Welcome to your ATLAS Capsule!
Your current Time is 5:01 pm UTC+10
Game Opens at 6:00 pm UTC+10
One thing I am glad for is that it’s an Australian based company. While it’s supposed to be following the Canberra time zone, Melbourne is also within it which makes keeping track so much easier. As this was the first time I used my capsule, I wasn’t quite used to the feeling of actually being within a game or virtual world with a screen? Box? Notification? Appear before my eyes without it being part of a digital display.
As this is your first time using a capsule, please try closing the windows with your intent. If this proves difficult, verbal or somatic controls are possible.
Following instructions and finding it very easy to do so, I close the ‘windows.’ I take a look around at my surroundings and find a bleak white room, with corners and edges marked by light grey lines. Standing in the centre, I estimate it to be a ten by ten-meter room. Most notably are two doors and apparent mailbox on the wall I appeared facing. One door blocked by chains with a padlock that has a countdown on it: [0:59 / 23:55]. It also has a sign displaying the name [ATLAS Online]. The door next to it has a sign with [Guild Hall: None] and looks decorative or fake rather than a real door. Both are white with four panels. The mailbox has a floating [!] above it, which I take to mean I have a message of some sort. While I don’t recall it being there when I logged in, I may have been distracted by the windows. Opening the mailbox and finding a letter with a stamp on it, addressed to me, I open it.
G’day Harvey!
If you’re reading this I assume you’re in the capsule. Bit of a pain how we don’t have a friends list, but hopefully the guild has something for that. Speaking of which, I formally invite you to join the Guild: ‘Army of the Delusional.’
Hopefully that worked, no idea how the system does these things, I was just told to write a letter to invite you. Anyway, as soon as you can please accept then come on over to the guild hall. Supposed to be better than our individual rooms, and socialising is always fun.
See you soon!
Coops
Just after reading the letter a window appeared, blocking my view, with another just below.
Join Guild?
[Army of the Delusional]
As you managed the windows before with intent, try the same again. A thought with the idea similar to ‘yes’ will accept, ‘no’ will refuse, and anything that comes between tolerances will just hide the message until you have decided.
This came harder, as thinking with intent rather than idly and without imagining the end result was difficult, but I managed. Upon doing so the [Guild Hall: None] changed to [Guild Hall: Army of the Delusional] and the door seemed more real.
Having nothing else of interest here I opened the door to find myself looking at what reminded me of a medieval tavern or Inn. Faced with rough stone walls and timber supports, a thatch looking roof and a narrow corridor, I exit what would be my room. The door shuts behind me, and I take note of the number. Three. That probably means two others joined before me. Whether that includes the guild master or not, I cannot say.
On both ends of the corridor are a set of double doors, old wooden looking things. As the ones on the right are shut and probably locked, I head through the ones on the left. What greets me is a fire with benches around it, and further back a large table with what looks like ten seats. Simple stools but seats nonetheless. A chained double door to the right of the fire, an open double door to the left leading to what seems like outside, and further back by the table is an open single door. Sitting on one of the benches is my friend Freya. Red hair braided behind her, her green eyes light up as she stands to greet me. Standing at just under 5’6 she’s shorter than my 5’9 but not terribly so. A quick hug and exchange of pleasantries before she tells me Cooper is waiting in the kitchen for me. Seeing my confusion, she points to the far door.
Stepping through I am met with a medieval kitchen which is no surprise. Cooper is there frying some eggs. Almost six foot and thin, with blonde hair and grey eyes, he’s not dissimilar to the stereotypical Australian. The problem being his ponytail. Noticing me in the doorway he turns his attention away from the eggs and greets me with a handshake. “Good to see you again, glad you’re here early. I’m sure you saw Freya, she’s just going through some information about the game, and I’d recommend you do so too. There’ll be a trainer coming in less than an hour, so tell me what skill you’d like to learn. Also doing some cooking, so can’t chat long.” He says without pausing for breath.
“Woah slow down. Great to see you too.” I respond.
“Sorry, just so excited! Still what skill would you like?”
“Yeah so am I. Not sure, what would be useful? It’s not like a normal game is it.”
“Well I’m looking into alchemy. It depends on what playstyle you want.”
“Some kind of warrior or fighter I guess. Might go with sword skills?”
“Okay, do you want general swordsmanship, a specific type of sword or ability?”
“I’ll go for general, not a lot of experience.”
“Well it’s settled. Go sit with Freya and ask the system for information on stuff. It’s a bit limited but it can help. Oh also, do you want a medieval theme for your room or just leave it default? Normally costs extra or has to be unlocked, but I got this as a bonus.”
“Yeah that’d be nice, thanks. Alright I’ll go do that.”
“Edward also logged in briefly, but he left. Will be back later. I think he was going to do archery for his training.”
Room Changed to theme: [Medieval Tavern]
With a grunt of acknowledgement, I left, giving him a short wave. Making my way to the fire and sitting on a bench opposite Freya, she gave a small smile before returning to looking through what I assume were windows.
