Origin A.R.S. (2 page)

It was true. Throughout his life he had been tasked with doing what other people said. In the end, he even viewed his relationships like that. Sarah had told him to please understand. What he really wanted to do was take a tire iron to Jake’s skull. In the end, he would do the first, but not the second. He had been asked not to and he was too well-trained at being told what to do to go against her wishes.

He had to admit, despite his emotional issues at the moment, it was good to at least know what kind of person she was now. If he had married her and something like this had happened, it would have been an incredibly bad deal for everyone. During moments of clarity, he would wonder if he had gotten off easy.

Scott sighed softly and directed his on-screen avatar to attack a Strung-Out Hippie. During the last few weeks he had taken to playing free games online to alleviate his boredom and take his mind off his troubles. When he was not job hunting, or sobbing in the shower like a sad little man-douche, he was online playing games.

The Strung-out Hippie exclaimed, “Harsh!” then faded away. Scott had defeated it without much trouble. That was one of the problems with games. The enemies were often poorly coded and easily beaten. Due to Scott’s single-minded focus there was no real challenge, just a constant devastation of the Hippie population.

A little window popped up congratulating him on defeating the Strung-Out Hippies. “What, that was the highest level?”

He sighed then shook his head. Games like this really did not do it for him. He needed something real, something great, in his life.

“Would you like to play another game?”

Scott nearly clicked “No” but something stopped him. Whether it was the realization that he had nothing else going on, or simple curiosity, he did not know. He clicked yes.

The same list of games that he had seen every day popped up. He had already played through several of them. Only the ones that required an initial purchase remained untried.

He promptly clicked the little ‘X’ in the corner of the screen and started to stand up. A new window popped up asking, “Do you really want to exit without playing another game?”

He clicked accept, and the message screen disappeared. However, a short survey popped up immediately after. “Really? This is garbage. I don’t want to play your stupid games anymore!”

Scott started to decline the survey, but he saw an option that would allow him to tell them exactly why he did not wish to play any more of their games. “Fine, you want my opinion? You’ll get it!”

He immediately wrote deeply detailed reasons for his dislike of their games. He mentioned he idiotic enemy AI. The simplistic controls were fine, but there was no depth in the stories. He even explained why he thought many of the main characters were cookie cutter stereotypes.

Scott went into detail about how a proper hero required depth of character, and a heroine needed to exist outside of her role and have a real personality instead of being a tool to further the story.

Finally, he pointed out the fact that even their supposed ‘hardest’ game with a touted one hundred hours of game play had been so ridiculously easy that he had completed it in eight hours.

The opinion was submitted then he shut down his browser and went to eat a late night snack. Afterwards he tried to go to sleep but he could not manage to relax enough. Scott looked up at the ceiling for the better part of an hour before getting up and going back to his computer.

He decided to check his e-mail, not that anyone really wrote to him at the moment, and noticed that the game company had sent a reply about his opinion. “I wonder what auto-responder bot is saying tonight.”

Fully expecting to see a form letter thanking him for his opinion, Scott was surprised to see a lengthy response. He read through it and realized that it was not an auto-response at all. “So, you want me to try a new game? It’s bold, innovative, and nothing else like it exists?”

Scott shrugged. That sort of talk was common when trying to sell something. He clicked on the link and read through the description of the new game. He read through the information then blinked. “New and innovative? This thing sounds like something form the nineties.”

It had an interesting advancement system, but he did not believe the screen shots for one moment. “Seriously, these screenshots...they look like a real-life and anime mash-up.”

There was no way 3-D technology of that scale existed. Each screen shot showed an image more akin to looking through a window at a vibrantly colored world than viewing a photograph. The few characters shown were extremely detailed, and absurdly pretty, but had fanciful hair styles and clothing reminiscent of an anime themed role-playing game.

“Oh god, yes... Where do I insert my credit card?” Scott’s sarcasm was well-founded. There was no way that this was a legitimate game. At most they were showing still photos from a game trailer and not actual gameplay footage. That was a shady business tactic as far as he was concerned.

He read the sales-pitch for the game out loud. “Are you tired of human limitations? Do you long to live a life of adventure and danger? Try Origin A.R.S. Leave your old life behind, forever!”

A soft and sad little laugh escaped his lips. He liked the way that sounded, but without a few real screen shots he would not be willing to play the game. Still, he was quite bored. He decided to read through more of the game’s information.

“Should I even bother with this? It seems like it might be fun... and I could definitely use some fun, but...” Scott had a moral dilemma to face. He currently had no job. He only had about six thousand dollars left from his savings.

The army had provided everything that he needed when it came to food and housing, and he had easily managed to save several hundred dollars a month for the last two years. Recently, he had planned to use that as a down payment for a house. Now, well it had seen him through the last few months.

