“Georg you got in? I got into the Beta they say it’s going live in a half an hour. You downloaded it yet?” Jasper was calling Georg with his wrist-phone. His VR helmet was laying on his bed, all wired up, the red light were blinking already. “Yo Jasper, yeah man I’m in we’re really lucky to both be in the Beta. You already linked up? I’m preparing my helmet for a three hour dive, you?” Georgs voice sounded a bit raspy on the phone.
“I’m going in a minute, I’m going for a four our dive, my helmet has been ready for a while now. See you later man, goodluck with the Kanuri.” Jasper hung up his phone, after Georg too said his goodbye. He took his helmet put it on, sat back in the chair. As the screen lit up, he navigated to the gaming sub-section and selected the new icon of A New Kingdom II, it looked like a king playing a game of chess in the middle ages.
Jasper clicked it and the screen went black, The loading screen popped up and the as the music hyped up, the title screen came in to view. Jasper navigated to the menu and selected the Beta. In the description it said that the game would be between ten online Beta testers, were every race could kill or trade with each other. Jasper was looking at the starter map or the Hauda, the description of the race in the game said nothing extra, just that there were some hidden bonuses to all the races. “So the your starting place also depends on your starting race, makes sense. But what if all the players choose the same race?”
The map looked a bit like the Scandinavian Isles but a lot bigger. And Denmark was a combination of dessert and pacific isles. “Humm.. I think the South-West of the Norway would make the most sense. Sea, jungle and a bit of dessert in the south, the normal mountain range seems to be replaced by a massive wall of mountains and volcanoes.
Yeah South-West seems to be the place.” Jasper clicked on the tile which was positioned in the South-West, as he did the screen went back to black and as the light came back he opened his eyes and saw the inside of a small hut. “Wow, it looks so real. I’m always so surprised by the realism of these games.”
Jasper was looking around the hut it was a hut made from palm leaves woven together, and supporting beams made out of the most straight wooden branches. It was in the form of a circle with a round pyramide as roof. There were hides, presumably goats, as a bed. It felt really life like.
The room wasn’t very big max like three meter in diameters. As Jasper stopped looking at the room, he noticed the sound from the outside. As he walked to the improvised curtain, and walked past it, he was welcomed by a cacophony of sound from around thirty people from all ages, they all looked a bit dark skinned and all wore animal skins.
The woman were wearing some sort of necklaces made with tooth of some kind of predator, around seven men were dressed in loincloths and were carrying makeshift spears. The biggest warrior Jasper saw wore a gigantic jawbone around his neck.
The tooth were at least ten centimeters, he was wearing some very colourful feathers on his armband. As Jasper walked around the village he noticed his own skin had also changed. The village had around five huts, including the one he had come out. As he walked around some of the kids ran up to him, but before he could even react one of the womens, who was by the skinning rack a few meters away, had already caught up to them. She was so fast Jasper barely had any time to blink before she had moved te distance. “So they were fast just as the description had said but what is there maximum speed? Can you improve it by training or is it determined at birth? If they are this fast how good are they at crafting? What should I do first?”
Jasper walked to what seemed to be the middle of the village. It seemed that the village sustained itself by hunting the surrounding animals and gathering from the jungle surrounding the village. The thick jungle surrounded the village at three sides and a small creek was located at the other side. It was small not even a meter wide and maybe 30 centimeters deep at best, but the water was clear and seemed to be clean, the current was strong to prevent leechers. Behind the creek the jungle lessened and you could see through it much better.
Jasper also saw at least three skinning racks with skins already processing, the women who were working on them seemed skilled and practiced. He walked to the creek, the water was cold and he could see some small fishes. “Well I should probably go manage this village. But where is the chiefs hut? Is there some kind of totem or shrine?” Jasper walked to the nearest warrior of his tribe, the men had no fat, he looked actually rather skinny, his eyes were both green and his nose was rather big and pointed down. The man looked up as Jasper approached. He repositioned his spear and back to look straighter, in some kind of salute. “Well great warrior can you tell me where the chiefs hut is?” The warrior didn’t answer but just bowed down. Jasper looked down at him in surprise and signaled him to stand back up. “Where is the chiefs hut, warrior?” Jasper repeated the question but with more authority it seemed the warrior had great respect for him, so maybe he would listen better to some authority.“Hut, in middle, greatest Chieftain.” The warrior pointed to the hut I had woken up from. “Oh I hadn’t noticed the skull before, it’s very large don’t you think? But where is my management totem? It should be around there?!” The warrior didn’t respond he just nodded, Jasper walked to the hut, He opened the door and where the bed used to stand now stood a small totem. The totem was made out of wood it looked like a bird on top of a jaguar with its jaw wide open. The bird spread it wings so it looked like it took the jaguars head with it. The jaguars eyes were replaced with red rubies, I walked towards it and as Jaspers hand touched the totem. A green screen popped up:
Welcome Chieftain,
This is your village now. Rule this village with cunning, strategy and your gut.
