“—bye to Phira,” Rayna finished as the courtyard materialized around her.
Rayna looked around. Where did everyone go?
The courtyard was empty except for some blood-stained mattresses that had been stacked in a corner. The portals and weapons disappeared as well, making the area feel even larger than it had a week ago.
Three notification windows popped up at once.
While you were in the trial, Player Janet Lindale was designated Tutorial Leader. You must obey any reasonable instruction given to you by the Tutorial Leader and you may go to her with any questions you have regarding the trials.
Something has come to the System Administrator’s attention that requires further consideration. The tutorial is being postponed until further notice.
You will now be transported to one of the waiting areas. You are not permitted to leave the city during this time. All items required for survival have been added to your Inventory and if you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the System Administrator via the temporary feedback system located in your System Menu.
Before Rayna could even finish reading the last message, she found herself standing in a medieval style tavern. The room was dimly lit by a lantern that hung from the ceiling and though there was a counter and several tables, only one of the tables was occupied.
Rayna received another notification.
You have been placed in City 15. A map of your surroundings, as well as the names of all Tutorial Leaders in the vicinity can be found in the System Menu. You were unable to be placed with your tutorial group due to city capacity limits, but you will be returned to them when the tutorial resumes. Please stand by and await the Administrator’s decision.
“Hey, another straggler!” A woman with long auburn hair and an easy smile waltzed over to Rayna, sticking her hand out. “The name’s Patty. Nice to meet you.” She took in Rayna’s skin and pointy ears and paused. “Wait, are you a Tutorial Leader? I thought the System kept you all with your groups.”
Rayna shook her head. “I’m not a Tutorial Leader. My name is Rayna. What’s going on?”
Patty led her to the only occupied table. A man and a woman sat there, shooting curious looks at Rayna.
Patty waved a hand, indicating her friends. “Welcome to the rejects. City 15 is a ghost town filled with the extra folks that the System couldn’t fit anywhere else. My theory is that the System is putting all of us here so it’s easier to grab us when the tutorial starts back up. Though there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets put here.”
Rayna took a seat. “So how do I find my group?”
“You don’t,” said the other woman, taking a bite of one of those horrible rations. “I’m Helga. Your group is in another city and the borders are all blocked off by some sort of forcefield. Just sit tight and hope our diminutive overlord is in a good mood.”
“So… I’m not trying to be rude… but where are you from?” the man asked.
Helga smacked his shoulder. “It wasn’t rude until you added the qualifier, Bob.”
Bob rushed to defend himself. “No, but, I mean, she speaks English and her accent is flawless. That’s a clear indication that she’s from earth, but she looks like an elf… child… or something…” He trailed off at the sight of Helga’s glare.
Rayna sighed. “The System screwed up my race on the way here. I’m from Chicago, originally. Been living in South Korea for a few years now.”
“No way, same!” Patty said. “Well, the Chicago part, anyway. Never been abroad.”
“You have now,” Helga said with a grin. “Interplanetary travel before you even made it out of the Midwest. Go figure.”
“Oh, shut up. You’ve never even been out of Illinois,” Patty threw a piece of her rations at Helga who dodged to the left, letting it fly over her shoulder.
“And moving to Iowa means you have so much more experience?” Helga laughed.
“So, you two know each other, I take it?” Rayna guessed.
“We were all in the same guild,” Bob explained. “We used the game as a way to hang out after Patty got a job in Iowa City and I ended up in Cincinnati. Patty and I made the trip to Chicago just for the opening and well… I think you can figure out the rest.”
“At least it put us in the same tutorial group,” Patty said.
Rayna nodded. “My friend Emma and I ended up together, too. But what was that part about me speaking English? I thought the System gave us some sort of universal translation thing.”
“It doesn’t seem to work outside of the tutorial,” Helga said. “We get subtitles in the form of notifications, but it’s not nearly as good. The group next door is from rural China, and the System can’t seem to figure out what they’re saying. I don’t think it was prepared for dialects.”
Patty shrugged. “It’s better than half of the translation apps back home. So, change of topic, what’s with the Level 1? If you don’t mind me asking, that is. Judging by the state of your clothing, you didn’t go through the first trial on easy mode.”
“Easy mode?” Rayna asked. “What are you talking about?”
“After the first day or so the Administrator stopped giving us anything above a Level 1. Didn’t you notice? Glad I got in early. That would have pissed me off.” She pointed at her name tag. “I got to Level 2 by taking down a Level 5 Robi in the first hour of the trial. Those things are dumb as bricks, but their teeth hurt like heck.”
Helga huffed. “I got stuck with a Level 3 Cruennix Wolf. I’ll take your little ankle biter any day.”
