When I came back to myself, I could still see the symbol I’d written, burning in the back of my mind like a brand. The memory of what I’d just experienced was already fading. It was like a dream I’d just woken up from, and I was left grasping at fragments.
Slowly I became aware that System was still talking, and I tuned back in just in time to catch the end of it.
“... and join me in welcoming our newest petitioner.”
Light applause rang out from the audience as people of all shapes and sizes politely clapped. Nobody seemed to have noticed the ordeal I’d just gone through, and I began to wonder if I’d imagined it all. Then I realized that at some point I’d sat down in the chair I’d stolen from System’s waiting room.
Speaking in a quieter voice, System addressed the woman at his side. “I leave him in your hands.” He glanced in my direction, “Be careful with this one, he has a devilish mind.”
Then the elderly man turned on his heel and walked back the way he’d come in, drawing the large stone doors closed behind him as he made his exit.
I examined the woman as she turned to face me. I had already made the connection that this must be Valera, the goddess who spoke to me in the intro cutscene. Either that, or this game had a lower budget for voice actors than I’d be willing to countenance.
System was obviously some sort of personification of the game’s AI controller, but neither he nor Valera seemed particularly godlike, unlike many of the figures I could see in the amphitheater's stands.
Valera was taller than most women, but that was the only thing that set her apart. Her hair was a plain shade of brown, and she had it tied up neatly into a short ponytail. Her clothes consisted of well-made fabric and leather. They looked almost like medieval biker gear. Her shoes were straight up modern hiking boots, they even had a brand logo on the tongue.
Valera noticed me giving her the once over but didn’t comment on it beyond briefly quirking a smile at my obvious confusion.
“I know you have many questions, petitioner. However, there are rules to this process which I must follow. I am the goddess of journeys, and it is my role to guide you through this process, but I may not influence your choices by word nor deed. Do you understand?”
“I, uh… I think so,” I said. “You’re here to help me with character creation.”
Valera nodded. “Now listen closely, these are the things which you may know, and which I am bound to tell you.”
Valera assumed a formal pose, and her eyes took on the far away look of someone reciting from memory.
“Petitioner, this is the Assembly of the Gods. You may select from amongst the members of the assembly one and only one to be your patron. However, for a member to become your patron they in turn must select you, and not all will be easy to convince. You may be required to demonstrate your worthiness to them or show an affinity for their domains.
“Despite the name, not all gathered here are gods, some are what you would think of as forces, or natural powers. Many of these lack all but a rudimentary intellect, yet you may petition them if you wish, and they may accept you and grant you a portion of their power.
“The assembly is ranked in order of investiture. Those closest to the bottom are the most invested in this world, they have spent much of their power and attention in the making and care of this place and its peoples. They have the most to gain and the most to lose.
“Those higher up have each invested some portion of their power or nature into this world but are not as personally linked to it. Those lower down may be able to provide you with more power, but that power often comes at a cost. Those more invested in this world are more likely to be in conflict with each other, and you will inherit their alliances, enmities, and obligations as one of their followers.
“Go now and seek a patron from among the assembly. Return to me when you have made your decision.” Valera gave me a small nod, then took a few steps back, taking up station at the center of the stage.
That was about what I’d been expecting. I was familiar with this sort of mechanic, picking a god to worship would doubtlessly grant me some bonuses and penalties specific to that deity. There would probably also be an atheist or antitheist option as well, with equivalent tradeoffs.
I directed my attention to the stands. I could see stairs that were small enough for a human running up the middle and sides of the amphitheater. Seated on every level were various beings of all shapes and sizes–some looked mostly human while others were unrecognizable as even vaguely humanoid.
Incongruously, many of them seemed to have brought their own seating along with them and had propped up thrones on the stands like some people would bring padded seats to the bleachers at sporting events. I felt a little less awkward about having brought a chair of my own now.
I turned back to look at Valera, she was obviously supposed to be my guide through character creation, but apparently she couldn’t give me advice on who to choose. I wondered what she could tell me then.
“What if I want to change my choice once I see what classes are available? Do I have to pick a patron first?” I asked.
