Shielding his eyes from the ruthless burning sun a male stood among many in a crowded plaza. He looked around and found females as well as males dressed in the same outfit he wore. The nondescript linen-shirt and leather pants with a bag swung over their backs. No weapons or armor adorned them yet but that's the reason they were here. Doing quests acquiring money and fame was their objective for the start of this new game.
The Virtual reality mass multiplayer online game ' Kingdom Quest! ".
This game has been announced for over 2 years , and has been worked on over 10 years , but it finally came out. The experience that would change the gaming market forever. Titles such as World of Warcraft , D&D as well as Guildwars lost all of their clients after this day by 99%.
A immense amount of data fluctuated on the net on various forums and platforms and the terrific experience of Kingdom Quest! spread around destroying once known language barriers or even racial differences.
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" Dan , listen to this i hunted wolves yesterday , wolves ! Can you believe it? I thought i was going to die at first but i prevailed at the end. Hehe that was so awesome! " A female voice resounded.
A room with closed curtains a faint running sound of a computer was audible. Sitting in a comfortable reclining chair a boy wore a headset from a well known branch. Matching to this he had a mouse and a keyboard from the same manufacture.
" I know i know but Dan it feels so realistic since u actually slice them yourself!" The female voice came through the headphone again.
- Calm down Iz , my tool will come in 1 week. Until then i don't have much of a choice then to still play WoW.
The boy typed down within a second on his keyboard.
He shifted in his chair put a hand in his neck and rotated it around until cracking sounds emerged from his own bones.
" Wah! Stop that Dan , i can hear you over the headphone u know! " She protested.
- Can't help it my bones get stiff from playing 24/7.
After a click of the tongue the female started a well known discussion between the two.
" Dan why don't u finally start talking again? I heard you speaking before. "
The boy thought about the rare occurrences when he opened his mouth to speak to anybody. One might think he spoke to his parent's or even to close friends or siblings but he neither had one or the other.
The only time words rolled over his tongue were commands given to his peers during a raid. When World of Warcraft was still the top game to play and over 17 million people played it he was in one of the world renown guilds and to top this even the raid leader.
His commands were short but effective. New bosses? No threat to this male he had seen it all. After all WoW was a generic game where task would be repeated to infinity. Bosses that were new to a expansion just had the similar ability's the ones from the past had with different damage scales.
Quests? Collect 100 boar heads were completed manifold. But the problem with quests like this always made the boy wonder. Why does only every 10th boar drop 1 head? Or other quests that endlessly repeated itself.
In short it was a generic game that tried to relax on their past glory but this backfired as soon as Kingdom Quest! came out and every eye on the planet turned towards it. Npc's off the highest Artificial Intelligence level made one wonder if they weren't really players. Quest's generated at random through several super Computers were ever changing.
Classes hundreds , equipment millions . But not only were the classes manifold but also there was no set pattern to achieve the highest damage output for a mage or other classes. Talent trees? A thing of the past. Class trainers were non existent in this new world.
To achieve a new spell , if one chose to be a mage at their first class change , one either had to study a 200 page long book or create a spell himself! Warriors learned the art of defense and offense at training centers or out in the field. If they by chance sliced a opponent in a certain way , either out of pure luck or coincidence , they learned a skill that would assist them repeat the process in the future.
Thieves wanted to learn the usage of poison? Good luck gathering herbs until you find some that have good enough effects. Also not every poison had the same effect on every monster.
While thinking about all of this the girl , Isabell or for short Iz , grew impatient and clicked her tongue once again.
" I can't wait Dan , im already a Lvl 35 ranger ill help you out at the start! " She claimed proudly.
The boy smiled before he hit the keys once again.
- You do know that i'm a solo player until i can't do it myself anymore , right?
" *sigh* I know but i can still have hope right? " She told him while laughing under her breath.
- Forget it , i'm gonna solo until i hit the wall where i can't do it myself any longer.
" Yeah yeah , i hope that wall comes soon. By the way we rebuild our guild in-game , all the others are playing too. We still need a tank though. They delibaretly left that space open for you since we won't leave the best tank that ever played WoW out. " She told him with pride in her voice.
