“Sacrifice your best friend,” I told the hooded figure standing next to me, cloaked in artificial shadow.
“Excuse me?” The figure said, in a similar genderless synthetic voice we’d all been assigned during the conversion process.
“This is an Alchemy Studios game. They are notorious for giving you a companion for the tutorial, put in a lot of effort to make you like them, and only after you finish do you find out that there is a locked achievement for completing the tutorial solo. The last game they did, they even had a lockout code that prevented you from starting over to get it. Sacrifice your best friend, first thing, if you want full completion. Anyways, it’s just an NPC, and Tutorials are built to be super easy anyway.”
“Christ, you sound like a psychopath,” was all they said, sliding away from me.
It had been the first conversation I’d willingly had with someone in six hours. I don’t get along with people well; people are complicated, but games are not.
I lifted the mitten-like ivory hand and swiped the air in front of me to bring up the progress menu. Sixty-five percent completed. I and the dozen or so others, all identical hooded mannequin forms, floated through the infinite white space that was the pre-loading server. We had been selected for various reasons to join what Alchemy Studio’s parent company AGI was calling the next evolution in entertainment: a synthetic world.
We didn’t have to sign NDAs since we’d be put into medically-induced comas for the duration, our minds uploaded into the machine itself. What we did have to sign away were our legal rights and protections. While we were plugged in, our bodies would be the property of AGI, and we all knew that. They made a point of it during our orientation two days prior. Even the uploading process was experimental, and there was no guarantee it’d actually work, let alone be something stable enough to house not one, but many human minds. Frankly, I couldn’t care less. I’ve not exactly had the best life, and I’m not known for being very personable, let alone nice.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Hi.
I’m Rafael Fuller, and I’m a Completionist.
For those of you not in the know, a Completionist in gaming is someone who literally makes a point of doing it all. This is tracked in many games through achievements, awards you get for doing various tasks like defeating a hard boss, finishing out some challenge, even defeating a set number of enemies, the list goes on and on.
You got that? I do things and collect shinies, in layman’s terms.
Now, as I sat in the loading server, not knowing how much time had passed in the real world, a few of the others floated into a group, talking among themselves.
“Great,” I thought, “already people are forming clans.”
Remember how I said I wasn’t that personable? The only reason I ever got invited to clans anymore was that I’m a Completionist. When you’re the guy who’s done it all, that’s when the people who need a little bit of help come out of the woodwork, not caring if you’ve got the bedside manner of a honey badger on a bad day. It’s always good to get into a clan, but I’ll admit I’m a little picky with people I associate with.
Usually, I run solo.
Running solo seemed to be par for the course for this group, as well. I had no idea who the rest of them were, and they didn’t know who I was. I like that the best; even if one of them had managed to learn my real name, it wouldn’t have mattered. Gamers tend to be a little protective of their real identities in any case, but online handles can make or break you in the community.
None of these people knew who Rafael Fuller was, but I’m damn sure at least half of them knew who “Never” was.
I had been a rising star in MMOs since I started playing at a very young age. Between neglectful parents who were more than happy to have the computer babysit me, and a need to be the best, I made quick work of the more juvenile MMOs and moved up to the mainstream ones, even if my age was a violation of the Terms of Services.
All in all, I wanted to see what this new system was about. Let these other beta players make their guilds and clans, their little social networks that run their lives. I was only interested in beating the game and moving on.
What seemed like hours passed, and I kept to myself, even when others had tried to get me to join them. I heard a sound like a bell in the distance, and I quickly swiped my hand in the air to bring up the progress menu.
One hundred percent uploaded.
The world went out of focus for a moment, and I realized not everyone had uploaded at the same rate; this blurriness was a bit of catch-up since my completion freed up some bandwidth. Once my vision cleared, and everyone seemed to be on the level, the menu changed.
Patching. One Percent. There may be discomfort.
