The hills rolled away soon enough. The rain had stopped, though it was still heavily overcast. As he pulled into the Zastra District, Everett was greeted by a ruined fortress manned by numerous mechanical sentries. They didn’t seem to aggro on sight, thankfully, but he got the impression they would if he got within a certain range of them. The way they followed his movements told him that, at the very least, they were fully aware of his presence. The crumbling fortress stretched to either side in a large circular formation.
He guessed it to be a little over a mile in diameter, the first floor standing maybe four stories tall. Five more rings that were also four stories apiece were stacked atop it, each one narrower than the last. Steel buttresses were spaced evenly along each wall, where turrets stood stalwart on their peaks. Thankfully, because the fortress was in such a state of disrepair, the turrets were incredibly spread apart at the base, but where they were absent, the sentries filled the gaps. The way they patrolled along the walls gave Everett the impression he stumbled across some kind of stronghold or dungeon.
The longer he stared at it, the longer he really wanted to try to go inside. As he sat there considering how to enter the ominous broken ruins, he was struck by something Heaven had said earlier. Starting another message, he said, Hey, so I forgot to tell you I got a message saying I advanced to Blooded. I’m assuming that means I leveled up? Also I think I found a dungeon. There’s a bunch of robot sentries and turrets everywhere.
Holy skat! Blooded? Falsh yes, that’s a full tier! How the falsh did you pull that off? And don’t worry about that dungeon. Maybe we’ll come back for it later, but for now, get over here, ok? came Heaven’s almost immediate reply.
With a pout, Everett gave a longing look at the fortress. He really really wanted to try and tackle it. He didn’t see a way to get a bead on any of their strengths though, so with a sigh of regret, he wheeled his erzelis around and started skirting around the fortress trying to take note of anything that stood out before heading towards the city proper.
Once beyond the fortress, the Zastra District opened to a wide grassland where creatures the size of elephants grazed on the tall grass. They were powerfully built with thick bands of muscle under heavy bone plating along their lower limbs. Long whip-like tails swung lazily back and forth. The tips looked like they were tied with a bow, but as Everett looked closer, he realized they were more like curved barbs, similar to the curved horns that jutted from the armored plating on the side of their heads.
If any of his knowledge of the animal kingdom held true here, he assumed they were likely territorial and fought like mad once aggro’d. Definitely a nope monster.
Some birds of an unknown type filled the sky. The large flock swayed lazily back and forth in an undulating mass. Everett felt incredibly unsettled by the sheer size of them. Even at a distance, he could tell they were about the size of a small cat. If it wasn’t for the reflection coming off of their wings, they’d almost completely blend in with the overcast sky. With each new sighting, he was becoming less and less certain of his ability to handle the wildlife here. What was Heaven talking about when she suggested he might be able to gain experience here. Even in a 1 v 1, these things looked like they would just tear through him in seconds. It didn’t help that the only thing in his possession was a half rusted sword. Why couldn’t he have started with a gun?
Thankfully the area was mostly open grassland. Every now and again, he’d come across a grouping of crumbling building structures.
Wherever he saw a building, he also found a copse of trees spread around them. Looking around, he got the impression this all might’ve been farmland at one point. He also got the impression it was a killing field since defenders of the city could easily spot an approaching enemy from several kilometers out.
After another ten minutes, he finally saw the walls of the city quickly rising over the horizon. He shot a quick message to Heaven to let her know he was close, and almost immediately got a group invite.
He accepted, watching her name appear in the top left corner of his Vision. As far as HUD’s went, it was basically just like the normal AR he dealt with when racing, though the layout was vastly different. Aside from the presence of Heaven’s name, and the highlighted path that guided him to the city, his Vision was entirely free of any mini-maps or other intrusive icons. Instead they were all relegated to the display on his dashboard. He found his basic defense and an æther gauge were displayed separately on a bracelet he wore.
He didn’t remember seeing that before.
“Can you hear me, Ma’Z,” Heaven said into his ear. Everett, Ma’Z, reached up to feel if he was wearing some kind of earpiece and confirmed that he wasn’t. As if she read his mind, Heaven added, “It’s a cochlear implant. We all have them. It only works while in a group, or if you give someone direct access. The exchange can only be made in person, however.”
