Two hours and twenty-two minutes had passed since Ryan had finished the 'Tutorial'. Two hours and twenty-one minutes of which he had spent in pointless contemplation of how unpleasant it felt to have his body torn apart by explosives. He knew this because there was a small digital format time-piece in his field of view that wouldn't go away. That was probably enough time moping, Ryan decided then and he finally got off his back and took a look around the space he was now in.
It was no hell or heaven. He appeared to be in the lounge of an open-plan studio apartment. The tiny no bedroom sort that you rented for cheap because you wanted to live in the city but had a job that couldn't afford it. Bland modern kitchen, hospital style bed, and a minimalistic plain steel dining table and two chairs were all that the place had.
With nothing interesting inside, Ryan turned his attention to the windows. Again, there was not much to see. Through the aluminium framed glass all that was visible was a grassy plain and clear blue skies above. It kind of reminded him of that Windows XP background.
He would have tried going outside, but there was no door that he could see. Ryan examined the windows but there wasn't any apparent way to open them. Smashing them was something he decided he could leave as a last resort. There were other things he could look at first.
Sitting back down on the bed, Ryan flicked a finger at the flashing yellow exclamation mark in the corner of his eyes. As expected, this opened up another one of those holographic boxes from earlier. The contents congratulated him for having completed the tutorial with a C+ grade, along with some nonsense about fighting other monsters which was half censored out. Aside from that, the only other interesting thing was about the reward he had been given. Perk points and ability points, as if he was in a video game.
Ryan stopped and sniggered. In the last few hours he had been stabbed in the chest by a dinosaur, shot in the head by an evil organisation, and blown himself up with a terrorist's suicide vest. Seeing as he was still alive afterwards, being in a video game wasn't that unlikely.
After giving the rest of the message another brief read, Ryan pressed his finger onto the part about the perk points which had been flashing at him. He then blinked in surprise as he was hit with knowledge he didn't have just a second ago.
"Spirit interface - ID 0810803-0281269-0166260-0052787," Ryan recited as per the instructions injected into his head.
In response to his command, a large screen opened up showing a picture of his body on one side and various buttons on the other. Without going into excruciatingly unnecessary detail, it was basically the character menu and links to various submenus from an RPG. He was severely limited in what he could do with it right now as he apparently had to build himself up with additional abilities and perks using karma earned from missions. Still he had a few options and dumped the ability points he had earned into physical and mental boosts. He wasn't sure how effective putting one point each into (Strength), (Endurance), and (Nerve Impulse Velocity) would be but he figured that anything would help.
Once that was done he opened up the perk menu, and was quickly baffled by the huge spiderwebs of light that seemed to obscure everything he could see. It took a moment for Ryan to realise that he was looking at the perk menu. It then took a few seconds longer for him to grasp that the menu was stretching across the entirety of the apartment. Quickly estimating the width of the room, Ryan was shocked to realise that the diagram with its microscopic text size was at least eighteen metres wide.
"Collapse sub-branches?" he haltingly muttered. The command shrunk the menu to about a third of its original size. He could almost see the whole thing now without moving his head about.
Consulting the instruction manual again Ryan's mouth fell open as he realised that there were over three million different Karma Perks to choose from. The number was even more mind-blowing if one considered that each perk had up to nine levels that they could be boosted by.
Luckily the designers of the system had included a very good search engine, and Ryan was able to pull up a list of the perks that he could choose from with his current access level. The list was a mere two hundred and twelve options long. Two hundred and twelve different perk listings each of which had a A4 size description of what the perk did.
Ryan made himself comfortable on the bed. This was going to take a while.
-
'A while' turned out to be nine and a half hours. If Ryan had been the type to min/max in games it probably would have taken twice that time, but he was more of a 'let's see how it goes' kind of guy.
That said, there had been a few perks that were miles ahead of the rest. He had ended up choosing one called 'Forewarned is Forearmed'. This would apparently allow him to get details of what a mission entailed before choosing it. At level 1 it would only give him a very simple description, but at higher levels it was supposed to basically be the equivalent of reading the entire series that a mission might be drawn from. And wasn't that another kick in the head.
It seemed that all the 'missions' that he would be going on in the foreseeable future would be based on media from the world that he had been born on. Why was something that wasn't explained, but that was what the manual said. Ryan wasn't sure how to feel about that. If he was being thrust into scenarios out of fiction, who was to say he wasn't a fictional character himself? God, was somebody writing a script about his life now? Was that why he was in this mess?
