A loud groan came from his mouth as Jake pulled the helmet off, getting slowly out of the sleeping bay as his muscles protested. They were just as stiff as they had been the day before when he’d exited the game, his body still not being used to lying perfectly still for hours on end. When he’d asked Andy about it, the large man had simply said it was common for first time FD users to feel that way, and that it would get better over time.
Jake ignored the pain as he quickly went through his usual stretching routine, feeling far better once he was done, his muscles no longer aching. Shaking his head, he looked at the large black tower that was his rig, thinking over what had happened in the game before he logged off.
Two of his Skills had levelled up during his night run, the first being [Sprint], which was somewhat expected. He’d quickly accepted the offer to Ascend the Skill, getting three options just like before. They were called ‘Long-distance Runner’, ‘Charge’, and ‘Free Movement’. Jake hadn’t been sure which to pick at first, the first two being somewhat obvious in what they did, but he had gone with his gut and chosen ‘Free Movement’. The Skill’s description had said that it allowed him to cross difficult terrain more easily, as well as sprint, but he hadn’t realised what that meant before he’d started running again.
Where he’d had to concentrate on not tripping before, Jake had found that his feet just seemed to know where to land to prevent him from tripping, and he had even managed to run through the trees for short periods. Overall, he felt it was a great pick.
The second Skill to Ascend had been [Sharp Eyes], coming only an hour later. The choices for that one had been less obvious, being called ‘Eagle Eyes’, ‘Far Sight’ and ‘Aim’. Jake had just chosen the one he had understood the most this time, going for ‘Aim’. It had taken a bit of experimentation, but he had found that it allowed him to target things more easily, even having a reticule of sorts that shrank the longer he held the Skill. However, it did take Stamina to use, though not much.
Nodding his head, Jake walked out of the small bedroom, spotting Andy already sitting on the couch, eating something. Jake’s stomach rumbled at the smell of food, quickly joining the man as he had already had a second plate of spaghetti bolognaise prepared in the fabricator. The two chatted amicably as they ate, Jake detailing his experiences in the game as Andy just sighed and shook his head.
“Dammit, Jakey,” he laughed, “You really took down a World Boss alone? That’s insane!”
“I was just lucky,” Jake shrugged, smiling back, “I honestly have no idea how I managed it.”
“Well, you’ve given me and my party a new goal to achieve!” Andy hummed, “Getting the ‘World Breaker’ Title! I wonder if it’s an upgrade for the one we got, or a separate Title altogether.”
“Oh, what Title do you get?” Jake asked, standing to take their plastic plates to the recycler.
“It’s called ‘World Shaker’,” Andy hummed, “Got it for beating a World Boss in a party. Only Uncommon though, and it doesn’t give any permanent bonuses, just a once off boost to loot and a Fate Point.”
“That sucks,” Jake nodded as he tossed the plates away, suddenly remembering something, “Wait, wasn’t that guy…Howard? Wasn’t he supposed to call us back about that contract he was talking about?”
“Oh yeah!” Andy gasped, “I completely forgot! I wonder where he is?”
The large holo-screen on the wall suddenly chimed, opening up to reveal a call from a familiar number, Andy chuckling as he accepted it.
“Well, speak of the devil,” he muttered as the call went through, Howard Steele’s face appearing on the screen.
Jake noticed that the man, despite being perfectly put together, appeared tired, large bags under his eyes. He simply nodded to the two men as Jake sat back down, before starting to speak.
“Good evening, Jake, Mr Wheeler,” the suited man said, “I trust you are both well?”
“Yes, Mr Steele, sir,” Andy nodded enthusiastically, looking over at Jake as he nodded as well, “Only been out of GNW an hour, but feeling fine!”
“That is good to hear,” the man nodded, “Now, I’m sure you’re both very interested to see what we have prepared for you, so I shan’t keep you waiting.”
Jake watched as the video call shrank to the top corner of the holo-screen, being replaced by a long document, which he immediately started reading. His eyes swept over the stuff he’d already seen in the previous contract, mostly about working for Neurotech, but paused as he reached a specific section.
“Advertising?” Jake asked, Howard simply nodding.
“Yes,” he quickly explained, “At the end of the day Neurotech is a business, and we need to make money. As such, we are requesting your permission to use your character’s likeness and activities in a marketing and advertisement campaign. Is that a problem?”
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“Not really, no,” Jake shrugged, “I just didn’t change how my character looks from my biometric data, though.”
“We can handle that,” Howard nodded, “We’ll change some of the features to make it more difficult to recognise you. That is also included in the contract.”
“Okay,” Jake nodded, “Also, I don’t see anything about Andy in here. Didn’t you say that he’d also be able to use the Pods?”
“That will be covered in a separate contract for Mr Wheeler,” Howard explained, “It will be a subordinate contract to yours, Jake, meaning that his actions in Grande New World are tied to yours.”
“And the Guild?” Andy asked, Howard once again nodding.
“Unfortunately, we can only allow a small section of your future Guild to be offered similar contracts,” the man explained, “You must understand, we can’t just allow anyone access to the Pods simply for joining a Guild.”
