Aubrey set down the last bag of groceries she had carried onto the pile at the table and rubbed her hands together excitedly.
I had a million questions buzzing in my head like angry bees, but I didn't know where to start. So I began with the most obvious one. "Where the hell am I? What is this place?"
Aubrey took a bite of an apple I'd given her in exchange for some answers. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "This world is called Nexus. The players, people like us, call it that because it seems to be a convergence point for different worlds. It’s not very original but the name fits the theme."
"Players? Convergence point?" I echoed, not quite understanding what she meant.
"Yeah, we're all from different places, different versions of Earth, I guess. We were all transported here by the System," she explained, still munching on the apple.
"System?" I asked, feeling like a parrot repeating her words. But there was so much I didn't know.
She nodded, her eyes lighting up with a mix of excitement and seriousness. "Yeah, it's the thing that brought us here and runs this whole place. It's like a game, but it's not a game, if that makes any sense. It's very real and very dangerous—Ah, sorry. I’ve been talking in gamer lingo. You probably don’t get what I’m saying."
“Hey! I’m only thirty-two. I’m not that old. I have played video games before.”
“Ah, sorry. You looked older. Must be the beard.”
This girl…
I reached into one of the bags and pulled out a chocolate bar, tossing it to her. She caught it with a gleeful expression, unwrapped it, and took a bite. Her eyes widened, and she let out a small, satisfied sigh.
"It's been so long since I've tasted anything like this," she mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate. "Alright, next question."
"So, this city," I gestured outside the window, "what happened here? It's like a nuke blew up and wrecked everything."
Aubrey swallowed her bite. "This isn't a normal city. It's called a Server. Think of it like a procedurally generated city that the System plopped down. It’ll have monsters to fight, things to loot, and objectives to complete."
"Wait, you're telling me that this whole city was fabricated by this system and it just poofed it into existence?"
"Yeah, and we’re in one that looks like a city that you’re probably familiar with, but it could have looked it a city from medieval times or something completely alien. Some of the Servers can look pretty crazy, trust me."
The idea of entire cities popping into existence at will was mind-boggling. Why was this System doing all this? Why the hell did they call it a Server? The more she tried explaining, the more unbelievable everything seemed. This was sounding more and more like a video game.
Damn it, Connor. Stop freakin’ out already and just accept this as reality.
Aubrey’s stomach suddenly growled.
"Sorry," she said, blushing a little as she hastily unwrapped a candy bar from my groceries. "I haven't had anything but rations and MREs for a long time. This stuff is amazing."
Her reaction to the food made me realize how dire her situation must've been. I felt a little guilty, but also grateful that I had something to offer her in exchange for her help.
I handed her a bag of chips this time, and she tore it open like a ravenous animal. As she munched on the chips, I decided to keep asking questions. "So, how do we survive here?"
Aubrey looked at me with a serious expression, but her eyes were still shining with excitement. "You need to learn how to fight, find shelter, and scavenge for resources. You look like you've lived a cozy life so you'll have to put a lot more effort into adapting here. I've seen people like you end up as corpses after less than a week living here. But, since you're lucky enough to meet someone like me, I think you'll be able to manage for a long while."
I wasn't sure if I should be comforted or terrified by her words. The whole thing felt like a nightmare, and part of me still hoped I'd wake up back in my car, groceries intact, and this world a distant dream. But deep down, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I was stuck here, and Aubrey was my best chance at survival.
This time, I handed her a can of soda. She popped it open and took a long sip, savoring the taste. "You know, it's been years since I've had a soda," she said with a small smile. "Thanks."
"No problem, I guess. So...you mentioned players coming from different versions of Earth. Does that mean the Earth you came from is different from mine?"
She finished her drink and crushed the can, letting the last drops fall to the ground. She eyed me intently, as though judging whether or not to trust me with the truth. Finally, she opened her mouth. "No. We're from the same Earth. Look, before I can even start explaining anything in detail, I need you to activate your interface."
"Interface?" I asked, trying to keep up with all the new terms.
"Yeah, it's a high-tech mask that you can manifest in front of your face. It lets you see your stats, inspect your gear, and all that game-like stuff," she explained, her eyes flicking around as if she was looking for something. "Here, let me show you."
She held her hand up to her face, and the mask I saw her wear earlier started appearing out of nowhere. It shimmered with ethereal light and made those clickety-clack sounds again as I saw the mask's edges wrapped around her face, seemingly fused with her skin.
"Now, try doing the same thing," she said, her voice slightly distorted by the mask.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to even begin. But I held my hand up to my face and tried to concentrate, hoping that whatever force brought me here would somehow know what I wanted. To my surprise, I felt a tingling sensation followed by a slight pressure, as if something was wrapping around my face. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and looked at Aubrey for confirmation.