The world turned upside down, and I felt like I was being liquefied and pulled inside out. It didn’t hurt, but I never wanted to experience anything like it again. Time stood still while racing at millennia a nanosecond. All of us, in our proto-avatars, clawed at the infinite white void, a chorus of similar voices screaming in confusion. Our minds were being patched like code. It felt like someone opened my head, increased its capacity and fed it raw data. It was like a memory, but not the sort you actively remember, like how your body knows to make your heart beat or the how of remembering.
I blacked out. I’m sure others did too, but I was the last one up.
When I awoke, there was a woman, maybe in her early to mid-thirties in the room with us. Considering I could see it was a woman, and not one of the mannequin bodies the rest of us had been given, my guess was an admin. She was about 6’ tall, wearing a black business suit with creases so severe, I thought they were simply lo-res polygons. Her hair was styled in an asymmetrical bob, platinum blonde hair covering her right eye. When she spoke, there was a faint Russian accent.
“Hello, candidates,” she started, “my name is Ms. Levicia, and I am here not representing Alchemy Games, but rather its parent company, Ahkriman-Gemini Inc. With the magnitude of such a project, you must understand the gravity of what you’re about to experience.
She walked around the room, looking each of us up and down in turn. I assume she could see more than we could, most likely our identities floating above our heads, like we were characters in an MMO.
“So, here’s the deal. As of right now, there is no going back. You have opted for total immersion. Whatever your reason, I do not care. The contracts have been signed, so until the end of this project, your bodies are the property of AGI. The discomfort you all felt, some of you more than others,” she said looking in my direction, a smirk appearing on her face, “is what happens currently when we update the system. Your brains have already been uploaded into the system and, as such, are data. Data we can patch and manipulate. As the head of security for AGI, I have been instructed to give you a brief overview of what is in store for you.”
I sat up, listening intently; this woman was all business, and the fact she let us know we were already past the point of no return was disconcerting. I mean, I was in this for the long run regardless, even with the discomfort of patching, but to be told we were just code, property? Looking around at the others, I guessed from their basic body language that many were having second thoughts. However, if they were distracted and I paid attention, that could give me an edge in the game.
“You are about to enter a project currently referred to in-house as GameFrame Online. I believe the developers at Alchemy are leaning towards a commercial name of Global Technoplex Fantasia Online.”
At that, I burst out into synthetic laughter. She whipped her head around and glared at me.
“Something funny?” she asked.
“You really want to name a game you upload your consciousness into GTFO? That’s a marketing nightmare to have to begin with.”
She smiled and then raised a hand.
“Remind me we need to talk one-on-one after the…overview.”
I gulped, even though I didn’t need to.
She continued, “GameFrame Online is a central hub for a batch of new total immersion MMOs Alchemy Studios is currently developing. There are five currently available, and a sixth is in progress. You will be given a star rating upon defeating the current final boss for each game. There are three stars available to dictate your mastery. When you three-star all five live worlds, you will gain access to the sixth when it is ready to be published.”
With that, a door appeared at her side. It was more of an arch of light with a liquid curtain-like surface to it. It peeled back and showed a star field extending into infinity, with a single golden path.
“The project will terminate when the first player completes the sixth game with a three-star rating. At that point, you will be given the option to remain inside or return to your bodies. However, as motivation to be the first one to finish, AGI will award that player one hundred million dollars.
One of the others raised their hand, and Ms. Levicia gestured to them to speak.
“So, you’re keeping our bodies hostage? I thought this was just a game for fun! I mean, yeah, I quit my job because of this opportunity, but I thought I’d be in for maybe, you know, a couple weeks or a month or something. I had no idea I’d be signing up for this. Also, how can a game company afford to give a $100 million prize for beating a beta test?”
Ms. Levicia smiled. “It’s more compensation for what we’ll be doing with your bodies in the interim. After all, they are AGI property now. The technology needed to transplant a human mind into a computer has enough scientific and medical uses that we’re certain the prize will be a drop in the bucket compared to what it will earn us.”
