CH 2

Draion studied his character sheet and decided to keep his name. He willed his age hidden, and the attributes shortened. He winced at his stats as they were now; low. Darion wanted to try out his new skill but he resisted. With his luck something embarrassing would happen right as someone spawned in. Instead he stood and began to head for the door. At first it was strange but with a bit of focus that he innately knew was his Dexterity and Perception working together to compensate for the 3 inches of height and his longer arms than he was accustomed to. He was dizzy at first but before long he walked to the door and grabbed the handle without an issue.

The hall outside had a rug and a few more doors, he glanced to the left and right. Before a voice called out. “Hello there.” An older gentleman said from a desk at the end of the hall. He had dark skin and a gaunt but not unhealthy face; short silver hair and a goatee with sparkling light blue eyes. “I'm Biron and I'm one of the people who oversee newcomers orientation. If you are interested, that is.” Darions eyes began to twinkle in anticipation. “Yes I’d love that!”

“Alright. I'm gonna start with the basics so forgive me if i dont cut straight to the fun stuff. The Expanse started as a game unlike any other, I mean look at everything around us… real as day right?” Biron shook his head in reminiscence. “ I still remember the first time I logged in; I was one of the initial 1000 free trial entrants.” Darions eyes widened and he raised his hand slightly to get Birons attention, “pardon the interruption but you've met the founder?” Biron chuckled “Founders… there are two of them, I Suppose you are referring to Arthur Slate?” Darion nodded without speaking. “Yes I've met him several times, he's quite the character. don't get me wrong he is currently the highest tier individual in the expanse. I just mean he is not a serious person…” that last part was said with a wry chuckle. “The founders party usually stays out on the frontier, everyday we get closer to opening the tenth layer. But I digress, apologies for becoming sidetracked… I was saying the Expanse is unlike anything you have ever imagined. It's not just a game but an experience. This whole city is manned and controlled by real people. no NPCs. in fact in the early days it was often compared to games like minecraft or Ark survival. Jost an open plain of grass with an obelisk in the center.” Biron shook his head.” The Economy the business ecosystem here in Drendaria is all run by men and women. Who make their livelihoods here. That to say violence and theft are both punished here. Bar brawls do occur and there are guild tensions. What I'm trying to say is that rather than a game with no consequences in the real world, we ask that you treat this more like visiting a foreign country. The system drops a currency that we all use here.” wit that he opened a drawer and pulled out a small pouch. Which he pushed across the counter towards Darion. “ The sack is a non-bindable storage item; it contains roughly a three foot cube of space that has a plain tier 0 dagger and one of each currency copper silver gold. Each unit represents 10 of the previous denomination. There is a platinum piece but most people aren't delving far enough out to see those regularly."

He reached a hand below the level of the desk and when his hand comes back into view he has a coin that has a silver blue hue in the light. With a wave of his hand the coin vanished. Just then the door to the building banged open and a flustered looking beast kin woman barreled in. she had a chin length bob hairstyle in split crimson and purple with black cat ears. “ Mr. Biron I am soooo sorry! I was late logging in.” Biron turned towards the beast kin woman with a Grandfatherly smile and stood from behind the desk. He was tall and skinny but the vest and shirt combo with the slacks and suspenders made Darion think of the actor; Morgan Freeman.” it's not a problem Ivy…” He turned to look at Darion. “ If you'd like, we can go on a bit of a tour to wrap up your orientation. It's not standard procedure but no need to muddle matters by handing you off mid orientation.” The leopard girl's ears flattened and she looked crestfallen. “Are you sure sir? It's really no problem.” Biron shook his head and gestured for Darion to follow. “3 more are in Vessel creation now. they will be shunted to rooms 7, 9, and 18.” Ivy’s eyes widened and her ears perked up and she gave a curt nod. With that Darion followed Biron out of the building. This building seemed older and less polished than some of the other buildings along the road. Biron followed Darions gaze. “The reception building was the first system built structure; it is also the only public building that Arthur Slate is the owner of. He expanded its functionality capacity and infrastructure, but not its cosmetics.” Darion nodded and then paused, after a moment. “So you aren't an attendant?” the older man smiled. “I'm actually the head of onboarding and one of 9 seated council members.” Darion’s eyes widened. “How do you all Deal with the time dilation when you are out of game? It’s something like 3-1 right? 24 hours here is 8 hours on earth?” Biron nodded. “ tight scheduling mostly, but it helps that I'm one of about 20 lifers in Drendaria.” Darion’s eyebrows raised at that statement. “What are lifers?” Biron exhaled through his nose. “On earth I am in a medically induced Coma, I have been for over a decade. Earth time. I signed a waiver to permit experimentation towards my condition. Its a miracle really, my daughter, her husband and my grandchildren can log in to visit ev3en my doctors on occasion. But enough about that.” Biron gestured towards a large grass plaza where stalls and blankets were set up along the paths with people hocking various wares vied for the attention of passers by.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