What could it hurt, really? He could play it for a month then give it up if he did not find work. He had already decided that if he could not get a job in the civilian world, he would return to the army when his money was stretched too thin.

Scott’s main problem after making his decision was trying to choose between physical or magical combat. He wanted to do both! Who wouldn’t? There were items that you could purchase or find in game that were known as Lore Crystals. You could equip them while fighting and learn new skills outside of your basic skill set, within certain limits.

He looked through the starting class options; the game was old school in that respect. It was class based. “Hmm, sorcerer?”

The sorcerer was a type of unarmed fighter, as strange as that seemed. They were granted sorcery and unarmed combat as basic skills, and could learn abilities from both skill trees without the need to purchase lore crystals to gain new abilities.

There were other hybrid class options such as the Monk, the Paladin, and the Dark Knight. Those classes did not speak to him quite as much, however. The Dark Knight class had the destructive power that he liked, but it required a certain level of blood thirst that he was not comfortable with.

The Paladin and Monk classes were basically fighting healers. Those were good choices, but he could gain the skills of any of those classes through lore crystals. Though, he would not gain the level-based class abilities unique to each of those classes. He could gain the ability to fight in heavy armor, for instance. However, he would never have the ability to completely remove the agility burden for wearing it like a Dark Knight or Paladin. He could learn abilities that reduce the burden considerably, but not remove it altogether.

Scott rubbed his chin. The game was heavily level-based. Stats updated randomly when you gained a level, like an older RPG. That was annoying, but at least those lore crystals sounded like they could allow for intense customization.

“The sorcerer class has innate fast cast ability, but I won’t be able to develop magic past the seventh spell-circle unless I can find lore crystals for those spells.” It was a tradeoff for being a hybrid class and innate casting ability.

He would not need to chant his spells; they would work more like special attacks for martial artists in an anime or fighting game. A Dark Mage could gain the innate casting ability through a lore crystal, but it was not a skill specific to their class. It was a perk of the sorcerer class.

A Dark Mage could learn spells up to the twelfth spell-circle just by choosing them when they gain class levels. They had to chant their spells unless they gained the innate casting ability, and even then they would not be able to innately cast spells beyond the seventh spell-circle. A sorcerer would be able to innate cast up to twelfth-circle spells, if he could learn them. The ultimate grade level thirteen spells still needed to be chanted, however, regardless of class perks.

The unarmed combat talents included attack and defense bonuses among other things. He would not be able to do as much damage per attack as a weapon wielder, at least not initially, but he would be able to attack rapidly. Over time, his ability to turn four times his strength into raw attack power, and four times his agility into defense power, would come in handy.

He also realized that he would not need to buy expensive equipment early on since his body would be the weapon. “I could spend more money on potions and other things...”

It did not take long for Scott to become completely enamored of the talent-set that he was thinking about. The sorcerer seemed like a kind of class that operated like some sort of Kung Fu wizard. The customization options were quite varied as well. If he wanted to be a Dark Knight type of character, he could choose to run around in heavy armor and wield a massive weapon while innate casting level twelve spells. The agility penalty might be worth that since a Dark Knight is incapable of learning any spells past the seventh level, it was an actual restriction. They did get unique class based attack skills, though.

He made his decisions then registered for the game. After logging his choices he discovered that he had to use his real name as his character name. He stared at the screen stupidly for a moment. What kind of garbage was that! How could they expect people to use their real-world name inside a game?

Scott nearly cancelled everything, but the concept of the game had intrigued him. It was strangely interesting due to its restrictions. Most games wanted to give players as many options as possible, let them do everything equally well in time. This one wanted you to define your character in the beginning then allow you to customize that baseline. Further, customization required a lot of time, effort, and possibly money.

When the registration screen asked if he wished to start playing immediately he clicked, “Yes.”

What happened next surprised him greatly. The screen changed to an image of a golden pentacle super-imposed over a starry background. A soft feminine voice called from the depths of his laptop speakers, “You who have been chosen. If you would leave your world behind and become the Champion of Origin, place your hand upon the holy seal of light.”

Scott laughed. That was an interesting welcome screen to say the least. He smirked at the goofy nature of the opening scene. He did not have a touch screen computer, but in the spirit of fun he placed his hand on the symbol anyway. “I wonder if it has a timer for people who don’t have touch scree-”

He was cut off abruptly by a sudden flare of light and a sensation of overwhelming heat. A massive arc of electrical current erupted out of his screen then coursed through his body. He blacked out from the sudden pain and shock.

When he awoke from his forced slumber Scott opened his eyes but did not believe what he saw. “What... is this?”

He sat up and looked around. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but flowers. The colors and scents that assaulted his eyes and nose were far beyond anything that he had experienced before. Further, there was a soft and soothing instrumental song that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was Omni-present.