Your starter tribe is the Hauda: a small, dexterous, and fast people. Some say with the blood of the wolves, they make excellent hunters and crafters. Your village has 30 people total.
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You have 50 gold left. You can only use the shop to level tribe.
Shop
Trade
War
Village improvements
Known map
Decisions
Jasper clicked the shop button. The screen changed to a long list with almost everything greyed out, he clicked on the filter option to only view tribe level purchases. The list shortened to only five things:
Stone tools; Hoe 5g, Pickaxe 15g, Axe 5g, Spear 7g, Knife 7g, Club 12g.
Huts; Wooden 17g, Straw 7g, Stone 25g.
Animals; 5 Goats 20g, 3 Cows 18g, 5 Sheep 15g, 2 Bulls 16g, 2 Rams, 12g, 10
Rabbits 25g, 5 Chickens 18g, 3 Donkeys 40g, 3 Horses 50g, 2 Dogs 20 g.
Plants; 0,5 kilo Wheat seeds 24g, 0,5 kilo Corn seeds 26g, 0,2 kilo banana
seeds 30g.
Miscellaneous; 5 Straw baskets 10g, 5 Skinning racks 10g, 1 Pottery wheel
15g,
3 Fishing nets 9g, 1 m^3 Copper vein 35g, 1 m^3 Tin vein 35g, 1 Small
Furnace
75g, 1 Small shrine token 100g, 1 Market place 150g.
“Well that seems all very expensive. And how do I get any gold? I should probably make most things myself. I mean the tools could probably be produced by my own village.”
Jasper quickly skimmed through the rest of the options, trade, war, known map and village improvement were self-explanatory. Decisions was the tab for all the important dilemmas and questions you had to make after a while. Jasper went outside his hut, and went to the elder male he had found in front of the skinning huts.
Jasper thought the man must know something about progressing the village. The old man was chewing on a bone, Jasper touched the man's shoulder, after he didn’t react to Jasper approach. “Ah you be Chieftain! I be old chieftain, you talked to Spirits? They be in Chieftain hut, we build shrine to them.”
The old men missed a few teeth and his arms were covered in scars, his smile was oddly charming though. He had tied his black hair in some kind of ponytail with a grass leave. He was the only men wearing some kind of chest clothing.
“I found the totem yeah, these spirits you mentioned, who are they?” Jasper sat on the ground besides the old man. “Spirits be around us, in river, in trees, in mountains, in plants, in humans, in animals, in fire, in wind, in earth. They talk to us, and give us gifts, if we offer.” As the old man talked he pointed all around him, his hands shaking from the small movement.
Jasper thanked the old man, walked away and walked to the middle of the village again. “Chieftain! An enemy tribe has found us. They will probably attack soon we must protect the village.”
It all starts with war.
Your first quest has been issued.
Protect the village, a minimum of 15 villagers
have to survive.
You will be awarded with 25g and 5 tribesmen.
The warrior of our tribe was walking towards the middle of the village. He didn’t seemed to surprised by the attack of the enemy tribe. “So this is the scripted event to start if it off.” Doesn’t seems to mysterious. But only 15 have to survive? Isn’t that a bit to hard? How do I prepare for this? I didn’t see a fortify or Fort in the option in the menu.”
Jasper turned to his warriors: “Prepare the defenses and prepare to fight.” Have spearmen in the front and men with clubs behind to finish the job. The woman and kids will hide, and the brave woman who can handle a slinger will do so. They will stand behind the clubmen and will sling if there is a opening.”
The warriors gathered their weapons and took their places. They blocked of the northern opening, because there was the enemy warrior found. “Chieftain I see an enemy warrior, they are coming.” The same warrior who reported the first sighting shouted again as he pointed towards the jungle. “Oha, Oha, Oha, Oha.” Out of the jungle there came screams and shouts. Ten men came out running some with spears and others with clubs.
They wore teeth around their necks and the biggest was wearing a crown of tree branches. “Surrender your woman!” The crowned men shouted out as he walked into our clearing.
“We will never surrender fight men we can take them, they are not stronger than us.” Our warriors were pumped and screamed their war cry’s. THe enemy warriors just ran like mad dogs towards us. The spear warriors of the village stood their ground and let the enemy ran themselves on the spears, one or two broke and the enemy warriors didn’t slow down with the spears in their arms or bellie’s. The club warriors ran forward while the slinger team got some shots off. One guy fell down as a rock hit his head the rest got bruised and cuts from the rocks.
As the club guys slammed down with their clubs the enemy started to scream their war cry again. Two of the spear warriors fell to the captain and two others too the other warriors. The enemy was down to three warriors and the captain.
The warriors of the village slowly surrounded them, and started killing them one by one, till only the captain was left. They captured him with and hold him down with some improvised ropes and threatened him with spears and knives.
“Great Chieftain! What should we do with this great warrior? You should ask the spirits, oh Great Chieftain.” The announcer warrior yelled this as soon as the fight was over. Jaspers walked to the Chieftains hut and went inside to talk to the spirits.“
It’s probably something like kill him, eat him or enslave him, I mean those were the only options back then right?”