Valera hesitated. “Technically you do not need to select a patron first, however many patrons grant access to unique species and classes that are not otherwise available. Each of the available patrons can tell you what they grant access to if you ask. However, once you pick a patron the choice is final.”
I nodded, that made sense then. It seemed that I’d need to conduct some interviews.
I thanked the goddess for her help and started making my way over to the far end of the first row of seats. I figured I’d work my way around the first row, then take the stairs up and question anyone that looked interesting. There were a staggering number of deities in the stands, so I wasn’t going to interview all of them, but I did want to talk to the bottom row at least.
The first god I approached was the one that resembled a devil. I was curious what this guy’s deal was. His mannerisms and attire were so incongruous to the rest of his appearance that I needed to know more about him. Plus, he’d broken the 4th wall a bit earlier, and seemed to be aware of things I wouldn’t expect an NPC to acknowledge.
The devil stood and offered me a hand as I approached, “Infinity, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am known as The Adversary.”
His name was more like a title, and when he said it I felt a hint of depth to it, similar to what I’d experienced when System announced me, but instead of vast size I got the impression of age. I knew instinctively that it was an old name, ancient beyond my ability to understand.
The feeling faded quickly however, and I tentatively took The Adversary’s hand and shook it. The devil’s grip was firm and completely encompassed my much smaller hand, but it was otherwise a perfectly normal handshake.
After we shook, he sat back down, placing himself closer to eye level with me. He then took out a small ringed notebook and retrieved a pencil from where it was tucked behind his ear before jotting something down at the top of a page.
He looked back up at me and said, “Well done breaking System so quickly. I knew it wouldn’t be long before something like this happened, but I must admit I hadn’t been expecting anything of the sort quite so soon into the launch. If you are up to it, I think you’d make an excellent addition to my team.”
I was a bit taken aback by the blatant recruitment offer and immersion breaking references. “Uh, thanks... Hold on, are you aware that this is a game? It sounds like you are congratulating me for finding a bug.”
The Adversary nodded. “Indeed, I help develop it after all. It’s one of my jobs to encourage others to find bugs and exploits so that they can be fixed. In a larger sense, I and my followers apply pressure to systems to the point of breaking, so that we can discover the hidden weak points and get them taken care of. New worlds like this one are very exciting to work with, and I’m sure there will be many opportunities for advancement if you decide to join my organization.”
My eyes widened at this, “Oh shit, you’re an in-game bug bounty program! That’s genius. You’ll get people to sign up with you and get rewards for finding exploits instead of being punished for it.”
The devil gave me a pointy-toothed grin as he nodded. “Indeed, though the bug bounty program as you called it is only one aspect of my work, and it isn’t reserved to just my followers–after all we want to encourage anyone who finds such a thing to report it, even if they don’t work for me directly. When you enter the world, you’ll find one such token of my appreciation in your possession, even if you choose not to become my follower–though the benefits you receive from it will be greater if you do.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
I was becoming almost giddy with the possibilities here. Normally with a game like this using an exploit would be cause to suspend or even ban your account. Apparently, the developers of this game had taken a hint from their fellows in the security and banking industries and instead offered to pay people who found and reported them.
I liked the touch of having there be an in-game explanation for it. It was a small thing, but little details like that really added to the flavor of the setting.
“That’s awesome,” I told him. “Do you have any restricted character options you grant access to?”
“I do indeed! As one of the prime deities of this world I offer both a unique class and species, as well as several skills that are available only to my followers or those that participate in the bug bounty program.”
The Adversary was now in full sales pitch mode, gesturing animatedly with his pencil. “We’re not allowed to go into details about the mechanics, but I can tell you that my unique class is the Demonologist and my unique species is called Devilkin - it’s thematically similar to what you might call a half-devil.”
“So, is there a difference between demons and devils in this game? What’s a Demonologist do?” I inquired.
The Adversary let out a low, evil sounding chuckle. “Oh, there are differences, but probably not the sort you are thinking of. If you’d like to know more though, you’ll have to find out for yourself, and the fastest way to do that is to join my organization.”