“What did you fight?” Bob asked Rayna. “I got a Level 1 Robi, so I didn’t make it to Level 2 either. Don’t tell me you gave up after one try.”
“There’s no shame in that,” Helga said. “Don’t you remember Eric? He ran into a Level 5 Emurian. I wouldn’t go near the portals again if that happened to me.”
Rayna remembered how Devon had looked coming out of the trial and shuddered. She might not have mustered the courage to go in at all if she hadn’t tripped through the portal at the last second.
“I ended up in a Special Trial,” Rayna said. “The description said I wouldn’t level up until I got back.”
“Well, you’re back now,” Patty pointed out. “So that shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
Rayna frowned. She was right. Rayna should have already leveled up. She opened her sheet, confirming that she was still a Level 1.
Name: Rayna
Level 1 (Exp: 0/50)
Class: Warrior (Initial)
Race: Lerian
HP: 1350/1350
MP: 500/500
Stat Points
Str: 12
Dex: 60
End: 20
Vit: 135
Int: 50
Wis: 50
Luck: 10
[Free Points: 0]
Spells
Basic Heal — Proficiency: 100%
[Spell Choices: 0]
Skills
Rage — Proficiency: 5%
[Skill Choices: 0]
Titles
Volunteer — [+10 to all stats]
Traps Expert — [+5 Dex, +2 Str]
Masochist — [+5 End, +5 Vit]
Quests
None
Special Traits
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Immunity to Poison [Species Trait]
Immunity to Paralysis [Species Trait]
Immunity to Confusion [Species Trait]
Rayna had managed to max out her proficiency for Basic Heal, which wasn’t particularly surprising since she had been using it non-stop for a week. When focusing on it, she found that the proficiency doubled how much HP the spell would give her, which explained why it had seemed more efficient toward the end of the trial.
She also earned two new titles.
Traps Expert (+5 Dex, +2 Str) — Disable more than 500 traps during the Special Trial: The Hidden Maze.
Masochist (5 End, +5 Vit) — take more than 100,000 points of damage before reaching Level 2.
Emma was going to kill her when she saw the second one.
The most concerning part, however, was the line with her level.
Level 1 (exp 0/50)
“Do you have to collect your Experience from your notifications or something?” Rayna asked hopefully.
Patty shook her head. “Not that I know of. Why? Did you get ripped off?”
“Hold on, let me check.” Rayna pulled up her notifications.
You have over 100 unread notifications. Would you like a summary?
Rayna accepted the prompt, not wanting to scroll through all of those notifications individually.
During the Special Trial, you disarmed 547 traps.
+33,810 Exp
+33,810 Coins
Rayna’s mouth fell open. She earned over 33,000 Experience in the trial? She knew that the System was giving her Experience for every trap she disarmed, but that number still seemed like a lot.
She was starting to get excited until the next line killed her enthusiasm entirely.
You have accepted an exchange for a special reward (suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon).
-33,810 Exp
-33,810 Coins
“What?” Rayna snapped.
“What is it?” Patty asked.
“One second,” Rayna said, too focused on her notifications to answer at the moment.
She had traded all of her coins and Experience for that unknown reward? Why hadn’t that been in the notification? That had to be at least ten levels!
The next set of messages fanned the flames of Rayna’s steadily rising anger.
During the Special Trial, you collected 545 Treasure Chests.
You have accepted an exchange for a special reward (suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon). All treasure collected during the trial has been removed from your Inventory.
Rayna closed her eyes, mourning the loss of over five hundred treasure chests that she would never get to open.
What was Phira thinking? Rayna should have gone with her gut and just grabbed more camping gear.
Wait, I do get to keep my point rewards, right?
Rayna scrolled down in a panic, sighing in relief when she saw that most of the point rewards were still there.
Your final rewards for the trial have been added to your Inventory.
Hand towel [unranked] x15
Journal [unranked] x6
Pen [unranked] x8
Rune Enhanced Clothing Set [common] x10
Rune Enhanced Armor Set [uncommon] x2
Rune Enhanced Shoes (pair) [uncommon] x2
Travel Boots (pair) [unranked] x1
Travel Tent [rare] x1
Travel Supply Kit [uncommon] x1
Rune Enhanced Travel Cloak [epic] x1
Rune Enhanced Staff [epic] x1
Fountain of Life Amulet (Artifact) [Legendary] x1
There was no message about the System removing her chosen rewards from her Inventory, and the only things missing were the books, which Rayna could live without.
There was only one more notification to read.
Special Reward (Suggested by the Trial Organizer, Phira Alderon).
Phira’s Pocket Library (Artifact) [Legendary] x1
Phira’s Necklace [Legendary] x1
She lost all of her rewards for two items?
