming interested as well.

    He looked around for some way to accomplish this, but the only thing he could come up with was risky, but he knew that he needed to take risks to succeed, so he slowly took a wide arc around the rabbits and crawled to the hill. From the base, where he currently hid, it was about a fifty foot crawl to the top, so he worked out the path he would follow, making sure that none of the rabbits would spot him, and proceeded up the slope, stopping occasionally to check to see what the rabbits were doing. It wasn¡¯t long before he finally arrived at the tumble of stones that crowned the peak.

    Now he was closer he realized that the stones were not a natural feature, but was comprised of shaped stones, the chisel marks clear on the sides of them. With interest he looked about him, realizing this must have once been a structure of some type, and wondered what could have once been built here. The stones were large, and it would have taken a couple of men to move each one, so it would have been something substantial, a tower or guard hut probably.

    His ruminations were interrupted by the sounds of the rabbits moving closer to his location, and he quickly examined the stone heap looking for the ideal place for his plan to work. He finally spotted it, and positioned himself carefully between two of the larger stones, protecting his flanks, and only allowing an approach from directly in font. Once ready, with his dagger prepared, he gave a whistle to gain the attention of the rabbits, which by this time had grazed themselves half way up the slope towards him.

    The lead rabbit ears twitched, swiveling towards him and its head came up to look around, and spotted him. A shrill squeak filled the air, catching the attention of the other rabbits, and they all charged him. The first rabbit to reach him lunged forward, its razor sharp teeth flashing in the sunlight but Gordo swayed out of the path of them and slashed downwards with his blade. It hit, taking a flap of furry flesh from the side of the rabbits head, splashing blood across his shirt.

    ¡®You have struck Wild Rabbit. Wild Rabbit suffers four damage, you have killed a Wild Rabbit. Experience gained 10 points¡¯

    He swept away the message with a quick flick of his left hand, surprised by the ease of this first kill. The body of the rabbit dropped down in a slump onto the ground in front of him, allowing his to see the next two rabbits leaping at him. As they flew towards him, their trajectories interfered with each other, and they smashed together, dropping short in their attacks. Gordo thrust out and scored another hit on one of them for two damage before they managed to disentangle themselves and resume their attacks.

    With his attention on the two in front of him, he missed seeing the last one spin around and kick out at him with its rear legs, only realizing his mistake as they both struck him in the chest, stunning him and throwing him backwards through the air with its power.

    You have been Power Kicked for 8 Points of Damage. You have 112 health points remaining. You have been stunned for three seconds and are unable to move.

    Gordo flew backwards, his limbs flailing wildly about as the stun took away his bodies control, and bounced off the hard stones behind him, causing more damage reports to flash across his vision. His flight grew to an end as he slammed down hard onto a bare section of land, jarring the breath out of him and another five points stripped from his health. He only had time to utter ¡°Oh, shit.¡± before the ground suddenly gave way beneath him unexpectedly, plunging him downwards into freefall, and into darkness. Another ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Passed his lips before he struck the bottom of whatever he had fallen into and unconsciousness claimed him.

    You have received 40 points damage. You are unconscious.

 Chapter Fourteen

    The pain awoke him as every bone and muscle in his body potested loudly in regard to the unfair treatment they felt they had received. He lifted his hand unsteadily to his aching head, expecting to feel the dampness of leaking blood, or at least a sharp pain from the contusions he must have suffered, but felt nothing other than the constant ache all over his body, similar to having a toothache. With an effort he managed to sit up and take a look around himself.

    It was dark, but not overly dark, for he could make out the dirt walls surrounding him. Looking up he could see the top of the hole he had fallen into, as the bright sky could easily be seen, outlining the edges of the hole he had made, about twenty foot above him, tree roots growing across the empty space above him. He considered using them to climb out, but soon saw that they were beyond his reach. As he looked up, clods of dirt and sand rained down onto his head and shoulders, making him fear the whole thing was going to cave inwards, and crossed off climbing the walls as a way to exit this place.

    His concern about being buried beneath falling soil motivated him enough to push himself to his feet and stagger across to one side on the hole he was in, leaning against it to keep himself on his feet. He could see the pile of dirt in the center, where he had landed, but the rest of the floor seemed unnaturally flat and clean. Gordo looked down at the floor beneath his feet carefully, then scrubbed one toe of a shoe across it. The regular indentations that he felt while doing this confirmed his suspicions, and he now knew this floor was made up of laid bricks, and not dirt or natural stone. He was standing in a man made structure, or to be more accurate, a planned structure built by beings of an unknown race.

    As he was investigating the floor, his inbox pinged with the arrival of a message. Frowning, for he wasn¡¯t expecting any messages, and hoping it wasn¡¯t game spam, he opened his inbox. The senders identity made him smile in pleasure, for unexpected or not, it was from someone he knew quite well, and it was his first message that wasn¡¯t from the admin team. He decided to put off reading it at this moment, concern over his current predicament overweighing his interest in his mail. He promised that the first thing he would do after getting out of here would be to read it.

    He suddenly realized that if this area he was in was built, then logically the builder would have made a method of leaving it, or entering it. Keeping one hand on the wall, for that is now what he realized it was, he slowly walked around the perimeter, keeping one hand in contact with the wall until he finally felt a difference beneath his fingers. The surface texture changed from rough stone to woodgrain, and his trailing fingers picked up a set of splinters before he noticed the change and stopped moving. He pulled back his hand in surprise and a yelp, then lifted them to his lips in a vain attempt to suck the pain and splinters out.

    Swearing under his breath to himself, he inspected the area where he had received the splinters from while scratching at his fingers in an attempt to dislodge the small slivers of wood that were lodged firmly under his skin. It took a little while before his eyes adjusted enough for him to make out the shape of a door, set flush with the wall, and hidden under a layer of dirt and dust. Pounding on it with his uninjured hand produced a hollow booming noise, as well as dislodging most of the layer of dirt that coated it. He could not see any handle, or other method of opening it so withdrew his dagger and inserted its point into one of the outlining cracks along its edge and attempted to pry the door free of its frame. The door didn¡¯t budge, so he leaned harder against the handle of the dagger, trying to put as much pressure as he could into it, causing the blade of the dagger to flex with a worrying arc.

    The door suddenly gave way just as the daggers blade snapped in two, swinging out towards him and releasing a gust of pent up fetid air that had been trapped behind it. This released air struck Gordo in the face, making him stagger back, coughing violently as his surprised inhalation sucked the foul stuff into his lungs. He dropped to his knees and dry retched as his body tried vainly to purge him of its effects. In a panic, he rolled himself away from the now open doorway, his chest and throat burning, until he lay on his back ten foot away, chest heaving as he sucked in deep breathes of untainted air.It was only at this point he noticed the system message that occupied his vision.

    You have received 20 points damage from breathing spore laden air. You have received a Spore debuff. Spore debuff will last for fifteen seconds, and will cause an additional 5 points damage per second until time runs out or you are healed.

    Gordo quickly looked at his health and calculated how much damage this debuff will give him as it run its course, then relaxed in relief. His current health was high enough to cover the losses, as long as nothing else happened to affect him, so he lay there until the debuff wore off and his health points started to increase again. A hundred and twenty health was not going to be enough if he kept this up, he thought, but at the moment he was stuck with the ten health per level increase until he found some way of increasing his constitution.

    Finally his health returned to its maximum, and he stood up, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and walked back over to the door, sniffing the air as he drew closer to make sure the bad air hadn¡¯t lingered around to affect him again. Not able to detect anything, he looked into the doorway, and found it opened up on a corridor stretching away from him, the far end dimly illuminated by an unknown light source.

    Now unarmed by the loss of his only weapon, the dagger, Gordo hesitated before entering the corridor, knowing full well that if there was any creatures down here, he was dead. He also knew he didn¡¯t have any other choice, either, for he needed to find a way to escape this place, and the corridor held out the only hope possible. With all this in his mind, he slowly made his way towards the far end, checking the walls and floor as much as he could in the dimness that surrounded him, in an attempt to detect or locate any traps that could have been placed here. He didn¡¯t detect any traps, but also reached the far end unscathed, so he considered himself extremely lucky, and foolish for the time he had spend searching.

    The room at the end of corridor was small, being about ten foot square, but what occupied it made him stare in wonder. It was easy for him to work out from the sarcophagus in the center that this was a burial vault, and the hill above a barrow raised to cover it. The walls were constructed of finely interlocked blocks of stone, illuminated, surprisingly, with lit torches mounted on each wall. How they had remained lit here was a mystery, but not one he was going to worry about at this time, for this was a game, after all, and weird shit like this was fairly normal.

    He entered the room and slowly walked around the room, finding nothing but the coffin and the torches inside it. He reached up and pulled one of the torches out of the sconce that held it up and inspected it.

    Torch of Eternal Flame

    This torch will always remain lit and provide light under any conditions. This religious item is usually found illuminating the crypts of famous warriors and nobles. The method of creating this rare item has been lost to the ages.

    He stared at the torch in amazement, realization of the luck of this find dawning upon him. Looking up, at the other three, his face broke out into a wide grin, knowing that he now had something he could sell for enough money to outfit himself properly. He didn¡¯t know what they were worth, but still confidant that whatever it was, it would be plenty enough to him. Then another thought suddenly struck him, and he stared at the coffin avidly. These torches were only used in important crypts, so this must be an important crypt. Important crypts usually held items worth looting. His grin grew even wider as he placed the torch back into its sconce, he would retrieve it later, after he had finished with the coffin.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Taking one of the old items of clothing from his bag, he used it to brush away the dust that had gathered on its surface, obscuring the carvings on the coffin lid. Dust billowed up, filling the air, making Gordo back away, coughing, until it had dispersed enough for him to be able to see the surface again. Peering closely, he could make out a series of runes carved deep into its surface, their grooves filled with fine particles of dust. Gordo brushed one hand across them, clearing away more of the obscuring material until they became legible.

    Here lies Lanbard the Unwise

    Prince of the House of Ravenswood

    A noble warrior who lost his life by placing his faith and trust in the hands of those unworthy. May the gods protect his soul.

    He paused, head bowed reverently for a minute, then gave a firm thrust with both hands on the edge of the lid, causing it to slide away from him, to finally topple off the far edge onto the floor. Inside the casket lay an dry and withered corpse, hands crossed on top of its sunken chest. The skin that stretched across the skull was dark and leathery, a fine patina of cracks crossing the desiccated flesh. Leaning over the casket, he became aware of the dry, musty smell that the body was giving off, a good sign that the corpse had become mummified, rather than rotting, another good sign as this meant that any other items that could be in the coffin would be in a relatively undamaged condition.

    Reaching down Gordo carefully touched the corpse with one finger, prepared to yank it away if the corpse turned out to be some form of the living dead and suddenly attacked him, but was relieved when there was no reaction to his touch. He quickly ran the search option that opened up and was astounded by the list of items he found, for it seemed like he had inadvertently hit the jackpot.

    You have found:

    Dagger (Unidentified)

    Pendant (Unidentified)

    Scroll (Unidentified)

    Longsword, Broken (Unidentified)

    Medium Leather Bag ¨C (Unidentified)

    Ring (Unidentified)

    Leather Armour (Unidentified)

    Stone (Unidentified)

    He was ecstatic at the sheer number of items that had popped up that was available to him, but he had never seen this unidentified remark that they all displayed, on items before. But it was fairly obvious what he needed to do. His amazement grew even greater when a following message popped up informing him he had also found one hundred gold coins, followed by the sound of the coins rattling into his inventory. He was that overwhelmed with this munificence that had dropped into his lap that he momentarily blanked out.

    Coming back to his senses, he realized this was like the mythological lucky strike that is always referred to in fantasy gameplay novels, but actually happening, and happening to him. Hoping that this wouldn¡¯t all pan out into some warped storyline where he ends up cursed or something, he quickly retrieved the Leather Bag and inspected it.

    Medium Leather Bag

    This leather bag has a 50 slot carrying capacity, and will reduce the weight of all items stored within it by 25% of the combined weight.

    Rubbing his hands in glee, he quickly transferred the trash he was carrying in his current bag across to the new one, then discarded the old bag. It wasn¡¯t worth keeping it, for it had no resale value at all, seeing it was the starting bag for new players. Once the new bag was in place he took his time to pick up each of the unidentified items and attempted to see if he could gain more information on them.

    Dagger, Ornamental

    This dagger, being of exceptional quality, was crafted for one of noble birth. Due to the quality of materials and workmanship that went into its creation, this weapon will impart more damage than a similar weapon of plain manufacture.

    Base Damage 2 ¨C 5

    Durability 20 / 20

    Gordo equipped the dagger immediately, feeling a little more secure now he had a weapon again. The next three items he took and examined produced little information about themselves, all of them marked ¡®quest item¡¯. As he didn¡¯t have any quests, he figured that these items would produce more information if he found the necessary quests that each required. Shoving them into his new bag, he returned back to the items remaining.

    The ring proved to be magical in nature, and had a plus one to dexterity bonus, so he placed it on his finger. This brought him to the leather armor, and its information, while quite impressive, was useless to him at this time, for it had a requirement that the wearer have a strength of four to be able to equip it. Shrugging, he placed it into the sack, knowing he would use it once he had managed to raise his to meet this requirement.

    The last item was a stone, about the size of a dinner plate and in the shape of a hexagon. He didn¡¯t know what material it was made of, but it looked and felt like some form of china, producing a musical ding when he tapped on it with one fingernail. Carved into one surface was a numeric rune representing the number one. He gave this item the once over, but a message popped up informing him that his intelligence was not high enough to identify this item. He hefted it a little while thinking, then slid it into his bag with the other items he had no knowledge on.

    Now he had taken all the items from the body, the pop up remained, showing the only think possible to take from this location was the bag he had discarded. He dismissed the loot window with a wave and looked around to locate any other exit from this room other than the one he had entered through. He couldn¡¯t see any as he wandered around the walls, prodding them with a hand, and occasionally his dagger. They all felt like solid walls, with nothing to indicate they hid a doorway.

    Deciding it was time to return to the place where he had fallen into this place and look for another way of leaving there, he took one last walk around the walls, taking the torches off the walls and placing them in his bag as he passed them. As he took the last one from its sconce, he heard a low grating sound and the floor beneath his feet began to tremble. He feared the walls and roof were going to crumble in and bury his alongside the late Lanbard the Unwise, so he dashed for the doorway to leave, but not quick enough, for a solid slab of stone quickly descended down, sealing him inside the crypt.

    As he stood there in front of the stone slab, banging his hand against it in futile frustration, he saw the walls of the room start to leak a clear liquid into the room. From the way it oozed out from the cracks between the stones and ran down the walls in a gelatinous manner, he knew that this wasn¡¯t water but something probably a whole lot more dangerous, and backed away as it started to pool on the floor. He looked around in a panic, trying desperately to find a method of escaping but saw nothing but the coffin in the middle of the room. As he was looking , the viscous substance reached his feet and he felt a burning sting as it started to dissolve the tips of the shoes we was wearing, emitting a small puff of smoke as it did so. Gordo took another step back away from it, his back almost against the side of the coffin, realizing this goo was acidic, and if he stayed here, his bones would be the only thing left to identify him.

    Suddenly an inspiration came to him, a desperate one at that, for if it didn¡¯t work, he wouldn¡¯t have a second chance. He quickly eased himself around to the opposite side of the coffin, to where the fallen lid lay on the ground and picked it up. It was unaffected by the acidic goop that had been touching it, reassuring him he may have made the right choice. Carefully easing himself into the coffin, he lifted the lid above him,, then lay down, closing the coffin above him. It was a tight squeeze with two bodies in the small space, but thankfully there was just enough to make sure the top had settled properly into place.

    He could hear the stuff as it slowly rose higher in the room outside, lapping up the sides only inches away from where he lay until it finally covered the whole coffin. He struggled to breath the dry and dusty air, moving as little as possible, for each time he did so, more dust rose from the corpse beneath him. He lay there and without realizing it, slowly nodded off to sleep,

    He awoke when the whole coffin suddenly shook and he peered about to make sure nothing had knocked the top askew and allowing access to where he lay, but was thrust downwards as the coffin finally separated from the floor beneath it, to rocket upwards towards the surface of the thick liquid like a rising cork. The heaviness only lasted a couple of seconds before weightlessness struck him, rapidly followed by a falling sensation. The coffin came to an abrupt halt, snapping his head backwards into the forehead of the unfortunate corpse beneath him. Then everything became still as the wild ride came to a sudden and jarring end, the bones of the corpse beneath him cracking as they broke.

 Chapter Fifteen

    You have received Experience

    Congratulations, for successfully escaping from the trapped crypt of Lanbard the Unwise you have received a hidden reward. You have gained experience

    These words floated in front of Gordo¡¯s eyes as he lay there, his head aching from the blow to the back of his skull, the billowing dust filling his throat and nose, making his breathing labored. He closed his eyes and groaned, the notification being replaced aby another one.

    Congratulations, you have gained a level, You are now Level Three

    You have one Attribute Point to allocate

    The decision on where to place this point was pretty obvious, he needed to raise his strength up to be able to wear armor, so he opened his character page and allocated the point to his strength, raising it to three. One more point and he could equip the leather armor he had found. He took a quick look at the current state of his attributes, which to be honest, were still pretty dismal, but better than they had been yesterday.

    Strength : 3 Constitution : 0 Dexterity : 1

    Intelligence : 0 Wisdom : 0 Perception : 0

    A couple more levels and he would almost be comfortable with his character, even though he still regretted not being able to use the previous points in increasing his intelligence, for he knew that a magical skill would be of prime importance for the future. He then sighed, thinking on the experience he was missing out on from not having any skills yet, but now he had money in his pocket, he would make that one of the first things he would do when he went back to town.

    He knew the first class he would seek out would be Weapons Master, mainly due to the fact that this type of fighter had access to just about all weapons, and while it didn¡¯t have many of the special bonuses other fighting classes have, it also avoided many of the negative effects as well. He knew many in his position would choose Paladin, because it catered for a fighter and a cleric setup, but firstly, the growth in the Paladin class was already slow, and with his multiple class options, it would become unbearably slow, and secondly, the religious aspect of this class would add too many negatives to any magic class he chose. Magic and religion didn¡¯t mix, no matter what game you played in, and combined they would lower the potency of both to a mere shadow of what each were capable of separately.

    He had considered Swashbuckler, for he always had fancied the nautical side of a character like that, but the weapon restrictions were too severe, and would just be a hindrance when playing on land, and only idiots, or new players ever chose the Beserker and Barbarian classes. Those two were just grunt characters, all brawn and no brain, and both had nasty class penalties attached. He also knew there were at least another ten fighter classes, but all of them didn¡¯t figure into his plan, so he just ignored them.

    The pain in his head had eased by this point, leaving him only with a small sore spot located at the base of his skull, down near where the spine joined it. He managed to ease one hand around in the confined space , enough to massage it, while he rotated his head in small circles. After a while of doing this, even that sore spot finally disappeared. It was only then, when he had time to think on things other than his head, that he noticed the bones of the corpse beneath him poking upwards into his back and lower limbs, bringing him some discomfort. He kicked upwards with one foot, thrusting the lid above him to fly off to one side, allowing a rush of fresh air to rush in and cool him, while sunlight bathed him as he lay there.

