Life was easy. He had parents who paid for everything, classes which were always passed, and friends who didn’t care one way or another. Life was simple. There was no reason to work hard. What would it give him? Just a lot of sweat and hard work, and for what? Then he heard about it. The brand new state of the art technology that allowed for virtual reality had finally been perfected. And with that announcement came another announcement, a new game. A game that all experts agreed would be best game ever invented. Royal Road. With such technology, he could finally do anything he wanted. No longer would work be meaningless. If he wanted to be good at sword fighting or being a wizard, all he had to do was work for it!
“That will be $10,000.00, Sir. You will also need to make arrangements with Unicorn, Co. to make sure you pay the $300.00 monthly charge for the game. Now, would you like us to deliver the capsule to your home, or do you want to do it yourself?” The clerk in Games-R-Us asked.
Adrian Tyne looked on in enjoyment. It was so close! He could practically feel his excitement levels rising every second he stood there. Ever since he first learned about the new technology, he had devoted hours to earning money. He knew his parents probably wouldn’t spring for $10,000.00 without knowing what it was for, but he did get them to promise to give him $300.00 extra each month. That made sure his Royal Road bill would be paid for. The long hours at minimum wage where very annoying though. But he had done it. $10,000.00 collected and saved. Of course he had to dip into his funds that he received for groceries and crises, but that didn’t really matter to him. He just cared about the game. He would finally have something to work towards!
“If you would deliver it to my address as well as install it, I would be much obliged. I can also promise a large tip if they can get it there within the hour.” Adrian replied. He quickly left the store. He flagged down a cab to take him back to his townhouse. He was practically shaking in excitement. The time had finally come! After months of waiting, he had rushed out to buy the game the first day it had come out. The capsules were an addition he hadn’t exactly expected, but it made sense that he would have to lie in a capsule to be fully immersed in the virtual reality.
“Your tip goes up for every red light and stop sign you run.” Adrian told his cabbie after contemplating the cab’s speed. He had to get home!
“Right you are, Guv.” The cabbie replied. His words didn’t seem to have had any effect at first, but Adrian quickly noticed an increase in speed as well as the occasional stop sign ran. The cabbie was definitely getting a big tip.
The cab pulled up to his house after fifteen more minutes. Adrian got out and slipped the cabbie $50.00. He ran up the stairs to the door to his apartment. He wanted to read over the many tips and the information on Unicorn’s website one more time before the installer’s arrived.
“Ok. NPC’s give quests. Fame allows the player to gain higher level quests. Fame also allows for discounts from shops. Quests range from F-S. There are over 1000 different classes to choose from though most of those are hidden classes that are found very rarely. Most classes can be based upon a few things though. There are the artistic classes, the combat classes, and the mage classes. Yada, yada, yada… Ah! Here is what I was looking for: the species.” Adrian closely scrutinized the various species he could choose from. Each one gave different benefits. The Human species promised an even distribution of stats. A Human could choose any job and become good at it. Other species though had a more uneven distribution of stats.
Adrian already knew what class he wanted. He wanted to become a wizard. All his life he had dreamed of wielding magic. Now, he finally could. This game didn’t offer just saying a spell and casting the spell. No, this game went so much farther. The website promised that wizards could feel the magic in the air. Wizards could feel the mana in the spells. He wanted to feel that so badly! Thus, he was looking for a class that allowed a higher level of magic and magic regeneration. Those were the two crucial stats for any mage.
He instantly declined the barbarian and the human species. His main interest was the Elven races. Why Unicorn decided to have so many Elf races was a good question though. There were five races of elves and probably more could be unlocked as the popularity and storyline of Royal Road increased. The only problem associated with the Elves would be the low number of people who chose to become one. Adrian believed, rightly, that many people would choose to become humans. He didn’t have a clue how long it would be until he met his first human. The Elf races were born in their own homeland. They couldn’t choose one of the human-dominated countries to first appear in. With the very lacking information on his opening surroundings, choosing an Elf race could become a very dangerous proposition. Adrian didn’t despair though. The fewer users around me, the faster I can become stronger. It was a good attitude to have. A glass half-full attitude!
Adrian got off his computer as he heard the doorbell ringing. He hurried to open the door. Directing the moving men to his room, he watched as they installed the software and capsule. He thanked them and, as promised, gave them their tip. The door shut. It was time!
Adrian practically threw himself into the capsule. He quickly made sure everything was in the proper place. Game installed, virtual reality set, everything checked out! Adrian connected to Royal Road for the very first time.
The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?