“Well... Damn.”

During that first moment of my new life I could only stare in slack jawed wonder. The world was so alive, electric in its vibrancy. The soft sound of music and insect life buzzing about was quite soothing. It was as though I had stepped out of reality and entered into a world rife with insanity.  In all honesty, I knew nothing about this place, but I already loved it.

When a dream becomes reality, a nightmare might not be far from arising. Yet, if the dream is good enough, if it speaks to you clearly, does the terror of the night really hold that much power over you? Which to me was worse, the possibility of living in a dream turned nightmare, or returning to the pathetic existence I had once lived?

No matter what would come, I knew in that first moment that I had found a place for me, at last.

***

A soft breeze blew across the field, causing his hair to shift. A stray lock fell before his face. Scott immediately reached up and grasped it. Quickly, he placed a hand behind his head and checked the length. “Blue...? Long, blue hair?”

“I see you have awakened, Childe.”

Scott turned toward the sound of the voice and saw an old woman holding a cane. She was absurdly short as well, but he was raised better than to pay close attention to such things.  “Who are you?”

“Well, that’s a rude question. Are you not supposed to state your own name before asking the name of another?”

He blinked once, slowly, and then realized that she was waiting for an answer. “That depends on where you grow up, but fine. I’m Scott, who are you?”

“Ah, hello Scott. I am Mid, the guardian of the field of new beginnings.”

That had answered the question that he had asked, but not the question that he had wanted to ask. Mid foresaw his query, however, and answered that question as well. “You have come to this world from another. There are many ways to enter, but they all lead here during your first visit.”

“Another world... what?”

“I see that you are confused. That is natural. Whatever method you used to arrive here should give you a clue as to the nature of where you are.”

“Method I used...? Wait, I was trying to register to play a game.” He looked at Mid with wide disbelieving eyes. Was she saying that he had traveled here through the game?

When he asked her about that she shrugged. “The entry point is different for everyone. Sometimes it is a door. Sometimes it is a tunnel. There is always a moment where you can turn aside and not enter. If you are here, you chose to be here.”

“Can I go back?”

“That depends on the method you used to come here. If that method allowed for you to return, yes. Otherwise, no.”

“How would I even know?”

“Check your status.”

“My status? Right... like a game. How do I do that?”

Mid smiled beatifically then closed her eyes. A few seconds later a there was a burst of light and a thin blue screen appeared before her. “You check your status by either saying the words ‘Check Status’ or closing your eyes and thinking those words strongly. That allows you to check your status even when rendered mute through poison or magic. Though, if you are confused or berserk you may not be able to concentrate enough to use it that way.”

Scott felt a strange excitement course through his body. Was this really happening? “Ok. Check Status.”

A transparent window popped up in front of him. There were words and numbers on the screen that he assumed were part of his so-called status. The information certainly looked like something from a game!

<<< Status >>>

Name:
Scott Jacobs |
Class:
Sorcerer |
Race:
Human

Age:
18 |
Level:
1

EXP:
0

Next Level:
20

Ability Points:
0

Health:
10[10] |
Mana:
30[30]

Attack:
2[14] |
Defense:
3[15]

Strength:
3[3] |
Agility:
3[3] |
Accuracy:
3[3]

Intellect:
7[7] |
Luck:
4[4]

<<< Skills >>>

Sorcery

The ability to utilize the magical powers of nature; this skill allows for the increased development of mana and intellect.

Unarmed Combat

The ability to fight using only your body as a weapon, but you can also equip boot, knuckle, and claw weapons. This skill allows for the development of improved attack and defense.

Your Attack damage is increased by four times your strength stat when you fight using unarmed combat. Your defense is increased by four times your agility when you fight using unarmed combat.

<<< Return Home: {Locked} >>>

“What in the world? Hey, there is a return home option, but it says that it is locked.”

“Ah, then you cannot return home at this time. That may change some time in the future since you have the option.”

Scott looked down at the old woman. “How would I unlock that?”

“I have no idea. That is a function unique to the individual. The option exists. You should be able to unlock it at some point if you find the proper method.”

“I see.” said Scott.

Something else caught his attention, however. “The screen says that I am eighteen.”

The elderly woman smiled that frequent smile of hers then shook her staff dismissively. “New comers are always returned to a youthful appearance and status, regardless of how old they were before. Of course, if you were younger than your current age you would be your original age here.”

Scott nodded. That made sense from a gameplay stand-point. He could not believe this was a real place, but if it did work like a game then at least it put everyone on a level starting field.

“What do I do now?”

The wizened old woman tapped her staff on the ground. “Your level and abilities are everything in this world. At your current level, you may die frequently. You may want to increase your level as quickly as possible.”

“Die frequently? So, death is not permanent?”