    Slowly extricating himself from the broken remains of Prince Lanbard, he stood up and stepped out of the coffin, finding himself back on the top of the barrow that had been raised above the crypt. Looking around, he could see the hole where he had fallen into it, about thirty foot away, and scratched his head. While he had thought the coffin would protect him from the acidic goo, he hadn¡¯t expected the thing to bring him back to the surface in such a dramatic method. Examining the coffin, he could see it was positioned in a slight depression in the ground, standing on exposed stonework, the grass around its edge burnt from the touch of the acid that had lifted the coffin upward. There must have be another tunnel beneath those stones, and suspected a trapdoor that must have closed when the liquids pressure pushed the coffin past it.

    While looking at the coffin, a sudden realization came across him that he was back where he started, where the rabbits were, and he hadn¡¯t even bothered making sure his position was safe. Quickly arming himself with his new dagger, Gordo crouched slightly and scanned the area about himself, all thoughts about his return to the surface forgotten. Still in his crouch he carefully made his way back past the hole where he had fallen into the barrows, and to the stones where he had last battled the rabbits.

    Reaching the piled stones, he found the body of the rabbit he had killed previously still laying there, and no sign of the other three from the same pack. Reaching down, he looted the body, receiving a pair of rabbit ears, and a rabbits tail, the body disappearing once all the goodies were taken. For some reason he wondered what would have happened to the body if he hadn¡¯t looted it. Would it stay here, until someone else came across it and looted it ? Did it have a set amount of time before it evaporated, along with the untaken loot, after a set amount of time ? he had no way of knowing at this point, and his mind returned to the task in front of him, getting back to the city without getting killed.

    The forest clearing that surrounded the barrow seemed clear of any dangers, but he still decided to prepare himself just in case, so searched among the stones, looking for any fist size rocks that he could use as a thrown weapon. After a few minutes, he had gathered twenty of the most promising looking ones and stored them in his bag. He knew they wouldn¡¯t cause much damage, but any damage he could make before an opponent was within arms length of him was a definite bonus .

    Gordo spent the next half an hour practicing throwing rocks, using a small bush at the bottom of the slope in front of him as a target. His aim definitely improved, but at the end he was still only successful half the time. He felt a little more confidant as no rabbit had made an appearance during the time he spent throwing rocks.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Considering himself as prepared as he would ever be, Gordo made his way down the slope and started travelling across the clearing, heading for the point he had entered it earlier that day. Half way to the tree line he heard the high pitched squeal of a rabbit, and his gut tightened in panic as he spun to face the direction the noise had come from.

    A single rabbit emerged from the trees and rushed towards him, the red of its eyes clearly visible above its foaming and teeth filled snarl. Like all the others, this one was about the size of a dog, its ears laid flat against its back as it ran. Gordo hesitated a moment, allowing the creature to close on him, before he remembered the stones he had gathered just for this kind of situation. He whipped a stone out and, not taking the time to aim properly, let it fly at the maddened animal. In a stroke of luck, it flew true, striking the rabbit in the head, interrupting its headlong charge.

    ¡®You have struck a Wild Rabbit. Wild Rabbit suffers one damage.¡¯

    Taking the opportunity given by the rabbits hesitation, he threw another rock, but this time it sailed past the rabbit, missing it by a good two foot and landing in the long grass behind it. Cursing to himself, he gripped harder on the dagger and prepared himself as the rabbit regained its momentum towards him.

    The rabbit used its hind legs to propel itself into a powerful leap at him, heading directly for his throat, but from his last encounter, Gordo had been expecting something like this, and leaned out of the path of the leap, thrusting upwards with his dagger. The shock in his hand and arm let him know that his thrust had been true, and the blade of the dagger pierced the rabbit beneath its jaw and travelled up to lodge in its brain. The following system message only confirmed what he knew had happened.

    ¡®You have struck Wild Rabbit. Wild Rabbit suffers three damage, you have killed a Wild Rabbit. Experience gained 10 points¡¯

    From behind him, he heard the sound of the tree branches leaves being disturbed, and he knew that this heralded the arrival of the final two members of this rabbit pack. Dipping into his bag he grabbed a couple more of the stones and started throwing them as the rabbits emerged from the trees. He managed to get off three stones at them, successfully striking one of the rabbits twice for a total of three damage before he needed to defend himself.

    As the uninjured rabbit charged him, he rolled out of its path, its speed not allowing the rabbit to alter its direction of attack, and it went past him, its back legs churning up the dirt as it attempted to stop. The other rabbit, though, managed to strike Gordo, biting him painfully on one of his legs and causing three damage. Like before, the pain was excruciating, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it, slicing at the rabbit where it concentrated on tearing at his leg. The blade made a shallow cut across its face, a painful blow but not one that would cause much damage normally, but enough to remove its last health point.

    The last remaining rabbit had managed to cease its charge at this point, and had turned and was charging Gordo again. This time Gordo didn¡¯t have time to avoid it, and it crashed into him forelegs ripping at his chest and its maw biting furiously at his arms and shoulders. His health points started to drop alarmingly as each of its multiple strikes stripped him of his health. In panic his began to stab downwards, showering the creature with blow after wild blow. He was still stabbing mindlessly away at the rabbits corpse long after he had killed it, not noticing the message informing him he had defeated the creature. Finally, he slumped over the corpse, exhaustion overcoming him as his fatigue bar filled.

    It took a couple of minutes for his fatigue bar to drop to a point where he felt capable he could move about without exhausting himself again, and saw a flashing icon in his vision. He selected it and it opened, informing him he had gained another level. His brows knit in confusion, for hadn¡¯t he just received a new level only minutes previous to this one ? The puzzlement this brought him occupied his thoughts for the next few minutes as he tried to work out how this was possible, but in the end he just gave up, shrugging his shoulders, deciding he must have got enough experience last time to leave him just short of reaching level four.

    Spending the next five minutes recovering, he wandered between the rabbits, looting their corpses, and keeping an eye on the surrounding foliage in case another pack showed up. Feeling secure in his current position, he sat down on a rock that poked up above the grass and opened his profile page. He had another attribute point to allocate now, and placed it into his strength, bringing it up to four, allowing him to meet the requirements for his leather armor. He drew it out of his bag and held it up in front of him, examining it once again.

    Leather Armor, Enhanced

    This finely crafted armor is of exceptional quality, and has been enhanced with the inclusion of magical benefits. The protection that this armor provides will be improved with a characters leather armor skill. Due to the quality of this armor, all merchants will look upon you with more respect and you will gain 5% to the value of any service sold and a 5% discount on all services bought. Service covers items, training and fees.

    Armor Class : 4.00

    Quality : Exceptional

    Requirements : Minimum Strength 4

    Class Restrictions : None

    Durability : 65 / 65

    Benefits :

    +1 Constitution and Dexterity while worn

    +1 level to Sneak and Hide Skills if of Thief class

    He slipped it on, the leather feeling remarkably supple considering where it had come from. Like most armor found within the game, the leather fitted him perfectly. He took another quick look at his attributes to see the changes that the armor had made.

    Strength : 4 Constitution : 1 Dexterity : 2

    Intelligence : 0 Wisdom : 0 Perception : 0

    Better, he thought, nodding to himself in pleasure. And then decided he would take a peek to see where he was on the players listing. He had gained a few things and levels since the last time, so hopefully he might have improved a little

    Gordo. Level 4. Current standing : 9,589,157

    ¡°What the hell.¡± He fumed, for he had dropped about two million positions in the rankings before he saw the total number of players now signed up. Twenty four million players, his mind reeled, imagining that many people all online at once. He had not seen many players since he had started here, so where the hell were they all ? This world must be gigantic, for this was more than all the population of Australia, and that was one damned big country.

    He needed to speed up his game, needed it badly if he was to have a chance to meet the target set out for him by the developers. He knew that the year he had was only three days used up, but he also knew he must reverse this backwards trend. He needed a better plan, but first he needed to return to town and start getting some skills.

 Chapter Sixteen

    Four hours after leaving the forest found Gordo sitting at a table in the Broken Sword, his feet propped up on the edge of the table, a leather mug gripped in one hand, watching the other players around him eat and drink, their chatter filling the air. He had spent most of the gold he had discovered soon after returning to the city, joining the Sword Masters Guild, accepting this as one of his four classes, then purchased the small arms skill for himself. He would have stayed there for some training, but didn¡¯t have enough gold left after he had paid for both. He took a look at his pouch to tally the remaining funds he had and saw that it was five gold, seven silver and twenty three coppers. Not too bad, he thought to himself.

    The small arms skill would allow him to use his dagger better, he knew, but he would purchase better skills as he managed to improve his financial situation. Another thing he knew he needed to do, when the money became available, was to transfer some out to his game account and purchase the game add-ons which would allow him to use the Automap and Auction House, as well as giving him access to the internal game wiki. That would cost him ten dollars, or one hundred gold, taking into consideration the ten for one exchange rate in money withdrawal. He could get this money selling those unidentified items, but he was curious to find out what they were, as well as what they could do. That was a decision for a later date.

    A ping of an incoming message disturbed his thoughts, and he opens his inbox to find out what had arrived. Seeing the message, he slapped himself on his forehead, cursing his forgetfulness, for it was another message from the same person as the previous one, the message he had totally forgotten about. Well, he had time now, he decided, and selected the first message.

    Gordo

    Been round your place a couple of times, but your place is all locked up. I know you told me you were going to be away for a while, but thought you would have returned by this time.

    Was going to tell you I managed to save the money for the equipment, and purchased the suit. Imagine my surprise when I joined and found a character called Gordo already in the game. I hope this is you, Gordon, and not some random person using the same name. Also, imagine my surprise as well, when I found out I was higher on the players leaderboard than you. Yay, go team Tim.

    If I am talking to the right person, I chose a Cleric character, and am currently at level nine. If you want to see if we can team up, ingame message me, my character¡¯s name is Dryce and I am currently in a city called Riversfall. Dunno where that is compared to you.

    Whatever, just send me a message anyway.

    P.S. Christ, this game is so real, I still cant believe it.

    Tim. a.k.a Dryce

    Gordo smiled, that was just like Tim, always enthusiastic, and so forgetful. From what he said in the message, it indicated he didn¡¯t remember to transport his character across from the old game for he would be more than level nine if he had done that. He then selected the second message from Tim.

    Gordo

    Still no reply from you, either your offline a lot, which would explain your dismal performance, or you¡¯re not Gordon, which also would explain said dismal performance. If it is you, just message me, if not, message me as well to let me know and I will stop messaging. Gotta go, I have a party to join and search some tower ruins.

    Tim

    A tap on his shoulder surprised him, making him jump and drop his feet to the ground. He looked up to see who it was that had disturbed him, only to see two familiar faces looking down at him. Well, only one was looking down at him, for the other was short enough his face was at about equal height with Gordo¡¯s head. Placing his mug down to the table, he rose to his feet, facing them. It was the two brothers, Shan and Garal, he liked the brothers, but his last meeting with them, in this very same bar, hadn¡¯t ended that well. It was mostly his fault, for he shouldn¡¯t have looked them up to basically beg off them for a chance to earn experience, he knew he was a far better player than that and shouldn¡¯t have done it. He was about to make an excuse and take his leave when he noticed they both had wide smiles plastered on their faces. Confused, he just scowled at them. ¡°What ?¡± he asked them in puzzlement.

    ¡°You.¡± Spoke Shan. ¡°You ARE the real Gordo. We checked out your account, just like you asked us to, and boy were we gob smacked when the character turned out to be exactly what you told us it would be.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Garal didn¡¯t want to access the account at first, and said we should just forget about you, but I managed to change his mind in the end¡­ ¡° he paused here a second before continuing, ¡°So let¡¯s just say we apologize for the way we treated you yesterday.¡± He held out a hand, his expression hopeful.

    Gordo just laughed, then gripped it, slapping the dwarf on the back with his other hand. ¡°No problems, it was lame how I talked to you, asking for assistance. I wouldn¡¯t have even believed myself, if that was said to me.¡± The memory of how he had acted even making him shake his own head. ¡°Ah, well, forget about it. Here, take a seat and have a drink with me.¡± He pulled out a chair, then caught the attention of the barkeep, lifted three fingers up and pointed at his table, indicating he would like a round for all of them. The barkeep gave a nod and called one of the waitresses over, filling mugs as he did so.

    While they were making themselves comfortable, something he was thinking about before they had arrived made him ask abruptly. ¡°Hey, we are in Angelwood, aren¡¯t we ?¡± They nodded in surprised affirmation at this question, so he continued. ¡°Has either of you heard of Riversfall, or where it is from here ?¡± Both of them started to stare vacantly into empty air, their fingers twitching about as if they were manipulating something. This performance baffled him, before understanding struck him, they were looking at their personal game maps and the forums . As they continued with their mime act, the waitress arrived, plonking three mugs down onto the table, picked up the empty one and gave Gordo a smile as she left. It might have been his imagination, but for a second there he thought he had seen her wink at him. He turned in his chair, but only saw the back of her as she returned to the bar. Nah, he thought to himself, impossible, for she was one of the untouchables.

    It took the brother a few minutes to finish their search and their attention returned back to him, Shan shaking his head. ¡°No, nothing. I cant find any information on a place called Riversfall, not surprising, really, considering this game is less than two weeks old.¡± He turned to his brother, who sat there, running his fingers slowly through his long beard, a pensive look on his face. ¡°What about you Garal, you find anything ?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Umm¡­ sort of, nothing really informative. There is a list of player starting areas posted in the forums, and Riversfall is on that list. Doesn¡¯t say where it is, just that it is a starting city. There are hundreds of starting zones on that list, so it could be anything from a thousand miles away to six thousand.¡± He them grinned cheekily at the other two. ¡°I did find out that the game map has grown, though, it now covers 225 million square miles. That almost doubles the playing area we had at the beginning. That also means this world is flat.¡±

    Gordo and Shan just stare at him, wondering what the hell he was going on about. ¡°Just ignore him, Gordo, he always babbles on about useless things and facts. Getting back to the important things, why the hell do you want to know about this Riversfall place?¡±

    ¡°No reason really, its just a friend of mine has started there, and I was just wondering whether we could somehow meet and create our own party. Suppose that another thing I will have to put off for now, or until I find out more about its location.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Shan interjected, looking Gordo up and down ¡°I see you have improved yourself since yesterday. Level four and armed and armored, I see, and what is this Omniclast thingie you have as your class ? Never heard of an Omniclast, is it something new ?¡±

    Gordo decided to downplay his response, knowing the admins wouldn¡¯t appreciate it if he spilled the beans about it at this point, plus it would avoid all those other difficult, and inevitable, questions that would follow. ¡°New ? Nah, not really, its just a rebranding of the dual class characters to make them sound more interesting, but at the end of the day, your still just the standard Swordmage or Clerical Bard.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to tell them it was much, much more than dual class. ¡° Nothing special, really. ¡± He sat back and took a pull at his mug of ale, carefully watching their reaction to his comments. From what he could see, their interest waned on being informed it was only a name change, rather than something completely new.

    Garal finally joined in on the conversation. ¡°You asked us for help yesterday, but why didn¡¯t you ask any of your friends from the other game ? You must have been on good terms with most of the top one hundred players before you left. ¡°

    Gordo shook his head. ¡°Nah, didn¡¯t even consider that. I wouldn¡¯t consider calling them friends, and anyway, most of them were just dicks. If they had ported their characters across to here, then they still would be the same arrogant dicks they always were.¡± Gordo paused, thinking a moment. ¡°I suppose if I had ported my strong character across, I would be a real dick as well. ¡°

    ¡°You never told us why you didn¡¯t port your character. Why didn¡¯t you ?¡± asked Shan

    Another difficult question, Gordo thought, but was thankful he already had a prepared answer for exactly this question. ¡°Couldn¡¯t. My character was created in the beta version, and the coding couldn¡¯t be adapted to this game, well, it could but I would have to wait until they had done that, and that would have taken a couple of weeks. I¡¯m an impatient person, so I just decided to start off from the beginning again, not realizing how bad it would be.¡± He gave them a quick smile. ¡°But things are looking up now, so it wasn¡¯t a bad choice in the end.¡± He took another swig from the mug watching them nod an affirmation in unison, his grin hidden behind the mug at his lips. The twins seemed to have bought into his lie.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Garal started, ¡°after we had looked at your old character, we came online to look for you, but couldn¡¯t find you, so went out exploring the forest. It wasn¡¯t long before we found a goblin encampment hidden away in there. They have set up the camp inside some caves and it was just luck that let us see the guards they have posted at the caves entrance before they noticed us. It¡¯s pretty damn hard to see the little green buggers against the greenery of the forest. There are no posts in the forums mentioning them so I think we are the first players to come across them. The loot is so much better the first time a dungeon is completed.¡±

    The mention of the forest, and caves, made Gordo remember something he had overheard, ¡°When you were looking at this dungeon, you didn¡¯t happen to notice the name of it, did you ? Was it the Green Forest Caverns by any chance ?¡±

    The other two just looked at him, mouth agape. ¡°Why, yes, it was called the Green Forest Cavern. How the hell did you know that, no one else knows that name, and it¡¯s not mentioned in any of the forums either.¡± Shan spoke in amazement, still stunned by Gordo¡¯s knowledge of this event site. His amazement changed to disappointment. ¡°If you have heard of it, then we are not the first players to encounter this place. Damn.¡±

    ¡°Now hold on a minute.¡± exclaimed Gordo. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I only know this place because I overheard the name from an NPC, not from a player. These caves could still be in pristine condition.¡±

    Shan seemed to cheer up a bit at this. ¡°That¡¯s true, what exactly did you overhear, Gordo. ?¡±

    He rubbed his cheek in thought. ¡°I only heard a voice, and it made some remark along the lines of ¡®The gardener thinks a settlement stone is in the Green Forest Caverns¡¯. I have no idea what this stone they are talking about is, nor what its for, but that¡¯s about all I heard, the rest I couldn¡¯t hear because too many people were talking.¡± He scratched his chin, the bristles on them making a slight crackling sound as his fingernails passed across them. He hadn¡¯t noticed this growth before, distracting his attention away from the brothers by this discovery. He looked up just in time to see the twins gleefully fist bumping each otherr. ¡®Umm.. what¡¯s got you two so excited ?¡±

    ¡°A settlement stone, Gordo, a settlement stone.¡± Garal replied in an excitement, before staring dumfounded at the blank expression he received from this statement. ¡°You do know what a settlement stone is, don¡¯t you ?¡±

    With a shake of his head, Gordo relied ¡°Nope, never heard of it, is it something important ?¡±

    Shan gave a short bark of laughter at this, thinking Gordo was joking before realizing he really didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you ? You really have no idea.¡± He could only shake his head at the astonishing fact that there was a player this ignorant in regard to one of the most desired items in the game. Then he took pity on seeing the total bafflement on Gordo¡¯s face and explained. ¡°Settlement stones are items that allow a player to create their own kingdoms, and are extremely rare and valuable. To locate one this early in the game is like finding hens teeth, which is to say it virtually never happens. There are six types of stones, with all six needed to create a kingdom. If the stone is the first stone, it could attract a price around one hundred thousand gold, that¡¯s ten thousand real dollars, Gordo, and that is the least valuable of the stones. Players would kill us just to gain control of this. Now do you see ?¡±

    Gordo eyes were wide open by this time, with interest and fascination. As one of his tasks was to create his own kingdom, this information was invaluable to him. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s just unbelievable. What do these stones look like ?¡±

    ¡°No one knows, Gordo, because none have been found yet, or if they have, no one had announced finding one. There are none in the auction house, nor any description in the forums. If there is one in these caverns, and we find it, we will definitely be keeping that fact to ourselves.¡± Garal spoke quietly, but just as excited as his brother. ¡°Let¡¯s keep our voices down from now on, I don¡¯t think anyone has overheard us, yet, and I definitely don¡¯t want this known by anyone else but us. Thanks for the information, Gordo, I hope you will also keep the secret, in fact, to make sure you have an incentive to do so, I think you should join us on this dungeon. Are you in with us ?¡± he looked at Gordo eagerly, and sat back in satisfaction when he received Gordo;s nod of acceptance. ¡°Its getting late, today, so we will leave the dungeon for tomorrow. Meet you here. bright and early ?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I will be here.¡± Gordo replied. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± The twins faded away as they signed out of the game. Finishing off his mug, Gordo sighed, then opened up his message box to answer Tim.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Gordo awoke early the next morning, his nights rest slightly better than the night before. The low quality bed that occupied this room was just as irritating, but a liberal infusion of alcohol made it easier to bear. As he prepared himself for the days trials, he wondered how they had managed to recreate the effects of alcohol on a character, but also thankful the after effects of a hangover seemed to have been left out. He ran one palm across his chin, deciding the stubble hadn¡¯t really increased in length since the day before, indecisive on whether he would let it grow out, or shave the thing off if it grew to annoy him.