“Yes.” Adrian confidently replied. He looked around curiously as he waited for the voice to speak again. He stood (floated?) in endless black. It was like he stood in outer space. Though there were no stars to shine even the slightest light. It kind of freaked him. This was just the first taste of virtual reality for him.
Select the name of your avatar.
“Shit!” For all his thinking and forward planning, he still hadn’t settled on a name for his character. Adrian wracked his brain quickly.
Are you sure you want your name to be Shit?
“What? No! Let me think for a moment.” Adrian tried to pace, except… he was floating. He shook his head to clear it of the useless thoughts. He needed a name. Something cool! Ice, Slayer, Regis? No, no. All those names were juvenile! Maybe something to do with magic? Hmm…
“Pyre.”
Select your gender from male, female, or neutral.
“Male.” Neutral? Why the hell do they offer neutral? He had to ignore the question as the voice continued.
Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty.
“Shadow Elf.” It took him hours of thinking to pick the shadow elf. While the defensive capabilities of the shadow elf were very low, the species balanced it out by being very strong in magic, agility, and magic recovery. Their strength wasn’t too bad either. He would have to do something to get his endurance up though.
You may alter your appearance.
“Uh… I want my hair to be solid black instead of black/brown I have now. I also want it to be long enough to put in a pony-tail. Also, make my eyes ruby red. Might as well make my appearance more interesting.” Adrian decided not to touch his actual appearance. He would make friends based on his real looks instead of some made-up face. The eyes and hair wouldn’t change his overall look, so he didn’t mind changing that.
Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road.
“Alright.”
Select a city you want to start in.
“Shadow Haven.”
Welcome to Royal Road. Do you wish to start the tutorial?
“Yes, Mam!”
The game had begun. Over the entire globe, one million people logged onto Royal Road that day. Every hardcore gamer who could scrounge up the money immediately bought Royal Road the first day it came out. The main clientele came from South Korea where Unicorn originated. Very few people from other countries even knew of the game. Adrian was very lucky to be one of the few. Later on, different types of people would visit Royal Road for business, advertising purposes, or job related activities, but on that first day, only the gamers played it. And they were astounded. No longer would they have to push buttons or click a mouse. Now they could move their hands and swing their swords. The game offered unlimited food options. They could eat anything they wanted to. They could swim at the beaches or lakes. A whole new world opened up to them that day. Gone was the desire to play their PS96s or their Xbox 5000s. Virtual Reality was the only way to go.
Pyre looked around in awe. The tutorial had been amazing, but this! This was almost divine. Surrounding him was endless twilight. Shadows stalked every corner, and a lone breeze blew through the air. He was in the Shadowlands, the native home of the Shadow Elves.
Pyre turned and turned as he saw the hundreds of elves surrounding him. Each one had an AI installed into them. Each one was different and could offer amazing benefits. Any one of them could set him on his path. Pyre had a plan. He desperately wanted to find a hidden class that would lead him on the path to becoming the strongest wizard in the game. The Bersis continent was huge though. Such a class would be extremely difficult to find. Thus, his plan: visit the library. But first, he needed actual skills in magic.
“Selling fruits and vegatables!”
“Get your armor and swords here!”
“Step right up Ladies and Gentleelves! The best dresses and clothes money can buy.”
Shouts assailed him everywhere he looked. This was awesome! Now, where was the local library?
To learn magic, a person needed a few things. The first thing a person needed was the mana to charge the spell. The intelligence and wisdom stats governed the amount of mana a person contained as well as the mana regeneration. Those stats also allowed for higher level spells to be used when they were leveled up. The second thing an aspiring mage needed was a spellbook. Spellbooks actually taught the spell an aspiring mage wanted to know. A good mage would also need a skill book. Skill books could teach affinities to certain magics. Most fire mages, for example, relied heavily on their mastery of the fire magic skill. Skills advanced from beginner to intermediate to advance to master. The higher on the ladder a mage climbed, the easier it was to use fire spells.
“Ah! There it is.” Pyre raced off towards the third biggest building in the city. As the wind rushed past his face, he couldn’t help but marvel. He was already moving faster than he ever had in real life. He could feel the muscles moving in his body as he moved forward. He could smell the delicacies that were baking in the restaurants that lined the streets. No longer did NPCs not have a life. Now, they ate, worked, and did everything a user would do. The wonders of virtual reality and AI.
Pyre threw open the library doors. He stepped into… paradise. Three stories of nothing but books stood before him. Even the history books here would be awesome solely because he could actually have adventures like that!