Existential dread was not something Ryan was familiar with, and he was finding that he really didn't like it.
Another half hour of brooding on the meaning of life and the perception of reality, Ryan decided that the only way he was going to be able to get his mind off things was to try and go on a mission. An easy one, to get a grasp of what he was going to be getting himself into in the future.
"Mission Hall," was the command that the manual told him would open up the portal to his destination. Immediately, a doorway of white light opened up next to him and Ryan stepped through to find himself floating amidst a see of stars.
Ryan examined the slowly flashing orb of light closest to him. It was a light blue one, which the manual told him was an indication that he should be able to successfully complete it with his current skills and abilities. There were easier missions, with the lowest levels being whites, but the manual warned that they would not be very efficient in terms of time spent.
Ryan prevaricated betwen the blue mission in front of him and the white mission nearby, but in the end he decided to go with the one he had. Light blue was supposed to still be relatively easy, and he figured that this would give him a good idea as to what the system's definition of easy was. He just hoped it wasn't Dark Souls easy like his friend Jared's viewpoint on games.
Mission - No Russian
World Level: Baseline Tech 1.1
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Primary Objective: Save as many civilians as you can
Reading the description, Ryan was a little disappointed at how brief it was. He had thought that putting the point into the perk would give him a bit more than this. Then again, the default mission description was supposed to be just a Mission code number followed by the time limit and primary objective. At least this way he had a mission name and some idea of the kind of powers and tech at play.
A mental command made the orb of light flare bright, and when his vision cleared Ryan found himself standing in what appeared to be an airport terminal. Looking down at himself he saw that he was dressed in some sort of shop uniform. Probably that of the burger joint he found himself behind the counter of.
"I would like a Joy-Burger Combo and a Chicken-Surprise Combo, please," a middle aged Russian lady with brown hair and plump cheeks was saying to him. Ryan realised that she was making an order.
Not sure how to react to this unexpected development, Ryan was almost relieved when he heard the unmistakeable chatter of machine guns in the distance. The screaming soon followed and Ryan gave the lady a wry smile as he took off his uniform hat.
"Here's some burgers," Ryan told her as he grabbed whatever was on the order trays behind him. "Now, please take them and run in that direction. Don't stop until you get out of the airport, okay?"
The lady looked blankly at him as if had lost his mind. "Excuse me?"
"I said, run!" Ryan exclaimed as he pointed towards the other end of the terminal. "That screaming? It's from all the people who are being killed by terrorists with guns. Get away from here or you are gonna die."
It took a while, but some small remnant of a survival instinct finally sparked some neurons inside the lady's head and she began running off as he had suggested. She was shouting about terrorists as she ran as well which could only be a good thing in this situation. Ryan just hoped that she wasn't going to be stupid and try to hide behind the closest tall object like so many idiots invariably did when faced with an unexpected attack of life and dignity.
The sounds of gunfire drew closer and Ryan realised he probably didn't have much time. He was beginning to remember where he had seen that mission name before. One of the Call of Duty games which had been so controversial at the time of its release due to a part where you went about killing civilians in an airport. The same airport that Ryan now stood in.
Looking around for things he could use. Ryan saw that he had a choice between sauce packets, fizzy drinks, and soft-serve ice-cream.
... This was supposed to be an easy mission? What the hell were the harder ones going to be like?
A momentary panic attack later, Ryan belatedly remembered that there was a kitchen behind him. Kitchens had knives and other useful things. He quickly dashed around the drink machine and started grabbing all the sharp tools he could. The only other thing he stopped for were two industrial size pepper shakers. Oddly, there wasn't anyone in the kitchen. Whether that was because they had run away or if this was a weird effect of a video game scene being converted to reality, he had no idea.
By the time he came back around to the front of the shop, the gunfire had reached the second floor of the terminal where the burger joint was located. Ryan carefully positioned himself behind the counter where he couldn't be easily spotted, yet he could get an idea of if anyone was approaching in the reflections off the shiny new coffee machine installed there.
All this time, people were screaming and dying as the terrorists continued their bloody work. Ryan flinched when a few stray bullets buried themselves in the drink machine nearby. Other than a spill that began to soak into his pants though there was no harm done, and he continued to wait.