    As he stood there, another pressing need made itself known to him as the reek of stale sweat wafted up and assaulted his nose. He lifted one arm and gave his armpit a sniff, quickly pulling his face away at the strength of the aroma. Damn those developers, he thought, they thankfully left out the need for relieving one¡¯s self, but code in all the annoying little things. He looked out the window at the sun, calculating it was about seven in the morning from its position, and decided he had enough time to take a leisurely meal before the others arrived.

    The tavern below was quite full for this time of the morning, but with the expansion spell on the building, he saw there was plenty of empty tables for him to choose from. Passing the bar on the way, he put in his request for breakfast with Talaman, the barkeep, to whom he had become quite acquainted with after the last two days. Not many players rented rooms from him, mainly due to the time online restrictions that were in place, restrictions he was not included in, and when they were online, they didn¡¯t have time to spend sleeping.

    As he sat down at an unoccupied table, a deep musical dong resounded, filling the air about him with its noise and making him jump in surprise. It sounded like someone had struck a large gong right behind him, and he spun around to see who had snuck up on him and performed this dastardly act, but didn¡¯t manage to locate anyone to whom he could lay the blame on. What he did see were the other players in the tavern, also looking around, some of them rubbing their ears, and at least one standing with his sword drawn turning about as if to find a target for this audible assault.

    Surprisingly, the sound had either not registered with the NPCs in the room, or this was an occurrence they were familiar with, for he couldn¡¯t see one of them that had ceased in their activities, or even acknowledged its presence at all, which was an amazing feat, for that was loud enough to wake the dead as well as shake their bones loose. The reason for the gong was immediately made clear when a red flashing message icon appeared in his vision. Glancing at it, he saw it was marked as a Global System Message, meaning this message was being sent to all players at once, the gong obviously was to make sure we noticed it. He imagined a few nasty message were going to be sent to the admins over this.

    The message was interesting, to say the least, and the news would be accepted with exuberance by all players, all players other than him, that is. Some of the information within it was plain disturbing.

    Game Update - Patch 2.003.348a

    Please read the following changes that will be applied to the game at 12:00 server time. These changes will affect all players currently in the game, and those who will log on after the patch has been applied. Player will not need to exit the game to gain the benefits of these changes. If you suffer unexpected problems after the changes, please contact any game moderator immediately to resolve the problem.

    Accomplishments. ¨C Players will now receive accomplishment points towards their overall standing when they meet the requirements of an accomplishment. Many features will reward with accomplishment points, but these will usually only be awarded to the player, or group who first meet a specific accomplishments requirement. The amount of points awarded for an accomplishment are not always set, but will be determined by how that group or player reach the accomplishment. Accomplishment point rewards will be backdated to the initial release of Dawnlands, A New Beginning

    Time Dilation - Game coding has now been finalized on a time dilation feature, This inclusion will affect the amount of game time a player can be online before their equipment restrictions remove them from the game. This addition will be included in three phases, to allow players to become accustomed to its effects. Each phase will last for one week, real world time, before it will be automatically adjusted to the next phase.

    <u>Phase one</u> ¨C Time dilation 2:1. With the inclusion of this phase, a player can expect to be able to play for two hours in subjective time, for every one hour that passes in real time.

    <u>Phase two </u>- Time dilation 3:1. With the inclusion of this phase, a player can expect to be able to play for three hours in subjective time, for every one hour that passes in real time.

    <u>Phase three</u> - Time dilation 4:1. With the inclusion of this phase, a player can expect to be able to play for four hours in subjective time, for every one hour that passes in real time.

    This change will be strictly monitored, to ensure the mental health and safety of all players. If any issues arise that are the direct result of the time dilation inclusion, it will immediately be removed from the game. If this inclusion does not result in issues after twelve months, this dilation effect may be further reduced to a five to one ratio. All concerns and issues should be immediately directed towards any moderator for action.

    P.S. For those concerned regarding the amount of time involved against the amount of information that need to be processed to play this game, your brain, which is basically the only part of you actually involved in playing, can process information at least one hundred thousand times faster than the latest servers available. The only limit on time dilation is how quick we can provide information to you, not how quick your brain can process, and action that information. We will not be increasing the time dilation any further than the proposed five to one ratio.

    Thank you

    Energetic Entertainment.

    Shit, he thought, after reading the time dilation information, knowing this was now going to make his time on game longer. His contract was for twelve months real time, which could now work out to end up being four years subjective time. Four years playing this game, with no release at all for the whole time, no escape to just chill out and enjoy the benefits of a real civilized life, The only benefit he could see to him was he had a longer timespan to meet his contract criteria, but he didn¡¯t know if he could last for what would feel like four years to him, in this world. He desperately needed to talk to an admin before the patch engaged.

    His rumination about his future problems was interrupted by the arrival of the twins. They approached him through a crowd of players, all excitedly chattering about the system message. He felt alone in his misery, their pleasure at this unexpected update unanimously displayed across all of their characters faces. He felt so pissed off at the unfairness of it all, wanting to feel the same thrill they all did, but unable to really appreciate it with his predicament. So he sent a rather rude message off to his admins, expressing how he felt about his contract and the effects of the dilation on it, making no bones about how he considered this imprisonment and how they would have known about this before they got him to sign up for a full year, real time. Before he sent it off, he added a whole row of that little brown pile emoji, as a sort of exclamation to how he really felt.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The brothers finally extricated themselves from the impromptu celebrations that had arisen among the players in the tavern and joined him at his table. Their excitement at the announcement was almost palpable, and seeing the joy on their faces, he forced himself to smile, not wanting to put a dampener on their high spirits.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fantastic news, Gordo. Imagine it, we will be able to play for at least twice as long, and get more done before we are forced to go offline. No more waiting for days to complete a simple dungeon.¡± Garal enthused ecstatically. "Talking of dungeons, you all ready for the goblins ?¡±

    ¡°Sure am. Can¡¯t wait for the patch to be applied.¡± Gordo replied, forcing as much interest and excitement into his voice as he could muster, which wasn¡¯t much. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t notice his almost total lack of enthusiasm, wrapped up as they were in their own elation. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going.¡± he urged, wanting to do something other than just sit there and mope.

    Shan looked at him in surprise, slightly taken aback by the abruptness of the request. He exchanged a glance with Garal before replying. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s get going then.¡±

    ¡­..

    Looking through the trees at the entrance to the caverns, Gordo cursed himself. He knew he had made the wrong decision taking the Small Arms skill when he saw the goblin guards. His inspection of these creatures let him know that they were pretty well armed, compared to him, and their health was not to be sniffed at, either. Each one of them had twenty health points, and from what the brothers had told him, these would be the weakest of the goblins that would be encountered in the encampment. He should have taken the Sword skill instead, and forked out for a cheap sword, but at the time he didn¡¯t think he would need it this quickly. The only thing that he thought to be in his benefit was that short swords were classified as small arms. He also could see one of the goblins held a rather poor example of this sword, and he intended to make it his before taking any steps inside those caverns.

    From where he lay on the forest floor next to Gordo, Garal let go of the branches of the bush he was hiding behind and whispered into his ear ¡°As soon as Shan draws their attention and they attack him, I will rush down and surprise them from the rear. I want you to follow close behind me and let me know if any other goblins exit the cave. I won¡¯t have time to keep a look out on that once combat has started. It looks like it¡¯s only the two of them, so this shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±

    Gordo nodded his acceptance of this plan, turning his gaze to the trees on the other side of where the goblins stood at guard, waiting for Shan to put in an appearance. As they had all agreed on earlier, after grouping up, he was silently making his way around the trees to attack them from the other side. A group message popped up from Shan, updating them on his position.

    Suddenly the silence was split by the sound of a large thwack, instantly followed by an arrow streaking out from beneath the trees. Gordo followed its trajectory through the air with his eyes, seeing the goblins turn towards where the sound had come from, just in time for the arrow punch through the leather shirt one wore as armor, sinking deep into one of its shoulders. The struck goblin staggered back, greenish blood squirting out of the wound as the other lifted his spear up and charged.

    Gordo had been so wrapped up following the action, he missed seeing Garal push himself up as he prepared to start his charge. He only became aware when Garal rushed past him, speeding down the slight hill towards the goblins, their backs now presented to him. Gordo scrambled madly in a vain attempt to catch up, but the dwarf had too much of a head start and he reached the caverns entrance before Gordo had even made it half way. In the short time it took him to finally arrive, the fight was already over, with Garal finishing off the wounded Goblin in one swing of his axe, the blade separating its head from its body as he dealt a surprise attack.

    Shan had a slightly harder task, his opponent uninjured,, but had killed his opponent with two quick thrusts of his sword. As his run down the slope finally ended, the other two were already watching him as they stood over the crumpled remains of the goblins, shaking their heads. He leant over, breathing hard and waving away the experience received announcements in front of him, disappointed in himself for getting distracted.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that, Gordo, if you want to keep up with us. I know your character is pretty low at the moment, but come on, that was just pitiful.¡± The elf was trying to hold back his laughter, but the grin on his face was clearly visible. Reaching down, Shan placed one hand on the body in front of him, the dwarf repeating this act with the other.

    ¡°Nothing but trash here.¡± The dwarf remarked. ¡°An old leather shirt, a rusty short sword and five coppers, nothing really worth looting, other than the coins. Oh, and the arrow you shot him with, Shan. Sorry, but its broken and not worth retrieving.¡± He looked at Gordo. ¡°Anything you want ?¡±

    ¡°I would love the short sword, if you don¡¯t mind. My dagger is better but the short sword will let me generate more damage.¡± Garal produced a rather rusty looking sword, about two foot in length, from thin air and handed it to Gordo. An examination didn¡¯t produce anything he had already worked out. It was in poor condition, its remaining durability sitting at ten points, but its damage potential was unaffected by this, and would allow him to cause up to eight points of damage.

    ¡°This ones pretty much the same, except he has a spear, and a pretty poor one at that. I can¡¯t see anything here worth taking.¡± The elf stood up. ¡°Well, other than a slight lapse of concentration,¡° he glanced at Gordo, ¡°that went pretty much to plan, not that I thought it would be otherwise. The real contests will be inside. What about the money ?¡±

    ¡°Well, Gordo got the sword from this encounter, so its fair if we divide the coppers between just you and me. That okay with you, Gordo ?¡±

    ¡°Seems fair to me as well.¡± He agreed, and considered himself the winner of this loot divide. The short sword would have cost him more than a couple of coppers if he had to purchase it in the city.

    ¡°Now, as soon as we pass through the event entrance, we will need to fix our respawn point there. I¡¯ll enter first, followed by Garal, and you,¡± he looked at Gordo ¡°come in about ten seconds after him. If the entrance area isn¡¯t clear, we will need to clear it out before we fix our respawn. We won¡¯t need to worry about the defeated goblins respawning behind us, because that¡¯s not possible until the party leaves the dungeon. I intend to stay in here until we complete it and if we run out of time, next time we log in we will reappear here, therefore not actually leaving the dungeon.¡± He looked at Gordo again. ¡° I noticed you waving away announcements before. You will have to disable those pop ups before we enter, for they will distract you at the worst moments, If this concerns you, then just disable your combat and experience announcements. You will always be able to see your health status by looking at your health bar. They damn well better include a verbal announcement system in the next patch, these text popup are just useless and dangerous.¡±

    Gordo fumbled with his settings, unfamiliar with the pop up controls until he finally had managed to switch off the suggested ones. A small red bar appeared at the top of his vision, a representative of his health. Yes, he thought, this is much better. The only downside he could think of, was he wouldn¡¯t know exactly how much damage he received. He closed the settings and nodded. ¡°All done.¡± He told the others.

    Shan gave his brother a glance, receiving a nod in reply to his unspoken question. ¡°Right, let¡¯s get started.¡± He said, and stepped forward, disappearing as he crossed the event horizon and into the caverns beyond.

 Chapter Eighteen

    As Shan disappeared into the caverns, Garal turned to him, readying his axe to follow. ¡°This should be easy, the entrance of dungeons are usually empty. See you on the other side.¡± Grinning evilly, he gave Gordo a wink before stepped into the caverns entrance, disappearing just as rapidly as Shan.

    Ten seconds, Gordo, thought, just ten seconds. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he stood there, followed by a slight prickling feeling like he had ants walking about between his leather armor and skin. At first he thought the excitement of the moment was affecting him, but scoffed that away. This was replaced with a feeling that someone was watching him, so spun around, hoping to first, catch them in the act, and second, make sure he wasn¡¯t being sneaked up on. He sighed, seeing no one, and shook his head. The anticipation of entering his first dungeon in this game must be playing tricks with him. Taking one longer and last look about, he followed his instructions and stepped into the black entrance.

    Everything went dark, totally dark, followed by a cold sensation like someone had just dropped ice cubes down the neck of his armor. As his body spasmed in discomfort, he felt a sudden tugging feeling in the pit of his stomach, like something had grabbed him by the belly button and yanked him forward. Staggering, he stepped out of the darkness and into the gloomy interior of the caverns, the air still, but feeling moist, and carrying the smell of something unrecognizable, but reminiscent of death. He couldn¡¯t help but gag as his first breath tasted.. moldy ?

    Something slapped down onto his shoulder, and he jumped in surprise, quickly shrugging whatever it was that had landed on him off and turned rapidly in that direction, his short sword held protectively in front of himself. A deep, booming laugh filled the air, bouncing off the unseen walls, echoing away into the distance. His grip tightened even further on the hilt of the weapon he held.

    ¡°Oh, Gordo, you are a laugh, as twitchy as a cat on a hot tin roof. Put your weapon away before you stick it into one of us, this area is clear.¡± Garals deep voice again boomed out, but this time not loud enough to create any further echoes. ¡°Just stand still a minute, and give your eyes time to accustom themselves. The entrances of dungeons usually are a safe place, but let¡¯s not automatically assume this to be true in this game, the developers here seem to like changing all previous game conventions, so keep your weapon ready for action, just in case.¡±

    The only way he knew the other two were in the area near him was by the darker patches they made in his vision as their bodies obscured what little light existed. Suddenly he shut his eyes as bright sparks sprayed up from the location of the taller shadow, which he assumed was Shan. ¡°What the hell.¡± he exclaimed as bright lights played across his retina, even with his eyes shut. ¡°That hurt.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Came out of the darkness as Shan answered him. ¡°Trying to light a torch. I hate these damn things, they never seem to want to catch.¡± Another spray of sparks erupted as Shan scraped his flint and steel together again, failing a second time to get his torch going.

    ¡°Hold up a second, will you, I have something here that will solve that problem.¡± Gordo spoke as he reached into his bag and withdrew one of the torches of eternal flame that he carried. Light instantly filled the cave about them, making him blink his eyes a few times as the suddenness of its arrival   blinded him. He heard both of the others swear loudly in protest as they also became temporarily blinded.

    ¡°Ah, shit, Gordo, next time give us some warning, will you.¡± snapped Garal at him. Gordo lifted the torch higher, spreading the light out further allowing the other two to see it. Garal squinted at the torch, then at Gordo. ¡°Gordo, how did you manage to light that torch.¡± he asked quietly, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you strike any flint before that lit up.¡± Shan also was staring at the torch, and had drawn closer to get a better look.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t light it, the torch was already lit when I pulled it from my bag.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, torches can not go into a bag when lit. Once a torch has been lit, it can only be discarded when you have finished with it, not inventoried. They explained this quite clearly in the game manual, it¡¯s something to do with the game physics of light and heat.¡±

    Gordo frowned at this and pulled the torch closer to him, holding out his other hand towards the flames. ¡°Sorry, there¡¯s no heat from this torch.¡± He then put the torch back into his bag to show he could do it, before withdrawing it again. ¡°See, it can be inventoried.¡± then shrugged,

    Garal went red in the face and was about to angrily reply to this, when he was halted by his brother. ¡°Hold on a minute, Garal. That is not an ordinary torch. I have inspected it and its telling me it¡¯s an eternal flame torch, so it¡¯s probably not affected by the normal rules for torches.¡± He switched his gaze top Gordo. ¡°When we get out of here, you are going to have to tell us how you got this item, it¡¯s pretty special and not something I have heard of before.¡±

    Gordo nodded, and held the torch up high again, bringing the rough walls of the cavern into full view. They looked to have been carved out of solid rock, oily moisture coating the stone, while the floor was a thick layer of damp soil liberally mixed with a sandy substance. The mouth entrance of two tunnels could be seen against the wall furthest from them, each leading forward, but angling away from each other. Both looked similar, with neither providing any information on which should be taken to advance deeper

    As the twins discussed which tunnel they should take first, Gordo was distracted as he became fascinated with the effect of the torch against the cave walls. He had noticed that while the flames of the torch played about and flickered, the illumination of the walls stayed constant and unwavering. He even waved the torch about, to see if he could get any change, or to even get the shadows dancing, but ceased when he got an angry glance from Shan.