- Nah my days as a paladin are over. Also i don't want to learn martial arts or real fighting first hand i think im gonna be a cleric or something.
" Woah! I got to tell the guys that. Well i got to go now don't want to fall behind in levels. " She told me and terminated her line.
.... Silence filled the dark room and only a flash of light reflected off the boys white teeth.
" 1 week till i can start to catch up .... " He said to himself using his voice that was coarse from the lack of usage.
He logged out of the game and browsed through the popular forums for KdQ. As soon as he connected the familiar intro greeted him inform of a short sequence of a ingame battle.
Knights and paladins in the front fought a brutal fight against a demon while mages and priests provided support with a battalion of archers behind them.
Every time he logged onto this site he was surprised a new by the graphics and fluid motions of the users fighting this battle that was took from the beta test of the game. After it ended he proceeded into the ' NEWS ' sector of the forums to find 17 pages each with 15 new topics and hundreds of replies for each topic since the last time he visited , which was 1 hour ago.
It ranged from songs of praise on the designers to discoveries or new events all over the ' Pangean Contient ' as the world in-game was called. Numerous kingdoms filled the continent that quarreld with eachother and as a by product of their quarrels wars were held between the Npc lead kingdoms.
But one post attracted his attention.
- Headline : Longinium? The new starting area being released on the 21st of July!.
He clicked it and read numerous postings. Most of them were trolls that wanted to diminish the hype that was about to start but from some chats with his old colleagues of WoW he knew this info was reliable. The first post grabbed his attention directly.
- Dear readers more and more evident information has been discovered that a new Kingdom is about to open it's gates for the ' Chosen'. Now even the head of staff of KdQ has confirmed it at 9 am of the 21st July the once heavily guarded borders of Longinium will open. It will be a new starting area that ranges from lvl 1-40 and the ' Chosen ' as the Npcs call the users will be able to experience this new kingdom after creating a character.
Dan read through all of the posts and knew this was the starting town he should pick. Not only was it modeled after London in England with its hierarchic structure and buildings but the historical sight of ' Big Ben' was transformed into a Arch mages tower and the cathedrals were made into religious sights perfect for the class he designated.
Cleric of Teiwaz.
Every God in this game had different attributes and resulted in a different set of magical spells one could learn. Teiwaz was a god of war and had the most paladin npcs as their followers. With him as his deity he would get a huge increase in damage against undead and increase in his growth in combat ability's.
He grinned as he thought about his new glorious adventures as a cleric of Teiwaz.
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A week passed and Dan had just finished installing the tools he needed to connect to Kingdom Quest!.
Simply put it was a advanced form of goggles that covered over from one ear to the next and was strapped with a flexible band behind his head. Plugged into the wall with a electrical socket and booted up and it was ready to go.
Dan checked the current time . - 8.59 am.
Deciding it was best to log in already , he plopped down into his bed and put on the goggles. A sound of a computer starting was audible due to the close proximity of the machine covering his face.
Words appeared on the in-game screen and said ' Welcome to the Virtual World '.
As soon as he finished reading it a sense of weightlessness spread over his body and he seemed to float in the middle of the air. He closed his eyes to prevent the nausea's feeling already spreading in his intestines.
But the feeling dissipated as suddenly as it appeared. As he opened his eyes for the first time in this new ' Vr World' there was only a white space before him.
" Welcome to Kingdom Quest! now set your name and appearance , sir. " A female voice resounded behind him.
He turned around only to find a blond haired female with remarkable facial features that would make any model pale in comparison speaking to him.
A moment passed with him being stunned but he soon regained his composure and typed out his designated name ' Dan '.
" Are you sure you want to use your real name in-game? " The female asked surprised.
I was wondering how she knew that this was my real name but soon discarded that thought since she most likely was a Game master.
Nodding my head a lifeless doll appeared in front of me. This doll had black hair reaching down to his lower back which covered the face and the ice blue eyes. It was built around 1.85 meters tall and the skin was best described as pale almost death like.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
" How do you want to change your appearance or even race? " The Gm asked me.