“Understandable,” Jake nodded as he continued reading through the contract, “How many?”
“No more than yourself and nine other core members,” Howard replied, “One of those spaces already being taken by Mr Wheeler, of course.”
“A full squad, then?” Andy hummed, “I can get behind that.”
“Squad?” Jake blinked as he looked at Andy, the large man quickly explaining.
“A Party is usually up to five people,” Andy said, “After that, it’s called a Squad. Most Squads will have up to a max of ten people in them, otherwise it gets messy. Once you hit fifty people in one group, or five Squads, it’s a Raid.”
“I see,” Jake nodded, “So we’ll have a Squad?”
“Yes,” Howard nodded, “Is that acceptable? Of course, you will also have other benefits. You purchased one of the mid-tier bundles, correct? Well, we will be enhancing and extending the potency and duration of those bonuses and adding others. The same will apply to for Mr Wheeler.”
“Awesome!” Andy cheered, quickly clearing his throat, and quieting down as he looked sheepishly at Howard, “Sorry, that sounds great.”
“What other bonuses?” Jake asked.
“Basic ones such as increasing the amount of money you can get from selling items to merchants, and building relationships with Non-Player Characters more easily,” Howard replied, “As well as your request for Teleportation permission to Dusk Keep. Is that satisfactory?”
“I think so,” Jake nodded, leaning back in the couch as he looked up at the man, “I’ll sign.”
“Excellent!” Howard smiled, “I’ll send through the subordinate contract for Mr Wheeler as soon as we have confirmation of the signing. Oh, and you’ll need to go to the Pod Hub for City Twelve as soon as possible. Both for health checks and calibration. Wouldn’t want you missing out on game time because you were stuck in calibration for an hour.”
“Of course not,” Andy nodded as he watched Jake sign, accepting the terms and conditions, before a second contract appeared, Andy signing this one without even reading it, “When do we leave?”
“If you would like, there should be an Auto-Taxi waiting for you outside your building right now,” Howards smiled, “Oh, and don’t worry about your personal possessions, a crew will be around shortly to have everything taken to secure storage.”
------
Amelia Hart sighed in relief as the last of the regular players vanished from the streets, leaving them pleasingly empty, even if the NPCs would quickly fill the gaps. Shaking her head, she walked down the main road towards the large gate that led to the fields outside. Without other players around to interrupt her with their paltry requests for parties or to join her Guild, Amelia was feeling free. She blinked as a notification of a message appeared, quickly opening the screen, and reading over the text.
It was from her father, as she’d hoped, and was detailing the next part of his plan for their time in the game. Amelia nodded as she read over the long message, making a point to take a few notes as she walked, making a list of what he needed from her next.
It mostly included getting stronger and gaining more Titles to attract more elites to her Guild, the gates having been shut on the general rabble once they’d filled the quota for cannon fodder. Now she was to gather a true fighting core, most of the Guild paperwork already being handled by the few employees that had either spawned in the same starter town as her or had managed to make the treacherous journey to it. Thankfully, that number had been enough to handle the daily comings and goings of the Guild, freeing up her time even more, which she already spent training with her Class and levelling up her Skills.
Meeting her Class Trainer had been a great boon, the man as mysterious as ever, but willing and able to teach her the ins and outs of her Spellsword Class. Now she was going to complete a Quest for him, gathering certain rare materials from monsters around the area. Why, she had no idea, the list seeming random, but she had long since learned not to question those she knew to be her betters, even if he was only an NPC. Afterall, he was powerful, and had the ability to make her strong as well.
Shaking the errant thoughts from her mind as she walked through the gates, Amelia cast one of her Spells on herself, sprinting down the road at a rapid pace as she began her hunt.
------
“And this is your Pod,” the technician said as Jake followed the man into the room.
They were currently underground, as Jake had discovered most things in City Twelve were, and had walked down a white corridor past multiple identical doors before reaching the room. Now Jake got his first look at a FD Pod, the construct in the shape of a large egg, its surface shiny and chrome. The Technician waved his hand over the side of the Pod, causing it to fold open with a quiet hiss, revealing to padded seat inside as he continued talking.
“You’ll be fed a special nutrient drip blend while inside the Pod, one designed to help prevent muscle atrophy and joint degradation. Also, the Pod itself with stimulate your muscles and joints to prevent them from growing weak, in fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if you came out stronger at the end of your time inside than you are now!”
Jake just nodded along as the technician continued the explanation of the systems of the Pod, before he was asked to strip off his clothes and get in. Complying, Jake sat in the chair, blinking as restraints closed around his limbs, looking at the technician in confusion.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the man said as the Pod began to close, “That’s for your safety and to help monitor your vitals. You’re perfectly safe.”
“Alright,” Jake nodded as the Pod finished closing, leaving him in darkness, before the holo-screen appeared in front of him, lighting up the small space.
“Right,” the technician said through the screen, “Are you ready to start the calibration?”
“Yes,” Jake nodded, the technician smiling at him as he felt the familiar sensation of static at the back of his mind, his eyelids growing heavy as he dropped into the game once more.