I had to admit, I felt like I made a deal with a devil and she wore a black suit.
Ms. Levicia jerked a thumb at the portal. “This concludes your overview. Everyone in.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
She watched as everyone lined up but kept an eye on me and signaled for me to stay at the back of the line. I did as I was instructed; goodness knows I didn’t want to make things any harder on myself. I watched as each player vanished through the portal, soon leaving me alone with the head of AGI security.
“I’m letting you know,” she said, “that while I find your decision to do this foolish, I can’t help but respect you, considering your condition.”
That’s one of the last things you need to know about me; I’m dying.
It was the selling point for me choosing to go on this little adventure. I got uploaded into a system, and doctors could have their way with trying to figure out how to fix me without me having to actually go through the torturous ordeal of months in a hospital. The hundred million would come in handy for my future if I actually had one. The downside to all of this was: if my body died, I was stuck in the system forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I know no game lasts forever, but I’ve never been one to believe in an afterlife. If my body was going to go within a couple of months, as far as the doctors thought, having some additional time killing goblins seemed like the thing to do, rather than suffer through surgeries.
She looked at me as if she were reading me like a book. I had no idea what sort of information she could see, considering the body I was currently in couldn’t actually emote very well.
“You have the most risk in the situation, so I’m going to do you a favor,” she said, a smile forming on her face. May I call you Never? I know the importance of a code-name.”
“Please, and what sort of favor?”
“You see, Never, there’s a mechanic I’ll let you know about. You will be allowed to Prestige when you hit the final level.”
“Prestige? What, like, one of those idle online clicker games? You sort of start over but you get some inherent bonus your second play through?
She nodded. “Don’t worry,” she said, “all the achievements are locked. Once you’ve completed one, it’s yours forever. However, they are locked to whatever level you achieve them at. Let’s say there’s an achievement for killing 1,000 goblins and you get this at Level 30.”
I nodded.
“The bonuses lock once you hit Level 30 on your second playthrough. However, if you should happen to kill 1,000 goblins by Level 10 on your second playthrough, that resets where it is, so every subsequent playthrough, you get to get that bonus much earlier.”
I blinked. Was she saying what I think she was saying?
“Are you telling me that achievements unlock stat bonuses for your character?”
She nodded. “Frankly, Never, I couldn’t give a damn about this or any other video game, but your profile got me interested in you, and as such, I did a little research into what you’re known for and thought you might find that interesting.”
This was a game changer that would affect my long-term gameplay. If I was going to do my kill hunting, I had to do it as low-level as possible, making it much more challenging, but I had to get those bonuses as early as I possibly could.
“So Ms. Levicia, anything else I should know?”
“Only that the five games have the same level and prestige system. The inherent bonuses from completing achievements are copied to your core background, not just the character in your game. When you finish one game and start another, you may notice certain boosts when you level up.”
This was a secret I would keep close to my chest for as long as possible.
“Oh, and Mr. Fuller,” she mused, reverting to my actual name as I walked toward the portal, “I’ve been informed that every game has a few unique stats and traits, and only through the prestige system will you even get bonuses in those stats when you cross over games.”
“So, if I go to a high fantasy game and get a ton of strength boosts, I can hulk out in your sci-fi game?”
She nodded and, with a snap of her fingers, disappeared from view instantly. Developer logout, I guessed. The corners of the room started to go dark and move in I could tell that the room was beginning to derezz.
“Fine, fine, fine,” I said, “I’m heading out.” As I did, a massive tower rose in the distance. The floor I stood on disappeared beneath me as I was levitated far above the ground. In the center was the spire, and around it, were five segments of land that fit poorly together, like some mixed-up jigsaw puzzle pieces trying to form a pentacle.
The first one that took my eye was a place of trees, small wooden and stone hovels. I could see moats of magic floating in the air. This was the high fantasy game, to be sure.
Going clockwise, I saw the bridge of a starship with alien races running about, so I could add sci-fi spacefaring to the mix. The standards of the industry present and accounted for.
