"Hello and welcome to AAG news. I'm Carol Wood here with a special guest today, Emilio Graham. Mr. Graham is the creator of the VR game Magic Online. Magic Online has just completed its' beta and is scheduled to be released to the public in 2 weeks. Being the first game of its' kind, we here at the studio have high expectations for it." Turns to face Emilio. "Welcome to our studio Mr. Graham. I'm told that you're going to explain parts of your game that confused even the beta testers."

[Emilio] "Yes. To start with I would like to address the 'accidents' that have happened to players when they left the beta. After the beta, a number of students woke up to find themselves soiled. This was not caused by playing the game, but rather over playing the game. During the beta we tested how the game affected sleep and how sleep affected the game.

"We tried to stimulate a state of sleep while a player was in the game so that their reduced metabolism would allow for a longer play time. A reduced metabolism would not only reduce the need for food but also reduce the need to use the bathroom. Our hope was that we could use this technology to further our research on suspended animation. This is why all beta testers were tasked with staying in game for 24 real world hours. Regrettably, the results proved different than what we had hoped to see.

"None of the players were able to enter a state of sleep while playing the game. Nor were any of them able to enter the game while they were sleeping. As such the game can only be entered while one is awake. If someone tries to play too much there will now be a warning notification. If they disregard this message they may end up in a similar state as the beta testers.

"The next issue I wish to address is the issue of race. Many of the beta testers were complaining about how the character creation didn't allow them to change how they looked. I want to assure everyone that the limitation was only for the beta. The official game will allow characters to change their appearances, for a price."

[Carol] "And how much do players have to pay in order to change their appearances?"

[Emilio] "No no no. Not that type of price. During character creation, every player will be able to choose 3 different magics. If someone wants to change how they look, at least one of their magic choices will be used to alter their appearances. This is to encourage players to stay healthy even out of the game."

[Carol] "You said at least one magic choice will be used. Can you give us examples of races that would need more than one magic?"

[Emilio] "Sure. Can we show our viewers a picture of the magic chart?"

The chart appears on screen.

[Emilio] "Thank you. Now, I'd like to direct your attention to the void column. As you can see, the first 8 in the column are different types of monsters. Please note that the name of the monsters on the chart merely represent a broader category. By pairing these magics with the monstermen magic, a player can become a humanoid monster such as a draconian. On the other hand, the body column contains all the magics for the humanoids that only need one magic."

[Carol] "But what if a player doesn't want to be a humanoid? What if a player wants to be a dragon rather than a draconian?"

[Emilio] "Then they'd only need one magic but will spawn in the wild rather than a town. They'd also need different equipment and run the risk of being killed by other players. For more information about the races, I'll have to refer you to our website so that I'll have time to answer questions at the end of this interview."

[Carol] "But we have plenty of time."

[Emilio] "Yes, I know. I just fear that most of the questions will be about the races and not the game itself. As such, for the first month, players may delete and recreate their characters without penalties."

[Carol] "Is that one month game time or real time?"

[Emilio] "The penalties will start up again after one month of real time. Now, I'd like to bring my guests up on screen, is that alright?"

[Carol] "We were planning on having a separate interview with them. But I don't see any reason why they can't join in now."

[Jack] Pauses video. "Do you want me to skip this part? They just talk about their time in the beta and try to promote their guilds."

[Jared] "Sure."

Skips and plays video again.

[Carol] "So that's how the stats work. I must say-"

[Jared] "Wait, what's that about stats?"

[Jack] Mutes the video while it continues to play. "I'm not going to rewind because they take too long to explain it. Basically, they added stats. You can check them out on the forums or when you start the game." Un-mutes the video.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

[Emilio] "- inventory has also been changed. Instead of -"

[Carol] "I'm sorry Mr. Graham, but we need too move on to the question section."

[Emilio] "So soon?"

[Carol] "We have too many questions coming in to put it off any longer."

[Emilio] "Very well, what is the first question."

[Carol] "The first question comes from SexyInChicago. Sexy asks: 'What is the goal of the game?'"

[Emilio] "Ah, a very good question. The short answer is, to get to the other side."

[Carol] "What do you mean by the 'other side'?"

[Emilio] "The 'other side' refers to the other side of the continent. All of the players will start at the base of a circular land mass surrounded by water. At the top of the circle is a land bridge that connects to the rest of the planet. Once a player reaches the land on the 'other side' the game will reach its' next phase."

[Carol] "If the land is surrounded by water, then could a player sail across to the 'other side'?"

[Emilio] "While it is possible, it is not recommended."

[Carol] "Alright. The next question comes from NinjaShark748. He asks: 'Would I have to buy different equipment to record my play time?'"

[Emilio] "No. The game system allows you to record, edit, and share your videos."

[Carol] "DragonShadowKnight007 wants to know: 'Can players change genders?'"

[Emilio] "That falls under a change in appearance and can be found on our website with the race changes."

[Carol] "So players would have to use one of their magic choices to change gender?"

[Emilio] "Please avoid questions about race or appearance changes. Most, if not all, of their question can be answered if they just look at the forums."

[Carol] "Sure thing. URNoob asks: 'Will the game have guns?'"

[Emilio] "The game allows you to make guns, but they won't be as useful as you think. Because magical beings emit an aura they are protected from metal projectiles. Metal can be used as a weapon if you're holding it because your aura will be able to encase it. However once you let it go metal quickly loses the aura you placed on it. Wood on the other hand, can hold the aura for much longer."

[Carol] "Interesting. Moving on, EyeHaveNoLife wants to know: 'Isn't necromancy a class? How can it be a magic?'"

[Emilio] "Ah, a very good question. To start with, this is not the type of necromancy you normally see in games. In other games, necromancy would allow you to raise and control the dead. In this game necromancy only allows you to raise the dead. If you want to control them you'll have to also get the tame magic. If you want them to follow complex commands you should get the intelligence magic as well. If you want to resurrect someone you'll need healing magic.

"An interesting passive you can get with necromancy is Dying Breath. By just having necromancy, you can get a second life. If you were to run out of health, Dying Breath would activate. When active the player doesn't regenerate health or mana and is only alive so long as they have mana. But if someone else heals them, they can come back to life. However!! Don't go thinking this can replace resurrection. If you use necromancy to raise a companion and then try to heal them, their wounds would mend but they'd still be a zombie. In order to resurrect someone you need both necromancy and healing."

[Carol] "So necromancy is best when paired with other magics?"

[Emilio] "Not necessarily. If a melee player were to use Dying Breath they could rush a group of players, pretend to be dead, and then attack the enemy when they least expect it."

[Carol] "I see. Well, Dinos4ever is asking: 'How do you bring someone back from the dead?' Oops, just answered that. Moving on, NoneOYourBeezwax65 questions: 'What are the limits of magic?'"

[Emilio] "The variables that limit what you can do with magic are your mana pool, your magic choices, your magic ranks, and your creativity. Other variables such as opponents and environments may also hinder your attempts."

[Carol] "Well, we're running out of time so this will be the last question. SummerBreeze912 asks: 'Why aren't there any NPC's?'"

[Emilio] "Since we don't have much time left, I'll have to give you the short answer. They're in the second phase."

Jack stops the video.

----------------------------------------

AN: This is not a cliff hanger, I just don't know how else to end the chapter. I'm an inexperienced author and am bound to make mistakes, feel free to point them out.