The flames from the warehouse climbed high into the night. The inferno only a few feet away was filled with screams of the dying and the acrid smell of burning flesh. Smoke, fire, and the screams of the agony, pleasant music to the ears of an arsonist who lived for revenge.
Nix sat upright in bed, the smell of smoke filling his nostrils. He should have been surprised to wake up in a bed of flames, but he wasn't. He quickly patted out the flames and got out of bed. The clothes he had gone to sleep in had been reduced to ashes.
He wrapped a charred blanket around himself and went off in search of Hyai (pronounced Hi-ya). Luckily she had mentioned where her room was.
A sleepy-looking Hyai opened the door at his second knock. "Is there a problem, Nix?"
"Is waking up on fire a problem?'
"It could be. Go back to your room, and I'll be right there."
A few minutes later, the Inn Keeper entered the room. Immediately she walked over to the window and opened it. She frowned at the burnt blankets. "What happened, Nix?"
"I was dreaming of fire, I think. The smell of smoke woke me up, and I found this." The sheets seemed unaffected; his clothes and the blanket were the only victims of the sudden night flames.
Hyai didn't seem angry with him; she was quite calm while she asked him a few questions. "Could you display your stats for me, Nix?"
He nodded and displayed them on his hud.
Nix
Level 1
Strength 35
Endurance 44
Intelligence 25
Dexterity 25
Perception 25
Cold Resistance 90
Fire Resistance 100
[Burning Aura]
Skills:
Hunter 100
Leather Making 100
Tailor 42
"You have a natural Fire Aura. That's really rare." She smiled when she said it, "people with strong ties to the elements sometimes have them. I've never heard of this one, but you'll have to pick up an aura limiter to prevent you from burning down buildings."
"Problematic, my funds are quite low at the moment."
"You have some useable skills. Perhaps you should head down to the Adventurer Guild and take on a few quests."
Nix nodded while he looked at his stats. His strength and stamina had jumped drastically. The lifestyle skills he possessed were now separate. Gladis Corp lifestyle players obviously enjoyed benefits that others did not. Then there was the biggest change of all; he now possessed a level.
"You must have come here directly from your starter city."
Nix nodded, "where can I train weapons?"
"The Weapon Master Guild." Hyai favored him with a smile, "not going to take the path of fire? You seem to have an affinity with it."
Nix shook his head, "I've already been down the path of fire; this time, I'll do something else."
"Were you perhaps considering a Lifestyle path?"
Nix kept his face expressionless. "What makes you ask that?"
"Your stats, only Lifestyle players have dexterity and perception. Normally those two would be replaced with agility and something else."
"I considered it briefly." Somehow he had the feeling that the character generation screen he had seen, was nothing like the ones normal players experienced. "I'll replace those blankets, Hyai."
The Inn Keeper waved it off. "We're friends; it's a small thing. Wait here for a moment."
A short while later, she came back with a box of clothes. "Not sure why I kept these, they should be close to your size."
Nix looked through the box; there were a few other items as well. "Hyai... Is it okay for you to give me these things?"
She nodded and pushed the box toward him. "I've clung to these out of sentiment."
"Thank you, Hyai."
*************
An hour later, Nix was walking down the boardwalk of the aptly named Guild Street. He was dressed in the brown leathers that Hyai had given him. Her husband had been a hunter in his adventuring days before settling down to run an Inn.
The Weapon Guild looked a lot like a warehouse he had once burned down. It was a large, ugly rectangle building with many large ground-level windows that let in the light. There were more than a dozen different booths. Initial weapon training was free of charge, which also came with a beginner kit.
He had never owned a gun in real life. However, he was drawn by the rifle's image on the sign above the old man's booth. The man's face was wrinkled and weathered by years spent outdoors. He wore his white hair in a long ponytail. Despite his age, he stood ramrod straight. His fierce eyes took in Nix when he stopped.
The old man bowed slightly. "Greetings, friend. I'm Salvo, a marksman of the Weapon's Guild."
Nix returned his bow. "I'm Nix. I am interested in learning the Rifle weapon skill."
Rifles and Pistols in Colonial did not require bullets. They fired a magic-based projectile that did physical damage. Guns came with a core that needed to be replaced after several thousand rounds had been fired.
The free weapon was an open site rifle with a sling.
Tucker Rifle: Basic
Description: An easy to use
rifle with decent accuracy.
Bind on Pick-up.
[Do you wish to place this item in your inventory?]
"Yes." His inventory automatically opened. He was sure that he didn't have access to an inventory back at the Gladis Hub. It was much bigger than he would have guessed, and surprisingly it was filled with a complete set of advanced Tailor equipment and a lot of different materials.
He decided on a whip as his secondary weapon. There was no real reasoning behind it. He liked the way it looked. Since both primary and secondary weapons could be reset for a small fee, he didn't worry about making a bad choice.
His last stop was the Adventurer Guild. Initially, he had wanted to spend the day in the library, but the need for credits caused him to delay those plans. The Adventurer Guild in Cyphix was a small brick building with a half dozen self-service kiosks in it. Registration was a simple eye scan, and immediately he had access to the Quest menu. They were listed by level and were limited to three quests at a time. The daily limit for quests was 15.