“Ah, a foreigner! You are the first one I have ever seen.” A very pretty older woman… elf… said from behind a counter. “Come, come. There are many books here for your viewing pleasure. I will have to restrict your access to some of the more… esoteric texts though. Don’t want you learning some things too soon.” She chuckled.
“That is perfectly acceptable, my beautiful lady. I will trust your wisdom.” Pyre said with perfect sincerity. It had been rumored that the more the NPCs liked you, the better the chance to get quests and rewards. Pyre had already decided to be as polite and charming to everyone he encountered. He never knew when he could stumble upon a treasure.
“Ah, thank you. My name is Nynavia. If you need any help, I will be very, very happy to help you.” Nynavia said with a playful purr in her voice.
Pyre looked on in astonishment for a moment. She couldn't be suggesting… could she? He shook his head. Now wasn't the time. He had hours of studying to do. He very much needed to get himself acquainted with all the kingdoms of the time. Then, he would need to look into the history of the Bersis continent. Another subject would be the history and actions of the shadow elves. Knowing his species would be very helpful.
“I will certainly seek you out if I have need, Nynavia. Now, I do believe it is time for me to get reading.” So saying, Pyre walked off into the library. He quickly found the first book of his list. He started to pile up books he planned to read on a table hidden in a corner of the library. Three books soon became thirty as he continued to build up his pile. Finally, he started reading.
“The Bersis Continent is large. It is generally seen to be made up of the North, South, East, West, and Central Areas. The North consists of terrifying blizzards and below freezing temperatures ever since the collapse of the Nifleheim Empire. The monsters there are some of the most powerful on the continent.
The East and West are largely unexplored areas. There are said to be many kingdoms just waiting to be found in these areas. Many of the other species make their home in these regions. The South is made up of many tribal kingdoms as well as a few large human kingdoms. A large part of the Southern region is made up of deserts and mountains. This is a dangerous part of the Bersis continent.
The Central area is largely human-orientated though it is believed that the dwarves occupy a mountain range in one of the kingdoms. There have been many wars among the species and monster that have eventually seen the humans winning most of them. This has led to humans having firm control over this area though it is known that the monsters take every opportunity to attack.”
“*Whistle* I so have to go see all this. I will ignore the North for now, but the South, East, and West all sound amazing to go to. If I could discover an entire kingdom, I just know that my fame and reputation will shoot up. Of course, I would have to find my way out of the Shadowlands first. Damn! If only Unicorn offered a map…” Pyre went back to his reading while making plans for his future.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
*Ding* Intelligence increase by 1 point. (+1 INT)
“Oh… That is very interesting. I did not know you could do that…” Pyre was extremely surprised. To be able to level up his stats just by reading, he hadn’t read anything like that on the Royal Road website. That did change things though. He had planned to read as much as possible and then get to quests, but now he could raise his intelligence and hopefully wisdom just by reading more books. Wisdom and intelligence were essential to being a mage. The more he upped them now, the better off he would be in the future.
“Time to start reading!” So yelling, Pyre dived back into his books.
Soon a week passed and then two in the game. Pyre logged off for five to six hours each day to sleep and get in a quick run before immediately logging back onto Royal Road. He was officially addicted. The 4x speed of gameplay to real life couldn't be more amazing. He had played for 14 days in Royal Road. Every sense he had told him that he had played for 14 days. But, in the outside world, he only played for three and a half days. It was mind-blowing!
Each day in Royal Road was spent in speed-reading. He already spent more than 250 hours reading. His stats were starting to love him. His wisdom and intelligence both increased by 13 and 14 respectively. That was equal to six level ups! He still had to stay in town for another two weeks though, and his food officially ran out.
“Nynavia!” Pyre whined. “Do you have any food you can share with me?” He pleaded. “I am starving!”
Nynavia couldn’t help but chuckle at the cute expression on the foreigner’s face. He looked so pathetic. It was so cute!
“Well… I suppose,” She took on a thinking pose with her chin resting in her hands. “And you have been so amazing in your desire to read lately. Hmm… Ok! I will feed you two meals a day for your remaining time in this library if you do something for me.”
*Ding* Helping Nynavia!
If you ‘help’ Nynavia to her satisfaction, she will make sure you are fed. The help will be tiring, so a meal will be helpful before beginning.
Difficulty Level: F
Quest Requirements: Be in the library at Shadow Haven at a certain time in the year. Have Nynavia interested in you.
Alright! My first quest! From here on, I am sure I can find more quests and quickly become an awesome mage.