Intending to do the same, I try willing a typical ‘Status’ screen into being, with mixed results.
Player:
Harvey Palmer
Username:
[Not Set]
Guild:
[Army of the Delusional]
Affiliations:
[None]
Titles:
Active:
[None]
Inheritances:
Individual:
[None]
Inactive:
[None]
Guild:
[None]
Attributes:
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
[None Unlocked]
Skills:
[None Unlocked]
Not really knowing how the system works, especially with the differences between this and other games I try asking for information mentally, starting with [Player]. Simply put it’s me, who the account and capsule is registered to. [Username] is changeable and the name you go by in game. Recommended to be something similar to a name, and changeable each death. Prompted to set mine, I put in [Rayth] for my first life. Oddly it told me I hadn’t earned a last name when I tried, and apparently neither had I earned middle names.
Moving on to [Titles], they are earned or awarded by actions done in game. Pretty standard, but they seem to be harder to achieve than other games and give substantial bonuses when active or inactive. Of course there can be negatives too. [Inheritances] are interesting, as there are two methods to gain them. Either someone recognises you as worthy and gives you their inheritance, be it in the form of a soulbound object to anything that can affect the rest of your status such as a skill, attribute or title. There’s also a difference between guild and individual, as you may gain a powerful weapon that you donate to the guild, which allows everyone in the guild that meets specific requirements to have a lesser version of it. The requirements are given by an easier set of requirements similar to those given by the inheritance itself, and others can be set by guild leaders.
[Attributes], different to other games, are not an inherent part of your character. Instead they must be unlocked and provide a large bonus accordingly. An example is [Strength] or [Str] which gives a percentage bonus to force exerted by the body. Of course I don’t have any, as the game hasn’t even begun yet.
[Skills] are also interesting, in that they aren’t recognised by the system unless a system approved trainer unlocks it or something else grants it. They also improve performance for everything the skill entails, though no examples are given.
[Guild] is self explanatory, while [Affiliations] are notable relations with entities within the currently accessible realms. Be it large factions or individuals, though depending on size the minimum threshold is adjusted. Such as a world spanning empire is always known, while an individual of no real prominence has to have a very high deviation from the general public’s views. There is some leeway, and you can unlock a way to know what someone thinks of you even if not very different from public.
I try looking for other things, such as inventory, friends list, guild info, messages, options, and anything I could think of. Inventory showed a window telling me that there isn’t one in this game, so did friends list and messages. Options gave standard controls for window opacity, notification settings, general audio controls, sensations as a general option as well as sunsets of pain, heat and others. Default is 50%, but to try and experience the game properly I set it all to 75%. Any higher and you need a psychologist to evaluate your mental state.
Guild info told me who was in the guild so far, a brief description, the guild master and an empty section for realms accessible.
Guild: [Army of the Delusional]
Guild Master:
Cooper Mussett [Jaguardo]
Current Members: [5/10]
[Spreest]
[Behemote]
[Rayth]
[HappyPug]
[PartyPirate]
-
-
-
Accessible Realms:
Unlocked in [23:14]
I found I couldn’t get any more information about the guild members without directly asking them, at which point information may appear in the window.
I realised that about half an hour had passed from messing around with the system. In my opinion, time well spent. However I had only another 15 minutes before the trainer arrived. Some time during my investigation Freya had disappeared from opposite me, though how I hadn’t noticed her absence puzzled me slightly. I also figured that in the past 2 or so real life minutes everyone had logged in at least once.
Not seeing anyone else in the ‘main room’ I went into the kitchen, and found that was empty too. There was another door on the other side I decided to go through. Inside it was what appeared to be a storeroom, although all the crates, barrels and shelves seemed to be empty. In the far right corner there was a hidden staircase down that was revealed by barrels and crates having been pushed aside with the covering pushed open. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to investigate.
Descending, I found an almost empty stone room. Each wall had small alcoves spaced evenly apart. Standing in the centre with his back to the stairs was Cooper, or Jaguardo. Turning to me after another moment of apparent contemplation, he speaks up, “The artefact room, or so it’s supposed to be. They can give bonuses to the guild. Someday we’ll have too many to use. Anyway, trainers will be here in a few minutes, yours will show up in the yard. Freya, Edward and Archie will be out there with you.”
“Alright, sounds good. Then we head into the realm right?”
“Yeah. Best get out there now.” He says, seemingly ending the conversation there. Rather than press him I turn and leave. In the storeroom I see the other door I hadn’t looked at yet, leading to what I assume is the yard. Walking through, I see a two meter tall wall surrounding a relatively large area. The wall itself looks like stones and rocks piled up neatly, with some kind of adherent between them. The yard though, is an open area filled only with grass. The three I expected to be out here are, sitting down leaning against the wall to my left, no one talking. While odd, I see no need to change the situation so sit down next to them and wait.