The next few seconds felt like an eternity to Ryan as he kept his eyes on the steel surface above him. Amidst the nervous anticipation he found himself asking what he was doing here. Was he really going to try and kill or maim another human being with an edged instrument? The answer was, yes, because the targets were horrible people, but it was a bit strange that he was so okay about this. He had been a perfectly normal civilian until just over half a day ago. Most people would be in hysterics after his day, not trying to remember youtube knife-throwing lessons from a wasted year in university.
One of the shapes began to rapidly loom larger in the reflection above, and Ryan shook himself free of his musings. It was time to throw the dice and hope for double sixes.
He initiated by throwing the pepper containers into the air before immediately standing up with knives in hand. Even knowing what to expect, some of the condiments got into his airways and Ryan had to choke back a sneeze as he drew back his arm for a throw. Fortune had smiled on him and the nearest terrorist had taken a cloud of pepper to his face and was in the midst of a sneezing fit as the first knife... Bounced off the thick vest he was wearing. Okay, maybe not so lucky then.
Ryan had begun leaping forward as soon as the knife left his hand. Using the momentum from the throw he shoulder charged the terrorist and managed to knock him off balance. If it hadn't been for the pepper he probably wouldn't have been able to do it, but Ryan wasn't about to complain. Taking the chance, Ryan had just stabbed into the downed man's neck with a boning knife, when he felt a heavy punch to his gut followed by a bloom of pain.
Ryan collapsed onto the terrorist he had stabbed, and he realised that he had just been shot. With his dying breath he wrenched the knife he was holding to open up the wound in the terrorist's neck. One last 'screw you' for the maniacs who had killed him.
God, why did this have to -
SpoilerPre-mission - Everything Has A Cost
The last mission had gone both better and worse than expected.
Ryan pulled up the baggy khaki shirt he had put on to mow the yard to make sure that there were no lasting effects from taking three bullets to the stomach. Not a mark. That was good too. It meant that as long as he could withstand the agonising pain involved, he didn't need to worry about being hurt on these missions.
Letting out a sigh, Ryan fell back onto the ever so slightly too hard mattress of the bed. The discomfort reminded him that he had the option to change out the mattress with options ranging from a pile of straw (5 karma) to something called a Localised Surface Pressure Cancellation Zone Generator (999,999 karma - SALE PRICE). There were more expensive options as well but the listings were all [redacted] so he had no idea what they were.
Mattresses weren't the only things available in the Karma Shop menu. There was literally everything on sale from air (Earth baseline oxygen-nitrogen mix - 4 karma/week) to... Was that an Imperial Star Destroyer (60,000,000,000 karma)?
Ryan calculated how long it would take him to buy the ship from his childhood fantasies if he earned karma at the same rate as his last job. 60,000,000,000 divided by 38 was 1,578,947,368 deaths. Assuming each job took, eh, let's say 30 minutes as a wild guess, that would be... 90,122 years and a bit.
Faced with a number that he couldn't easily wrap his mind about, Ryan quietly exited the shop menu and began to reflect on his actions during the mission.
The end result of the mission had been both encouraging and discouraging. He, a white-collar worker who hadn't gotten into a fight since he was 12, had managed to kill a trained soldier. That was a much better outcome than he had expected when he realised the setting he was in. On the other hand, he had killed someone and felt about as much guilt over the fact as he had upon knocking over his neighbour's mailbox. Ryan was pretty sure this was not normal.
He had thought at first that this would be like one of those Gamer fics he had read. The ones where there was a passive skill that protected you from feeling shock or other negative mental conditions. No matter how much he looked though he couldn't find anything of the sort in the various menus. So it was either that such a skill/buff existed but was hidden, or... He was possibly crazy. Since he was very much certain that he wasn't crazy, that meant that it was a hidden buff. Nothing to worry about!
Dilemma solved, Ryan's thoughts moved onto the matter of 'what am I going to do now?'. His highest priority was to find a way home. He hadn't chosen to be here and it was at least ten years too late for him to get drunk on a power fantasy. Unfortunately, it was seeming increasingly likely that he would have to actively participate in this torture programme to find a way out of here. In that case, he really needed to find a quicker way to earn karma.
The fact that the shop sold breathable air on a subscription basis could only mean that the air wasn't free. It was weird to think about, but he was literally paying to breathe. If he chucked in the cost of basic food items and water on top of that he was looking at a minimum outlay of around 35 karma a week.