Moving my head from left to right i signaled her that everything was good as it was.
" Where do you want to start at ? "
Naturally i decided on the new kingdom that just opened its gates.
" Longinium! "
" Good , Dan , welcome to Kingdom Quest! " She said and a feeling of nausea's afflicted me again as i got sucked into the lifeless doll i just created.
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After a few seconds i opened my eyes once again and looked around me. A fountain was making faint sounds behind me and birds chirped into the early morning sun. People of different shape , sizes and even races were busy conducting their business in this early morning.
I gathered air in my lungs and smelled it while it passed through my nose and into my chest. Even the air had its own distinctive smell to it! Now i moved my arm and legs as well but they worked flawlessly. Even while rotating my neck the familiar cracking sounds could be heard.
Other new users were doing the same thing and were surprised at the realistic movements they displayed. But a few were moving with a weird flow or even tripped as they took their first few steps in this new world. Those that changed their height weight or even gender had problems adjusting to their new body's and this made me chuckle slightly.
I took the bag off my back and rummaged through it. A few loaves of bread as well as 10 cooper coins and a field flask for water. What surprised me was the letter i found inside written on a old piece of parchment.
- Dear user since it has been a month now after the start of Kingdom Quest! we , the staff , have decided to speed things up for users. Without having to do the prequests this letter will make you eligible to choose any class from the get go but this is limited to this Kingdom. Sincerly yours Four leave corps.
My face light up with the news i just got. Normally a class change could be achieved in two to three weeks but during this time the users had to do the odd jobs off the warrior guilds or mages towers. Collecting the remains of the guard dogs or dusting off bookshelves were a few quests one needed to achieve.
If one started to venture outside the protected walls of the starting towns without a class change it would be suicidal. Not knowing anything one would have to use their fists to slay even the smallest of rabbits or big wolves.
Once a class change was in effect it took another week to learn the basics from the instructors. These basics included usage of a sword , where one had to slice a scarecrow for hours and hours a day , to the proper usage of spell components necessary for mages.
' So with this letter i could cut the time before i can venture outside to 5 days if i stayed online 24/7' I thought for myself.
With light foot steps and a happy mood i made my way towards the central square where the temple of Teiwaz was located at.
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It was a grand building built from the finest stone and adorned with the finest craftsmanship any artisan could produce. Paladins guarded the steps made of marble and priests and clerics preached in front of it inviting people to join the mess they were about to hold.
The first few steps towards the church went by without problems but a paladin soon stopped me.
" Halt you wicked being , what do you want at this sacred ground!" He told me with a commanding tone.
He was clearly looking down on me but i still pulled out the letter and showed it to him.
" Ahh you want to be a member of the fine church of Teiwaz! But alas young lad that will be impossible. Your looks are to wicked. You should try the thieves guild or warrior guild they would take you certainly! " He said to me while pushing me down the steps.
My mouth was opened wide. A Npc and nonetheless a church member just shooed me away! I knew my apperance would be best described as sickly due to my definite avoidance of sunlight but still and my face being overhung by black hair but this was unacceptable.
I walked to a cleric that was preaching in front.
" Dear sir , i want to join the ranks of Teiwaz as a cleric and i got this recommendation but the paladins won't let me pass. " I spoke up.
While turning around he had a gentle and warm smile but as soon as he saw me his upturned lips almost turned into a vicious snarl.
" Begone , foul creature ! " He told me and started hitting me with the staff he was holding.
Two message window popped open as i ran away from this place.
- Staff inflicted 20 hp of damage on you , due to being in a city no health was subtracted.
- Your standing with the church of Teiwaz has dropped , notoriety gained -10 fame.
With angry words i shouted out " Character Window " and a new window covered the 2 previous ones.
- Dan
Lvl 1 Class: -
Hp: 50 Mana: 50
Stats:
Strength: 5 Vitality: 5
Agility: 5 Charisma: 5
Wisdom: 5 Intellect: 5
Fame: -10
Unspent Attribute points : 30
Feats: -
Skills: -
But i didn't open it to look at my stats but to click the GM help button at the lower right corner.
