CHAPTER 9 COMPULSIONS
I awoke to a pounding on my door, getting out of bed I opened the door and looked at the servant who was waiting for me. “Young sir, I am here to make sure you are up and ready to begin your training.” With that, he turned and walked down the hall stopping to bang on another bedroom door. I stared at him for a minute and then turned and gathered my stuff and headed down to get cleaned up and have some breakfast.
I was one of the first to wash up and enter the dining hall. The smell of the food was tantalizing, with my mouth watering I grabbed a plate and scooped up some butter fried potatoes. Making my way down the buffet style food line, I grabbed four soft poached eggs and about ten pieces of bacon along with five pieces of sausage. Topping it all off was three thick cut pieces of bread that had been fried in hot butter on both sides. Finally, I grabbed a large mug of chilled milk and made my way to a table. I slowly began to eat, enjoying every bite. One of the things that I liked about the game was that no matter how much you ate you never felt like you were suffering lead belly, that heavy feeling in the middle of your tummy that came from eating too much food or eating at fast food restaurants.
Once I was done I gathered my dirty dishes and put everything in the dirty bin and the pulled my schedule out and read it once again. My first class was an introduction to the history of the city, then the second was physical training, level one. Each class lasted about an hour and a half, then a lunch break. Afterward another class, something called Identification and then a class called Basic Weapons training. In the evening, there was a finally class called Skill Pathing then supper and study time.
I followed the directions and arrived at my first classroom. Not surprisingly I was the first one there, what was surprising was that after the instructor showed up no one else did. He was a bit of a foppish looking npc who greeted me with a hello and a yawn. “I am not much of a morning person,” he said.
After waiting for a few more minutes, he stood up and said, “Alright, this class is about the history of the city and that means we are going for a walk. Go fetch your cloak, and meet me at the entrance.” The next hour and a half were actually interesting, the instructor knew many of the stories of the city, and as we went he told them to me. It was a little like being on a walking tour of the city with a knowledgeable guide. The one place we did not go into was the Catacombs, they spread for miles directly under the city. I was told that later on in my training I would have to enter them but for now, it was just a walk in the city.
Once we made it back to the Waterworks I made my way to the gym. There were a number of others all working out, I was handed a change of clothing and shown the change room. Once I returned to the gym the instructor, master Pym started me off with running laps. After ten minutes, we switched to and obstacle course. I was timed and the challenge was to get as far through it as you could. I managed about thirty seconds, that time was impressive for having never done it before. At least that is what Pym said.
The next challenge was doing some strength training, Pym started me on a bench press using free weight. I lifted and then he added more weights. Rinse, wash and repeat. Eventually, I was lifting all the free weights that were there and Pym was staring at me with a shocked look on his face. Once that was done we began to do some stretching and limbering up. It reminded me of seeing Yoga on the television. Pym had been writing some notes down as we proceeded and at the end of the class he told me that I had done quite well, quite well indeed.
Lunch came and went and I was back in a classroom this time with several other students. The instructor was a small man with a cold look in his eyes as he surveyed us. All of the other students were at least level 10 with a few even higher. I was the low guy at level 4, and I attracted some stares. The instructor called us to attention and then went on to explain the basic premise of the class, to be able to look at a person and not just see the class and level but evaluate if the person could fight, if he had concealed weapons and if he knew how to use them.
I never heard his name, but he was very good at what he did, it involved a lot of role play and carrying concealed weapons as well as dressing up and down. I actually enjoyed the class and looked forward to more. The time passes quickly and then the class was over. I was excited about the next class, Basic Weapons training. I had the feeling I was going to find out just how much I did not know and I was right.
It all began well enough, the first part of the class involved filling out a form indicating what weapon skills you had, and how much experience you had with them, basically what level you were at with the weapon. Since I was only level five and had not chosen my class yet the instructor would pair me up against as many opponents as he could this meant I was beaten with almost every weapon there. It was an experience and while painful it really showed me that I had a lot to learn.