So that answered that question. “Good to know. Thought I lost it there for a second,” Ma’Z responded.
As he raced closer, he noticed the entry gate off to his right and veered in its direction. There was a group of Sentinels standing at the ready on either side of the gate.
No doubt NPC’s.
There was a pair in their assault mode, and another pair in their drive mode. It made sense to be ready for pursuit or combat as the situation dictated.
In front of them, however, was another person, standing casually in assault mode. The light from the setting sun cast the Frame in silhouette, making it hard to make them out, though it wasn’t a hard guess.
“Do you see me,” Heaven asked.
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Oh man, I’ve been waiting all day to see you. I’ve been trying to get some gear ready for you, so you wouldn’t have to start right off in scrub mode. But you arrived sooner than expected, and I didn’t think you were going to show up, already blooded! I’m still bugging on that part.”
“Pfft, I almost died! The damned thing was firing missiles the moment I logged in. And I don’t even remember the character creation process at all! That’s not normal right?”
“No. It’s not. But I’m in no position to speculate on what happened, either. It does kind of explain some things, though. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you looked at yourself?”
“Uh, no offense, but between getting shot at and trying to figure out what the hell happened to me, it never exactly dawned on me to look for a mirror.”
“That’s fair. But that means you really don’t know, do you?”
“I don’t know anything. One minute I went through the boot up sequence, and the next I was on a battlefield trying everything in my power to bail and failing.”
“And yet it still took you hours to login. That is strange.”
“Tell me about it.”
As soon as he spoke, he was finally close enough to see Heaven in greater detail. Media content for the game was kept securely under wraps. Aside from official content, most player’s actions and whereabouts in-game were a complete mystery. Because of this, he didn’t exactly ever see what she looked like, in-game.
It was almost like seeing her for the first time all over again, and he felt butterflies dance around in his stomach like he was staring at a high school crush. Except she had the nicer car, and probably a bottomless wallet.
He shook his head, focusing on the beauty before him. He already knew she’d chosen an Elf for the enchantment bonuses. As a Civilian, her starting abilities were crafting focused. She got an innate bonus to imbue her racial bonuses into items she created, which meant nearly all of her items had an increase in reflexes and intellect.
She grew that ability, however, and could now imbue any stat she wanted. She specialized in guns, unsurprisingly, as that’s what she knew best, though her melee weapons still ranked among some of the best. As a brand, Heaven rated among the top fifty crafters in the City of First Light. Top thirty, if you went strictly by gun selection.
Heaven had a group of NPC followers who helped her run her shop. She didn’t go the normal route of hiring them through the interface. Instead, they came to her. Heaven counted herself lucky, because she’d seen quite a few outright revolt on players who treated them as mere slaves instead of people.
That was precisely how she ended up with her followers. They heard of her reputation as a solo crafter and one by one asked to try out. Nearly everyone she hired was now close to maxing to becoming a master crafter, and the shop ran like a well-oiled machine.
Heaven, herself, stood confidently within her all white and gold Erzelis Frame. Her dark amber skin stood in stark contrast to the Frame. She had the same hair as her real self, except colored a brazen gold at the tips to match her eyes. She wore a sleeveless white and gold sundress with a pair of knee-high white combat boots. Its four buckles were solid gold to match her white and golden armband and bracelet. The only thing off color were a pair of black goggles resting on her forehead and a black strip of paint across her right cheek.
As for her erzelis, it was probably the closest thing he’d ever seen to a mechanical dragon. It even had a prehensile tail. Twin blades extended from its forearms giving the impression of retracted wings and its head had a lizard-like silhouette with exhaust fins and antennae to complete the look. With Heaven at its center, she looked like the beast was cradling her lithe form.
“You finally made it,” Heaven greeted. Ma’Z pulled up, shifting his stance to her height in the process. “Oh? You change forms like a natural. Guess that raid boss made you learn quick,” she continued. Ma’Z looked down at his assault form, not really sure what to think. He shrugged in response, “I mean, the motions aren’t exactly complicated. Is it really something beginners struggle with?”
Heaven shook her head and waved dismissively, “A few do, but almost all of them take a while before they can do it on reflex.”