The number didn't sound so bad if he compared it to the 38 karma he had earned in the last mission, but the death penalty he had incurred was a cause for concern. Upon waking up on his bed he had felt distinctly weaker than he had before the mission. If he had to compare it to anything it would be the weakness you felt after you were rudely awoken from an afternoon nap. Going on a mission like this was probably a good way to stack another penalty on top for free.
There was a way to remove the penalty. You could spend 1 karma per hour that the penalty was active, with an exponential cost multiplier per penalty rank. Taken together with the way that you could and had to pay for everything, it was as if he was in an afterlife run by EA. Not a pleasant prospect.
To sum it all up, if he removed the penalty now he had about 8 karma left over once he bought some food for the day. It wasn't much of a bank, and it definitely wasn't enough to purchase any additional advantages. Even a single ability point cost 20 karma, and a perk point was 100 karma. This too would increase as he purchased more points.
Budgeting done, Ryan decided that the most efficient thing to do right now would actually be to take a nap. He thought he deserved it after dying four times in the last 24 hours. His procrastination would even have the bonus of saving him anywhere from 4 to 8 karma dependent on when he woke up again. Never would anyone say that Ryan Aitkin could not delay when he could act.
Mission - (Don't) Wake the Dead
Crashing for a few hours had done wonders for Ryan's mood and he was whistling cheerfully as he floated through the mission hall. He was on the lookout for white mission stars this time. Doing a few simple jobs at the bottom of the difficulty and (presumably) the reward curve would let him work out how best to devote his efforts. There was always the hope with an easier job he wouldn't need to kill or be killed as well.
Having passed by a few missions that didn't meet this desired criteria, Ryan found one that seemed perfect and selected it. This time he was ready for the flash and he just stood still as the light washed over him.
Mission - (Don't) Wake the Dead
World Level: Mystic Arcane 1.0 Tech 0.9
Time Limit: 2 hours
Primary Objective: Prevent resurrection
The first thing Ryan noticed was that it was dark. Every other time so far he had started off during the day, so this was an unexpected change. It wasn't as troublesome as it could have been as a nearly full moon hung overhead. The light wasn't what you would read a book with, but it was sufficient to make out one's surroundings.
And what surroundings they were. Ryan had never been able to travel much, occupied as he was in work or other demands upon his time. Therefore he couldn't be blamed for being struck with wonder as he gazed upon an unobstructed and unpolluted night sky for the first time.
Nearly half an hour went by before Ryan remembered that he had a job to do here. Preventing a resurrection was the objective. Seeing as he was currently in the middle of a desert next to what looked to be Egyptian ruins, he was pretty sure that this going to have something to do with mummies.
There was only one place to go that he could see, and that was the campsite that he could see nearby. It was dead quiet, so he supposed everyone was asleep. It was odd because he would have thought there would be at least one person keeping watch or making sure the fires stayed lit.
Ryan examined the camp residents as he trudged across the desert sands. There were a group dressed in those white robes that were found all across the middle east, and then there were the Europeans. The clothes that the Europeans wore were... Out of date? Yeah, he was no fashionista. Pre-1960's was about all he was going to commit to there.
He paused near the edge of the camp when he spotted movement within. Someone, a pretty young woman with curly brown hair who had come out from behind a sandstone pillar that obscured his view. She was... Sneaking across the camp? Curious. It was likely she had something to do with his mission then.
As Ryan watched, the woman laid a square object onto a makeshift table. Moving furtively, she began to rifle the pockets of a man sleeping soundly next to the fire. Brazen, maybe she wasn't a thief. If she was, the man who had just woken up would have kicked up... Was that Brendan Fraser? Oh, hell no.
"STOP! Do NOT open that book!" Ryan shouted at the top of his lungs as he sprinted into the camp.
He had just stepped into the circle of light cast by the nearest campfire when he had to scramble to bring himself to a halt. It was that or get shot by the main character of one of his favourite monster movies.
"Who the hell are you?" Bredan Fraser's look-alike in this world asked with a shotgun pointed at Ryan's chest.
"Uh... The man who just saved your lives?" Ryan replied nervously as he eyed the gun. He really did not want to get shot again so soon.