Near the end, the instructor asked me to choose a weapon and start practicing with it. I picked daggers with the dual wield specialization. He showed my several basic forms, how to place your feet and move your arms and then I was attacking the wooden leather clad dummy. It was harder than it sounds the dummy would spin around and occasionally launch daggers at you or throw a net on you. No rhyme or reason to it and it kept you on your toes. I was physically worn out by the end, my energy bar was down to 15 percent. I could feel the skill developing within me as I practiced, the scrolls had given me the knowledge and my body was learning the muscle memory.
The class ended with a small lecture about fighting, and I learned something I had not known. Any act of violence will cause people to freeze, some for just a few seconds’ others for longer. With proper training, a person could be taught how to react and not stop and try to think or freeze up. The faster the reaction the better the chance of success, the important thing was to be able to react instantly under any circumstance. Sudden violent circumstances give you very little time to be aware of what is happening, so being vigilant and keeping situational awareness is important as it could mean the difference between life and death.
The class ended so I went to my next class the last one of the day. I was tired sore and my brain was trying to process all that I had been taught. The class began with an older female npc introducing herself as Mrs. Tuka. She had us all sit down in a circle and discuss the leveling path that everyone was on and what they had learned at their current level. I was somewhat surprised to learn that npc’s also would choose a leveling path and acquire the skills and spells of that class.
When the discussion finally came to me I said, “Hi folks, being level four I have not chosen a class or leveling pathway yet. To be honest, I am not sure what would be a good fit, however seeing the different classes in action today has given me a lot to think about.” Mrs. Tuka nodded and said, “Keep an open mind, not all classes are suited for everyone but most people will be drawn to the one that is the best for them.” The discussion continued on and I listened to the debates on spell damage as opposed to physical damage. It was a very relaxed class with Mrs. Tuka keeping everyone in line but making sure they if they said something they knew what they were talking about.
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After the class ended I went to the dining hall and grabbed some supper, a thick stew with fresh baked rolls and tons of butter along with clear cold water and a steaming mug of sweet tea. Most of the other students were all grouped up and discussing the day and what they had learned. No one was unfriendly but no one invited me to join them, it did not bother me I would not have a lot to add to any discussion taking place anyway.
Taking my dirty dishes, I dumped them in the tray and then went to the library, I found several books on the city and began to read. It was interesting, one of the books mentioned that the city had been built near the ruins of an ancient city that had been long abandoned, eventually the city expanded and covered the whole area. The only remnants of this old city were to be found in the Catacombs, deep underground. This idea of an underground city reminded me of the old temple at the underground lake. I wondered if they were somehow connected.
At about mid evening I left the library and headed to the park I was eager to see Tavana, it was like a pressure within me, it was something I had to do. This pissed me off, it felt like I was losing control, having some kind of artificial pressure put on me, I had been tracking my actions trying to figure out what was me and what was the game. The only thing I could think of was perhaps the natural inhibitions that people had in dealing with other people were gone. Perhaps I was not the only one doing things that they would not do.
After I logged out in the morning I would scour the forums and watch any videos that had been posted. I was still waiting for the GM to contact me also. I wanted to know a bit more about these scenarios/ cut scenes. I know they had been a staple in most MMO's to help explain and advance the storyline, but in a VR game having your avatars acting without your control just seemed wrong.
I eventually made my way over to the graveyard and looked around, there were a few ghosts strolling around, but not Tavana. I approached one apparition and asked she knew where Tavana was.
The lady ghost told me, “She can only manifest about once a month, she has not been with us long enough to have built here energy up. Come back in thirty days and you will see her, I will tell her you were asking.” With that, the lady just faded from sight. Damn, the pressure I was feeling to somehow see Tavana did not go away. I was beginning to actually feel uncomfortable and decided to deal with this. Making my way to the magical district I looked around hoping to find a seer. I was not expecting one to be open but one shop had the door open and the light on.
Knocking I entered the shop to see a Gnome sitting on a couch with a bottle of stout on the table beside him. Looking at me he said, “Leave the Imp outside and sit down, I have been waiting for you while you pouted at the graveyard. I want ta get this done so I can do some real drinking, now sit down, shut your trap, and gimme me your hand.”
I was stunned but said, “Wazzic, wait outside.”
Wazzic replied, “Ye fooken humans, with all the secrets ye hide…” I closed the door to muffle him out and sat down on the couch. Holding out my hand I felt his hand holding my hand up towards his face, then he swore.