    ¡°We are going to take the left tunnel, Gordo. Stay close behind us and if you see another source of light anywhere in front of us, put the torch away immediately. As there is only enough room for one of us at a time, I will be leading, followed by Shan, and you take up the rear.¡± Garal hefted his axe into a comfortable carrying position, one where he could bring it into action immediately, if needed, and stepped into the tunnel he had chosen.

    After about three minutes of walking, Garal, still acting as the point man for the party, came to a sudden halt, one hand raised. Quietly, he waved the other two back, and they all retreated back a couple of bends of the tunnel. Grabbing them by their heads, he pulled them in close so he could whisper to them without alarming whatever lay in front of them. ¡°There is three goblins in a small cavern, one of them is cooking something, the other two picking over a pile of trash in a corner. Couldn¡¯t see any other exit from the cavern. The cooking goblin doesn¡¯t seem to be well armed, but the other two are stronger than the two conscripts we killed at the entrance, probably low grade guards. The cavern isn¡¯t that large, so if we rush them, we should have the element of surprise. I will take on one of the stronger goblins, Shan can have the other, and you,¡±He looked at Gordo, ¡°occupy the goblin that¡¯s cooking, he doesn¡¯t seemed to be armed so shouldn¡¯t pose much of a problem for you. If you find him too much to handle, just try to defend and one of us will give you a hand when we have finished ours off.¡±

    Gordo nodded, while Shan just gave a small grunt of agreement and they all stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything fancy, Gordo, your level isn¡¯t high enough for you to mess about. ¡° Gordo felt a little insulted by this comment by Shan, he wasn¡¯t a clueless noobie, after all, but they seemed to be treating him as such just because he was low level compared to them. He was happy enough to follow their instructions, for this was their dungeon and he was just tagging along for a free ride, but they should at least trust him enough to know that he knew how to fight. He held his tongue, though, not wanting to cause any problems at this time.

    They charged into the cavern, just as planned, but the goblins didn¡¯t react in the manner they had expected. The two that Garal had classified as guards, while caught off guard, quickly recovered and managed to close ranks in front of the goblin that was cooking, their weapons drawn, standing shoulder to shoulder. This caused the brothers to slow their charge , as this maneuver was not something they was used to from goblins, and the whole party came to a halt just out of weapons reach.

    ¡°This is something I didn¡¯t expect.¡± muttered Garal, as both sides stood there, glaring at each other. ¡°Goblins shouldn¡¯t work as an organized unit, they should just have charged us as soon as we entered their agro zone.¡±

    One of the goblins suddenly spat at the party, striking Shan on one cheek with a slimy ball of spittle, making him flinch back in amazement. This brief moment of hesitation by both parties was enough time for the goblin who had been stirring a cauldron when they entered, to turn and rush to the far cavern wall and pull on a rope that was hanging there. Instantly the sound of an alarm could be heard for elsewhere in the caverns, its sound muffled by the turns in the tunnels.

    ¡°What the hell is going on here,¡± growled Garal again, ¡°first they organize a damn defense against us, and now they call for reinforcements. Goblins shouldn¡¯t be acting like this. Ah, fuck, we have to kill these quickly, before more arrive¡­. Attack.¡± The last he yelled out aloud, then he and Garal, rushed forward to meet their chosen targets, the goblins stepping forward to meet their charge.

    As the four met , their weapons clashing together, Gordo slipped around the side of them, staying well out of range of any weapon that may be swung at him, he closed in on the remaining goblin, which had remained at the back wall, the ladle it had been using to stir the cauldron with, grasped in one scaly claw. He stabbed forward with his short sword, intending to skewer the ugly creature on his blade, only to be surprised when it jumped to one side, allowing the blade to slip past it, leaving it unharmed. It swung the ladle up brought it down on the top of his head, the pain from it bringing starts to his vision. In desperation, he slashed his weapon sidewards, in the direction where his opponent stood, and was rewarded when it connected with the goblin, a shallow cut along its ribs.

    He congratulated himself on his success, but realized he had done it too soon when another blow struck him, this time on one shoulder. He could see from the health bar that these blows hadn¡¯t caused him much damage, but the pain they gave him was high, and quite distracting. He gritted his teeth, and stepped in closer to the goblin, which couldn¡¯t retreat from him any further due to the caverns wall being right at its back. He thrust forward once more, sinking the blade deep into its unprotected stomach, and followed this up with a blow to its neck. He could see that he had removed most of its health by this point, and swung again to finish it off, but found his blow blocked by the ladle. He growled in frustration and ripped the blade down, gutting the goblin and spilling entrails out onto the ground. It collapsed, the last of its hovering health bar disappearing.

    He spun around to assist the other two, but saw they had already dispatched their opponents and were heading for the tunnel, ready to attack or defend against the expected reinforcements. Looking around, he thought they would already have arrived, but saw that this battle had only lasted for mere seconds, instead of the minutes that it had felt like to him.

    ¡°Gordo, get over here.¡± snapped Garal, his eyes firmly fixed on the mouth of the tunnel. ¡±We don¡¯t have time to daydream. I can hear the others coming down the tunnel.¡± Gordo ran over , and stood behind them, positioning himself so he could look between them at what was approaching , as well as to allow him an avenue to thrust his weapon forward.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Thankfully, these goblins didn¡¯t take the time to organize themselves, like the first ones had, and   entered singly or in pairs. The twins engaged them in combat as soon as they entered and, with the occasional assistance from Gordo as he thrust his blade between them to strike the enemy, quickly managed to dispatch each, taking only minor wounds themselves. The flow of goblins ended after the ninth had been killed, and they lowered their weapons, but didn¡¯t relax in case more put in an appearance.

    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t that hard after all,¡± remarked Garal, and chuckled. ¡°Thank god they were all low level guards, and not the seasoned soldiers that they could have been.¡± He took a look around the cavern, making sure that none of the slumped and bloodied bodies were moving. ¡°I cant see the boss monster here, so somewhere ahead there must be another one waiting for us. Shan, could you go and scout out the rest of this area and see if you can locate it ?¡± Shan only nodded, then quickly departed down the tunnel.

    ¡°You and me will search the bodies while we¡¯re waiting, Gordo. Just put all the loot in one pile, we will sort it out after that.¡± They spend the next couple of minutes looting the fallen, transporting all the loot items into one big pile, but nothing seemed that exceptional, from what he could see. Finally finished looting, Garal told him to start searching the cavern and this proved to be more beneficial to the party.

    The trash pile against one wall produced a handful of mixed coins of silver and copper, along with about three dagger in a variety of conditions. A human body, stripped of most of its equipment, lay beneath the trash, and a search produced a pair of leather gauntlets in fairly good condition, but didn¡¯t carry any special bonuses for the wearer. The final item in the cavern was the one that made the fight worth it.

    The cauldron, at first glance, seemed to be just what it looked to be, a cauldron of stew, but an examination of the stew itself made Garal gasp and dance with glee. Amused by his antics, Gordo took a look at the stew to see what all the fuss was about.

    Green Forest Goblin Stew.

    A nutritious stew made by goblins from local meats and herbs. This stew, if eaten by the adventurous, will restore all heath to full. The goblin chef ha added unknown herbs to this specific stew, creating an unexpected bonus. A whole serve must be consumed before any benefit can be received

    Serves : 3

    Benefit 1 : restores health to full

    Benefit 2 : Removes all hunger

    Benefit 3 : While under influence of debuff, a player can gain the benefit of nutrition by eating the flesh of a slain monster or other player.

    Special Benefit : Anyone who eats this stew will receive one bonus attribute point. The bonus can only be received once, and any further consumption of the stew from this cauldron will provide no benefits. This consumption will not affect bonuses attributed to other cauldrons

    Negative Effects : This stew is for goblin consumption, Any race other than goblin which eats this stew will gain a cannibal mark, visible to all races. This debuff will last for four hours, the length of time it takes to digest the stew. If any player is affected by the cannibal debuff on ten occasions, the mark will become permanently visible. Each subsequent consumption of this stew will add one hour to the length of the debuff. The cannibal mark imparts a negative 10% to all trade and negotiations while visible and can not be removed.

    Consumption of this stew may cause vomiting, nausea, bad breath, or severe gas attacks.

    While they had been reading the description of the stew, Shan had slid quietly back into the cavern behind them. The first they knew of his presence was when his spoke, his voice making them jump in surprise. ¡°What you two looking at ?¡± He then leaned over them and inspected the stew himself. ¡°Interesting.¡± was all he uttered, but he pulled three vials out of his inventory, and filled them from the cauldron, the remaining stew disappearing, along with the cauldron, after the third one had filled up. Popping a cork into each one, he placed one into his inventory and handed the other two out. ¡°I¡¯m going to save mine, for the moment, but feel free to eat yours, if you wish.¡± Gordo and Garal just followed his example, not wanting any debilitating effects while they were in the dungeon, and stored the vials away.

    ¡°Well, the boss monster is there, at the furthest cavern from here, and he is a Goblin Captain, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the end boss for I think there is a stairway going down behind him. I couldn¡¯t enter that cavern to conform this. Other than him, the only goblins remaining on this level is a handful of basic goblin types, those in non combat positions. We can clean them up as we progress towards the captain.¡±

    ¡°What about the loot ? Want to split it up now ?¡± asked Garal.

    Shan looked at the little pile that they had gathered, he quickly sorted it out into two piles, one with the real trashy stuff in in, like the bronze daggers and leathers in poor condition. ¡°These,¡± he said, pointing at the trash pile, ¡±are not worth the space in our inventories. Yes, they will bring in a few silvers, maybe a gold or two, but personally, I¡¯m not interested in that. You two can fight over those.¡± He returned his gaze to the much smaller pile. ¡°Now these are worth keeping for sale.¡± Gordo examined the pile.

    Loot Pile

    Leather armor x 3

    Iron dagger x 4

    Leather boots x 2

    Leather Gauntlets

    Copper necklace (+1 Perception) x 3

    Copper Ring (+1 Intelligence)

    Rusty longsword

    Iron Ladle

    ¡°What I suggest is that you take one of the necklaces, a set of the leather boots and the ring, Gordo, the rest we will take for sale. Otherwise, we will just sell the lot off and split the takings.¡± In reply Gordo reached forward and took the items he had listed. He equipped them all instantly and   look a peek at his character page.

    Gordo

    Class : Omniclast (Swordmaster)

    Level: 4

    Swordmaster level : 0

    Armour Class : 5 (Leather + Boots)

    Health : 140 / 140

    Damage : 2 ¨C 8 (+1% strength bonus, +0% Skill Bonus)

    Strength : 4                   Constitution : 1                   Dexterity : 2

    Intelligence : 1               Wisdom : 0                           Perception : 1

    Skills:

    Small Arms : Level 0

    By the time he had closed the window, the loot pile had disappeared into the bags of Shan and Garal and they were waiting for him so they could continue onwards. Shan held out an had and poured his take of the money they had found into his. Without counting it, he placed it into his pouch, not wanting to hold them up any further, or look like he didn¡¯t trust them by counting it in front of them.

    By the time they had arrived to the entrance of the last cavern, the one that the captain occupied, they had encountered and slain twelve more goblins, all relatively easy compared to the guards. The loot from these creatures was quickly divided up, consisting mainly of a handful of coins. Somewhere along the way Gordo had increased both his Swordmaster class and Small Arms skill to level one, but had not received an attribute point to allocate because his overall level remained at level four.

    They kept out of the doorway, knowing from experience that the goblins didn¡¯t operate with an agro zone, but more along the concepts of the real world, these being sight, sound and smell. If a goblin saw you, or heard you, no matter how far away you were, it would react, and react in a manner that couldn¡¯t be anticipated or predetermined. This was the realism effect in action, and made for a more interesting encounter than expected. All the old preconceptions on how creatures and monsters operated and behaved did not apply in here, and each had to be approached with a mind clear of expected responses.

    Gordo had managed to get a peek into the room, for that what it was, a room carved into the solid rock, and seen the beast they were to assault. Seeing it, he seriously doubted the plan that Shan had proposed on the way here, was going to succeed. The captain was a level six monster, higher than any they had already faced, and was at least a foot taller as well. It stood with his back to them, but he could still see it was wearing banded leather armor, and carried a steel longsword and shield, their first opponent to possess one of these. Its green skin was mottled, with a long scar running down the back of its head. His examination had also let him know it had seventy health. This was not going to be a walk in the park.

    In a quick rush, they proceeded to follow the plan they had come up with, and Garal and Shan entered the room, running to stand about ten feet apart. Gordo followed them in, but stayed near the entrance, looking as unthreatening as he possibly could. The goblin hadn¡¯t been just standing idly about while they had been maneuvering, and had reacted instantly to their entrance. He had spun about, his sword now drawn and his shield held up protectively in front of him. Watching them.

    Shocking all of them, it spoke to them its voice a high nasally whine. ¡°So, the cause of all my guards concern as arrived at my door. A stinking elf and a disgusting dwarf, along with their little pet. If you leave now, you may survive, but stay and I will ensure you meet your foul gods.¡± He stepped forward, his head lowered and tusks thrust forward, drool dripping down as he gnashed them together. He glared at them all through the small beady eyes, the redness of them glinting in the torchlight.

    Garal spoke first, and his words, while not eloquent, expressed how they all felt . ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    The goblin laughed aloud at this, then without warning, charged Shan, mainly because he was the closest one to it, catching them all wrong-footed. The monster rammed his shield into Shan, putting its whole body weight behind it, sending him flying through the air and into a wall. This action performed, it spun about and advanced on the dwarf, more carefully this time. Garal took a swing at the goblin, only to have the blow blocked on its shield, and in return the goblin stabbed downwards, sticking the longswords blade deep into one of the dwarfs thighs. Staggering slightly from the wound, the dwarf punched forward with the butt end of the axe, catching the goblin unprepared, and managing to strike it in the face, Its health bar barely registering this damage.

    Gordo, initially caught out by the goblins charge, had recovered enough to come up with his own plan and had started to ease himself, crablike around the walls, in an attempt to get in the goblins blind spot, right behind it. He knew he would have to wait for the right moment, for it was moving about too much for him to make a successful attack. He drew one of the dagger from his inventory and threw it at the monster, knowing he was almost certain to miss, but the sight of the knife flying across its vision distracted the goblin enough for Garal to get in one solid blow, making its health bar drop by at least twenty percent.

    While all this was going on, Shan had recovered enough to join the fight again, and the goblin turned to be able to fight both of them at the same time, his back facing towards Gordo. This was the moment he had been waiting for and sprinted forward and shove the short sword as hard as he could into its back. The blade sunk deep, green blood oozing out between the blade and the skin, the armor darkening as it absorbed the blood.

    The blow must have been a good one, for the captain gave a groan of pain and the shield slipped from its grasp, the health bar dropping down to less than half full. With a mighty swing, the goblin belted Gordo with his now empty hand, knocking him onto his back and removing twenty five health points. The blow was painful, momentarily dazing him, as he was informed with a message.

    You have been stunned. You will be unable to move for another five seconds. All damage received while under stun will be at one hundred percent.

    It felt like someone had hit him in the face with a baseball bat and he could taste blood from where he had bitten his tongue, but couldn¡¯t raise his hand to his face because of the stuns effect. All he could do was lay there, and scream internally at the pain. Damn, what the hell level was the pain threshold set at, he screamed to himself, it felt like it was on a hundred percent.

    The stun wore off just in time for him to see the goblin slump down onto its knees, then fall forward, a wet cracking sound as its face smashed into the ground, breaking off its fangs. Both Shan and Garal had survived, but both carried battle scars where the goblins blade had struck them. Garal reached down and grabbed Gordo by the back of his armor, lifting him to his feet in one swift pull. Slapping him on the back almost hard enough to send him back onto the ground, ¡°Well, that was a great blow you struck, but I think we all need to get a lot better if we are to finish this dungeon.¡±

 Poll and suggested idea for inclusion at some point ***NOT A CHAPTER ***

    Due to numerous remarks and complaints in regard to the combat system that Dawnlands utilizes, major changes will now be made to this system.

    Energetic Entertainment agree that due to the realism levels within this game, a combat system that simulates realistic damage should also be represented. This realism should result in much more realistic combat challenges to all players, and introduce a deeper level of combat tactics to players.

    Therefore the following changes are being proposed for inclusion into the combat system, replacing the version currently employed by players. The following information in regard to a combat system change had previously been coded, but not included in the released version of Dawnlands. These changes, if approved by players, can be introduced into the game within twenty four hours of receiving approval

    Please read through the combat system changes description carefully, and if you approve, please just select the ¡°Approve¡± button at the bottom of this message, if you disapprove, select the ¡°Disapprove¡± button. Only votes cast within twenty four hours of this message being sent will count towards the decision, and players decision will be final and not subject to challenge or reversal.

    If you see any area of the proposal that could be improved on, or altered due to unforeseen situations brought about by their inclusion, please message a game moderator in regard to it, and include Combat System alterations as part of the message header. Any player using this as a header to send spam, complaints or as a header for a message which is not in regard to the Combat system, that players access to Dawnlands will be blocked for a period of between one to three days, dependant on the severity of the infraction. Deletion of an account will apply to those messages considered as threatening, and your information provided to your local law enforcement body.

    >>>>>>> Proposed Combat System Change <<<<<

    A players body will now be separated into health point zones, with each being allocated a set percentage of the maximum overall health that a player currently possesses. In combat health points will only be lost from the zone(s) of the body that has been struck, and if the health points of that zone is reduced to zero, then that body zone will be considered as incapacitated until healed or recovered. If a players Head zone is reduced to zero health, this will not be considered as death, but will result in unconsciousness .If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Articles of armor will now be adjusted to include a classification of the Body zones that these items will protect. Armor class will no longer be a combined total, but will only consist of separate armor classes for the zone that they will cover. Most body zones will have an armor item specific to that zone, and in some cases there may be two items that are calculated in a zones coverage. An article of armor will only provide coverage to the zone it is classified as covering and will not protect any other zone, unless it classified as dual zone coverage. Shields will be considered as covering all zones, and therefore the armor class of this item will be reduced to represent the difficulty it will have of providing full body protection.

    Magic Items that gave a plus to Armor Class will now be altered to display the zone that the armor class bonus will be attributed to. To alleviate players concerns in regard to items already in a players possession, we will be allowing the owners of these items to choose the body zone that they want the magic item they possess to be changed to cover. This option will only be available for twenty four hours after a player is recorded as reading this announcement. After this time, the zone of coverage will be randomly chosen.

    Health points received by each player will be adjusted, with the basic amount received each level increase raised to fifteen, replacing the current ten points. This change will be backdated to include levels already received

    There will be two zones that will not have any armor directly allocated to them, these two zones will be classified as Instant Kill Zones. These zones will be the Brain and the Heart, and will not have any health points allocated to them. Any hit that is classified as ¡°Piercing the brain¡± or ¡®Piercing the heart¡± will result in instant death. To ensure this does not disrupt the gameplay, the chance of a strike to one of these zones has received an extremely low probability. There will be methods of increasing a players chance of giving such a strike in the game. Decapitation will be considered as an Instant kill. The only exception to this instant kill rule will be creatures, NPCs and monsters that possess more than one brain, heart or head. All Combat System changes will apply to all Players, NPCs, Creatures, Monters and Gods

    Health points will be distributes among the zones using the following percentages of total health points

    Head 15%, Torso 35%, Arms 15%, Hands 10%, Legs 15%, Feet 10%

    Death will occur after the Health Points attributes to the Torso has been removed.