"Yeah, and I'm Santa Claus, ho ho ho," Brendan clone snarked. "Now, seriously. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"I am being serious," Ryan stated as he played for time. Old memories were being shuffled through inside his head as he tried to think of some way to convince these people without failing the mission. Trying, and coming up blank so far.
"What on earth is going on?" somebody interrupted. It was the man who had just been pickpocketed. The woman's cousin? Brother? Memory failed him. The commotion had woken him from his sleep and he was looking around in a daze.
He wasn't the only one who had woken up. The camp workers and the Americans who would all die over the course of the movie were up as well, and now had come over to see what the fuss was about.
"Who have you got there, O'connell?" one of the American treasure hunters asked as the group walked over. "Friend of yours?"
"No, I think he may be with the Medjai," O'Connell replied, not taking his eyes off Ryan. "Now, are going to explain yourself? Last chance for you to say something before I shoot you."
"Whoa, no need for that," Ryan quickly said with his hands held high. "I was just -."
Ryan was about to give a completely fabricated account of how he had come to be here when a loud click and a clack sounded from behind O'Connell. This was followed by an eerie wail and a chilly gust of wind that nearly put the campfire out.
Ryan groaned as he realised what had just happened. "Oh for god's sake, I told you not to open the book! What are you people, thinking?"
Everyone's eyes turned to the woman who had just opened the book in question.
"What?It's just a book," she defended herself as she looked back defiantly at them. "No harm ever came from reading a book."
"That, is not - just - a book, my dear," a new voice interjected, fraught with worry. "That is the Book of the Dead, and you must not read from it. Especially not in this place."
Bolstered by the unexpected support, Ryan risked a peek to the side and saw that it was the academic who was with the Americans. Finally, someone who had an inkling of sense.
The doctor rushed over to the woman and tried to grab the unwieldy tome, only to be thwarted when the woman picked it up and backed away with it.
"Excuse me," one of the Americans, the one swaggering like he was some kind of cowboy, asked when he saw what was going on. "Is that our book you are trying to steal right now?"
The woman recoiled, as if she was horribly offended by the accusation. "I'm not stealing it. I'm just 'borrowing' it. For research purposes."
If their expressions were any guide, the Americans were not impressed by her defence. The doctor wasn't convinced either and he continued to be led around by the surprisingly spry young lady as he tried to confiscate the ancient book.
"Evie," O'Connell called out when he saw that the mood had turned against them. "Evie! Just give him the book. You can 'borrow' it with the doctor's permission later."
"Oh, alright then," the woman muttered petulantly. Thankfully she didn't protest any further and just pouted like a five year old as she allowed the disapproving doctor to grab the tome off her.
For his part, Ryan was wondering why the mission had not finished. he had disrupted the reading of the Book which had brought the mummy back to life in the movie. Did he had to find a way to permanently prevent the reading? That could prove difficult with all these people interested in the book.
"Knock knock. Anyone home?"
Ryan grimaced in pain as something poked him in the chest. It was O'Connell again. The adventurer was looking at him with an expectant look in his eyes. Ryan then remembered that he hadn't actually explained himself yet.
"Right. Uh, do you mind if I put my hands down first? My arms are starting to hurt." They really were, Ryan thought as he said this.
O'Connell gave him a begrudging nod, and Ryan lowered his arms with a sigh of relief before
"Okay, gather around everyone, it's storytime!" Ryan announced as he gave the sand a pat.
A few uncertain looks were shared between the men and woman before O'Connell gave a mighty 'to the hell with it' shrug and sat down himself. This prompted the others to follow suit and soon Ryan had an audience to spin tall tales to.
"First of all, name's Ryan Aitkin. Pleased to meet you all," a quick wave accompanied Ryan's introduction, to which the American in the glasses at least nodded in acknowledgement.
"Now, about the book," and here Ryan hoped that sequel retcons were reflected in these missions. "As you all know, that is the Book of the Dead, and the first page of that book has the incantation that brings the dead to life. No, no. Time for disbelief and questions later," Ryan told Evie who looked like she was done with this nonsense already. He didn't blame her. He was the one telling them this crap and even he wouldn't if he hadn't seen the movie. "Okay, and why is that important? You guys did not ask, but I will tell you anyway. We are standing atop the ruins of the City of the Dead. As in, place full of dead bodies for any spell to resurrect, including the mummy of the man condemned to suffer the most horrible curse in Ancient Egypt."