Rayna closed the screen, growling in disgust. She had liked the Tinkerer during their conversation, but this was ridiculous. She should have been told what she was trading away so she could make an informed decision.
A small part of Rayna knew that it was her own fault for not asking more questions, but she refused to acknowledge the validity of that observation.
“That was a dud reward if ever I saw one,” Patty said, giving Rayna a pitying look. “Were your rewards randomized?”
“Not exactly.” Rayna briefly explained the trial to the three players, along with Phira’s ‘special reward’ that Rayna had traded her treasure and Experience for.
Patty gaped at her. “You got a legendary artifact from the tutorial? And you’re complaining?”
Rayna’s brows knit together in confusion. “Is that a big deal?”
Bob looked like he wanted to scream, and Helga was covering her face with her hands.
“Seriously, did you even play Ember Online?” Patty asked.
“Actually, no,” Rayna admitted. “I’m a bit of a special case. My friend snuck me into the meeting under a different player’s username. I never got the chip.”
The other three at the table stared at Rayna in disbelief.
“So, you don’t know what an artifact is?” Patty asked.
Rayna shook her head. “Is it a type of item?”
“All right,” Patty said, cracking her knuckles. “You’re not the first newb that I’ve taken under my wing. Stick with me, kid, and I’ll get you on the leader board in no time.”
“There aren’t any leader boards anymore,” Helga reminded her.
Patty waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a figure of speech. Anyway, we’ll start with why you hit the jackpot with that artifact. Ember Online—and I’m assuming Ember Offline—has four types of objects that you can find in-game. Each category has sub-categories as well, but we can talk about those later.
“Unranked items are anything that the devs didn’t make a description for; towels, clothing, hair brushes, etcetera. I guess in the case of the real world, it’s anything that the System deems as an everyday item.
“Ranked items are separated by rarity: common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary. This category includes monster drops, potions, rune-enhanced clothing, and a bunch of other stuff. Anything that has some sort of effect or purpose in-game.
“Equipment is anything that gives a stat boost. The name is a bit of a misnomer, since a potion can be considered equipment if the effect is permanent, but for the most part, it refers to things like armor, weapons and jewelry.
“Then there’s artifacts. Artifacts are basically machines with a magical twist. They usually serve a specific purpose—like keeping you cool in hot temperatures—and you have to charge them with MP to use them. They are considered the highest tier of items and they have rarities like the ranked items.
“You have just received both an item and an artifact in the highest tier available. That is far more valuable than the Experience, coins and treasure you lost.”
Rayna was skeptical, but that explanation was making her feel a little better about the exchange.
“So how to I check what the artifact does?” Rayna asked.
“It’s simple,” Patty said. “Pull it out of your Inventory and push some Mana into it. That should bind it to you once you reach a certain threshold. Then it will show up in your artifacts section with a description and a set of instructions on how to use it.
“Normal items don’t have this feature, though. You have to either get an appraiser to look at them for you, or you have to try them on and see if you can figure out the effect on your own.”
Rayna looked at her Inventory screen. “Which artifact should I try first?” she asked. “Or should I check out the item first?”
She was pretty sure that the Fountain of Life Amulet was the mystery pendant that she bought with most of her points.
“You got more than one?” Bob asked with a disgusted look on his face. “Are we sure that runt isn’t playing favorites?”
“Green isn’t your color,” Patty said, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Rayna. “What’s the rarity of the other artifact?”
Rayna wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. “Legendary…” she said in a quiet voice.
Bob threw his hands in the air as Helga practically cackled with delight.
“Damn girl, your beginner’s luck is god-tier.”
Patty shook her head. “Just pull out either one. There’s no telling what they do until you try them.”
Rayna decided to go with the library first. She was much more into books than jewelry. She just hoped this wouldn’t be some sort of doll-house sized library with books that she couldn’t even read.
Rayna didn’t bother to hide her disappointment as she examined the artifact. It seemed to be a blank journal. The cover was made of bumpy black leather, with tarnished gold plating on the corners. It had a gear shaped clasp that might have been cool if Rayna hadn’t been annoyed about the whole situation.
Rayna was worried that she wouldn’t be able to figure out the next step, but to her surprise, infusing Mana into an artifact was as easy as willing it to happen.
The book absorbed every point of Mana that Rayna gave it until her entire MP pool was drained. Finally, a notification popped up.
You have bonded with the Artifact Phira’s Pocket Library [unique].
Now that this artifact has been bonded, it cannot change owners. Upon the owner’s death, it will be returned to the System.
Instructions: Infuse the Artifact Phira’s Pocket Library with Mana to morph it into any book in Phira’s collection. The cost of morphing is determined by the rarity of the desired book. The titles and rarities of every item in Phira’s collection can be found in your System Menu under ‘Items and Artifacts’. Additionally, infusing the artifact with a large amount of Mana will allow the user to add new books to the collection. The artifact can be charged in advance.