He picked up a wolf hunting quest to start and headed out. A small mini-map popped up on his hud when he walked out of the town gate. There were red dots scattered throughout the map. "Nice of them to show me where the quest mobs are."
Wolf infestation
Quest: Local farmers are overrun with wolves. Bring down as many of the creatures as you can. Time limit: 4 hours.
The flames from the warehouse climbed high into the night. The inferno, only a few feet away, was filled with the screams of the dying and the acrid stench of burning flesh. Smoke, fire, and the agonized cries blended into a symphony—pleasant music to the ears of an arsonist bent on revenge.
Nix sat upright in bed, the smell of smoke filling his nostrils. He should have been surprised to wake up in flames, but he wasn't. Quickly, he patted out the embers and got out of bed. The clothes he had gone to sleep in had been reduced to ashes.
Wrapping a charred blanket around himself, he set off in search of Hyai (pronounced Hi-ya). Luckily, she had mentioned where her room was.
A sleepy-looking Hyai opened her door on his second knock. "Is there a problem, Nix?"
"Is waking up on fire a problem?"
"It could be. Go back to your room, and I'll be right there."
A few minutes later, the innkeeper entered his room. She immediately opened the window and frowned at the burnt blankets. "What happened, Nix?"
"I was dreaming of fire, I think. The smell of smoke woke me, and I found this." The sheets seemed unaffected; only his clothes and the blanket were victims of the sudden flames.
Hyai didn't appear angry. She stayed calm, asking a few questions. "Can you display your stats for me, Nix?"
He nodded and brought up his HUD.
Nix
Level: 1
Strength: 35
Endurance: 44
Intelligence: 25
Dexterity: 25
Perception: 25
Cold Resistance: 90
Fire Resistance: 100
[Burning Aura]
Skills:
Hunter: 100Leather Making: 100Tailor: 42
"You have a natural Burning Aura. That's really rare." She smiled. "People with strong ties to the elements sometimes have them. I've never heard of this one, but you'll need an aura limiter to keep from burning down buildings."
"Problematic. My funds are low at the moment."
"You've got some useful skills. Head down to the Adventurer Guild and take on a few quests."
Nix nodded, glancing again at his stats. His strength and stamina had jumped significantly, and his lifestyle skills were now separate. Gladis Corp's Lifestyle players clearly enjoyed benefits others didn't. Most surprising of all—he now had a level.
"You must've come here straight from your starter city."
Nix nodded. "Where can I train weapons?"
"The Weapon Master Guild." Hyai smiled again. "Not planning to take the path of fire? You seem to have an affinity for it."
He shook his head. "I've already been down that path. This time, I'll do something else."
"Were you thinking of becoming a Lifestyle player?"
Nix kept his expression neutral. "What makes you say that?"
"Your stats. Only Lifestyle players have dexterity and perception. Normally, those would be replaced with agility and something else."
"I considered it briefly." He suspected the character generation screen he'd seen was very different from what normal players experienced. "I'll replace the blankets, Hyai."
The innkeeper waved it off. "We're friends; it's a small thing. Wait here for a moment."
She returned shortly with a box of clothes. "Not sure why I kept these, but they should fit you."
Nix looked through the box, noting a few other items as well. "Hyai… are you sure it's okay to give me these?"
She nodded and pushed the box toward him. "I've clung to them out of sentiment. Take them."
"Thank you, Hyai."
An hour later, Nix walked down the boardwalk on Guild Street, wearing the brown leathers Hyai had given him. Her husband had been a hunter in his adventuring days before settling down to run the inn.
The Weapon Guild resembled a warehouse Nix had once burned down—an ugly rectangular building with large ground-level windows that let in plenty of light. Inside were more than a dozen booths. Initial weapon training was free and included a beginner kit.
Though he'd never owned a gun in real life, Nix was drawn to the rifle displayed on the sign above one booth. Behind it stood an older man with a weathered face, his white hair tied in a long ponytail. Despite his age, he stood ramrod straight, his fierce eyes studying Nix as he approached.
The man bowed slightly. "Greetings, friend. I'm Salvo, a marksman of the Weapon Guild."
Nix returned the bow. "I'm Nix. I'd like to learn the Rifle weapon skill."
In Colonial, rifles and pistols didn't require bullets. Instead, they fired magic-based projectiles that dealt physical damage. Each gun came with a core that needed replacement after several thousand shots.
The free weapon was a basic open-sight rifle with a sling.
Tucker Rifle: Basic
Description: An easy-to-use rifle with decent accuracy.
Bind on Pick-up.
[Do you wish to place this item in your inventory?]
"Yes." His inventory automatically opened. Back at the Gladis Hub, he hadn't had inventory access. Now, it was larger than expected and filled with advanced tailoring equipment and various materials.
For his secondary weapon, he chose a whip. There was no logical reason—he simply liked the way it looked. Since both primary and secondary weapons could be reset for a small fee, he wasn't too concerned about making a wrong choice.