He paused then gave me a knowing smile. “Daemon is spelled with an ‘a’ by the way.”
“Like a background process?” I asked. Daemon was a computer term coined at MIT in the 1960’s referring to an automated long-running background process. It was pronounced the same as demon and was based on an archaic spelling of that word.
The Adversary nodded. “Yes, it’s spelled exactly like that,” he said, giving me a significant look as he did so.
I wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at. Was he trying to hint something to me about how his class worked? I filed it away for the moment.
“What else do you do besides the bug bounties? Valera mentioned something about obligations associated with the prime deities.”
“Ah, yes. Well, as I said my job is to apply pressure to the systems of the world - and not just ‘the System’ we all know and love. That means my followers are tasked with creating scenarios that cause stress on the workings of both nature and society. For example, one of my domains is that of Law, and one of my primary contributions to this world is the laws that govern its reality. Yet laws must constantly be tested and refined, and so many of my followers are lawyers and governors.”
I considered this carefully. “Not to downplay the importance of your work, but I don’t really see myself playing this game to be a lawyer. What kind of stuff might I be doing as an adventurer if you were my patron?”
The devil replied with a genial smile, once again warming up to the sales pitch. “Of course! For the more adventurous sorts we have plenty of activities to keep you interested. I can’t go into details, but I take a very personal role in overseeing the day-to-day work of my church. You can expect to get quests directly from me on a regular basis, both solo and group work will be available. As I detect potential weaknesses in the structure of the world, I’ll send you to investigate the issue and apply pressure as needed so we can see the extent of the problem and provide an incentive for those responsible to fix the issues.”
The Adversary leaned back, adopting a more relaxed posture as he continued. “For some, it’s just a job like any other–something to pay the bills and put food on the table. For others the work is its own reward. In either case I offer excellent rewards for good service, and there will be numerous opportunities for advancement. I’m particularly fond of innovative, self-driven individuals as well, and I allow my people remarkable latitude in the field–if you feel an unconventional solution to a problem is appropriate, I’ll trust your judgment. Fools don’t last long in my service, but the merely competent can go far, and geniuses thrive.”
This guy was almost too much. Everything he was saying was right up my alley, almost tailor made to appeal to my personality. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was talking to a very smooth used car salesman about to earn his quarterly bonus.
I felt like I was racially profiling the guy just for looking like a devil, even though he seemed perfectly reasonable and friendly. Even his name was a reference to, or possibly alias of, the biblical devil–the original big bad evil guy. Why had the developers of this game set up their in-game bug bounty program to be run by the literal devil?
Looking to buy time to think, I threw out another question to keep him talking.
“You mentioned one of your domains is Law. How many domains do you have and what are the others?”
For the first time The Adversary hesitated in replying, and my attention snapped back to him as the silence stretched.
“I have three primary domains... We’re each allowed only the three in which we are supreme in this world, though most of us have some secondary aspects which we share with others.”
He didn’t appear to want to continue, and for the first time his face no longer held a welcoming expression. Instead, he looked as though he’d bitten into something sour and was trying to avoid making a face over it.
“And your domains are?” I prompted.
The Adversary sighed. “This is always a difficult topic. It’s easier to explain after you see my work in action… but I can see you won’t be satisfied with that answer. Very well, my other two domains are Evil and Lies.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re literally just Satan aren’t you?” I looked around at all the other figures in the stands with new eyes, looking for familiar faces. “Did the devs just lift mythological figures from a bunch of different real religions and use them to fill out their pantheon?”
“Infinity, please. I’m much older than Satan, he’s one of my best employees actually–though a little too good at his job if I’m being honest. I know the whole ‘Father of Lies’ and ‘Dark Lord of Evil’ tropes follow me around, but the reality is much less interesting,” he said.
“It’s my job to break things, and in doing so I make them stronger. I’ve had a hand in the creation and management of every successful world, and I’ve been perfecting my techniques for longer than you can imagine. Each new world is a new opportunity to try a new system, and someday my work will result in finding the perfect system–not a utopia, but a system that will encourage people to grow, to become more than what they started as, and to suffer just enough that they can appreciate its absence.”