“I would love to help you, Nynavia! Whatever you ask, I will endeavor to do to your heart’s content.” Pyre waxed poetically. If only he knew just what she wanted…
“Well, I want to…”
Three Hours Later
“………………”
“*Giggles* Don’t worry. You were surprisingly good for your first time. Maybe we can continue this at another time. I mean, you did say you would continue until my heart’s content. *Giggles*.” Nynavia got up from the bed and went to take a shower.
Pyre could only look at the ceiling in a daze. He had just lost his virginity, sort of. It would be different for a girl. They actually had physical proof. Males though… yes, he could say he actually lost his virginity. At least it was to a very attractive older woman, elf, whatever.
“Shit!” He looked at the door that separated him from the bathroom. He could hear the shower running in there. “Well, in for a nickel might as well be in for a dollar.” Pyre rolled off the bed and headed to the bathroom. He had a shower to share!
Two hours later
“Ah. At least my endurance went up by one. I guess I can say something positive for this adventure did happen.” Pyre chuckled to himself before opening the next book in his stack. He had easily finished the first stack of thirty he borrowed. He was now looking through as many books on wizards and magic that he could find. He also planned to go to the mage’s guild later. He wanted to check out the prices for a spell. He might be raising his stats while reading, but he also needed to raise his mastery over spells.
Spells were very easy to learn. It was turning those spells into usable combat spells that was difficult. Anyone could go buy a fireball spell for three silvers. The spell would do about 15 damage plus catch enemies on fire. A mage, though, could use the same fireball spell and do double the damage based on their spell mastery skill and use half the mana. Fire magic mastery, ice magic mastery, lightning magic mastery, wind magic mastery, and earth magic mastery were the main types of skills for mages. The higher the skill level, the more damage dealt and the less mana cost when using an elemental spell. Other vital skills included magic mastery and meditation. One helped keep the mana cost of spells down, while the other skill helped to restore mana. There were rumored to be even more hidden skills in the world as well.
Pyre looked up from his book to check the time. There was no real way to tell the time by the sun in the Shadowlands. The place lived up to its name. Night and day never appeared. The land remained shrouded in shadow at all hours. Thankfully, the game designers had installed clocks in main thoroughfares of the city.
Shaking his head at the random turn of thoughts, Pyre quickly got up from his seat and headed out of the library. He had already pinpointed the location of the Mage’s Guild earlier in the week. While many larger cities had a Mage’s Guild, the books he read suggested that there were many different kinds of guilds for magic users. He wanted a guild that catered to users of elemental magic and not summoning magic.
As he walked through the streets, he took notice of the shadows cloaking the different buildings. That told the people that the sun had set in the outside world. As night deepened around the world, the shadows took on a more ominous shading. The shadows hid the buildings and players during the night hours. During the day hours, the shadows retreated from the buildings. This provided another way to tell the time in a land where the sun never fully shone.
“How may I help you, Sir?” Pyre turned his attention back to his surroundings to find that he had arrived at the Guild. The young man before him was one of the many people hired by the guild to help guide people to where they needed to go. Pyre couldn’t tell if the elf was a NPC or user, but it really didn’t matter. As far as he could tell, every person around him could be a user or NPC and he wouldn’t know. The developers of Royal Road had created something truly unique.
“I am looking to take on an apprenticeship if possible.” Pyre answered confidently. He hoped that one of the stronger NPC mages would take pity on him and help him start out. Honestly, he didn’t even know if it was possible, but he figured there was a decent possibility.
“Um… we usually don’t accept anyone that comes in off the street, but then we have never had a foreigner try to enter either. You will have to take it up with the masters. I will guide you.” Pyre followed the guide into the guild.
Pyre looked around in awe as he walked into the guild. The building before him only had about three floors, but it was the items inside that trapped his interest. Spinning balls of magic floated around the rooms, and all manner of items were placed wherever they could be stored. It was literally a treasure trove for mages.
As he followed his guide up the marble staircase, Pyre couldn’t help but reflect on the wealth displayed. The RR website implied that mages suffered from great poverty since so many regents were needed to learn the magical arts. Certain jewels had to be bought to learn spells, all manner of herbs had to be obtained, and the spells themselves were supposed to cost a lot of money to buy just one spell. Yet the interior of the mage’s guild seemed to show just the opposite. There were freaking GOLD handrails! That is not the mark of poverty but of great riches!
“Here we are. I would caution you to show utmost respect. The masters are meeting now, so you should be able to make your plea before all the masters. You are indeed lucky since the meeting is about the appearance of so many foreigners in the lands. Otherwise the masters would be scattered to their towers in the countryside. Wait here until I come to collect you.” The guide gently knocked on the door before entering and closing the door.