Ma’Z raised an eyebrow, then flashed a wicked grin and threw his arms in the air at an angle and declared, “Well, what can I say? I’m awesome!”
His Erzelis Frame copied the maneuver.
Heaven rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “Whatever showoff, now it’s my turn to be cheesy. This way,” she gestured towards the gate. Ma’Z rode forward, following Heaven’s lead in returning to Drive mode. As they passed under the arch, Ma’Z’s gaze was drawn to the skyrise buildings that he presumed marked the center of the city. They looked like massive towers of twinkling glass that nearly scratched the dome above.
“Welcome,” Heaven said with a smile. His eyes seemed glued to the sight, causing her to smile wider. “Welcome to the City of First Light.”
As soon as she said it, Ma’Z’s eyes bulged as the words appeared in huge flourishing letters in the sky. There was a chorus of angels and bells that sang in his ears causing his eyes to bulge wider.
He turned to Heaven, who was positively beaming from ear to ear as she mockingly threw her arms up in the same pose.
It took everything he had not to bust out laughing. “Absurd isn’t it,” she laughed, “But I had to see the look on your face. Priceless.”
“Does this happen every time a newbie enters the city?”
“No. Someone has to make the introduction, but it’s hilarious every time.”
“Ah yes. Let the angels sing, for a noob has arrived.”
“The most awesomest noob that ever did noob,” Heaven winked.
Ma’Z hung his head.
He continued to follow Heaven into the city proper. The first block seemed to be comprised entirely of military installations. Sentinels patrolled along the perimeter, while others manned mounted mini-guns and some futuristic looking lasers. It didn’t look all that dissimilar from the defense perimeter of the ruins he passed in the Zastra District.
Some of the Sentinels stopped to wave at Heaven as she passed by or generally regarded her positively. Ma’Z figured there was some kind of reputation system at play. As they drove past, he noticed some of them were using her weapons. He knew about the open factions within the city; NPC controlled guilds for players who hadn’t yet joined a Fraternity. Even if they did, the guilds were still open to all. It seemed Heaven upheld her relationship with them even now that she was part of a Fraternity proper.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
A few minutes later, they passed through the military complex into a veil he hadn’t noticed and came into the city proper. Ma’Z had to blink repeatedly to clear his eyes. It was one thing to log in and basically come to another world but passing from that military block into the city proper truly gave it the weight it deserved.
Nearly every vehicle on the road was an Erzelis Frame. The shared Tear and player-controlled City of Last Light was full to bursting with players and NPC’s alike. Ma’Z was reminded of all the times spent gathered with other street racers. In a game where every player was essentially playing fashion hunter, its expression wasn’t just manifested in the way they dressed, but also in their vehicles. It probably didn’t matter if they essentially had the same make and model, they made sure to change it up enough that they wouldn’t be caught dead copying off the next guy.
It was almost comical seeing a Titan plodding along just behind a Scout. The size difference gave him the impression of a smart car being chased by a hummer.
The sight of the city proper was mesmerizing. There was a graffiti covered tattoo shop atop a posh looking restaurant. A little later he saw illusions of a group of fish swimming lazily above the streets through an invisible river. “Definite cyberpunk vibes, but with a bit of a utopian veneer,” Ma’Z commented, “This is seriously cool as fuck.”
Heaven looked over at Ma’Hiz and gave him a wry grin. “You should’ve seen what it looked like when we first arrived. Most of this stuff only popped up in the last five months or so. The microfabricators they use make construction a breeze. All you have to do is submit the plans, and the nanomachines will have it built in mere minutes,” she explained.
Ma’Z raised an eyebrow and nodded in appreciation.
Looking ahead, he saw that they were heading deeper into the city. It felt a little odd having to pay attention to the rules of the road even here, but it was kind of nice to see that there was some semblance of order.
The weight distribution he felt in his short soiree with the Howitz Franx made it clear that everything was, for lack of a better way to describe it, real. Everything seemed to be a separate object down to the last detail, but no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he was left utterly astounded that technology had advanced enough to achieve this level of detail. He loved it!
“We heading to your guild?” Ma’Z asked. Heaven shook her head and said, “No. Not yet anyway. There’s a few places I want to stop at first.”