"You are talking about the mummy that we found," Evie stated. It seemed that her academic curiosity had overcome her distaste for hocus pocus mumbo jumbo.
"If you found a wet corpse that had eaten alive by scarabs, yep, that would be Imhotep," Ryan confirmed for her. "The cursed mummy whose resting place has been watched over for 3,000 years by the BLOODY USELESS MEDJAI!"
Ryan startled everyone seated at the campfire as he finished his answer by shouting the words into the darkness of the desert around them. Long held frustration against the worst gravekeeper tribe in the world slightly assuaged, Ryan cleared his throat in embarrassment and continued.
"Sorry about that," he apologised. "Where was I, ah yes, Imhotep. High priest of Egypt, who shagged the Pharaoh's wife and then killed the man when he got caught."
"You are joking," a blushing Evie demurred, scandalised by Ryan's blunt language.
Ryan just shook his head. "Ask the Medjai when they show up. They will be happy to confirm things for you. Before they kill you all for disturbing the creature's rest, that is."
"They can't do that!" The cowboy cried out. "We are Americans!"
"Bullets don't care about your nationality, Henderson," O'Connell told him gravely, his face was grim as he stared Ryan in the eye. "So, are you their messenger boy?Come to tell us that we are all going to be dead come morning?"
"On the contrary," Ryan replied, smiling broadly. "I'm the one that's going to tell you how you can walk on out of here without anyone dying. Uh, maybe minus the book though."
Everyone's eyes turned to the doctor, who clutched the Book of the Dead protectively with both arms.
"I understand that the knowledge in the book is dangerous," the doctor said as he looked at each of them uncertainly. "But that's why it needs to be studied by those established in the field. Just think of the understanding we can gain from this most revered of ancient Egyptian texts."
Evie was also quick to chime in with her opinion. "I must agree with Dr Chamberlain. An intact Book of the Dead is one of the greatest finds ever made. We must take it back with us, for history's sake!"
That duo's academic enthusiasm was going to be a headache, Ryan just knew it. If only the quickest way to convince them of the need for caution wasn't suicide by mummy.
"If you can convince the Medjai, be my guest," Ryan conceded as he realised he wasn't going to be able to quench their thirst for academic glory in the time he had available. "Just promise me that you will not read aloud from that book while you are anywhere near this place. Preferably not until you are back in England, or America if that's where this is going."
"The London -" "The New York -"
The two academics in the group blurted out their city of choice to house the book, and then began to glare at each other as they realised their conflicting allegiances. With that problem set aside for now, Ryan decided to see if the group's 'Get out of jail free' card existed in this timeline or not.
"Mr O'Connell, do you have a brand under that leather wristguard of yours?" he asked of the dashing soldier/adventurer of the group.
The man he had addressed glared at Ryan suspiciously. "How the hell do you know that? Have we met before?"
Ryan shook his head. "No, Mr O'Connell. I just know things. Just as I know that if you and your people want to live through the night, you will need to show the Medjai that mark of yours."
O'Connell glanced down at his wrist before looking back up. "I don't understand, this is just some weird family thing that my sonofabitch dad forced on me. How does it have anything to do with those desert people?"
"You will see," Ryan replied cryptically. He was having way too much fun with this.
"Hey, we ain't leaving until we find the treasure," Henderson suddenly announced. "You can run off with your English friends if you want, O'Connell, but we aint going."
Ryan sighed and shook his head. "You can stay if you want, but if you don't leave with O'Connell here, I think you will find that only death awaits you in this place."
The ominous statement silenced the restless American trio, and the nervous Hungarian guide with them gulped loudly.
"Mr Henderson? Perhaps, it might be a good idea to take this man's suggestion to heart," the man suggested in his heavily accented voice. "I'm sure that with proof of the city's existence you could convince the local governor to support a return trip, with more security between us and the Medjai."
"He's right," glasses said to his companions. "There's too many of those sand-eaters for us to handle. We need to come back with some good old machine guns. That will teach them to be afraid of their betters."
There were a few disgruntled comments by the other Americans, but they all eventually agreed to withdraw.
A green light started blinking in the corner of his eyes, and Ryan opened the alert. Having read it quickly, he ignored O'Connell's demand for further answers as he clambered back onto his feet.
"Okay, that's great," he told the group. "Looks like I can go tell the Medjai not to kill you all in your sleep. Goodbye, everyone. Just remember NOT to read aloud from that bloody book. Okay? Bye!"