She smirked at him. “Ah, death is certainly permanent for most people. However, the gods decree that death can be overruled via certain types of magic. There are rules for such powers, and generally only priests can develop the higher-tier resurrection abilities. You, as a Champion of Origin, are granted the power of salvation by the gods. You cannot die, permanently. However, there are things that may make you wish that you had died.”

“Such as?”

“Living torture, soul enslavement, banishment to the abyss, and imprisonment inside a techno-magical device as a power source are all possible ends for the unwary. You might also be eaten alive then revive in the same location due to an error in judgment, thus potentially you will be eaten alive continually for all eternity.”

Mid took a breath and continued. “The list of possible bad endings to your existence is quite exhaustive. There may come a time that you ardently pray for death, but the gods will not hear such a plea. Tread carefully.”

Scott felt an involuntary shudder run down his spine. There were worse things than death, it seemed. Most people would only die once and whatever came after, if anything, would come. He would not be allowed that release even if he begged for it.

“I think that I don’t want to deal with any of that. I should get stronger as soon as possible.”

“That desire is normal. This field is a place of tranquility and contentment. There are no deadly enemies here, so attempting to practice your sorcery or combat skills would be pointless without help. If you insist on training your fighting abilities here, I can be your opponent. However, I won’t go easy on you. Since death is not permanent for you, I will not hesitate to kill you in a single blow before you even manage to cast a spell.”

Scott decided that fighting Mid did not seem like a good idea. “I don’t even know how to use my abilities.”

Mid chuckled softly then shook her head. “Of course you do. You just don’t realize it. For now, simply check your spell list. Your talents provide basic elemental damage spells. Find a spell and use it in the same manner that you summon your skill list or status. As a sorcerer you will not need to chant, though your magic will cost more mana.”

Scott followed her instructions and was not surprised when his curious, “Check Spells.” summoned a window screen. He looked through his skill list.

<<>>

[First]
Flash
[LV. 0]-[
Force:
1]
Mana:
8 [0/25]

Range:
3

Target:
Single

Element:
Lightning

Special:
You will have a 5% chance of blinding your opponent. You have a 25% chance to paralyze an opponent who is weak to lightning.

[First]
Freeze
[LV. 0] - [
Force:
1]
Mana
: 8 [0/25]

Range:
10

Target:
Cone

Element:
Ice

Special:
You will have a 5% chance of slowing your opponent. You have a 25% chance to inflict the freeze status on opponents weak to ice and water.

[First]
Burn
[LV.0] - [
Force:
1]
Mana:
8 [0/25]

Range:
30

Target:
Single

Element:
Fire

Special:
  You will have a 5% chance of stunning your opponent. You have a 25% chance to inflict the burn status on your opponent if they are weak to fire.

<<<*>>>

“The little blurbs seem useful enough, but what does the word first mean?”

“First? Are you referring to the term next to the spell name?” asked Mid.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “That refers to the spell-circle of the spell. Your level as a sorcerer will determine what spells you can develop naturally, that includes what circles you have access to throughout your career.”

“I see. What about the other number force and level?”

Mid pointed at him. “All spells and abilities have the capacity to grow stronger through use to some degree. When you first learn them you do not have much skill at using it, after all. You must use the skill until the experience counter at the end reaches the minimum requirement. After doing so, the spell or ability level will increase.  That will strengthen your ability.”

“Neat! How high do the levels go?”

“You can reinforce your abilities four times. Once you have strengthened it four times you will have mastered that ability. It cannot grow stronger through use, but you might be able to develop an advanced form of that ability through your tree of skills.”

“Tree of skills?” Scott felt like all he had in life were questions. There was so much to learn!

“Ah, yes. The road to power. When you reach level two you will be able to access your tree of skills. Every skill that you have developed will have options that you can develop. Sorcery, for instance, will allow you to increase your mana or Intellect, and you can learn new spells or upgrade mastered spells.”

Scott’s eyes brightened. He understood that! The information on the site had been a bit lackluster, really. Basically, he could learn new abilities when he leveled up. “How do you gain ability points?”

“You fight, Childe. You fight and win. You can also gain them through completing personal requests or undergoing great personal growth. Winning battles is the simplest method, however.”

“How hard is it to get an ability point?”

Mid chuckled at his eagerness to learn. “They are not difficult to earn, though they are time consuming to acquire in great number. You will need them in great number to develop your abilities properly.”

He rubbed his chin. It seemed like this world was completely devoted to fighting. That would take time to get used to since even in the military actual combat did not occur daily. He had only been in a handful of fire fights, though he had dealt with the occasional roadside bomb and lived in fear of snipers during visits to the dining facility when deployed.

“Why not try out your spells, Childe?”

Scott looked at Mid then asked, “How?”