A moment later they were standing in front of a clothing shop. Looking down at his underwear-clad body, he wasn’t shocked she wanted to get him squared away as soon as possible. “Guess I stand out, huh?”
Heaven giggled in response as she got off of her erzelis and gestured towards the door, “Shall we? I believe they have an aesthetic you’ll appreciate.” Ma’Z looked up, noting the name of the store that read, Rompers ;)
“You’re kidding,” he asked incredulously. Heaven only laughed. “It’s ok. Trust me. The name’s just a joke. Shall we.”
Ma’Z groaned but nodded and walked inside. Without meaning to, he blurted, “Shokkuuu.” There was a dazzling glitter bomb of a romper displayed front and center the moment he entered the store, but beyond that was a street racer’s paradise. With an evil glint in his eye, he turned back to Heaven and said with a wink, “Excuse me miss. I’m going shopping.”
“Hello, my uhh… yo, where are your clothes?” an attendant asked, horrified.
“I uhh… don’t have any,” Ma’Z answered.
“He lost a bet, and I took pity on him,” Heaven covered.
“Oh bumskat. Heaven! Didn’t expect to see you in our neck of the woods. He with you?”
“Yeah, he’s with me.”
“Oh. Oh! Is he the guy?”
“I’m… were you expecting me?” Ma’Z asked.
“Yeah, kind have been the buzz around here. I’m Voltaire, by the way. Fellow street racer in the real,” Voltaire said.
“Oh yeah? What’s your handle?”
“Uh, Voltaire actually.”
“Oh? Kept your name, huh? Wait. Six Boosts Voltaire? The Relay racer out in Milwaukee?”
“Oh bumskat? You actually know me? Man, that’s awesome. What’s yours?”
“Krow.”
Voltaire went white as a sheet as he looked from him to Heaven and back again.
“Heaven. You didn’t tell me your fiancé was the Krow.”
Heaven pretended to feign ignorance, pointedly looking away from Voltaire as she kicked her feet. “Must’ve slipped my mind,” she said.
“You know how much this is going to blow up in the circuits, don’t you?”
“Oh, I expect quite a bit since he lost to Glide Queen. Word has to have gotten around by now.”
“Wait… You lost to Glide Queen?”
“Dude, she got a hold of an anti-grav drive. It was fucking sick, jone. She literally glided over me. It was crazy!”
Voltaire started to laugh. “Oh man, I heard you were easygoing, but to think you started the game with an L on your record. You’re brave. Hell, I feel like I might actually have a chance if we meet up in a circuit match.”
“I wouldn’t get too confident,” Heaven cut in. “Ma’z here switches as effortlessly as any of the top Riders. He even took on a Howitz Franx, and his Frame isn’t like anything I’ve seen before.”
“Huh?” Ma’Z said, face twisted in confusion.
“Oh boy, wait until we get to the Fraternity, I got a lot to get you zeroed in on.”
“Fair. Can we get me un-naked first though?”
“Oh, jone, you’re definitely in the right spot. Anything you want, 30% off,” Voltaire offered with a grin.
Thirty minutes later, Ma’Z exited the store with a card that served as his “wallet” filled with seven different outfits. It was technically called a StoCar – short for Storage Card – with fifty slots, but he was certain he was going to call it anything but that. For all the realism he’d been confronted with, he was almost glad something finally stood out as unrealistic, but Heaven had explained that their erzelis all came equipped with a similar feature where they could stow away multiple weapons without having to physically equip them and to a limited degree, armor.
Ma’Z threw on one of the outfits he bought, immediately. He was in such a hurry, he hadn’t even bothered to look in a mirror. He just grabbed what he knew to fit and got out of there. Plus it was getting late.
Tomorrow was basically around the corner already.
Looking at the night sky, the floating ads and myriad of lights only became even more dazzling. The clouds had long parted showing an aurora swaying high above. It reminded him that much more of all the cyberpunk movies he’d seen over the years. Tucking the card into his back pocket he asked, “So where to next?”
Heaven had resumed the lead, beckoning him to follow. A few minutes later, they came to a spot within the city where water overflowed from a small floating plateau forming a waterfall that fell into a small lake. There were a number of park benches that dotted the landscape, a few which looked to be occupied. Looked like a good place for a date, all things considered.