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> END <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

    Vote now for which option in regard to the Combat System changes you wish to make

    APPROVE DISAPPROVE

 Chapter Nineteen

    As the brothers relaxed on the floor, the excitement from the battle slowly easing away from them, Gordo took a quick search around the room, looking for treasure and loot. Gathering all the items off the corpse, he piled them all up in a neat pile close to the center of the room, then continued on in his search. Other than some cupboards set in one wall, the room was quite devoid of any type of furniture, so it didn¡¯t take him long to complete this task.

    In the last cupboard he found a small, locked wooden box, about the size of those you would get with the purchase of shoes. Having no method of opening it, he lifted it to his ear and shook it, hearing the welcoming , but muffled, sound of coins rattling around, and the tinkle as they collided with something made of glass. This made him halt his agitation of the box, for he suddenly was concerned that he could break whatever lay within it.

    Returning to the little pile of goblin loot he had already placed on the floor, he gave it another search, this time being more thorough, hoping to find the key to the little casket. Eventually, after he had turned inside out every possible item the goblin captain was wearing, he finally located it, hidden away in a secret compartment in the money pouch it had been carrying. ¡°Sneaky little bugger.¡± he muttered to himself, looking at the small bronze key he now possessed.

    As this was really Shan and Garals party, he handed to box and key over to them before returning to the goblins equipment. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we have here,¡± He mused aloud, so the others could hear him. He picked up the sword and examined it. ¡° A steel longsword in pretty good condition. Got a damage factor of four to fourteen damage. I can¡¯t use this, because of my lousy strength, but you could Shan, you want it ?¡± He looked up and Shan nodded at him. Gordo handed it over and took the next item. ¡°A small wooden shield, you said you wanted the that, didn¡¯t you Garal ?¡± already knowing the answer, he tossed it to the dwarf.

    The next item was the goblins tusks, the description he couldn¡¯t read, for it had that unidentified tag attached. Not knowing what to do with them, he returned them to the pile and picked up the next item, a crude and unadorned bronze ring. He could read this items description, which informed him it was another ring of intelligence, this time with a plus two bonus. ¡°Plus two intelligence ring, I could use this if no one else wants it ?¡± he actually more than wanted it, for he needed to boost his intelligence so he could get a mage class next, but didn¡¯t want to seem too eager or desperate.

    ¡°Take it, Neither of us are mages and intelligence items are just a waste to us. Its not worth that much if we sold it. If you can get use out of that, then feel free, but if we get any strength or constitution magical items next, then we have first choice on them, agreed ?¡± Gordo showed his agreement at Shan¡¯s words by placing the ring onto one of his free fingers, leaving with six for any future finds.

    ¡°Okay, what¡¯s next.¡± He started to say, looking at what remained, but halted when his eyes took in the tusks he had been looking at previously. Picking them up, he again examined them, to check that what he had seen before was not just an error, or mirage. No, he was right, for now the unidentified tag had gone away and he could see the description.

    Lucky Goblin Tusks, Guard Captain

    Congratulations, you have found some lucky goblin tusks. These items are magical in nature and will allow the possessor one stroke of luck at a time of their choosing. The quality of luck obtained will be determined by the complexity of the situation that the luck is to be used in. Luck comes in two forms, good and bad, so be prepared if your stroke of luck turns out to be against you.

    His expression on this sudden and unexpected change to his examination ability, combined with the unusual description he had read, didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Garal. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up, you look like you have bitten into a lemon and can¡¯t decide whether its sweet or sour. Something wrong with those tusks ?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but when I first looked as these I couldn¡¯t identify them, but now I can, and I don¡¯t know why. The description is pretty weird as well, I¡¯m not sure what to make of them.¡±

    Garal chuckled in amusement. ¡°It¡¯s the ring, Gordo, it increased your intelligence, didn¡¯t it. Intelligence is the stat that helps identify items, and they didn¡¯t include that information about intelligence in the bloody manual.. Putting that on must have made you reach the minimum to identify the tusks.¡± He paused at that, a puzzled expression crossing his face. ¡°How did you get your intelligence that low, everyone starts with enough intelligence to at least identify tusks.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not important, nor is it my business¡­ Anyway, those tusks should say something about luck, something to do with good or bad. Does the description read something like that ?¡° Gordo nodded an affermation. ¡°Well, that perfectly normal. The tusks are a joke item, no one actually uses them, and prefer to collect them. I think there is a place in town that will reward a player if they hand in a full set, from guards tusks to king tusks. They are a rare drop, so getting the set is going to take quite a while. We have a couple already, so if you are not going to collect them, could we have them?

    With a flick of a wrist, he sent them sailing towards Garal, who, as quick as a snake, snatched them out of the air and made them disappear into his bag. ¡°All that¡¯s left is the coins the goblin was carrying, you want me to divide it up.?¡±

    Shan, who had been working on the small casket shook his head. ¡°Just wait until I open this, it should also contain some coin. We will divide it all up together¡­Damn locks stuck, probably rusty.¡± He grunted as he strained to turn the key, which gave way suddenly, flipping the top of the casket up. Looking inside, his eyes open ip a little wider. ¡°Well, well, well¡­ this goblin was a right little hoarder, wasn¡¯t he.¡± And poured a stream of coins into his palm, an occasional glint of some colorful crystal interspersed the metallic flow. ¡°Drop those coins in here, Gordo, and I will get the system to do an autosplit for us.¡±

    Autosplit was a party option that would equally divide up the gemstones and coins equally among all party members, with each not necessarily getting exactly the same things, but it would equal the same value. Gordo¡¯s split was a couple of small purple amethysts, one small green emerald, five gold, six silver and thirty one copper coins. Not a bad haul indeed. Selling those stones off would gain him enough to acquire the mage class he desired. He eagerly placed them into his pouch.

    ¡°Before we take a look down those stairs, we have about an hour left before the update patch, so do we continue on, or do we want to take a break and come back after the patch ? I don¡¯t want to be caught out by a coding error while we are in combat.¡± Shans concern was not unfounded, for a faulty patch during gameplay had ruined many players progress over the years, and the Energetic Entertainment coders would have to be infallible, an impossibility in itself, to release a patch without containing some errors.

    Gordo¡¯s mind had already been made up for him, he couldn¡¯t leave, ¡°I¡¯m staying online. ¡°he pronounced as if it was a choice he was making, and not a statement of fact. ¡°You two take a break if you wish, but, personally, I¡¯m pretty eager about continuing.¡±

    The brothers huddled together, quietly discussing their options. Obviously in disagreement as their voices gradually rose higher and higher. They got so loud that Gordo was worried they could attract the attention of the monsters on the level below. ¡°Shhhh.¡± He interjected into their conversation loudly, one finger pressed against his lips, a sign he wanted silence. Both of the brothers scowled at him, but ceased their bickering. ¡°Keep it down, will you, or I think the decision will be made for us.¡± He pointed at the stairway, indicating his meaning. ¡°Either stay, or go, just do it quietly, will you.¡±

    Shan threw his hands up into the air in surrender. ¡°All right, damn you, we¡¯ll continue. Don¡¯t blame me if something goes wrong.¡± He snatched out the steel longsword he had looted, and practiced swinging it about in the air wildly, working off some of his frustration.

    ¡°Now, how we will proceed is this way. The goblins will obviously be harder on the next floor, so we will have to be more organized on how we approach a combat situation. Garal has a shield now, so he should lead, and block any attack from the front. You, Shan, have a nice new longsword, and hopefully have improved your skill to a useful level. You follow close behind Garal, but slightly to his left. That way you will be able to support Garal from behind, and have a clear shot over his left hand shoulder. I will follow you, but slightly to Garals right. That way I will be able to slip past him and hopefully manage to get in a surprise attack from the right. Sounds basic and simple, and it is, but will serve us in the tight quarters that the tunnels will give us. If we proceed slowly, and check all offshoots first, the only way an opponent can approach us is directly head on. If we see an open cave, or room, we will have to rethink our method of attacking.¡±

    Looking up after his string of instructions, he saw confusion on their faces, and sighed. ¡°Look, I know it¡¯s not the brightest of plans, but we are a short party, we really should have more members, but we are stuck with just the three of us. This way if we are surprised from the rear, the weakest member gets attacked first, that¡¯s me, leaving you two time to retaliate and hopefully extricate me before I get killed. Garal will guard us from a frontal attack, using his shield, allowing us time to support him, and the staggering effect will let you insect any paths to the left while we wait, and I will inspect any paths to the right. If either of us detects anything down a path, then we decide which way to progress from that point. Simple, ugly, but effective, with each of us having a set duty to do without all of us bumbling along and duplicating what one person could do.¡± He saw understanding dawning across their features. ¡°Most of the goblins should be about the same type and level, so to make things go faster, we will each take it in turn to loot the bodies, with the looter keeping everything on the body he loots. If something extra special is found, or something magical, we will worry about the division of these items when we have completed this level. Garal can have the first body, Shan, you can go second, and I will have the third. We repeat this order of looting until we run out of goblins.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Sounds okay to me.¡± said Garal, and Shan followed with his agreement with his brothers words.

    The cave at the bottom of the stairs proved to be an anticlimactic moment, as they entered it, prepared for battle as they were, only to find it totally devoid of anything resembling a threat. It was a normal cave, cold, damp and dark, and the air held an aroma of rotting fish. Only one tunnel lead from this area, making their first decision very easy.

    They advanced down the tunnel until they reached the first division in the path, this one leading off to the left. Shan ducked down it, and a moment later reappeared, shaking his head. ¡°Dead end.¡± It wasn¡¯t until the third side tunnel that there was a change in their routine, Being on the left again, Shan stepped into it and disappeared. He was gone for about two minutes when he suddenly returned, running as if his life depended upon it, and it did, for two well-armed goblins were hot on his heels.

    As he skidded to a top before running into the wall opposite the side tunnel entrance, Garal quickly swung around, and positioned himself in the entrance, blocking the goblins from exiting it with his shield. He barely moved as they smashed into him, his legs braced against the impact, and staggered back , their health bars losing a slight amount of points from the contact. In a swift move, Garal swung is axe in an overhead arc which terminated in the collarbone of one of the goblins. The leather armor it wore took the shine off the blow, but it was still powerful enough to force the goblin to its knees, its heath bar dropping by fifty percent.

    The second goblin, of which now Gordo could see was a corporal, took the opportunity to swing his blade at Garal, managing to skip it off the surface of the wooden shield and into his upper arm. From the way that Garal reacted, or not reacted as was the case, it was obvious to Gordo that whatever equipment Garal was using didn¡¯t include a pain feature. ¡°Fucking developers.¡± he muttered, thrusting his sword through the space to Garals left, managing to spear the tip of his blade into the goblins neck.

    ¡°What ?¡± asked Garal, distracted by Gordo muttering right next to his ear, allowing the injured goblin in front of him the chance to lay another successful strike past the shield.

    Shan, on the other side, must have heard him, for he hissed at Gordo and told him to shut the hell up as he took the head off the first goblin, still on its knees from the axe blow, with one clean swing of the sword. The remaining goblin turned to run at this point, but didn¡¯t make it far as the following weapon blows quickly stripped its life away. Other than a few minor nicks from the goblins, they had come out of this relatively unscathed. Shan glowered at him, not prepared to forgive his faux pas by distracting a own party member at a crucial moment, but only said ¡°Nothing else down that tunnel¡­. So, which body do you want Garal ?¡±

    The next encounter went pretty much along the same lines as the first, except this time it was Gordo who pulled the goblins towards the party, and consisted of three of the corporal goblins. During the battle one of the goblins had managed to score a hit past Garal, and get a thrust in on Gordo, giving him a deep cut along his sword arm. From the way his health bar kept dropping, five points at a time, he knew he had picked up a bleed debuff, but had nothing to staunch it with, so he just let it run its course. By the time the debuff had completed hits course, his heath bar was showing he had one hundred and twelve health remaining, a loss of thirty eight.

    The loot from his turn at a goblin wasn¡¯t that good, gaining him only a pair of corporal tusks and a handful of coppers. Ah, well, he considered, at least the experience gain will help, wondering what his levels were now, but deciding against stopping to check.

    They continued on down the main tunnel, regularly pulling in small goblin parties from the side tunnels, and dispatching them without much trouble. Other than the goblins, there didn¡¯t seem to be much else to loot, for all that they usually found was rough bedding furs, and trash. Gordo had managed to acquire a pair of rough fur gloves from one of his goblin corpses, along with a variety of coins, but nothing really valuable or useful. His health bar had been rising and falling through the battles, but seemed to always stabilize somewhere in the region of a hundred health, irritating, but not dangerous.

    Finally, they reached a point in the main tunnel where they could see bright torchlight ahead and the tunnel seemed to open up into a large cavern, the air full of the smell of woodsmoke as it blew into their faces, and full of the noise of creatures moving about. They stepped back afew paces and came together in a huddle, heads joined in the center.

    ¡°We have a couple of minutes before the patch is installed, and I think this is the last cavern. Unlike the last time, the real Boss Monster should be here, god know what it is, but it must be greater than a Guard Captain, a goblin Sergeant at the very least, maybe even a Lieutenant.¡±

    ¡°Do all goblins have army titles ?¡± asked Gordo.

    ¡°Yes they do, goblins are a militant race, weak, but numerous, but once you finish with the army ranks, they then have noble ranks, and those are tough buggers. You only find those in major goblin nests. I want you two to wait here while I scout out the main cavern ahead. I want to see what sort of numbers we are looking at before we enter it.¡± He lowered himself down into a crouch and made his way forward, placing every foot carefully before moving the next one. It wasn¡¯t long before he was back, and they huddled back up to hear what he had seen.

    ¡°Not going to sugar coat it, but it looks nasty in there, real nasty. Saw eleven goblins in total, two conscripts, two guards, three privates, three corporals and a sergeant. We have only faced up to four corporals at once, so far, and while that was a fairly easy battle, eleven at once could pose a major problem. Anyone got a suggestion ?¡±

    Gordo had an idea, but didn¡¯t know how the others would like it. ¡°I think I have one.¡± he said in a whisper, ¡°but first I need to know how good you are with that bow of yours.¡±

    Shan looked at him in surprise. ¡°My bow ? Pretty good, but I only have standard arrows with me, they won¡¯t cause much damage, unfortunately.¡± As they had been battling in close , confining spaces so far, he hadn¡¯t considered using it up to now, but Gordo¡¯s remark had started him thinking.

    ¡°Well, I think you could get two shots off, maybe even three, before they get to us. If we go back about ten foot, the walls are a little closer together there, and I think that would be an ideal place to stand our ground. If Garal and I get prepared there, you could sneak just far enough forward to take a shot or two at one target. After that, you could quickly retreat to a place behind us, and when they charge us, we will hold them here while you get off another couple of shots into them. If they are spread out, they may not all arrive at once, giving us a slight chance to whittle them down a bit and hopefully making them a bit more manageable.¡±

    Shan considered the plan, seeing a few little things about it that concerned him, like the fact he may get killed before they could rescue him, and also they may organize before attacking., but he couldn¡¯t come up with anything better. Gordo had been right when he said the party was short, it was short another fighter and a spell caster, something that they needed now, but obviously were not going to get. ¡°Can¡¯t see anything else we can do, so I suppose that what we will have to do.¡± He agreed reluctantly. ¡°In for a penny, In for a pound, as they say.¡±

    Gordo and Garal retreated to the part of the tunnel where the walls came in a bit closer and prepared themselves, while Shan once again crept forward, this time with his bow in hand, arrow knocked. They lost site of his as he went round a a slight curve in the tunnel. From where they stood, they could hear the sound of the bowstring snap as Shan let off his first arrow, followed with seconds by another snap Looking at each other, they tensed up waiting for the enemy to appear. A third snap of a bowstring could be heard, quickly replaced by the sound of running feet.

    Gordo almost jumped when Shan belted around the curve towards them, surprised even though he had been expecting it. He was almost to them when the goblins started to appear in his wake. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of a giant gong and everything changed into a monochromatic scale, the walls about him expanding out, then snapping back into place instantly, the running figure of Shan freezing in mid gallop only to suddenly speed up unnaturally as he shot past them thought the space they had left for him between each other, then all the colors snapped back into place. Next to him he could hear Garal retching and something warm splashed onto his leg. He, too, felt violently nauseous from the effect, but it passed as quick as it had arrived. The patch had been installed.

    This unnatural effect wasn¡¯t isolated only to the players, for the goblins staggered in their forward charge, their speed diminished, slowing down in confusion, with one of them even falling forward into the tunnels floor. As Gordo registered all this, an arrow flew over his shoulder, striking the lead goblin in the throat. It flew backwards, knocking the one who was following it, over, and they both landed in a tangle of arms and legs.

    Garal, in a moment of mad inspiration, took this opportunity to charge the goblins, swinging his axe in a wide sweep, which struck one across the head, and continued on along its path, to sink into the next ones arm Gordo had been caught off guard by the Garals sudden change in plan, but quickly recovered and followed him forward. He could see two goblins were down, but was only able to locate another four in the tunnel ahead of him. He wondered where the rest of them were, secretly wishing they never showed up.

    As he ran past the two who were on the ground, he thrust his blade between the shoulders of one that was lying face down and yanked it out to swing at another that was preparing to thrust its blade at him. His sword removed one of the goblins ears, as well as a portion of the skin on that side of its head, but was unable to avoid its blade, which slid though his bicep in agonizing slowness. His whole arms went numb, thankfully stopping the electrifying stabs of pain that had preceded it. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t his sword arm, so he retained control over that, and took the opportunity to return the favor to the goblin by stabbing his blade upwards, piercing the jaw from beneath, the blade grating along bone as it punched upwards and into the monsters brain pan. It dropped instantly, dead on arrival as it arrived at the floor.

    Turning quickly to protect his injured arm, he raised his sword to attack the next goblin, but found there wasn¡¯t any remaining on their feet, all were down, dead, or dying. The dying were being quickly put out of their misery as Garal smashed each groaning body with his axe, fury on his face. In the sudden cessation of combat, Gordo could only stand there, looking at the bloody corpses strewn about, then slumped to the ground himself, his fatigue at maximum.

    Shan stepped carefully though the bodies towards Gordo, and sat down next to him in the closest clean spot he could find, then patted him carefully on one shoulder. ¡°Good plan. Pity we didn¡¯t stick to it, and luckily only half of them chased me.¡± Gordo didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift his head, and just groaned to himself, causing Shan to laugh. Shan took a vial of purple liquid out of his pocket and handed it to him, ¡°Here, drink this, it will help you with your fatigue.¡±

    Gordo fumbled with the cork before he finally managed to pop it out. He lifted it to his lips with an arm that was trembling at the effort, and poured it down his throat. The taste of the liquid on his tongue was reminiscent of summer flowers, leaving behind a faint aftertaste of honey. Warmth ran down his throat, and spread outwards, filling his limbs. It was a pleasant warmth, and left tiny electric sparks in its wake.