Pyre looked around. He appeared to be in a waiting room. That likely suggested that the room before him was the room where the administration work of the guild was done. He took a seat in a magnificent upholstered chair. It was almost divine in how comfortable it was. He waited.
“The masters will see you now.” After an hour of waiting and boredom, the guide finally came back out of the room. Pyre leaped to his feet. He really wanted to hurry up.
“This is the foreigner who wants to learn out arts, Masters.” The guide said politely as he led Pyre into the room. This was the first time Pyre saw what were clearly high level characters. Each master had a finely polished staff or rod next to them, and all of their robes appeared glossy and extremely expensive. Rings and amulets and crowns also appeared on the masters. In all, Pyre could easily say he stood before some of the strongest shadow elves in the game.
“Young Wilkin tells us that you want to become an apprentice and learn the mysterious of magic. If you are a shadow elf, shouldn’t your parents have inducted you into the powers of magic? I have never heard of someone as old as you not knowing any kind of magic.” The master at the far left said. Pyre was momentarily stuck. He had no idea that shadow elves learned magic basically from the cradle. Lucky!
“As you know, Honored One, I am a foreigner. I was once a slave set free by the Holy One. I never had the opportunity to learn magic before now. That is why I have come to the capital of the shadow elf homeland. I want to learn of my people, and to do that, I want to learn all the secrets of magic.” Pyre said with great sincerity. He was trying to be as respectful as possible. This opportunity to speak with all the masters of the mage’s guild would not come again.
“Heh.” The master in the middle chuckled. “A child such as you thinks to learn all the secrets of magic! Preposterous! Only the Archmage can learn magic to its fullest. And there hasn’t been a shadow elf Archmage in centuries. Only the bloody humans and prissy High Elves have produced an Archmage recently. That’s two people. Only two archmages are alive right now. And you want to learn all the secrets of magic. Don’t make me laugh, Child!”
Pyre’s eyebrow shot up. There was actually such a class as Archmage? And it could learn all the secrets of magic… that had to mean that there were no magical restrictions on the class. If he could get that class, all his dreams of using magic would surely come true!
Most magical classes had certain restrictions. A mage could only use certain spells. If one wanted to specialize in fire magic, that mage couldn’t really use earth or water magic effectively. The RR website said that level 200 would allow users to branch out a little, but at that level it would be very difficult to raise another type of magic. The Archmage class would allow use of all types of magic including summons if he understood the master correctly. This was BIG information!
‘Hmm. Time to play up the slave card.’ “I have been a slave all my life, Masters. I have suffered undue cruelty. I have been powerless. Now, though, now I want power. I see magic as my means to power. I beg of you Masters to take me in as an apprentice. I promise you that my work will exemplary!” Please work.
“Chht.” The middle master got up and left the room. He was soon followed by the other six masters. Hopes failing, Pyre looked each master in the eye trying to convey his seriousness. Finally they all walked out. Learning under a master of magic would have seen his progress skyrocket very quickly. He would have been able to learn spells probably for free because the master could have taught him instead of having to buy the spell. The guild certainly looked rich enough to support any apprentice in such a manner. Now his plans were falling down.
“Ehem.” A coughing noise broke the silence. Pyre whipped around to see another master in the room that he hadn’t seen on his earlier inspection. This was another beautiful female shadow elf. Long silver hair rolled down her back, and her eyes shone like rubies. It was funny that red eyes were predominant in the shadow elf race. Here he thought he would be unique with his eye color.
“If you truly wish to reach for the sky, Young One, I will take you on as an apprentice. Too long have the Shadow Elves been laughed at by the High Elves. Too long has this guild stifled any true talent. I will train you until such a time as I believe you are ready to walk the path of power. My name is Talia, Master of the Rains.” His mouth dropped. She was honestly the most beautiful female he had ever seen. Then his brain kicked in. She would train him!
“Thank you, Master!” Pyre shouted eagerly. “I will not let you down!”
“Fu fu fu. I would hope not, My New Apprentice. I would hope not. Fu fu fu!” It was at that moment when he heard her laugh that chills started running down his spine.
*Ding* Hidden Class: If you accept it, you can use exclusive skills related to the nature of the class. Do you want to convert now?
“Yes…”
Character NamePyreAlignmentNeutralLevel1ProfessionApprentice to Master of the RainsHealth100Mana175+150Strength7Agility15Stamina10Wisdom30+20Intelligence31+20Luck0Attack3Defense0