"Hey, wait!"
Ryan heard O'Connell shout for him to stop as he sprinted away into the night. He didn't need to go far, and as soon as he ducked behind a convenient fallen column the world dissolved into motes of light around him.
Spoilermission - Ryan Aitkin v.1.01
Anakin was right, sand did get everywhere.
As he shook out his sneakers, Ryan wondered why he hadn't been cleaned up before he had come back. Was it because he hadn't died this time? If he had to choose between dying and living like a hobo... That could get irritating.
Quickly checking the listed price for civilised washing facilities (shower stall - 150 karma), Ryan found himself thankful that there was at least a toilet provided for free. It was surprisingly placed in a separate area from his living quarters that he could access upon thought. He had no idea as to why. Maybe whoever was behind all this was a hygiene freak?
With no other sensible recourse, Ryan resolved to wash up using the toilet washstand until he could afford better. It was better than nothing, even if he had to pay for the water used (UK Hard Water (cold) - 5 karma/cubic metre).
Thinking about things he wanted to purchase led to thoughts on the rewards from the last mission. An unexpected bonanza, certainly. The result had opened up as many possibilities as it posed questions to.
Finding out that there was a cap on karma you could earn was a not unexpected disappointment, but the bonus objective rewards being so generous had more than made up for it. He now had 84 karma in the bank, as well as 2 each of Karma Perk points and ability points.
With no hesitation, Ryan had put an additional point into 'Forewarned is Forearmed' and also purchased another perk he had eyed up earlier. 'Personal Trainer' was supposed to give him guidance on how to perform physical exercises properly at low levels, and give him innate knowledge on how to develop and exceed his body's limits at higher levels.
He decided to try out his new toy with a few press-ups. Upon getting into position on the floor, two screen popped up in the side of his view. The top screen showed a simple 3D model man doing press-ups, while the other was a third-person view of himself. Both screens responded to Ryan's thoughts and could be rotated to any angle he wanted.
Finding no other features after some playing around, Ryan exerted himself to finish press-up number thirty before getting back up. The ability points he had put into strength and endurance had definitely helped. While he hadn't been completely out of shape, a decade of pulling long hours in front of a desk had slowly eroded his health. Just yesterday he would have been hard pressed to do more than twenty press-ups without resting, but right now he just had some pleasant tightness in his arms and back. If he had wanted to, Ryan felt that he could have done at least ten more before his arms gave out.
The instant results were a temptation, and Ryan was drawn to the idea of putting both free points into physical boosts again. However, he had a rough plan in place and he decided to stick to it. Throwing dreams of instantly returning to his high school rugby team physique to the side, Ryan put another point into Nerve Impulse Velocity and 1 point into (Balance). Balance was hugely important in any physical activity, and it was also much more difficult to properly train than purely physical traits. The wide range of amenities in the shop, and the ratio of mission rewards to prices, told him that he might be here for a while. So it made more sense to use the ability points for such things now that he had a better idea of what he might expect in a mission. Basic physical conditioning could be done during his down time, without wasting points.
Ryan left his small karma balance alone for now. There was nothing urgent that he needed to buy, and he didn't have enough karma to purchase anything significant like a perk point. Now that he knew that he had to aim for bonus objectives to get ahead in the low level missions, Ryan intended to save up and buy things to help him do just that.
Last edited: Oct 13, 2021Don't read Chinese wuxia so I had no idea what terror infinity was until I googled it today. There's really no original ideas in this world anymore is there lol.
There are definitely instant power-ups that are available to buy in karma shop, but most of them are either too expensive, or locked behind certain conditions. Ryan should be unlocking the first tier of these after about two or three more missions.
Now, this next mission is based on a series I loved when I was back in school. It went downhill later on though which was a shame, but the original few were a blast to read. The mission itself is not set in any of the novels as such and can be thought of as being something that may have happened sometime before Legends.
Mission - Kender Surprise
One meal of hash browns (2 karma for a box of 12) and bacon (2 karma for 8 rashers) later, Ryan was back in the mission hall on the lookout for another mission.
The last one had gone much better than expected, and with no entertainment options available to him, Ryan thought he may as well try and earn some more karma. Voluntary torture, otherwise known as working out, could wait for some future day when he had access to a shower.