“Ok. Scenic. But I assume you brought me here for something other than the view?” Ma’Z asked. Heaven stepped from her erzelis and motioned for him to follow. He did and followed her to a path that led away from the lake and up a hill. Once they reached the top, he found himself looking at the center of the city. He saw that the entire city was built around three individual towers of differing heights. Each one looked like they were built from a single massive crystal. Individual inner lights shown from within, revealing the various rooms that had been carved out inside.
The tallest of the towers revealed the only blemish in the otherwise seamless domed ceiling, looking like a port of some kind.
Heaven took a seat in the grass and motioned for Ma’Z to join her. As he sidled up next to her, she pointed to the three towers and said, “So to answer your question, yeah, I brought you here for more than just the view. Though I admit, this is my favorite spot in the whole city. I find it’s a good place to unwind after grinding or after a particularly bothersome contract. I come here and see the Tower of Beginning and wonder what’ll happen once we get inside. The Tower of the First and Tower of the Void are connected, of course, but at this point there’s only speculation as to how.
“But I didn’t really bring you here to talk about that, though I figured I might as well get you up to speed on the progress made so far, which is basically jack all. But really, I just wanted to sit with you and talk your ear off for a little while. Maybe answer any questions you might have. I’m still a little perplexed as to why you didn’t spawn in the city right away. But it is what it is. Also, you went up a full tier after beating a raid boss! Which is crazy. Did you even look at either of your Gates to see what you wanted to unlock?”
Ma’Z shook his head. “I looked at exactly nothing. I just glanced at the skills I earned after the battle and drove off. I kind of screwed up another fraternity’s run, so I didn’t really want to stick around to see if my ill-timed interference screwed them over. Obviously, I know now that they managed to defeat it, but I was still an outsider and while I’m sure they could’ve run me down, I’m guessing they weren’t too mad.”
“That’s good. But still, a full tier... You got some reading to do, buddy.”
“I’m kind of tuckered out on reading right now. I did enough of that before I even logged in. Which I admit, I skipped all of the mechanics. Care to give me the short version?”
“Eh, how do I explain it? You probably saw it on your character sheet, your Idan and Ti Ara gates? Well, it’s mostly a lateral skill system. You start at base 10, and build your physical and mental stats from there. You gain tiers every ten levels or through certain actions the system deems heroic. There’s only four tiers above Formless, but because of our limited lives and conservative mindset, very few have reached seraph tier.
“But that’s where all of your AP is tied up. Depending on your progression method, you'll gain a finite number of AP through each tier, but considering all the combinations, that base ten you began with at formless could still be sitting there at Seraph. I don’t think any sane person would dare leave any of their stats at base, though. Either way, it’s simple on paper, and your race tends to give you an advantage when it comes to raising your affinities.”
“So we get points to raise our physical and mental stats, but not our magic stats?”
“Well your body is your body. Kind of hard not to use it. Magic, on the other hand, you can literally go your whole life and never utter a single spell. We’re all living proof of that. So yeah, it’s a separate system.”
“Oh, I see. Since it’s a completely foreign concept to us, we have to literally get used to using it.”
“Basically. We call it affinity. The more you use it, the higher your affinity. It’s pretty straightforward. Your gear, however, has a numerical and color value of red through gold. There’s no affinity, though, just a measure of craftsmanship.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.”
“Got to keep it simple. Now, switching topics, why did you choose an I’Lu for your race?”
Ma’Z had been admiring the view while they talked, but at the mention of his race, he could all but hear the proverbial record scratch as his mind suddenly shut off.
A third eye like a semi-translucent onyx sat in the middle of his forehead with lines of electricity that radiated out from it and across his heterochromatic emerald and amethyst eyes. Those same patterns ran through his arms as well, but only when he used magic.
Ma’Z knew that’s what he’d find if he saw a mirror. In all the confusion and his thoughts being filled with what was going on with his situation, he hadn’t even thought of what he actually looked like, but when Heaven uttered the word, I’Lu, he knew immediately what he looked like.
“Babe? You ok?” Heaven nudged.