"Good, you got it!" Aubrey exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Now, take a look at your stats."
I blinked, unsure of what I was supposed to do. But as soon as I thought about it, a series of numbers and words appeared in my vision. It looked like something you'd see in a video game, with my health, mana, and other attributes displayed in neat columns.
Name Connor Gallagher WID x0byj73pw95 Age 32 Class
Health 225 Mana 230
Strength 22 Intelligence 22 Charisma 20 Agility 21 Perception 19 Manipulation 14 Endurance 21 Resilience 24 Wits 18
Psionic Attack 20 Psionic Defense 23 Melee Attack 21 Ranged Attack 20 Base Defense 21 Block 20 Evasion 20
Attunement Slots Remaining 8
Equipment None
Weapons None
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Whoa," I muttered, unable to tear my gaze away from the information floating in front of my eyes. Holy shit! This looks awesome. It was kind of jarring though. Felt like I was Tony Stark—except I was still lost and confused.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Aubrey said, grinning. "The first thing you need to remember is that any time you go outside a safehouse or any time you feel that something isn’t right, always have your Interface up. The information and protection you get from having it on is essential for survival.
“Got it. Understood.”
“Now, I'll answer your question. On your status screen, look for your World ID. It should be just below your name."
I stared at the screen in front of me. The top left corner had a square box with an icon in the center. Inside the icon, the words WID and x0byj73pw95 appeared. WID must have meant World ID.
I blurted out the sequence."My World ID is x0byj73pw95."
"Good," Aubrey repeated. "Think of that as the address of the Earth we used to live in. My WID is the same as yours."
Huh. At least now I had something in common with her. Hello, fellow x0byj73pw95 earthling. Let’s be friends. I hope she says yes. How did she know I had the same World ID as her anyways?
I stared at her and willed to see her information.
Name Aubrey Rank Esper III Status Friendly
Nothing about her World ID came up.
"Wait, how'd you know we had the same World ID?"
"When a new player is about to get transported to this world, the System broadcasts their WID, expected location, and time of arrival to other players in the vicinity. When a player gets close enough to the location, the WID will be displayed shortly after their arrival."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to wrap my head around the concept. "So, can anyone find out a player’s World ID?"
Aubrey shook her head. "That information only shows up at that moment. Otherwise, no one knows where you originally came from unless you tell them."
"Oh, okay. Wait, what's so important about knowing your World ID? Does that mean there's a chance to go back home?"
Aubrey's shoulders slumped. "Short answer is...maybe. It's complicated, and right now you shouldn't think too much on the details until you get used to how things work around here."
I nodded.
"Now, let's get back to the whole Server thing. As I said before, this place is a Server. It's like a temporary stage for us to complete quests and level up."
I frowned, still not quite grasping the concept. Not the quests and leveling up part but the idea that a whole city can pop up out of nowhere and people call it a Server doesn't exactly mesh well with my intuition. "So, what happens when the Server… I don't know, expires?"
Aubrey's face took on a somber expression. "It vanishes. Everything in it, gone. The original landscape will take its place. That's why we have to make the most of our time here."
"But how do we know when that'll happen?" I asked, feeling a growing sense of urgency.
She pointed at a corner of her Interface. "There's a countdown timer. Since you have your Interface on, think about wanting to look at this Server's status screen. It should pop up on your top-right. This Server has three more weeks before it's gone. We need to complete the main quest and as many subquests as possible before then."
I thought about it like I was thinking about looking up the Wikipedia of a city.
Server Name Caveirdus Server ID 31B7 Server Size Medium Timer 22 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 47 seconds Subquests Remaining 117 Riftgates Remaining 20 Riftspawns Remaining 661 SCAVs Remaining 215 Main Quest Status Active
Twenty-two days. My stomach churned at the thought of being inside a city that could vanish at any moment. It was like standing on a ticking time bomb, waiting for it to explode. But there was no way out, no escape. This was our reality, and we had to make the best of it.
I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the tasks ahead. "Okay," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "What's next?"
Aubrey clapped me on the shoulder, her eyes filled with determination. "Now, we need to talk about how to survive in this world. And trust me, there's a lot to learn."
I nodded, trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever information Aubrey was about to throw at me. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, but I knew I needed her guidance to survive.
Aubrey grabbed another bag of chips from the groceries and tore it open. "First thing you need to know is that SCAVs aren't the only things out to get you here," she said, popping a chip into her mouth. "There are other creatures, too. We call them Riftspawns. They're dangerous, so you need to stay alert."