The waiting doesn’t last long before four pillars of light appear in the middle of the yard. Each slightly different to the other. The one furthest to the right is almost pure white. To the left of that is one tinted ever so slightly green, then one with a slight grey colouration, and the final pillar a swirling mix of greys, blues, yellows and whites. Each are approximately two times the width and height of a regular person.
It only takes a few moments to fade, during which the silhouettes of people can be seen in each. The right has a man in what looks like leather armour, carrying two swords. To the left is someone similar, just a tad shorter and with bows and arrows instead of swords. Then there’s a man in what looks like a cloak with regular, albeit medieval, clothes. Knives, or I suppose daggers, attached to his body in all manner of places, and carrying even more. The last man has a robe and two staves. One is obviously lower quality than the other.
Assuming these to be our trainers, we each stand up and go to greet the ones we think are ours. As I get closer to the man with swords, he casually throws one towards me. I barely manage to catch it, but in doing so I cut my left hand, while my right managed to wrap itself around the handle.
“tch, would have preferred you dropped that. Could have called this off right away. First lesson, don’t touch the blade unless you really need to. Evidently you have little to no experience.” He says upon seeing my actions.
“Uh yes sir, first time touching one.” I say, comparing the life-like sensations to previous games in my mind. “Are you to be my trainer then?”
“Yes, ATLAS has roped me in to teach whelps like you. Anyway, that sword is for your training. We’ll start by going over stances, then footwork before going into actual swordplay. That sword is approximately average in all aspects, be it weight, size, shape and so on.”
And we did as he said, for what felt like days with no breaks we trained. Occasionally I would glance at the others and find them enjoying a similar treatment with their different weapons. Or magic in the case of Archie. The odd thing was that everything seemed to integrate into my knowledge and experience very fluidly, with mistakes never being made twice. Eventually the last half an hour came, and with it a test.
“Well boy, time to show me if you deserve the system skill or not. Half an hour to fight me, if you manage to touch me you’ll get it.”
And so, we fought. I at my full capacity, him with a bored look on his face. Many of my attempted strikes were simply dodged, a few were parried and only one was blocked outright. We went at it for the full 25 minutes, and as we did so I gradually got more used to moving in the way I was just taught, yet I never managed to land a hit on him. When he called time, I was soaked with sweat and almost ready to collapse after the almost 23 hours of work.
“Congratulations. You’re not quite a master, but better then most I’ve trained for only this short amount of time. Although you didn’t manage to touch me, causing me to block your strike is impressive enough. I think you’ve passed for tier one of the skill. I’ll also give you a little something for encouragement.”
Before I could thank him, or have any kind of emotional reaction to the past 23 hours of essentially torture, another pillar of light, exactly the same as the one he appeared in, enveloped him then he was gone when it disappeared. Any further contemplation was prevented by the appearance of two system windows.
Congratulations! Training and Trial Passed!
Skill unlocked:
[Swordsmanship (1)]
Congratulations! [Individual] Inheritance Unlocked!
Unlock Conditions:
Impress [REDACTED] with your abilities
[Further Information Available]
Inheritance Earned:
[Minor Swordsman Boon: Blade]
[Further Information Available]
Immediately I try to uncover more information, starting with the skill.
Skill: [Swordsmanship (1)]
Grants an increased capability of learning and performing related actions up to and including your tier (1). As a general skill, has a much-reduced effect.
While vague, it does give an idea of what it is. The ability to increase learning is a bit odd, but welcome nonetheless.
Inheritance: [Minor Swordsman Boon: Blade] Unlock Conditions
Impress [Redacted] while he trains you. This was done by not stopping for a break, persisting in the face of impossible odds through exhaustion and general aptitude for the skill.
Inheritance: [Minor Swordsman Boon: Blade]
Allows the player to have a free Low-tier blade each incarnation. Should the blade be lost without a player death, [1] ATLAS Coin may be expended to retrieve it. This is unique to you.
Upon death, should the blade not be claimed by a new wielder within [12] hours, the blade will dissipate. This will occur each time the new wielder is killed, or separated from the blade for [12] hours.
~You’ve got the potential to go far kid. Don’t disappoint me.~
Upgradeable: Conditions Hidden
Considering the implications, and checking that it is indeed reflected in my status, I stand there for a few minutes before being interrupted by Freya.
“Hey, the realm opens in another minute, you joining us?”
“Huh, yeah I’ll be right there.” I responded, before turning around walking with her to the main room. Upon reaching it, I see the chained double doors shaking slightly, with a small countdown on it displaying [0:0:13]. Assuming that to be when the doors open, we rush over. Everyone else is already there waiting.
Soon enough the countdown ends, the chains fall off and the doors open, showing a swirling vision of blues, purples and blacks. Everyone essentially runs through, eager to find what’s on the other side, and start what will hopefully be the adventure of a lifetime.