“There be no doubt, you have had a spell cast on you, and it is working it’s magic even as we speak. Did you know that this would happen, no I can see that you did not. I will stop the spell but you will have to do a small job for me.”
The message icon blinked and I knew I had a new quest, opening it up I read,
You are being given a quest, you must accept before the details will be made known. It is probably illegal in nature and could impact your reputation with various factions if you are caught
Rewards, to be free from the spell you have been put under
I accepted the quest and waited for the Gnome to speak.
Looking at me he nodded his head and said, “I knew you would accept, my thanks, lad. What I want you to do is get into the Catacombs and find my son or his remains.” The Gnome was silent for a minute and then spoke again, “He went down there to try to find some fungi I needed for a spell, it only grows down there and is very costly. That was a year ago, and I would like to bring some closure to his momma. I won’t give you a time line but sometime within the year would be good. Now let’s fix this damn spell you are under.”
I watched as the Gieran the Gnome, he had told me his name just before we began, started to prepare. He brought out a what looked like a chalkboard and several powders and a length of gold chain, the kind rappers would have on their wrists in the real world. “Looking at me he said, “You will be paying for the gold lad, and it is not cheap.”
After he had drawn a circle on the board and traced several complex symbols around the circular outline. He lit a small fire pot and added in a mixture of powders and fragrant oils, then cutting off a lock of my hair and trimming one of my fingernails he dumped them into the pot. Giving me a small chalice he pointed to the back and said, “First door on the right, pee in the chalice not on it.”
I looked at him, but he was not joking, so I headed back and did my duty. Bringing it back to Gieran, I noted he now had on leather gloves. He took the chalice and added it to the mixture then took the gold chain and began to swirl it around the pot mixing everything. Eventually, he stopped and then taking my hand he began to speak and with a sudden whoosh sound I saw something go flying from around me into the pot. Letting of me Gieran continued to chant and then stopped as a small cracking noise came from the pot.
“Everything is done lad the compulsion you have been under is now gone, I placed it into the gold chain after I bonded the chain to your soul. Here now, go take this pot o the sink in the back and wash it down, do a good job, it has been peed on. This was not a low-level spell and it has been on you for a few days, can you tell me what you have been up to, lad?” I thought for a minute, why not tell him, at least he has been honest with me.
Taking my time, I began to speak and by the time I was done washing out the pot and cleaning the chain, I was halfway through my story. Sitting on the couch I was playing with the chain as I explained how Langshank had brought me to the city and how I was now a Squire and being trained by the department of dirty works.
Once I mentioned the ghostly girl Tavana and how I had felt the compulsion to see her, Gieran stopped me and then said, “Oftentimes these compulsions work on who we really are, and in this case, a lonely young girl meets a single young man, who wants to help her. It may have influenced you, but deep within something about the girl caught your fancy, so not all of it was a compulsion.”
I felt relieved at that, I was attracted to Tavana and it was a relief to know it was not something artificial. Gieran also pointed out that it was probably Langshank who had cast the spell on me, it was something only an advanced level practitioner could do. I questioned this as he was a Knight, not a mage, but Gieran explained that even knights knew battle magic and certain other spells.
As he was explaining this I noted that the gold chain was now moving on its own and eventually wrapped itself around my wrist.
I looked at Gieran and he said, “The chain is now semi-sentient, it will be the repository of any spells directed at you. In the case of compulsions, charms and attempts at influencing you the spells will all be contained within the chain, and the sender will not realize that the spell has not worked, for it has, the chain is you magically. As the chain is now magically alive it will change as you change, it will attempt to help you as it recognizes that you are the chain.”
At any rate, my advice is to not trust anyone, get your training done and get the hell out of the city. But first bring me back something of my boy.”
I nodded and thanked him then turned to leave. Waving from the door I could see he was already working on the bottle of stout on the table. He was a strange little man, a seer and a wizard I would guess but most of all I thought he was a heartbroken father. As I made my way back to the Waterworks I knew I had to train hard and get some questing done, then I was going to leave the city and find my place in this world. At least that is what I hoped for.