Cost to morph the artifact
Unranked: 10 MP
Common: 50 MP
Uncommon: 100 MP
Rare: 500 MP
Epic: 1,000 MP
Legendary: 5,000 MP
Cost to add a book to Phira’s Pocket Library
Unranked: 1,000 MP
Common: 5,000 MP
Uncommon: 10,000 MP
Rare: 50,000 MP
Epic: 100,000 MP
Legendary: 500,000 MP
Current charge: 500/1,000,000
Note: Each morph will last 3 hours. At the end of this duration, the artifact will revert back to its original form. There is no limit to the number of times that a book can be read. If a morph is canceled prematurely, no excess Mana will be returned to the artifact.
Rayna pulled up her System Menu, locating the library under the artifact section. All of her lost rewards were quickly forgotten as she scrolled through literally thousands of books. She picked an unranked book titled Phira’s Travel Log just to test the morphing feature.
The black cover melted away, leaving a sturdy brown leather journal.
Rayna pulled open the leather strap and turned to the first page.
This may never leave my possession, but if it does, I hope whoever finds my journal uses it well. My name is Phira and I am from a world named Azanel. I came to Ember nearly a century ago, and since then, I have spent much of my time focusing on my own improvement. But I grow bored of my workshop and the never-ending runes. I wish to travel the world and see what Ember can teach me about myself and my place in the cosmos. I don’t know how many entries this book may have, but I should hope that it will be full of my adventures by the time I return home.
Phira Alderon, Third Princess of Azanel.
Rayna’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. Phira was a princess? Perhaps that was the source of her peculiarities. Although, the three thousand years of solitude seemed a more likely explanation.
Rayna flipped a few pages. The journal consisted mostly of diary-style entries about Phira’s everyday travels. Finding nothing of interest, Rayna closed the book.
“It’s a library, just like the name says,” Rayna said, holding up the journal. “It morphs into any book in Phira’s collection. The MP cost varies by rarity.”
“Well, are you going to try?” Helga asked.
Rayna frowned. “I already did it.” She waved the book for emphasis.
Patty sat back in her chair, looking disappointed. “It’s Soul-locked.”
“Soul-locked?”
“It means you can’t share,” Bob said. “Only you can use the artifact and only you can access the information it contains. The rest of us are still seeing that empty black eyesore that you first pulled out of your Inventory.”
“Ah.” Rayna stowed the library back in her Inventory.
“What about the other one?” Helga asked.
Rayna shook her head. “I’m out of MP. It took five hundred points just to bind the library.”
Patty’s eyes widened. “You have 500 MP?”
“It’s the race change,” Rayna said. “Great beginning Wisdom, terrible Endurance. I’ve been healing myself near nonstop for the last week.”
Helga sighed. “Well, then we have to wait for your MP to refill before you can try it. Not gonna lie, that was a bit of a letdown.”
“Didn’t you have a legendary item?” Bob asked hopefully. “I’d love to see that one.”
“Why are you all so interested in my rewards?” Rayna asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
“Don’t mind him,” Patty said. “He’s a gacha addict.”
“Gacha?” Rayna was unfamiliar with the word.
“It’s a name for games with lottery systems and randomized treasure chests that you can buy with in-game currency. Bob spends a few hundred bucks a month on games. His biggest gripe with Ember Online was that there were no micro-transactions. He had to actually earn the chests instead of just buying them.”
Bob laid his head down on the table, letting out a groan. “I’m going through withdrawals! I can see the wish animation every time I close my eyes. Just put me out of my misery.”
“I mean, I was going to look at the legendary item anyway,” Rayna said.
Bob sat up. “Really?”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Rayna warned him. “It’s just titled Phira’s Necklace.”
“You never know,” Bob said. “It might be a magical necklace that lets you shoot lasers out of your eyes.”
Rayna hoped that wasn’t the case.
She hesitated a moment before pulling the necklace out of her Inventory.
The design wasn’t very impressive. It was a marble-sized pearl set in a silver frame. Rayna waited for some kind of information to pop up, but nothing was forthcoming.
“Try it on,” Patty urged. “Most clothes and jewelry items only work when you’re wearing them.”
Rayna pulled the plain silver chain over her head. It adjusted itself, shrinking to fit Rayna’s smaller body.
A notification popped up.
An item you are wearing is an unbound soul-locked item. Would you like to bond with Phira’s Necklace?
Why would a necklace need to be soul-locked? Rayna wondered as she accepted the prompt.
“Oh, thank the System! I thought I’d never get out of there.”