I thought back to the run-in with the SCAVs and felt a shudder run down my spine. If there were more creatures like that out there, I'd need to step up my game.
"What about other players?" I asked, hoping that not everyone in this world would be hostile.
She frowned for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on another chip. "Some are friendly, others not so much. It's hard to tell, so you need to be cautious. In the end, we're all trying to survive, and that can bring out the worst in people."
"So, why haven't I seen anyone else? Are there only a few people like us?"
"You won't meet anyone else for a while. Not close by, anyways." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "First off, most people don't survive long in this world. You have to have skills and be smart about what you do. And, secondly, players tend to avoid each other outside of Sanctuaries. I’m sure you’re familiar with the expression ‘dog-eat-dog world out there’. It’s exactly that. Don’t trust anyone out here unless you really know them."
“Does that include you?”
“Oh, you can absolutely trust me.” She winked. “I’m a nice player.”
Well, I ain’t dead yet so I guess that’s true. Wish she didn’t keep talking about not trusting anyone. "So, how many people like us do you think there are out there? Players, I mean."
"Honestly? I have no idea. Maybe a few thousand, tops."
I stared at her, stunned. That’s not a lot of people. "Are you serious?!"
Aubrey shrugged and said, "There's no way to know for sure. There are a lot of us who disappear or die without anyone else noticing. If the System keeps track of how many people are alive or dead, it doesn't give us that information."
I stared at her for a moment before speaking again. "What happens to the people who die?"
She didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to the window and stared out into the evening. "Short answer...they die like normal. If they’re lucky, they stay dead."
Wait, how can you be lucky when you're dead? There’s nothing lucky about that. I tried to follow her train of thought. There’s definitely something more to it.
"But let's focus on the positive," Aubrey continued, forcing a smile. "You're not alone. You've got me, and I promise I'll do everything I can to help you survive."
Her words provided a small measure of comfort, and I found myself grateful for her presence.
"So," I said, trying to steer the conversation back to survival tips. "What do we need to do to stay alive?"
Aubrey tossed the empty chip bag aside and began ticking off points on her fingers. “First you need to know how the System works—what your stats mean, what the numbers mean, how to level up, and how gear works.”
Right. So basically she needs to teach a newbie how to play an RPG game. If I had known that something like this would happen to me, I would have played more RPG games instead of strategy and Civ games.
"Second, you need to learn how to fight. I'll teach you some basic combat skills, but it's up to you to practice and get better."
I nodded. That made sense. It should come more naturally to me if my body still remembers my time during basic training—damn, I can’t believe that it’s been over nine years since I got out of the army.
"Third, you need to learn how to scavenge for supplies. Food, water, weapons, gear – anything you can find to help you survive."
Yeah, I was probably taught all that once. Never once had to use them so it’s no wonder I forgot them all.
"Finally," she continued, "you need to learn how to navigate the world. In order to do that, you need to learn about Servers, the Ley Lines, the Nodes – understanding how they all work is crucial to survival."
I could tell that there was a lot more to this world than I'd initially realized, and the thought of having to learn it all was daunting. But I had no choice – it was either learn or die.
"Alright," I said, steeling myself for the challenges ahead. "Let's get to it."
With a nod, Aubrey began to explain the intricacies of Nexus, starting with the mysterious Ley Lines and Nodes that seemed to be at the heart of this world's strange energy.
"So, Ley Lines," Aubrey began, her voice serious as she stared off into the distance. "They're these powerful streams of energy that crisscross the world. You can't see them with the naked eye, but your Interface can pick them up."
I tried to imagine these invisible lines of energy, wondering what purpose they served. "What do they do?"
"They're the source of power for Psionics," she explained, her gaze still focused on something I couldn't see. "Psionics are the special abilities that players like us get when we're transported to Nexus."
That caught my attention. I hadn't realized that I might have some kind of special power waiting to be discovered. "What kind of abilities? How do I know what power I got?"
She sighed and looked back at me. "It's another thing to not worry about for now. So let's stop with the questions. You need to focus on the basics first and the first step in order to do that is to look at your Interface and follow my instructions. You need to know what all the terms and numbers mean."
I followed her advice and turned my attention to the glowing blue letters floating above my view, and the rows and columns below. “Not gonna lie, it’s been a hot minute since I played my last RPG game so go easy on me with the instructions.”
Aubrey sat back down and started rummaging through the grocery bags while she talked. “You should eat something before we continue. It’s gonna be a long day and you’ll need all the brain power you can get.”
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[https://i.ibb.co/CzNpg5Q/Aubrey-v2.png] [https://i.ibb.co/9w69gjH/Aubrey-v1.png]