    ¡°Just stay there, you should be right as rain in about a minute, so don¡¯t move until then.¡± Another pat on the shoulder followed, then Shan forced himself to his feet, and went off to see if Garal was okay. As he lay there, Gordo couldn¡¯t help but glance at the tunnel, fearful the remaining goblins would arrive while they were so helpless, well, while he was helpless, but the tunnel remained empty.

    ¡°Where are they ?¡± he spoke aloud, but also to himself. ¡°Where the hell are they ?¡±

 Chapter Twenty

    The potion he had drunk was good, real good, and the fatigue he had been encumbered with, rapidly diminished until it finally reached zero. Now feeling fully refreshed, he climbed up to his feet, looking at the corpses that littered the floor. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be worried about the missing goblins showing up ?¡± His eyes strayed again to the tunnel before them at his own words.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I have a feeling if they were coming, they would already be here by now. I think I will sneak down there and take another look to see what they are up to.¡± Shan also examined the bodies around them. ¡°From what I can see here, only the sergeant, the conscripts and the guards are missing, they probably stayed back for some reason and are waiting for us.¡±

    Their conversation was interrupted by Garal, his voice high with excitement. ¡°Hey, guess what, I have gained a special bonus combat skill, and it¡¯s as funny as hell.¡± A giggle escaped his lips, and he wiped away the vomit that had trickled down his chin., his eyes unfocussed as they read something only he could see.

    Looking a little annoyed, but also intrigued at the same time, Shan asked the obvious reply. ¡°What is it? ?¡±

    ¡°Here, let me read the announcement I received first, umm¡­. Congratulations, as you are the first player to become physically sick in Dawnlands, you have been rewarded with the First Vomit Award. As the first person in Dawnlands to perform this action you have been granted a unique skill, the Projectile Vomiting ability¡­. and it carries on a bit longer. This skill has some nice benefits too, if I can raise its level high enough, but I definitely do not like the way I need to train it.¡± He shuddered at the thought.

    Gordo raised his eyes in surprise, having already being awarded one of these ¡®special¡¯ skills himself. ¡°I think it¡¯s a joke skill, something a sick developer came up with to amuse himself. I received one of those already a couple of days ago.¡±

    ¡°You did ?¡± exclaimed Garal in amazement. ¡°What¡¯s yours ?¡±

    Gordo squirmed in embarrassment. ¡°Its an area of effect skill called Disabling Gas, but I have no intention of training it.¡±

    ¡°Disabling gas ?¡± then Garal broke into uncontrollable laughter. ¡°You have to be kidding me. You really mean you have a fart skill, don¡¯t you, you got a First Fart Award¡± his laugh grew even louder as Gordo¡¯s face flushed a bright red.

    Shan pushed the two apart. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck you two are going on about, but a little silence here would go a long way to avoiding another goblin rush, don¡¯t you think.¡± He glared at the pair of them, the look on his face enough to stop the laughter. ¡°If you have finished, loot your corpses and let¡¯s get the final room done.¡± Quickly they obeyed his commands, and collected their loot.

    They advanced carefully to the curve, where Shan eased himself along the wall just far enough to see into the cavern. He delayed there for a few seconds, scanning the open area before returning. ¡°No sign of the sergeant, but the other four are grouped up in the center, waiting for us. If we charge them, we should have enough time to defeat them all before the sergeant shows up.¡± He waited for Garal and Gordo¡¯s opinion of this, but neither offered any objections. ¡°Well, then, we will charge on three. One¡­.. Two¡­.. THREE.¡± They all took off in an organized rush.

    The battle between the three party members and the four weak goblins that stood against them lasted all of twelve seconds, so badly mismatched were the two groups. As the last body slumped to the ground they gathered together, creating a triangle with their bodies, backs pressed against each other, scanning the room about them for the last goblin, but to no avail, the creature was nowhere in sight. Without any prompting, they looted the bodies before carefully examining the room, looking for anything that would indicate where the sergeant may have gone.

    They found the only place which the goblin could have used to leave this space without having to pass them. It was a small door, smallish by human standards, but would be normal size for the diminutive stature that all goblins possessed. A careful check showed it was secured from the inside.

    They all agreed that before they would attempt to force the door open, they would spend time searching this cavern looking for anything worth taking. Looking for that Settlement Stone is what they meant, thought Gordo. He followed their actions in stripping anything that could be moved, examining everything closely to see if it gave a description, but it all came to naught, for there was not one single item in the cavern worth looting.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Exclaimed Shan. ¡°The damn stone must be through that door, with the sergeant. Garal, take that door down, use your axe.¡± Garal nodded, and lifted his axe up. It took him only three blows with his weapon to break whatever mechanism held it shut, the final blow flinging the door open, pivoted on its hinges to smash loudly against the wall inside.

    As they entered, they could see the sergeant standing behind a desk in the center of the room, a great hammer raised above its head, repeatedly bringing it down onto a flat stone that sat on the middle of the desks top. Each strike of the hammer to the stone produced a coruscating shower of sparks, bright enough to hurt the eyes of any that looked at them.

    Shan, first through the door, shaded his eyes from the blinding display ¡°It¡¯s the damn stone, Garal, stop the goblin before he¡­¡± He never got to finish his sentence, as the last blow from the hammer fell and broke the stone. It exploded violently as the imprisoned magic within it escapes, sending stone shards out in all directions, peppering the party and causing multiple injuries. The blast wave of the magic picked them all up and sent them flying backwards, slamming all of them into the wall. Gordo could see his health bar plummet down by at least ninety percent as he slid down the wall, totally stunned.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Laying there, slumped against a wall, he closed his eyes, the only part of him that the stun debuff would allow, and waited, pain wracking his whole body from his impact against the wall. From the sharp pains he was receiving from one of his arms and a leg, he suspected that both were broken. If he got a bleed debuff from this, no miracle would save him this time h realized.

    Twenty seconds later, the debuff ran out, but he remained there, waiting for his heath to recover enough that the pain would stop. Groaning, he tried to straighten his leg, but screamed in agony as the sudden surge of pain this produced nearly overwhelmed him. That leg was definitely broken, and from the feel of it, in more than one place. Through the pain he could hear someone calling his name, then a hand grabbed him by one shoulder and shook him. Unfortunately for Gordo, the shoulder was attached to his broken arm, and the movement only escalated the pain he was already experiencing, dragging more screams of agony from his throat. The waves of pain lapped higher and higher until darkness overtook him, bringing relief with it.

    He returned to consciousness some time later and feeling little pain, opened his eyes and looked about himself. From what he could see, he hadn¡¯t been moved from the position the blast had placed him in. Shan and Garal were over at the table where the goblin had stood, talking between themselves. The small movement he made in an attempt to sit in a more upright position must have caught their eyes, for they quickly stopped their conversation and made their way over to where he lay.

    Squatting down in front of him, Shan looked him in the eyes. ¡°What the hell just happened there, Gordo, you were screaming your head off, like you were in agony ? This is a game, no one get hurt in a game, it¡¯s not possible.¡±

    Groaning slightly, he tested his arm by moving it about, and feeling only a slight twitch, did the same to the injured leg. His movements at first were tentative, but became more vigorous as his confidence in them returned. Looking up at Shan he simply replied. ¡°I can.¡±

    Garal responded first to this remark, and exclaimed ¡°What ?¡± followed quickly by ¡°How ?¡± He seemed to be more interested than surprised.

    He considered this question, and decided to give as honest an answer as he could, without giving away too much information ¡°I have an experimental pain module installed on my equipment. It lets me feel the pain a character received from injuries, but I think the pain threshold is set too high, it feels like I¡¯m experiencing the full amount.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit, no wonder you were screaming, those injuries you had were brutal, and you were feeling the full experience of pain, as well.¡± Garal shook his head at the thought. ¡°If I was you, I would switch that damn thing off.¡±

    ¡°Too late for that, its hardwired in. I will just have to work out how to lower the threshold to something a little more tolerable. Anyway, the least said about that the better. Now, where¡¯s that goblin, did you kill it ?¡±

    Garal laughed, and shook his head. When he saw that Gordo was confused by his denial, he just pointed one finger at the wall behind the desk. Looking at it, Gordo couldn¡¯t see anything at all, not even a body. ¡°What ? it¡¯s a wall. What am I supposed to be looking at, the crappy paint job ?¡±

    This just seem to make Garal laugh even louder. ¡°That crappy paint job IS the goblin, or should I say what is left of the goblin.¡± He couldn¡¯t stop giggling at this, and it didn¡¯t help with Shan just staring at him with a ¡®not amused¡¯ expression, for this just made the giggles worse.

    ¡°As my rather immature brother said, that is the goblin, he was standing a lot closer to the explosion than we were, so I think the force of it ripped it apart and splattered the remains onto the wall. It¡¯s an amazing sight, for even the bones have been pulverized into the stone. The old saying that you could scrape someone up with a spatula is an actual fact here, that what you would need to remove the remains from the stones, a spatula.¡± Behind Shan, Garal¡¯s giggles turned into a full out laughing fit, and all Shan could do was roll his eyes in exasperation.

    ¡°Come on, Shan, you have to agree that it is amusing, in a twisted way, you can¡¯t blame Garal for finding the amusement in it.¡± Gordo eased himself up slowly to make sure there was no lingering pockets of pain to assault him unexpectedly.

    ¡°That describes my brother perfectly, Gordo¡­ twisted.¡± He turned around to glare at Garal. ¡°Have you finished now ? Can we continue and finish this debacle, I want to log off and get something to eat.¡±

    The body of the goblin produced a couple of nice items, which made Garal start giggling again, muttering something about physics, but most items were in a broken state, probably determined by the method of death that the goblin experienced, making the search of the remains an unprofitable endeavor. The prize item of the dungeon had been destroyed as well, but a search of the desk produced a couple of unreadable books, a chainmail hood and another little casket, this one already unlocked. Garal, as the fighter, took the hood for himself, So Shan divided the books up between himself and Gordo. After the Autosplit function had worked its magic, Gordo found himself richer when it allocated him three sapphires, two garnets, ten gold, nine silver and seventy copper coins.

    With nothing remaining to do in the dungeon, the party made its way back along the tunnels to the entrance cavern, where Shan asked them to hold up for a minute. He looked at both of them, a solemn look on his face. ¡°Before we leave, I want to thank you, Gordo, for joining us on this, well, let¡¯s call it a quest. It¡¯s turned out to be a rather poor dungeon, with pretty low amounts of loot, but at least you would have got a fair bit of experience. It¡¯s a bummer the Settlement Stone was destroyed, and I¡¯m pretty sure that wasn¡¯t the developers intention, but now it¡¯s gone, the dungeon won¡¯t offer this item to any other players, it was only available to the first party into this dungeon, and we stuffed it up.¡± Even he shook his head at his own words, still miffed that it had slipped through his fingers. ¡°Anyway, once we leave here, we won¡¯t be able to return, ever, so if you think you need to do something else here before we leave, this is the time to speak up.¡± He paused here, not expecting any response, then continued. ¡°Once out through the exit, our respawn point will be reset to its last setting,and we will log off. So, are you ready ?¡±

    Both nodded their affirmation on leaving, andthe party stepped across the events horizon¡­¡­

 Chapter Twenty One

    ¡­¡­ and into trouble.

    As they emerged out of the cavern instance, the only thing they could do was stand and stare in amazement at the scene unfolding before them. The sun had set while they had been inside, and deep shadows danced about , created from the glowing orb that was grasped in the hand of a tall human, dressed in purple robes , his arm thrust aloft. His other hand held a long staff. He was using this to fend off the attack of a goblin, while another approached the man from behind.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those the goblins we killed first ?¡± queries Garal. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have respawned this soon, we have only just completed the instance.¡±

    Shan frowned. ¡°Yes, those are definitely the same goblins, I recognize that one, it still has one of my arrows poking out of its back.¡± His frown deeped. ¡°How is that possible ? We looted everything off its body before we left, and they disappeared ?¡±

    The man, spying them standing next to the entrance, screamed for help, but his momentary break in concentration allowed the second goblin a chance to leap onto his back and sink its tusks into his neck, eliciting more screams from him.

    Gordo drew out his short sword. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about the goblins, but I am not going to stand here, talking about it, and allow someone to get ripped to pieces in front of me.¡± He charged forward, speeding up as he approached the skirmish. He rammed his sword deep into a mottled back, the blade sliding through easily, then yanked it back out, and then stopped, in utter shock.

    The wound he had given the goblin should have killed it outright, but it didn¡¯t even react to the blow and continues tearing at the man with its claws, its blade, the twin of the one he had just punctured it with , strapped to its side, unused. A thick black substance leaked out of the would he had given it, oozing down like a thick syrup, But even worse was the smell, a sudden foul and rotting odor that swirled around him from the goblin, and from his weapon. It became that bad he had to step back, gagging, before he found air fresh enough to be able to breath.

    Shan and Garal finally caught up with him, their charge to assist delayed by his sudden decision, only to recoil in disgust as they entered the areas affected by the smell. ¡°My god, what is that reek,¡± demanded Garal, covering is nose and mouth with an open hand.

    ¡°Zombie goblins ?¡± exclaimed Shan, examining them. ¡°How the hell did they become zombies. ?¡±

    While they puzzled out this unexpected development, trying to come to terms with the pervading stench, the man uttered a foul invective of his own, and collapse to the grass. His body turning transparent before finally evaporating. The goblins, finding their original target now out of the way, turned their attention to the them.

    A loud cackling laughter broke in on them, coming from beneath the trees to one side. ¡°I told you, little piggy, I told you I would be back. Now you will suffer for the disrespect you showed me, you and your friends. You will all pay my price.¡± The voice was familiar, but sounded more insane than the last time he had heard it. ¡°Kill them, my minions, attack and kill them all.¡±

    The two zombies before them became more frenzied at these words, their attacks more ferocious than before., and it took all three to keep them away. ¡°Damn,¡± grunted Garal, ¡°these things are much harder to kill than before.¡± His axe connected with one of the small bodies, but like all his previous hits, produced no result, except adding another wound to the creature. They had been struck so many time that the flesh was hanging off them, displaying the bones beneath. ¡°Why won¡¯t they die.¡±

    Gordo lashed out with one foot, forcing the zombie on front of him away. ¡°They can¡¯t die, they are already dead, any damage we give them is useless. The only way we are going to defeat them is by removing their heads, or damaging the brain.¡± The stench of death that came from the goblins intensified with each injury they suffered, and it had become so overwhelming that he was feeling nauseous.

    ¡°Oh, is that all, why didn¡¯t you say that before.¡± remarked Garal in return before gripping his axe tightly in both hands and swinging it forward, decapitating one goblin, sending its head tumbling away, then reversed his swing and sank the blade of his axe deep into the skull of the second one. ¡°There, easy as pie.¡± He then turned green himself and bent over, vomiting.

    Shan stepped back to avoid getting splashed, but Gordo turned quickly to the trees, trying to locate the one who had controlled the zombies, only to find the area empty. ¡°Damn.¡± He muttered, only to have his attention drawn back to the trees a s a distant voice floated to his ears.

    ¡°I will get you yet, little piggy. There are more of my little friends waiting these woods for you, so step carefully¡­.¡± This was followed by insane laughter, which slowly became fainter as the speaker moved further away. Gordo couldn¡¯t help himself, the goading becoming too much for him. ¡°Fuck you, ¡° he screamed back into the dark forest, hoping his words would be heard., ¡°Go and fuck off.¡±

    Suddenly, without warning, the world jerked about them as the gong of another system wide announcement pealed out.

    Attention, A zombie outbreak has been detected in the region of Angelwood. All players are warned that the zombie infection is highly contagious.

    ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Shan replied sarcastically before he turned to Gordo ¡°That was that fucking Melbert idiot, wasn¡¯t it, I thought I recognized his voice. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but I know he is responsible for the zombies somehow. When I get hold of him, the pricks going to need to create a new fucking character.¡± He was trembling with anger by the time he had finished his fists clenched. ¡°I hate fucking zombies.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Gordo thought about the announcement. ¡°I wonder if this is some kind of a regional quest or something. like thatIf not, then there''s definitely something wierd happening.¡±

    Suddenly in front of them, an unexpected event occurred. A bright spark appeared in mid air, rapidly growing until finally disappearing with a loud pop, leaving behind the respawned player who had just been killed a few moments ago, only this time he looked a little different than he did before becoming departed. His skin was a monochrome gray, along with the clothes he was wearing. From what was visible he was covered with bloodless wounds, and his expression was one that portrayed a really pissed off mood., He looked up at them, confusion crossing his face.

    ¡°What the fuck am I doing back here ? he demanded ¡°I should have respawned back at the graveyard.¡± He then looked at himself, his anger clearly evident ¡°And what the fuck happened to my character ?¡± His eyes unfocussed as he read some unseen text. It took him a minute to read, his expression changing from anger to confusion, then back to anger. ¡°You have to be shitting me. ¡° was the only words he could utter when finished, shaking his head. ¡°Did you know about this?¡± he demanded, this timespeaking at the party.

    ¡°Did we know about what ?¡± Garal replied, totally oblivious to the meaning behind the question.

    ¡°I have a damnzombie virus debuff, and I will be stuck with it for the next twelve hours. I have to attack any other living being when I see it , and try to bite them or I will be penalized with a loss of experience. What the fuck¡­ is that legal ?¡± He then brightened at something else he was reading. ¡°But I will get double experience for every person I give the virus to.¡± He looked at the party appraisingly. ¡°Seems I have no choice here, fellahs, I¡¯m going to have to attack you. I want that experience. ¡°

    ¡°What happens if we kill you ?¡± Shan interjected, preparing his weapons for the fight ahead.

    ¡°Ummm¡­¡­ If you kill me I will respawn in the same place I was killed, but only after a delay of ten minutes..... God damn it, I will still be infected as well.¡± Then, without anywarning, the man leapt forward in an attempt to catch them off guard, but was batted out of the way as Garal swatted at him with his shield. In a flash, he was back on his feet attacking again, trying to get in close enough to sink his teeth into any bare flesh that was available..

    This time Shan thrust his sword into the man, slipping the blade though his ribcage and aiming for the heart. After the strike, they both just stood there in suprise, looking at each other, Shan with his arm raised, the man with a sword poking though his chest. he looked down at the blade ¡°Holy shit. No damage received.¡± He said, then grinned, displaying a fine set of blackened and rotting teeth. ¡°Time for lunch.¡±

    They managed in the end to kill the player by pinning him to the ground with their swords, allowing Garal to take aim and remove his head with his axe. A quick attempt at looting the body followed this, butfailed, a message popping up informing them that infected players bodies couldn¡¯t be looted. Disappointed with this, they then attempted to loot the defeated goblins, and this timewere rewarded with two vials full of a greenish goo. An examination of them showed that they contained zombie blood. Garal decided he would take one of those, but Shan refused, telling Gordo to take the last vial. Their properties hadn''t provided any information other thanthe description.

