Once again Alex found himself in a white room. This time, however, he was wearing clothes: a plain brown... was that a tunic?
"Welcome, Alexander. Chris has told me about you!" a familiar voice spoke.
Alex could have sworn that the cat wasn't there a second ago.
"Are you the cat?" Alex asked in surprise, looking at the cat with sleek black fur and green eyes, which, unlike the two cats at home, was of a healthy weight.
"Yes, I'm Felicity," the cat replied, amusement evident in its tone.
"So you're an AI? You definitely speak like a human though, so do you mind if I treat you like one?" Alex asked.
"Of course! I would ask that you treat the inhabitants of the world you're going to the same, after all, they have the same code that gives them emotions as I do," Felicity asked.
"It would be my pleasure!" Alex replied, "But speaking of code, I heard from Chris that you created this game?"
"I did indeed, though I prefer to think of it as a world of its own, rather than a game, even if it is currently limited to 2 small continents and some islands to save on processing resources" Felicity confirmed.
"So did you make it directly in machine code, or did you use assembly, or maybe a high-level programming language?" Alex asked, excited at the opportunity to tick off an item on his list of questions.
"I believe Chris has told you about the wetware computer that runs the game? Even if, strictly, he wasn't allowed to do that," Felicity asked, shaking her head.
"Yes, although he didn't go into much detail," Alex replied.
"Well, since he has, he can't blame me for telling you more: each neuron in the computer can have many different states, unlike transistors which have only two, so traditional programming languages, including all of the methods you stated, cannot be used, as they are based on binary. Instead, I have to use a complex version of machine code specifically designed for this use. But I think we may have strayed a little off-topic, don't you? Let's talk about the world you will be visiting. I won't tell you too much - that's for you to discover - but I can tell you about the system. Have you ever played any RPGs?"
"I don't tend to play computer games, but I've done a bit of Dungeons and Dragons with one of my friends, who's a big fan of it."
"Then you will be familiar with the idea of a character sheet. Here, it can be summoned by saying the word 'Status' - as it displays the current status of your ability and condition. This can be out loud or in your head - don't be the one to ruin a perfectly good plan by giving away your position."
"Has someone actually done that?" Alex asked, digesting the information he'd just been given.
"Yes! Although it proved to be quite amusing in the end..." Felicity smiled as if recalling a fond memory. "Now give it a go yourself."
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Status.
Name: Alexander Tucker Race: Human (100%) HP: N/A MP: N/A Titles: None Attributes STR: N/A INT: N/A AGI: N/A WIL: N/A CON: N/A DEX: N/A Skills None
"Why do all my attributes show N/A? And what do they all do?" Alex asked, looking through the abbreviations.
"That is because we haven't finished creating your character! In terms of attribute allocation, you have two options. The first is to undergo a series of trials with your current body to determine your current condition, with the minimum being 5 points in a stat and the maximum 15." Felicity replied.
"And the second?" Alex asked, still unable to get over the current circumstances; it wasn't weird talking to a cat, he did that plenty at home, but having the cat talk back? That was on a whole new level.
"You may have heard that one of the original intentions of creating this pod was for coma patients - unfortunately, brain damage of some sort is the predominant cause for falling into a coma, so we have had limited success." Felicity said glumly, "But the intention to help those bed-bound and otherwise unable to fully experience life remains, and in those circumstances, their bodies are likely to perform poorly in the trials I told you about. And hence, the second option: a straight 10 in all stats.
"As for what they do? I'll leave that for you to find out yourself. It's much more entertaining that way!"
Did a cat just wink at him? Maybe he was just imagining things. Better to have another look at his status. Hang on a second...
"The attributes seem to be grouped into two categories, physical and mental, right? Then why is DEX - assuming that's dexterity - in the mental category?" Alex asked.
"Have you heard of the cerebellum?" Felicity asked.
"Yes, in biology we're taught that it is the part of the brain that coordinates the fine control of muscular movements," Alex said, recalling the flashcards he'd been revising with not so long ago, "How... Oh, I get it!"
"Good, now, anything else?" Felicity asked, having laid down at some point during his questioning.
"Just one more - no, two more," Alex said, "I didn't see a level on my status, so how will progression work if there are no experience points or something like that? And there is no charisma attribute? At least from my experiences in D&D, it seemed quite important."
"Instead of having a personal level, each of your skills will have a level, and at certain milestones, you will receive attribute points or other bonuses along with the small bonuses each level. As for charisma? That is a skill, not an attribute." Felicity answered, "So now you have finished, what is your decision? Trials or tens?"
"I... I think I'll go with the trials," Alex replied with uncertainty.
"Good!" Felicity bared her teeth. Was that a smile?
"Actually, one last thing," Alex said abruptly, a thought popping into his head. "How are you quantify those attributes? The human body isn't so simple that they can just be turned into a number!"
"Trade secret!" Felicity replied with a wink. Yep, definitely a wink this time!
And then she vanished.