Instantly a blond haired female appeared in front of me.
" Yes? " She asked me.
This was in fact the female that helped me during character creation but she didn't seem to recognize me.
" I can't join the order of Teiwaz even with this script. Why is that so? " I asked her with a furious tone.
She looked me over and operated a window in front of me.
" Well first your Charisma is not high enough since any class related to a religion needs alot of charisma and you need a few fame points. " She told me.
Analyzing the situation i knew a quick way to gain a few fame points and i could invest 30 points into charisma.
" But i don't think that wil help you. Sir no offense but the church wants not only charisma but also good looking people. And all of this will just not do. Goodbye and have a great day. " She said and disappeared into thin air.
'Wow these Gm's here aren't any better then the ones in other Mmorpgs...' I thought.
While i thought through all of this i started walking around without a set goal in mind. This helped me in every situation from a rather difficult raid or problems in my personal life which i had many.
Coming to no evident conclusion i arrived in front off the Arch mages tower that looked similar to Big Ben in England.
Thinking about it mages always had pale skin and uncombed hair and mostly lacked outer appearance. With this thought i entered through the heavy oaken doors.
Spiderwebs covered every corner and only candles illuminated the surroundings dimly. I kept looking around but this ' tower' looked like a storage shack by all means. Flask were stored everywhere books also covered the floor some old armor lay discarded and rusted at intervals and a strangely sweet smell passed my nostrils reminding me of rotten eggs.
" Hello? " I called out.
With a rumbling noise a hooded figure approached me from a nearby door.
" Yes , yes." He said while scanning my appearance. " Ahh you would make a fine mage with the right lessons and teachings , are you here for acquiring a class? "
His robes were tattered and his speech sounded strange and had a thick accent. The clothes once used to be a dark black but now only were rags off gray color. Countless poaches and leather bags hung on his belt and i knew inside of the robe were numerous hidden compartments.
" Do you teach the art of black magic here? " I asked.
In kingdom quest there were numerous schools of magic but every attribute had to mark themselves with a distinctive color.
" Yes yes , i am a mage that draws his power from the black arts. My robe is black and the sorcery wicked. The church hates me and my brothers and sisters alike." He told me with pride in his voice.
Since i wanted to pick a cleric i did no check on the different magic schools but that the church hates black magic users mage me burn with passion.
" I want to learn the ways of the dark arts , master! " I begged him to accept me as his disciple.
- Do you wish to change you class to Black magicians disciple?
Notice : If you pick this now you won't be able to change it in the future
Yes/No
requires 15 intelligence and 10 wisdom.
I opened my character window as fast as i could and distributed all of my stat points into INT reached 25 and Wis 15 and clicked Yes.
- Congratulations you have become a Disciple of the Black magic.
Fame- 50
INT and WIS +10
Acquired basic black magic understanding.
" So master what do i need to learn in order to be a full Black Mage? " I asked cautiously.
After i clicked yes in a fury i realized this might have been a bad idea since i had no info about the class.
" Well well , it is good that you asked. The black arts are difficult to learn. More difficult then any other magic art. We cast spells not with components but with the language. The ancient language of Melkorin! You do know the language right? " He asked me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
I was about to face palm myself as i knew you can't change you class but even though i had to learn a language how hard could it be, after all this is a game.
" No master how can i learn the ancient Melkorin? " I asked.
I followed him up the tower and we arrived at a incredibly sized library. The smell of old books entered my nostrils and made me comfortable. He brought me all the way to the end off a row of bookshelves until we stood in front of a incredibly sized one.
This book-shelve was 2m tall and at least 5m long and filled to the brim with books. Along the sheer mass of books made my head spin and i involuntarily looked at the thin wooden boards that held the books in place.
" This is what you have to learn , my disciple. Haha i finally got a disciple! " He started to cheer for himself at the word of disciple.
" Yes master , which book of these? "
The master looked a little shocked at my words and opened his arms wide.
" My silly little disciple ALL of these are needed to learn black magic! " He told me.
My eyes fell almost out of their sockets.