The devil now spoke with passion, “Yes, many of my followers are evil, but not all. Being evil makes the job easier–if I must send someone to raze a city both they and I would prefer I send someone that isn’t going to have nightmares about it later. Likewise, lies are a necessary part of the job, an ability to discern the truth–one which you just demonstrated by the way–is one of the traits I wish to encourage in people.”
“False information is one of the greatest weaknesses of all systems, and tools like critical thinking and empirical reasoning must be both encouraged and refined within a population, or they are doomed to fail. Garbage in, garbage out is not just a term that applies to computing, it’s true of any system including systems of thought and reasoning. I wield lies as both a weapon and a tool to teach people the costs of lazy thinking.”
I sat back and listened to this speech with interest, but I could see where this was going now. Looking at it from a game design perspective, this guy was here to co-opt a portion of the player base to the side of the bad guys. There was probably a soft faction system in place, with some of the “gods” being allies with each other against the others. It might even be a three or four way split.
The bug bounty thing was probably on the level though, that was too unique, and The Adversary had made it clear that it was open to everyone, not just his followers.
I found myself nodding along as the devil spoke, but I realized I’d mostly lost interest in this guy as a patron. I didn’t feel like playing on team evil in this game, not with my first character at least.
I had to hand it to the AI running this guy for really nailing the “I’m not evil I’m just misunderstood” angle. I’d really been hooked by that first part, and if the devil hadn’t come off a little too good to be true, I could easily see myself signing a proverbial infernal contract.
I held up my hand and The Adversary paused, raising an eyebrow at the interruption. “I think I understand where you are coming from, and honestly it doesn’t sound like a bad deal. That said, I want to talk to the other gods and hear their pitches. I’m not going to be able to decide based on talking to just you.”
“Fair enough,” The Adversary grumbled. “Let me give you some advice though. If you choose to ascend, you’ll find that those above tend to fall into two categories–those who lack power in this world, and those who lack a mind to wield it. The higher you go, the truer this will be, and if you go high enough, you’ll encounter some truly esoteric beings who represent high concepts like Hawking Radiation or the third law of thermodynamics. Such beings can be interesting patrons but tend to be one dimensional in their gifts. No, if you want true power the place to find it is down here on the stage floor.”
To emphasize his words, the god stomped a cloven hoof on the ground, letting out a thud and small shockwave of air. The sound echoed through the amphitheater, but to my surprise none of the other figures turned to look towards us, nor did they have any other visible reaction to the noise.
Now that I was paying attention, I realized none of the other gods seemed to be moving unless they had passive visual effects going. It made me wonder if the AI running these NPCs was only actively running the ones I was interacting with directly. This area was probably instanced, else I’d have seen other players join and be announced by now, so it made sense that the AI would conserve resources if it was running thousands of versions of this room.
“Thanks for the advice, I’ll keep it in mind,” I told The Adversary as I turned away.
The next god was a skeletal figure in a flowing red robe seated on an onyx throne, with what looked like gold coins piled at its base. As I approached the god seemed to animate, turning to point its empty socketed eyes in my direction.
I suddenly came to a halt, realizing my mistake. I made a “wait one minute” gesture to the skeletal god and hurried back over to The Adversary.
“Hey, sorry to bug you but I just realized there are a lot of gods here and I’m going to have trouble keeping track of everything. Do you have an extra notepad and pencil I could borrow?”
The Adversary blinked in surprise at this, before pulling his pencil out from behind his ear and jotting down a note in his own notepad.
“What a perfectly reasonable request,” He rumbled. “I’ll get it patched in. In the meantime, I think I have an extra… One moment.”
I watched as the devil checked the pockets of his suit, eventually pulling out a second notebook from a back pocket, and the worn-down nub of a used pencil from his shirt pocket. He handed both to me.
In my hands, the notepad was more like a notebook, and the pencil looked like one of those comically large children’s pencils, but it would have to do.
Thanking the god once again, I hurried back to the skeletal god, who was now tapping his finger bones on his throne impatiently.