His last stop was the Adventurer Guild. Initially, he'd planned to spend the day at the library, but his need for credits forced him to delay. The Adventurer Guild in Cyphix was a small brick building with six self-service kiosks. Registration was a simple eye scan, and immediately he gained access to the Quest menu. Quests were listed by level, with a limit of three at a time. Players could complete up to 15 quests daily.
Nix picked up a wolf-hunting quest to start and headed out. As he walked through the town gate, a small mini-map popped up on his HUD, showing scattered red dots.
"Nice of them to show me where the quest mobs are."
Wolf Infestation
Quest: Local farmers are overrun with wolves. Bring down as many as you can.
Time Limit: 4 hours.
As Nix walked south, the temperature rose quickly. Within half an hour, he was comfortably warm. Finding a small meadow teeming with wolves, he climbed onto a large boulder and prepared to get started.
From his skill training, he understood the basic mechanics of shooting. Aiming at a nearby wolf, he pulled the trigger.
Miss.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, ignoring the huge creature now charging toward him. He fired twice more before the wolf tumbled to the ground.
[You have received 100 XP.]
[You cannot process the wolf meat without cans.]
He looted the animal and received one tooth.
[Do you wish to skin the Arctic Wolf?]
"Yes."
[Without a skinning knife in your inventory, you are limited to normal pelts.]
[One normal wolf pelt has been added to your inventory.]
The next four hours tested his patience. Nix quickly decided never to take such a mind-numbing quest again. By the end, he managed to reach level four, and his rifle skill increased to 18.
With his inventory full of pelts, he started back toward town. The sound of fighting made him stop. Was someone else hunting here? Tempted to investigate, he hesitated at the deafening sound of gunfire, followed by an explosion. "I'm not strong enough to mess around yet," he muttered, continuing on.
An uneventful trip back to the turn-in kiosk netted him enough experience to reach level five. The added bonus of 3,000 credits put a spring in his step as he headed to the general store he'd noticed earlier.
He bought a fine skinning knife for 300 credits. The aura limiter Hyai had mentioned was a ring priced at 1,000 credits. Nix winced as he made the purchase. Cans, however, were cheap—just one credit each—so he bought a hundred.
The shop had tables set up in the corner, so he took a seat and enjoyed a complimentary cup of hot coffee. "Since I have the ability, I should start working on trade skills," he mused, examining the wolf pelts in his inventory. There were 83 in total. Planning to sell them, he paused when he saw they were valued at only three credits each.
[Do you wish to process the normal wolf pelts?]
"Sure."
His HUD displayed a progress bar slowly advancing to the right. "This is going to take a while," he muttered.
While waiting, he opened a world map and zoomed out for a better view of Colonial. Seven continents spread across the map. Three, positioned in a triangular formation, could almost be considered archipelagos: Hispana, Wisteria, and Phelinomia. His current location, Tunis, was one of four larger landmasses, alongside Broyan to the south, Escavar to the east, and Jhabi to the west.
Dozens of small kingdoms dotted the map, loosely aligned with one of the two factions. A few mid-sized territories had formed, but no large empires dominated the landscape. Just as he finished his review, the progress bar dinged.
[115 fine leathers have been added to your inventory.]
After checking their price with the store clerk, he decided to sell them for 25 credits each.
Feeling more confident, Nix decided to head out again. This time, he skipped the quests and focused on harvesting pelts while exploring. Although it was only mid-afternoon, the town gate bustled with activity. Groups of four or five people hurried past, chatting excitedly. Falling into step with a smaller group, Nix struck up a conversation.
"What's going on?" he asked, smiling pleasantly despite not being naturally sociable. The group consisted of three young men, all with identical bowl-cut black hair.
"You haven't heard?" one of them said. "A Salamander's been found! One of the big guilds from Escavar discovered it. They're paying 5,000 credits to anyone who volunteers to help."
Nix nodded nonchalantly. "Hmm… sounds like easy money."
The group parted from him a few minutes later. He hadn't asked to join them, and they hadn't offered. Big corporations exploiting the masses felt all too familiar to him.
Returning to the meadow he'd hunted earlier, Nix found it crowded with dozens of small tents. Choosing not to linger, he headed west, away from the crowd.
By a small creek, he discovered a herd of deer—about twenty in total, ranging from levels five to ten. He began hunting from the outskirts of the herd. Expecting them to scatter at the sound of gunfire, he was surprised when the deer instead lowered their heads and charged. The first one fell five yards away after taking five shots.
[You have received 300 XP.]
[Do you wish to process the deer meat?]
"Yes."
[2 cans of fine venison have been added to your inventory.]
[Do you wish to skin the common deer?]
"Yes."
[1 fine deer pelt has been added to your inventory.]
Nix continued hunting until only a few deer remained. When they finally fled, he let them go. By then, he had reached level seven and packed his inventory with canned meat and pelts.
Washing his hands in the stream, he splashed water on his face. Though the work wasn't strenuous, it had turned unseasonably warm. "Maybe the Salamander has something to do with it," he muttered.
Sitting on the bank, Nix pulled off his boots, soaking his feet in the cool water. He lay back, enjoying the brief respite.
The bubbling water caught his attention only when it began to heat up. "The hell is that?" he exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.