This was the experience. In this plaza people lounged on benches or at tables, others trained in open spaces. Others clearly enjoyed picnics. There was a mix of fantasy garb armor robes and cloaks people openly carried weapons. Darion spotted a fantasy cowboy Two revolvers at his hips and a rifle across his back with chaps, rhinestones, spurs, and a mask over his nose. Platinum blonde hair and pointy ears were visible under his cowboy hat. Despite there being a crowd the cowboys eyes snapped to Darion and made eye contact but when he noticed Biron he somehow blended into the crowd and vanished despite Darion not taking his eyes off of him.

“Was that a skill?” Biron chuckled slightly. “Hehe… yes that was an obfuscation skill. Basically his skill told your mind that he wasn't important or special.” Darions brows furrowed “my perception is one of my highest starting stats, I'd hoped it would have tried to fight that.” Biron laughed good naturedly from his belly. It was a warm laugh that spread to others easily. “This isn't a normal part of orientation but if you are interested.” before Biron could even finish Darion was nodded and made to follow. Biron cut off what he was saying and laughed again before heading down a side road towards a huge walled complex. It was splendid and opulent but in a militaristic way.

Two guards stood at the entrance holding pikes with matching armor and an insignia on the wall and on the breast of their uniforms was a stylized wolf or fox head with 3 slashes across its nose and eyes. The two guards acknowledged Birin as they passed into the interior. “This is the adventurers guild.” with a gesture he motioned towards the parade ground. Teams of people trained formations, some sparred while others looked on, but before Darion could get lost in it all, Biron placed a hand on his back and guided him towards the grand central steps that led up to a massive doorway. Two more guards stood at the entrance as they passed into the building itself. Whoever was in charge of this building definitely paid attention to cosmetics rich dark velvets and gold trim adorned the walls. The rug was somehow both rugged and plush. Suits of armor adorned the corners with banners with the guild insignia hung between soaring stone buttresses. A large desk with several attendants worked through lines of people seeing to a variety of needs. Biron walked to an open attendant who looked bored. “Hello Irma, I am going to make use of one of the council training rooms.” the woman; Irma perked up. “Of Course Mr. Biron they are all available so please feel free.” Biron waved Draion to follow and headed towards a door to the back he placed the back of his hand on a panel near the door a gem inset above it glowed alongside a ring in the same hand and the door slit open with a low smooth grinding sound. The hallway beyond was far more plain. Drab walls with doors on either side of a long hallway. “These are the training rooms held for the council members. The public ones are rented for a fee. By tier; technically the Founders are two of the nine council members. They never attend and each have 5 votes that are granted to the other in absentia. They let us handle the city's growth, they just hold the executive veto power… I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want to hear about the exciting world of bureaucracy.” Biron turned towards a door and it opened with a swish. The space inside was large like a 200 by 200 gymnasium. “This is everyone's favorite part. System run simulation 26-A’” there was a chime and a shimmer in the air. And the room became a swamp. The air got heavier and more humid and began to smell of sulfur and plants. In another shimmer 4 short humanoid figures stood eyes unfocused. They had bulbous heads, uneven features and green skin. primitive weapons made of wood and stone and no armor save loin cloths.