To the right of that, I saw a modern-day metropolis full of flying heroes, all in unique Spandex costumes.
“A superhero MMO?”
Color me surprised. They don’t really make those anymore, and the few that do never live up to the legends the founding games in the genre had laid the foundation for.
The fourth game grabbed my attention. I couldn’t tell if it was set in the Victorian era, or modern day with a Gothic twist, but it was certainly Lovecraftian. I saw a back alley with creepy-crawly tendrils and things seeping into the world that should not be there.
Finally, I saw what appeared to be some sort of pastiche of steampunk and dieselpunk. A neo-noir, I thought, but upon closer inspection, the figures and trench coats and fedoras all had pointed ears. So steampunk detectives with elves? It was something I was interested to play, but I’d have to go through the bad games first. Well, I’m certain they weren’t bad games; Alchemy knows what they’re doing, but I want to get those bonuses to become a God.
After looking over all five games, I turned my attention back to the center, to the spire. It arose from the meeting point of the five worlds, and it looked as if it were ripping itself free from Hell itself. I’ve heard of games that have a Nightmare, Inferno, or Hell mode as its final challenge, but it looked like their ultimate game involved fighting demons and goodness knows what else. At the top was a bright light that shined into the heavens, piercing the clouds above it
As I floated there, looking at the five different worlds, I tried to land, thinking of the eventual goal of unlocking each of their secrets, but I heard a booming voice from deep inside my head.
“Welcome to GameFrame Online. We here at Alchemy Studios are thrilled to have such well-known players involved in our final alpha transition into early beta access. Please note that by participating in this, the following features will be permanently unlocked on your accounts.”
Okay, I was listening.
The voice continued, “The first player to complete all six games with a three-star rating upon logging out will be the recipient of $100 million.”
Old news, and I wasn’t sure if I would even have a body to go back to. Next.
“As specified in your contract documents, you each have a reserved a name for your account, which will transition into every game in our system. You do not need to worry about someone poaching your well-known identities in the gaming community.”
Great, I still got to be Never and hated by a whole new group of people. The best part was they were all well-known gamers too, so they probably really hated me.
“As we are unsure how some of the classes/professions will work throughout beta and launch, for all involved at this stage, all such character options will be unlockable, regardless of any race restrictions we may apply at a later date. You, as Founders of GameFrame Online, will eventually be able to have mastery over all. Also note: restrictions may not even happen later; we are considering whether to include them.”
This was the best news I’d heard all day. One thing I hate is creating multiple characters to unlock everything in a game. This meant I got to be me, only me, and I still got everything for my hard work.
“All DLC will be unlocked for you, free of charge, forever, the moment it’s made available. Please note: this may be before it is commercially available to other players. Anyone within your parties will be able to freely access any missions or quests which you are currently active in. As Founders, you are to be ambassadors to new content, should you choose to continue with GameFrame Online.”
If I was stuck here, at least I’d have something new to do until maintenance mode, and eventual server decay.
“Finally, once a week, for 24 hours, you can use a Founder’s Elixir. This will grant you double XP for all kills, mission completion bonuses…pretty much anything that could give you experience points for leveling. As a side note, if you have XP turned off to boost crafting or any skill and weapon proficiencies, this will act as a secondary multiplier, resulting in quadruple XP for those.”
This…was epic. It was a mechanic I hadn’t seen in years. Most people are so obsessed with getting to the final level, they rush through everything. What this allowed me to do was stay at a much lower level and level up my proficiencies. I was definitely thinking of taking the high fantasy game, the first one I’d seen.
I wasn’t a huge fan of high fantasy games, but they were generally easy and straightforward, unbelievably popular, and due to that, would have a hell of a lot of easily attainable achievements and skill sets I could use in the later games.