    ¡°I think we should log off now, before he respawns. If what he said was true,, then in six hours real time he should return to normal, and we can log back in.¡± Shan looked at his brother. ¡°What do you think ?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s seems like a wise move, next time he will be more prepared and I don¡¯t fancy getting bitten.¡± He looked at Gordo, ¡°Sorry, mate, but if you want to stay online, then that¡¯s your choice. Now this dungeon is completed, the need for us to stay as a party is over. Good luck for the future, Gordo,and maybe another day we will party up again.If your in the Broken Sword tomorrow, we''ll probably see you then. ¡± He shook hands with Gordo, who felt a pang of sadness, and the brothers faded out of view.

    He stood there, alone, for the next minute, then realized he better make haste and leave, knowing he would be no match for the zombified player when he respawned. Starting off in the direction of the city, he quickly increased his pace, putting as much distance between him, and the dungeons location, as possible, finally settling into a fast jog.

    He kept on jogging, only takinga walk break every five minutes to ensure he didn¡¯t use up too much of his fatigue, as he travelled towards the city. So far the threat of other zombies waiting for him in the forest had not resulted in any attacks, nor even the sight of another zombie. He didn¡¯t doubt that the threat made to him had been real, but felt it was probably greatly overstated. He didn¡¯t know why this Melbert had it in for him, out of all the players in the game, but who could explain how a madman¡¯s thoughts worked.

    He then turned his thoughts to what his next action should be. Doing the dungeon with the brothers was exiting, but they all knew it had been a temporary alliance from the beginning,, and they seemed to be more interested in their own plans. It was a pity about the Settlement Stone, for he would really have liked to have see one of those, just for his own benefit, so he knew what to look for as he progressed. I¡¯ll get back to the city and spend some time selling the stuff I have, he thought, to himself, then see about getting that mage class.

    A sound in the trees to his right made his heart race in panic., a stutter appearing in his regular race. Without slowing he glanced in that direction, hoping he wouldn¡¯t be detected by whatever was making it. The loud snap of a breaking dried branch very close to him brought a sudden increase in the speed of his jog, which quickly turned into a full out run. From the sound of it, whatever was behind him was following him, Again, he took another look over his shoulder, without seeing anything.

    He returned his sight forward, just in time to see the hanging branch that he was rapidly approaching at top speed, but without the time to be able to avoid the collision. His head crashed into it, the branch meeting him square in the center of the forehead and snapping his head back, the momentum he had built up causing his body continue its forward movement and flipping him up into the air. After he had performed a full revers somersault, totally without any control, andhis arms flapping about,  he landed, face down, onto the forest floor.

    This second blow to his head was too much for him, and as he lost unconsciousness, he could hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching his prone postion.

 Chapter Twenty Two

    This is becoming a habit, he thought as he returned to consciousness, wondering if concussions passed on any permanent damage to a players real brain. Either he had been knocked out longer than he realized, or the impact with the branch had not been as bad as he believed it to be, because he felt no pain at all. He could feel the dried leaves beneath him, feeling them break and crumble with the small movements he made, allowing him to determine he still lay where he had fallen, then remembering his final thoughts, those of something chasing him, he tensed up, panic filling his mind and body. Was he now a zombie, infected for the next twelve hours ?

    He cracked open one eye carefully, seeing it was still nighttime, the area where he lay illuminated from the light of a dancing fire. Turning his head, he could just make out the shadowed back of a figure seated on a log, any distinguishing features hidden in shadow. His slight movement must have alerted the person, because he could see the head turn in his direction. The shadowed figure placed something down on the ground in front of it and stood up, and from the outline he knew it was most probably human, or elf, but too tall to be a dwarf.

    As the figure approached him, he closed his eyes far enough to give the impression they were fully shut, but leaving them open just the slightest bit so he could observe his surroundings, reaching surreptitiously towards the blade at his side. A brief flare up of the fire illuminated the approaching figure, allowing Gordo to see that the person was dressed in tight green leathers, and he relaxed, knowing the person was not affected by the zombie virus, but still unaware of his own condition, but his hand still gripped his weapon.

    ¡°I know you are awake, so why don¡¯t you come and join me at the campfire.¡± Came a deep masculine voice. Gordo tensed again, but made no other move to show he had heard this, or was even awake. ¡°If you want to stay there, playing possum, you go ahead and do that. When you are ready to talk to me, or are hungry, I have a nice haunch of rabbit roasting over the fire.¡± The figure retreated back and took up his position on the log.

    Gordo lay there a few minutes, considering his options. He could stay here, hungry, pretending unconsciousness with a man who knew he was only pretending, or he could go over to the fire and see what the man was doing in the woods, and have something to eat as well. Sighing, he pushed himself up and walked towards the fire, but kept his hand near the hilt of his swords hilt.

    As he took a seat on a log located on the other side of the fire from the man, he looked up from where he held a piece of meat impaled on a stick over the flames, the fat from is dripping into the fire and hissing. He nodded at Gordo and, reaching around the flames, handed him the stake he was holding. ¡°Here, take this one, I have another here.¡± From his side he picked up another piece of meat on a stick, and positioned it above the flames.

    While he was roasting the meat, he took the time to examined the man opposite him. As he had noticed before, he was wearing green leathers and had a pair of gloves tucked into his belt, also dyed green. To his side was strapped a sword and a longbow lay on the ground beside him. Short, black curly hair lay above bright blue eyes, and a pair of slightly pointed ears could be seen poking through the curls. He already knew that man was about six foot tall, fairly short for an elf.

    Gordo looked into the eyes that had also been examining him and held the gaze. ¡°Thank you..¡±

    ¡°You can call me Tam.¡± The man replied, smiling at him.

    ¡°Tam ?¡± Gordo replied and tried an identification on him. The information he got back was not what he had expected. ¡°You¡¯re a ranger in the kings guard ? What are you doing out here in the forest at night, don¡¯t you know there¡¯s zombies in this forest ?¡±

    Tam poked one finger into the meat, testing it, then lifted an eye enquiringly at Gordo. ¡°I am a ranger, yes, where else would you expect a ranger to be You, sir, know my name but you are yet to tell me yours.?¡±

    ¡°Oh.. my name is Gordo, sorry about that. What I meant was I didn¡¯t expect to see any of the cities militia out here in the forest at night, it just surprised me, that¡¯s all. Aren¡¯t you worried about the zombies that have appeared here ?¡±

    Again Tam smiled. ¡°No, the zombies do not cause me any concern. I was already out here on another task given to me by King Alamond when the news of the zombies presence was announced. I was on my way back to him in regard to this outbreak when I happened upon you, running through the forest being chased by one of the foul beasts. It only took me a few seconds to dispatch the creature but by then you had already run into that tree.¡± He squinted his eyes at Gordo. ¡±You were already far out here when the zombies appeared, so tell me, do you have any knowledge of the cause of this outbreak.¡±

    Considering this request, Gordo decided he wasn¡¯t going to just give away free information, he wanted some in return, not that he needed it, but because it may prove helpful one day. ¡°Yes, I know a little about the source of this outbreak, but I want information in return for giving it to you, elf¡±

    Tam laughed. ¡°Just like a human, always negotiating, always bargaining. The first thing I will give you, for free, is I am not an elf, I am a half elf. I will allow you to ask me one question after you have told me what you know¡­ agreed ?¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± said Gordo, then proceeded to tell his story, starting from the point the had left the caverns, all the way up to where he had run into the branch. Tam sat quietly throughout, without interrupting, listening intently.

    After Gordo had drawn his tale to a close, Tam sat back, thoughtful. ¡°So, this Melbert was the cause of the zombies. Hmm¡­ this situation may not be as bad as I thought it would be.¡±

    ¡°Pardon ?¡± said Gordo. ¡°Not as bad as what ? A player running around with the power to spread a zombie virus, I think that is as bad as it could be.¡±¡±

    ¡°Player ? I know nothing about player, whatever that is, but no, it could be worse, much worse. My first thoughts on this may have been the start if an invasion by the Darklanders.¡±

    This puzzled Gordo. ¡°Darklanders, what the hell are darklanders ? This was the second time he had heard the word darklander since he entered the game. He thought back trying to remember the first reference he had overheard. ¡°Is this something to do with someone called Lord Voltanus ?¡±

    Tam reared back, his hands darting towards his sword. ¡°What do you know about the dark Lord Voltanus ?¡± he demanded, his voice displaying his suspicion and distrust at hearing these words. ¡°Speak, now, or feel my blade.¡±

    Gordo backed up in sudden fear, slipping off the log he was sitting on, and sprawling to the ground. In a flash Tam was standing over him, his sword drawn and pointed directly at Gordo¡¯s throat. ¡°Nothing, ¡°Gordo stammered out, ¡±I only know the name. I overheard it at Lady Gisselles place. The said Lord Voltanus was due, and something about Darkland spies. That¡¯s all I heard.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Tam scowled, the sword tip remained unwavering at Gordo¡¯s throat. ¡°Lady Gisselle, eh, the Kings favorite. What were you doing at her residence.¡± he asked

    ¡°Returning a ring to her, she had lost it.¡±

    The scowl on Tams face remained, but after a brief moment of contemplation, he withdrew the blade, sheathing his sword. ¡°Get up. If you were doing a task for Lady Gisselle, then you wouldn¡¯t be an agent of the darklanders.¡± He held a hand out, and Gordo grasped it, allowing himself to be drawn up to his feet. ¡°I think I will take you to the king, he needs to listen to what you have to say.¡± He turned and started packing up everything around the campfire

    Gordo looked on is dismay as Tam threw the partially roasted meat into the darkness. It had been a while since he had eaten and he knew that a hunger debuff wasn¡¯t too far away.

    ¡°Come, we will be travelling fast, so try to keep up with me. If we encounter any undead, don¡¯t stop, we have no time to deal with those, there will others to deal with them.¡± Then he took off at a run, and Gordo followed him, stumbling over unseen forest detritus in the dark.

    There was one benefit from the two hours it took to return to the city, other than the numerous breaks they had to take to allow Gordo¡¯s fatigue to drop, this being an unexpected announcement that he had just gained a general skill called night vision.

    Night Vision

    This is a skill that anyone can learn. Night sight allows the possessor to see more clearly and further while in darkened locations. Each level of night vision gained will improve a players vision by 0.5%. Dwarvern characters will gain 1% per level. This skill can not be trained, but will gain experience through use

    At level 50, this skill will include an infra-red capability, allowing players to detect heat sources around them,

    He read the message as he ran, before wiping it away. It didn¡¯t look like it would be much use to him for a long time, then concentrated on keeping up with the fleet footed ranger.

    Tam didn¡¯t stop at the city gates, but did slow his pace to a jog, much to Gordo¡¯s relief. Tam took the time to glance over his shoulder a few times, almost as if to check he was keeping up but didn¡¯t speak. This silence lasted all the way to the castle at the heart of the city, a tall imposing structure constructed along traditional medieval lines. Gordo had not been here before, so his first reaction was to slow down, gaping in amazement at the crenellated walls and towers, all built from large grey stone blocks. A this display of tardiness Tam tossed an angry glance his way, so Gordo quickly picked his pace up.

    Four militia stood guard outside the gate to the castle, and Tam slowed to a walk as they drew up in formation, alerted by their approach. Coming to a halt in front of one who seemed to be in charge, Tam snapped off a salute ¡°Reporting in to see the king. I have a civilian here with me that has information the king needs to know.¡±

    The soldier, a militia sergeant by the look of him, snapped back a crisp salute in return, ¡°I¡¯ll send one of my men to alert his chamberlain immediately.¡± He turned and gave instructions to one of the soldiers behind him, then turned his gaze upon Gordo. ¡°You are not permitted inside the castle while carrying arms. Place all your weapons against the wall and you can retrieve them when you leave. No one will touch them there.¡±¡± He kept his eyes on Gordo, follwing every move until Gordo had done as requested..

    The soldier who had departed a few minutes before, came jogging back out of the gates and back into line. The sergeant nodded at Tam. ¡°You can proceed.¡± Tam nodded back and they entered the gates to the castle.

    The walk to the king, or actually to the waiting room to wait for the king to call for them, travelled though many corridors, richly furnished with colorful paintings in gold frames and silk tapestries, They passed many statues set in alcoves, as well as palace guards, stationed at every corridor intersection. These guards eyes followed them, suspicious of every move, and prepared for action if the interlopers into these corridors started any trouble.

    Their trip ended when a finely dresses NPC met them at a pair of double doors, made of a pale wood and ornately carved. He bowed deeply to Tam, but ignored Gordo completely, not even sparing a glance in his direction. ¡°The king will see you shortly, if you could wait in the right antechamber, I will come for you when the king calls for you.¡± he indicated the door to the antechamber with his hand, and watched as they entered it.

    The room they entered was cozy, with a fire burning in a fireplace, and comfortable chairs positioned near it. Between the chairs was a low table, a carafe of wine standing on it, along with two goblets.. Nest to these was a fine china plate, gilt-edged, loaded with a fine selection of pastries, the smell alone making Gordo¡¯s mouth salivate.

    Tam dropped himself into one of the chairs and poured some wine for himself. ¡°Take a seat, Gordo, you may be here a while, depending on how busy the king is. Help yourself to the pastries, too, if you¡¯re hungry.¡± With that, he slumped down in the padded chair, pulled his cap down over his eyes, and appeared to nod off.

    Feeling uncomfortable just standing there, he followed tams example and took a seat in the other chair, finding it extremely comfortable, much more that it should be from how it looked, just another benefit of a virtual world. He considered the enforced period of inactivity we was going to be made to suffer, and decided to use it productively. He hadn¡¯t had time to check his profile since entering the caverns, quite a while go, and thought it was time to see what changes had been made.

    The first thing he checked was his announcements, the ones he had turned off, and found quite a list of them. His trip through the caverns had increased his overall level to six, rewarding him with two more attribute points to distribute. He placed one in intelligence and one into constitution. A quick check also showed him that his class level in Sword Master had increased to level 4, and his skill in Small Arms was now up to level 5. Progressing nicely.

    After leaving the castle, he would sell the gems he had stored and use the money to get some more skills, and, hopefully if there was enough, transfer some out so he could purchase a month of access to the forums, automap feature and the auction house. That, he knew would cost him five dollars, but didn¡¯t hold out much hope of having the fifty gold to transfer out for that.

    He had also received a number of achievements, mainly for being the first to help Lady Gisselle and the first for Completing the Green Forest Caverns. Not many, but he had only been playing a few days. He didn¡¯t check to see if this would improve his standings, for he was sure that other players had already gained more than he had so far.

    His contemplations were brought to a halt as Tam shook him by one shoulder, how much time had passed unknown.. Gordo looked up at Tam. ¡°What ?¡±

    ¡°Come, its time. The king has called us to attend him.¡± He could see the chamberlain waiting at the door to the antechamber.

    He stood up, grabbed another pastry off the plate and followed them out. In the corridor outside, the chamberlain turned away from the double doors to the main audience hall and proceeded down the corridor. Gordo looked back at the audience hall doors in confusion before jogging a bit to catch up to the other two. He whispered to Tam. ¡°Isn¡¯t the audience hall the other way ? Why are we going this direction ?¡±

    Tam gave him a quick glance before speaking. ¡°The king will be seeing us in his private chambers, Gordo. If you had been taking any notice, you would have already known this.¡± The chamberlain gave both of them a look of annoyance.

    After a few minutes walk,, they finally arrived at a door, two guards posted on either side of it. The door was fairly ordinary looking, with nothing to indicate it was any different than all the other ones in the corridor. One of the guards reached across and opened the door, allowing the chamberlain to enter. Tam looked at Gordo, and followed the chamberlain, leaving Gordo standing in the corridor, uncertain of what he should do.

    ¡°Go in, you fool.¡± hissed one of the guards. ¡°Don¡¯t make the king wait for you.¡±

    A hand reached out from the door, Tams by the color of the leather, and grabbed him by the collar of his own armor, and jerked him forward, through the doorway.

 Chapter Twenty Three

    The king, a young man in his twenties, sat in an ornately carved wooden chair behind a large mahogany table, maps and document strewn about its surface. Next to him, poring over the papers, was an elderly man, dressed in a deep green robe. As they entered, the king looked up at them, ¡°Ah, yes, Tam,¡± he spoke wearily, ¡°you wanted to see me ? If this is not important, can it not wait for another day, we seem to have the beginnings of an invasion happening by the Darklanders.¡±

    Tam approached the table and bowed. ¡°Yes, sire, it is important. Thanks to this citizen, ¡°he indicated Gordo, ¡°I have managed to find out that this plague of undead may not the machinations of the Darklands, but the actions of one of the citizens of these lands.¡±

    The king looked at him sceptically. ¡°What reason do you have to suspect this, Tam ? How do you know this citizen has not been suborned by the agents of the darkside, enlisted to their cause ? ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, sire.¡± Tam answered, head down. ¡°I just assumed from the tale I was told that this was just a poor choice by a citizen, and didn¡¯t consider it as a part of a plan by the darksiders. ¡±

    ¡°No matter, you have not been privy to the news I have received from the other kingdoms. This plague has been affecting all the kingdoms, causing much strife. If we do not destroy all the affected beings and creatures, it will continue to spread. I have instructed the cities militia to arms. I will be posting announcements tomorrow to all citizens to assist in this endeavor. Any citizen who brings me proof of a kill will be rewarded. I will also award a great reward to whomever brings the person responsible for spreading this foul plague within my kingdom, to me.¡± The king paused in his rant, looking to the mage next to him. ¡°Alarant, I believe it is time to rebuild the Moon Gate.¡±

    The mages eyes opened wide. ¡°Are you sure, sire ? The gate was dismantled centuries ago, and its stones spread to throughout this continent, we no longer know where they lie.¡± Moon Gate, thought Gordo as he listened in on the conversation, now that sounds interesting, whatever it is.

    ¡°Yes, and the other kings agree with me. It is only a matter of time before there is a real invasion, and we must be prepared for it when it happens. I will be announcing a competition tomorrow, where any citizen can participate. Anyone who finds one of the Moon Gate stones will be rewarded with great wealth, a title and land.¡± He looked at Gordo, ¡±We do not need to hear this citizens tale, for I cannot see its contents being of any assistance. Before you leave, Tam, is there any news in regard to the task I originally set you ?¡±

    ¡°Nay, sire, I have yet to discover anything about the location of your lost ancestor, or the thing he possessed. I will depart early tomorrow and continue the search.¡±

    ¡°Curse that Lanbard. He was well named by whoever branded him the unwise. Your task has just become that much more urgent, Tam, for we now desperately need the thing he took with him. We need it before the Moon Gate is rebuilt.¡±

    Gordo¡¯s ears pricked up at hearing the familiar name. Not wanting to interrupt the king, who knew how this NPC would react, he tugged at the sleeve to Tams jerkin to gain his attention. Tam gave him an annoyed glance and pulled his sleeve away. As tams attention returned back to the king, Gordo gave it another tug. ¡°What !¡± Tam hissed at him, the king blinking in surprise at Gordo¡¯s antics, and interruption.