“Huh? Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I hadn’t thought about what I looked like at all until you said something just now. I skipped the entire login process, remember? It hadn’t even occurred to me what race I would’ve logged in as.”
“No. No, that’s not possible. Ma’Z, I can accept that you logged in across the map outside of the starter area, but to say that you skipped the entire login process and character creation, and still logged in hours later is a stretch too far. There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I can see why you would feel that way, but that doesn’t change my experience. Besides, if I was going to lie, don’t you think I’d come up with something more plausible than, ‘Oh, I forgot?’”
Heaven leaned back in the grass, gazing up at the sky. They sat in silence, listening to the ambient sounds of vehicles driving along and the occasional sound of emergency vehicles, over the constant loop of chimes and musical ads.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Heaven finally said. “And it’s not like I have a counter argument. But I think it is best to lie to the Fraternity for now. Don’t need anyone jumping to unnecessary conclusions.”
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
“Anyway. That aside, my honest advice right now is to get yourself acclimated with your gates and start crafting your spells. They come with gaining tiers and are pretty much an essential part of any Rider’s arsenal.”
“I can’t just choose from a list?”
“Falsh, no! I mean, ok, yeah, you can buy spell cards, but they’re an absolute waste of money and potential.”
“It’s convenient though.”
“Convenience comes with a price. No serious rider would be caught dead using stock magic.”
“But I’m really here to race. Combat and questing is kind of the side part.”
Heaven looked at Ma’Z and gave him her most seductive purr and said, “Oh, my love. No serious Racer would be caught dead using stock magic.”
Ma’Z gulped. “Ok. Point taken.”
“Magic is a big deal, babe. Our gear is half of the equation, and the magic that runs through us completes it. Having a well thought out spell repertoire can’t be understated. It’s worth it to take the time to form them from scratch. But if it makes you feel better, they’re completely thought driven. Think of what you want to do, and it’ll spit out what you’re looking for or its equivalent and the cost, which you can finagle from there. No endless scrolling.”
Ma’Z let out a sigh of relief, glad for that bit of information. “That was the short version, huh?” he said.
Heaven laughed and said, “I mean I could break down the effects of each of your main stats and elemental affinities and their synergies if you want.”
Ma’Hiz shook his head vigorously, “Nope! That’s fine, thank you. I think I got the gist of it, now.” He blew a breath as he thought it over. “Ok, so tinker tonight. Then dive in later once I’m properly rested.”
Heaven nodded then said, “Oh! Got you some food. Almost forgot to wrap them up, but it’s the closest thing to your favorite I could whip up.” It was strange watching the items materialize from the little circuit laden card, but one by one, she pulled out a couple plates, a sandwich, some fries, a baked potato wrapped in foil, and finally some steak; also wrapped in foil.
To his amazement, they were still piping hot like they had just come out of the oven and as soon as he smelled them, he began to salivate as his stomach rumbled in anticipation. She later produced a knife and a fork along with a small container filled with a block of sour cream and butter and shredded cheese. She even had a container filled with mushrooms and onions.
Compared to the sandwich and fries she laid out for herself, he felt somewhat guilty that she went through all that trouble for him. She smiled when she saw the look on his face and said, “Food buffs. They keep my concentration up, and honestly, I like the simplicity of them. They’re pretty versatile too. I can add all kinds of different garnishes and get the same buff. It’s a win win.”
Ma’Z wasn’t surprised at the response. It was just like her to keep things practical. He couldn’t help noticing how much it looked like her usual meals in real life. Basically, high calories and protein to compensate for all her exercising. He guessed it was basically true here too.
Without another word he arranged his plate and promptly began to dig in. And yes, it was divine. He smiled as the juices slid down his throat. The crust had the perfect char, and he could taste the infusion of garlic and herbs in the meat. As he chased it with the baked potato, he couldn’t think of a better place to have his first in-game meal. Heaven watched as he was positively beaming with each bite. She pulled out a metal bottle filled with frigid water and placed it between them. Ma’Z accepted it gratefully and took a drink.
With a satisfied breath, Ma’Z looked at his fiancé and thought to himself, if this was all they did in game, he would be alright. When he looked back and saw their Frames, however, he only got more excited because this was only the tip of the iceberg.