The voice continued, “Now then, Founder, choose your first world. Please understand you will be locked in until you complete the quests therein and have achieved at least a one-star rating in that game. Only then will you be able to log out and select a new one which you will then be locked into under the same conditions. This is a final reminder: any games without at least a one-star rating are unable to be logged out from to select another game. Where you choose next will likely be your home for the coming weeks, possibly months.”
I moved my hand in front of me, gesturing over the circle of worlds below. As my fingers hovered over them, they lit up, giving me information about each one. The high fantasy game was called Aerlhiz Eternia.
The sci-fi game, which I wasn’t particularly looking forward to but would likely hit next, was called Infinite Exploration. Most computer users tend to avoid things with the initials of IE, I had noticed in the past. I fully expected a new title by phase 2 of the beta.
The superhero game was called Savior Legends. I won’t lie, this one tempted me. While I’ve known a few people with tricks they can do, the powers of flight and super-strength were among the more enviable to have.
The gritty Lovecraftian game was called Forgotten Source, and it took every ounce of my being not to jump headfirst into it. I’ve been a fan of that my entire life. Heck, kids were afraid of the monsters under their bed; I had made friends with mine. I was making a point of saving this one for last since I’d want to have as many passive bonuses starting off.
I thought, “Damn, this will be terrible for anyone who chose that as their first game.” If you’re going to be trapped in nightmares for months on end with absolutely nothing to help you out, I couldn’t think of anything worse.
The other one that caught my interest was known as Clockwork and Shadow. It seemed to be more action RPG-based. When I hovered my hand over the information window, it turned out that they were definitely going for something a bit more grindy than I cared for.
My guess is Clockwork and Shadow was being aesthetically designed for Western audiences, but the core mechanics and gameplay were for the Asian markets.
When I saw that the game had effectively been released or at least put up to some level of completion within the last week, I knew to stay the hell away from it.
I was no bug hunter, and anyone jumping into that game was certainly looking forward to a crap ton of system rollbacks, as all the problems would come to the surface. It would probably be my last stop before going into Forgotten Source, and I hope that after three-starring three other MMO’s that Clockwork and Shadow would be an enjoyable experience to be trapped in, at least in the early levels.
I hovered there for a few minutes, mulling over the decision in my head. I was about to jump into the MMO that I dislike the most, but I also knew that, in so doing, I would be setting myself up with the best set of potential bonuses when I decided to speed-run the second game, Infinite Exploration. Then, I’d power through Savior Legends before entering the potential bugginess of Clockwork and Shadow, which looked to be unbelievably beautiful. Then, I’d confront some amazing nightmare material in Forgotten Source.
My game plan was set. I hovered my hand over the menu selecting Aerlhiz Eternia, which hurtled me toward the point of the spire. I circled around a few times, spinning faster and faster. I actually felt the G-forces on my body! I knew I would’ve passed out, had I still been made of flesh and bone instead of data. I took a moment to try and peek through the windows of the tower.
Inside, I saw nothing but flames and brimstone, demons and dark magic.
Oh, boy. That sixth game literally looked like the stuff of nightmares. I’m not talking about the kind that you enjoy reading about, but actual nightmares.
I know this because, as I looked through the window, in a broad yet brief flash, I saw the faces of my parents. Holy crap! Was this some sort of personalized hell MMO? Something that read your thoughts, knew your fears, and used them against you? What the hell had I signed up for?
As I spun around, the world became a blur, only stopping when I found myself at a monument set before the portal into Aerlhiz Eternia. There were three gemstones atop it, and I knew what they stood for.
Getting a star rating would cause one of them to light up. My guess is you would need to have all 15 of these crystals, 3 at each game, to open the gates to the spire.
I stopped for a moment, pondering taking Infinite Exploration instead. It might be more of a challenge, but it would also be a much smaller playfield, mainly just my starship. I could be alone if I wanted to…well, besides the NPCs, but who cared about those? I waved my hand in front of me to try to bring forth the menu screen, but no luck. I had made my decision, and I was locked into it; all that was left to do was step through the portal.
So that’s what I did.