    ¡°Did the king just say Lanbard, as in Lanbard the Unwise ?¡± he whispered back, furtively sneaking a look at the kings darkening expression.

    ¡°Yes. He did. Why Is that of interest to you ?¡± Tam was puzzled by Gordo¡¯s interest

    ¡°I know where Prince Lanbard is, I have been there.¡± Gordo whispered back.

    ¡°What!¡± exclaimed the king, somehow overhearing the whisper. ¡°You claim to know the location of my lost ancestor ? Not only claim to know, but to also have been there. If you can not prove this claim, then your life will be forfeit, right here.¡± Gordo hadn¡¯t realized that his whisper had been so loud, and now on the receiving end of the kings temper, wished he had waited to talk to Tam about this.

    He bowed low towards the king, copying the ones that Tam had given earlier. ¡°Yes, sire, I have been there. I stumbled on the location by accident.¡± He thought furiously on how he could prove this to the king. ¡°I do not know how I can prove this to you, other than showing you an item I found with his body. He reached into his inventory and withdrew the unknown pendant out, placing it on the table in front of the king.

    The king, who had been standing up to this point, suddenly sat down, his expression turning grave. Picking up the pendant, he studied it intently for a few moments, before looking back at Gordo. ¡°Yes, this item bears his name, as well as the seal of the house of Ravenswood. This was his amulet.¡± He placed it back down onto the desk. ¡° This pendant was crafted for him by the greatest crafted this kingdom has ever known, Ethelbright. It is recorded that Prince Lanbard took this with him when he departed on his journey back to the families birthplace, but was ambushed and killed during his return back here, three hundred years ago. Now you have returned this pendant back to us, something we never thought we would ever see again.¡± The king bowed his head, and placed a hand on top of the pendant.

    He stayed that way for a few minutes, everyone else in the room keeping silent so they didn¡¯t interrupt whatever the king was thinking, then suddenly sat upright. ¡°You, sir, shall be rewarded for this deed, for returning to us this this long lost family heirloom.¡± He clapped his hand.

    You have been given 100 gold. You have received experience

    You have gained 100 Reputation with the House of RavenswoodThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Congratulations, you have gained a level, You are now Level Seven

    You have one Attribute Point to allocate

    His annoyance at losing the pendant to the whims of the king quickly evaporated with these announcements, considering them a fair exchange. ¡°Thank you, sire, your generosity overwhelms me.¡± He said, buttering up the king, knowing it would be useful in the long run.

    The king nodded regally at him. ¡°Now, I beg you, could you please inform Tam here., of the location of the princes remains, so he can retrieve them to be reburied; in the family crypt.¡± He looked towards his chamberlain after this. ¡°Please organize for some of the castle guards to assist Tam in this endeavor, making sure they bring back any items that may be with the body.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sire, I already have those items with me here.¡± Gordo interjected, pulling the remaining unidentified items out.

    As Gordo placed them down onto the table, the kings eyes grew even wider. When the broken sword was deposited in front of him he jumped up in excitement. ¡°The sword.¡± He yelled in triumph. ¡°Finally, it had been located.¡±

    You have completed a hidden quest.

    Retrieve the lost family sword and return it to the King of Angelwood.

    Reward : Increased reputation with the House of Ravenswood

    Reward : Experience

    Reward : 1000 gold

    Congratulations, you have gained a level, You are now Level Eight

    You have two Attribute Point to allocate

    Gordo reeled back in surprise at the announcements, he had just made two levels in less than two minutes, and had also gained a massive increase in his financial situation. He watched the king examine the two sections of the sword, placing them together to see what they would have looked like when unbroken.

    ¡°Excuse me, sire,¡± Gordo asked, disturbing the kings concentration. When the king looked up at him, he continued ¡°What about the other items ? Do you know what these are ?¡± He was hoping to gain a little more from the king for the other items, but the king shook his head dismissively at them, but his worlds stunned Gordo.

    ¡°Lanbard must have relinquished our ownership of the land, for this was the first settlement stone of the holding. See, here, you can see its level carved into its surface.¡± The king was pointing at the weird stone Gordo had found in the crypt. ¡°This is now useless to me, as it is bound to you. This is now yours to keep.¡± Gordo saw the unidentified tag disappear, only be replaced with the words Settlement Stone One. Before he could see its description, his sight was obscured with an announcement.

    Congratulations, you have made an achievement. You are the first player to find a Settlement Stone 1. Your rank position has improved.

    Gordo. Level 8. Current standing : 11,653,819 / 31,382,426

    Damn, he thought, and I have been carrying it with me for the last couple of days. At least I don¡¯t need to worry about having it stolen, seeing bound to me. Not wanting to seem rude, he picked it up and put it away without taking a peek at its description, promising himself he would do this later.

    The king picked up the scroll and examined it. ¡°Now this is something interesting.¡± He unrolled it on the table top. ¡°This is a map of the old holdings where he must have taken the stone from, but it doesn¡¯t display where it is, or how anyone could reach it.¡± Gordo looked down at it, now able to see its contents. It showed a finely drawn map of a valley surrounded by mountains, symbols representing the placement of buildings drawn onto it. The map didn¡¯t have any marks to allow anyone to determine the size of the valley, nor any entrance into the valley. The king rolled the scroll up, and handed it to Gordo. ¡°The valley is not for my family anymore, we have found a better home here, in Angelwood. If you can find this place, it would make a good home for the Settlement Stone you now carry. ¡±

    Tam coughed. ¡°¡­ and the sword, my lord, what shall we do about the sword. It is not of any use to you broken.¡±

    The king again looked sadly at it. ¡°Yes, we need to get this remade, but it can not be done here. It was forged with special ores from the mines of the Dark Dwarves in Vol Mahldir, so it must be repaired there as well.¡± His eyes brightened as an idea occurred to him. ¡°The blades repair needs the deed to be performed by one of the house to whom the blade belongs.¡± He looked at Gordo. ¡°You, I have a quest for you.¡±

    You have received a quest

    You have been asked to take the broken blade of the house of Ravenswood to its place of creation, to mine the ores necessary for its repair and to make it whole once again. Return it whole to the King of Angelwood for your reward. If you take this quest, you will instantly receive the title of Squire of the House of Ravenswood and ownership of a residence within Angelwood

    Requirements : You must be a member of the House of Ravenswood, have a Crafting Skill Level of at least 20, Mining Skill Level 10 and Geologist Skill Level 10

    Rewards: Knighthood, access to the Royal Library, Money, Experience

    Penalties : Expulsion from the house of Ravenswood, Loss of reputation with the house of Ravenswood, Banishment from all lands controlled by the house of Ravenswood, Loss of all titles.

    Time Requirement : You have until the start of the Solar Eclipse.

    Will you accept this Quest ?

    Yes No

    Gordo was overcome with utter amazement at this quest offer. Not only would he gaining a noble title, he could also gain his own house here in the city. The requirements of the quest worried him a little, for it looks like he would need to spend a lot of time concentrating on skills that wouldn¡¯t assist his combat capabilities. He wasn¡¯t conversant with the general skills in the game, nor how to gain them. He thought about it, but not for long, the offer was just too good to refuse. He selected Yes.

    Congratulations, you have made an achievement. You are the first player to receive a title. Your rank position has improved.

    Gordo. Level 8. Current standing : 11,156,845 / 31,382,589

    Congratulations, you have made an achievement. You are the first player to own a residence in Angelwood. Your rank position has improved.

    Gordo. Level 8. Current standing : 10,725,845 / 31,382,595

    Gordo¡¯s grinned at this munificence that had landed in his lap. All he had to do now was work out how to gain the skills and find the dwarvern city of Vol Mahldir.

    End of part one.

    This is not the end of the book

 Chapter Twenty Four

    Part Two

    Gordo sat in an ornate chair, his feet propped up on the table top in front of him. It had been three days since the king had granted him his squireship, and that quest. After departing the castle, he had travelled to the residence the king had granted him, expecting to find a small house or cottage, but upon arriving at the address. He was greeted with a set of ornate, wrought iron gates, locked from the inside. Peering through him, he could see the ¡®residence¡¯ that was his.

    The king hadn¡¯t stinted with his gift, for across an expanse of finely maintained lawn on the other side of the gates, stood a large manor house, its balconied windows dark. At first Gordo thought he had come to the wrong address, but on rechecking, found this was exactly the right place. As he had not been given any keys to enter this place, and no one seemed to be around to let him in, he was baffled on how to go about getting in. He had finally decided that the only thing he could do was to climb over the gates, but as he had placed one hand on them, they opened up for him, then closed once he had passed through them.

    It was the same deal with the front door to the manor house, all he had to do was place his hand on it The interior of the house was dark and dusty, looking like it had been closed up for a long period of time, the furniture draped with protective dustsheets. Gordo had spent a good hour wandering around the place, inspecting all the rooms on both floors with one of his torches held aloft. The second floor consisted of six palatial bedrooms, each with its own four posted bed. He had chosen the largest of these, and had stripped the protective layers off everything before jumping onto the king size mattress, sinking deep into its surface.

    The next day he had again wandered the building, this time looking for something to eat, for the hunger debuff was flashing at the bottom of his sight. He had finally located a stairway downwards, and following these entered the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was bestrewn with protective layers of cloth. Not finding anything that could possibly be eaten he had returned upstairs.

    In a room that Gordo thought could be a study, he finally found the controls to the house, the place where he could hire staff to help run the place. It was in the form of a thick leather bound book and sat on the surface of a desk he had uncovered as he walked about. Opening the book brought up a new screen, the house management screen. Locating the page for hiring, he scrolled down to the kitchen staff page and opened it. The list was quite long listing many possible NPCs he could hire to run the kitchen, but the prices were a little beyond his means.

    He sat down and went right though all of the sections for staff employment, checking the prices. If he was to employ the minimum staff needed to run a place like this, he would be broke in a week, and that would be if he employed only the cheapest available. The king may have given him a wonderful house, but the upkeep costs were a real problem, he needed money quick and fast.

    In the three days he had been here in the house, he had yet to devise a plan to gain the necessary money. He had spent some time wandering about the city, selling the gemstones he had acquired, withdrawing one hundred gold into his game account, gaining ten real dollars. His first purchase had been the gamepack containing the automap, forum and auction features for five dollars, allowing him to see the minute part of the map that he had already travelled.

    He had also located the Mage guild during his exploration, and had applied for membership, but was rejected as he didn¡¯t meet the minimum requirements to join. He had already raised his intelligence to six by applying the two attribute points he had spare, but was annoyed when he was informed he needed a minimum Intelligence of ten to apply.

    The city was remarkably quiet and empty, with most players out dealing with the zombie plague, which seemed to be almost impossible to eradicate. Complaints to the admins by a lot of players had resulted in the same message each time. The zombie plague is an issue that is beyond our control. If you wish to stop the plague, then destroy all affected creatures, NPCs and players. Unfortunately, while all the other affected beings lost the plague when killed, the affected players kept it alive as being killed did not remove the plague. Some affected players tried their best to avoid passing it on, but there were those who were malicious enough to seek out victims, just to keep it going, as well as to gain the experience benefit.

    Nobody was travelling to instances, or seeking out lairs and dungeons anymore, they were farming the zombies, enriching themselves on the kings bounty. This plague was proving detrimental to the game, and for some reason to Gordo, he thought the admins were totally helpless to do anything about it. Players had even tried logging out and waiting for the twelve hour infection period to pass before logging back on, but only found out that the counter stopped when leaving the game, and restarted when rejoining.

    Gordo had even joined a large hunting party, and had managed to dispatch a few creatures and NPCs before the party was forced to withdraw from a concerted attack by infected players wanting to cause strife, with only half the party escaping unharmed. Gordo still had the five vials of zombie blood in his inventory, yet to cash them in for the 5 gold reward per vial.

    His interest at this time was trying to locate a way of getting the skills he required. He had found the miners guild, a little building stuck away in a corner of the city and purchased the skill, he found he didn¡¯t need membership, but had to get evaluated by the guild every ten levels. The geologist was easy, for the Miners Guild employed a number of NPCs with this skill, and he managed to pay one of them to teach geology to him. It hadn¡¯t been cheap, with both the Mining Skill and the Geologist Skills costing him two hundred gold in total. He had asked about the Crafting Skill, but no one there knew of anyone who could teach it to him, and hadn¡¯t heard of a crafter living within the city walls. It was a rare skill, they explained, and those that knew it usually kept the secret to themselves.

    He had asked around among those occupations that crafted, like the local blacksmiths and potters, but none of these could help him, explaining that their skills, just like the weavers and carpenters, were specialized to one small part of the crafting ability. They could teach him their small part, but he would need a general crafter, a master of all the subclasses of crafting, to teach him the skill he required.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    He had even scoured the forums, looking for any information that other players may have posted about crafting, but his search found very little. All mention of crafting was to do with specific sub skills, like those he had already tried, with not a mention at all about the general crafting skill at, another indication he was going to find this extremely difficult to finrd.

    Feeling a little depressed at how hard the task was proving to be, considering he still needed to level up the skills as well, he decided he needed a break, He hadn¡¯t visited the Broken Sword since the night he had met the king, so made his way down to the tavern.

    The place was exactly the same as the last time he was here, the barkeep even gave him a nod and poured him a mug of ale without being asked to, the perky barmaid that had caught his eye slipping him a familiar wink, just like she had always done when he was here. Gordo flipped a couple of coins onto the bar, took his drink and retired to a table in the corner.

    Sitting there, quaffing on his brew, he cast an eye around the room, at the other patrons. It was half full, a surprising amount considering the zombie hunt going on outside. Another thing caught his attention, this being how quiet the room was. Normally the room would be buzzing, full of players talking loudly so they could be heard over the noise of their fellow drinkers,, but today everyone seemed to be subdued and, their voices barely louder than a whisper as they hunched over their drinks. Somethings going on here, he thought, and I¡¯m not in the loop.

    His pretty barmaid walked past, holding a couple of empty mugs, her generous hips swaying. Gordo reached up and gently grabbed her by the elbow, stopping her in her tracks. She looked at him, her eyes enquiring, a small smile on her lips. ¡°Yes, squire, can I get anything for you ?¡± giving him a playful wink.

    He gulped at this suggestive act, feeling a little uncomfortable. These barmaids were not called the untouchables for nothing, they looked pretty, and made for pleasant eye candy, but they were game scenery, pleasant looking, but not for touching. Many players had learnt the hard way not to touch. ¡°Yes please, do you mind if I ask you a few questions ?¡± Then he realized he was still holding her arm, feeling its warmth and smoothness. Without realizing it, he started to lightly stroke his fingers down her arm. Suddenly seeing what he was doing, and embarrassed by his own thoughts, he quickly let go of her arm, fearing the wrath that he expected his actions to bring down upon him, much like it had happened to all the other players.

    The barmaid smile only became wider, and she licked her lips, moistening them, confusing Gordo. She looked over towards the bar, her head cocked to one side, seeing the barman nod to her. ¡±Sure I can, squire, ask what you wish and I will answer as best I can.¡± She placed the empties she carried down on the table next to Gordo¡¯s, then proceeded to take the seat opposite him.

    There was the sudden sound of inhalation, as if everyone in the room breathed in at once, and a sole muffled voice saying ¡°What the fuck.¡± He looked away from the girl in front of him, only to see every eye on him, shock and surprise on every face. Even Gordo was a little shocked at her actions, for he suddenly remembered the manual had stated quite clearly not to interfere with NPC barmaids, they were there only to serve the tables, and were not there for players entertainment, or to answer questions. He had forgotten this when he had spoken to her. He could see the camera icon above most players heads, flashing on and off as they took pictures.

    As the ,manual memories returned to him, he suddenly found his mouth dry, and unsure of what he should say to her, so he quickly took a drink to give himself time to settle down, as well as time to think. Putting the mug back down, he asked the first question that popped into his head. ¡°Ummm¡­ What¡¯s your name ?¡± Oh god, he thought, how lame did that sound.

    Her smile just grew even wider, and she placed one of her hands on top of his, then leant forward to answer ¡°Melaine,¡± she answered, but Gordo didn¡¯t hear her, his eyes fixed on the expanse of flesh that she was putting on display.

    He finally pulled his gaze away from her chest, and looked up to see a pair of green eyes watching him. ¡°Uh¡­ what ?¡± he stammered, face reddening at being caught.

    ¡°Melaine, my name is Melaine, squire.¡± She replied, her amusement at Gordo¡¯s embarrassment quite clear. The muttering in the room around them becoming louder

    ¡°Why do you keep calling me squire, Melaine, my name is Gordo, just call me Gordo, please.¡±

    ¡°Nay, you are a squire of the kings, and that makes you a member of his household. By royal decree, we must call you by your title¡­.. squire¡± Gordo could see she found this sofunny, ¡°Is that all you wanted to ask me¡­.. squire. She leant forward even more, making his eyes flash back downwards.

    ¡°No, I wanted to ask you, why it was so quiet in the room, normally the place is full of noise. ? What¡¯s going on ?¡± Knowing he was going to regret this, he turned in his chair so he could look out into the room instead of looking directly at her, hoping that this would help him keep his mind, and eyes, off her .. assets.

    She laughed, the sound of it seeming much louder of the quietness in the rest of the room. ¡±It¡¯s you, squire Gordo, you are responsible for the silence. It was noisy enough before you entered. You are the first squire this kingdom has seen in many years.¡±

    His eyebrows rose at this, surprised. Yes, it was a great honor, but really, it didn¡¯t mean anything at all, not to him anyway. ¡°Oh, well maybe you can help me with another problem I am having. I need to find a crafter to help me with a quest for the king, do you know where I can find one ?¡±

    She pouted at him, then thought. ¡°There are no crafters in the city, but I have heard there may be one in a small village to the south. I think the village is called Stonegate.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Melaine, that¡¯s just what I needed to know.¡± The news cheered him up, this was the first solid lead he had received. Melaine got up from the chair and retrieved her empty mugs. This reminded him of his own drink, so he took a sip from it, only to be interrupted by Melaine as she turned back to him.

    ¡°I can be yours for fifty gold, squire.¡± she said unexpectedly, then gave him another wink

    ¡°What ?¡± Gordo replied in shock, not believing what he had just heard.

    ¡°Fifty gold, squire, I can work for you for fifty gold a month. I hear you are looking for servants for the manor.¡± From her smile, he knew she had purposely said it wrong the first time, knowing exactly how he would have taken it.

    He scowled at her, keeping his amusement at her trick to himself. Fifty gold a month was a bargain, the lowest he had seen in the house management section was one hundred gold a month, and that was for an inexperienced maid. He would have to take her offer seriously, plus it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have something around the house that he could admire.

    Tomorrow, he thought, I will have to find some players to help me with the zombies if I am to get to this village.