Ryan drifted amidst the star-like mission markers, idly thinking to himself that even the most beautiful sights could lose some of their wonder on a second viewing. Unfair comparisons to the gorgeous view of the milky way from his last mission also helped to pale the beauty of his current environs. His wandering thoughts did not prevent him from considering his options, however, and he bypassed one after another possible job as he sought a name he recognised. The more he knew about a setting, the more likely it was that he would be able to complete some bonus objectives.
Ten minutes later, Ryan conceded that he may have lucked out with his previous mission. Despite having the second level of the 'Forewarned is Forearmed' perk, the mission details were still not quite detailed enough that he could tell for certain what he might be going into. It didn't help that there were a lot of references that he just didn't recognise. In the end he ended up picking a mission that had a straight-forward objective, reasonable time limit, and a seemingly useful entry point into the setting.
As the light enveloped him once more, Ryan tried to remember where he had seen the word 'Kender' before. He could swear he had heard or read it some time in the past, but nothing came to mind. Oh well. If he couldn't remember, it couldn't have been anything too important. Since when did he focus on the small stuff anyway? Much better to just wing it and see how it went.
Mission - Kender Surprise
World Type: Fantasy Earth Analog - Multi-planar Divine Influence Present
Tech Level: Late Medieval Base - Structured Arcane Presence / Organised Divine Presence
Time Limit: 2 hours (sunrise)
Entry Method: Corpse Possession - City Guard
Location: Caergoth
Primary Objective: Find and evacuate VIP - Marker system will be in effect
The coastal city of Caergoth, the jewel of Southlund, granary of Solamnia. A stony and blocky place, full of square geometry and stubborn mindsets. That was the advertising spiel that Ryan got from the traces of memory he had inherited from his temporary body.
"Venan, you are alive?" he heard someone exclaim as he stood up from where the corpse had lain on the damp stones of the docks.
Ryan turned around and came face to face with a scruffy man equipped with the simple chainmail and skullcap of the city guard. He held a flaming torch in one hand, and a shortsword in the other. In the dim light cast by the flickering flame, it was hard to make out details. One thing Ryan could tell was that the man's eyes were opened wide as he stared at Ryan as if he had seen a ghost.
... Which is probably what had happened, from the man's point of view. The entry method being listed as 'Corpse Possession' was self-explanatory in that respect.
"What happened? I don't remember anything," Ryan asked of his fellow guard. He didn't know his name. It wasn't part of the memories he had received.
The man mimed a chucking motion with both hands. "Donal Springbuck hit you on the head with a barrel of wine! I thought for sure that you were dead!"
"Huh, so that's why my head is throbbing like that," Ryan muttered as this body's nerves realised that they had a working brain to send signals to again.
Twisting his neck to get a lingering crick out of it, Ryan quickly scanned the area. There was a green diamond of light blinking in the middle of the road a short walk away. Weirdly, it didn't illuminate the dark surroundings. Presumably this was the marker that he was supposed to follow.
"Hey listen, I don't feel so good," he told the other guard with as pitiful a face as he could muster. "Think I will go back to the barracks. Is that okay?"
"Barracks?" the man brought his broad face closer to Ryan. "Your head must be addled. We moved out of there near on seven weeks ago!" He caught Ryan with an arm around his shoulders and began to push him along. "Alright, come on. We've lost Donal and his crew anyway. May as well take you back to the gatehouse."
Ryan was about to protest when he noticed that he was being led in the rough direction of the marker. Figuring it didn't matter how he got there as long as he got there, Ryan decided to go with the flow.
About ten minutes and a renewed appreciation for personal hygiene later, Ryan bid goodbye to guard #2 and pretended to enter the gatehouse that was home to the 8th Guard attachment. He waited a few seconds, and once a peek confirmed the lack of anyone else nearby, Ryan slipped out again to head towards the VIP's location.
His hunt for markers ended at the Docks District jail. A place that housed all the drunk sailors, ruffians, and other public nuisances that the City Guard rounded up throughout the day. Anyone locked up here would be dried out and sobered up over night before being sorted into idiots and criminals the next morning. Idiots got kicked out with a fine, criminals got sent up the hill to the castle where they would be prosecuted by the local order of do-gooder knights.
Ryan hoped that whoever he was breaking out was just an idiot. Things would be much less likely to end in violence and bloodshed that way.
A symphony of snores could be heard as Ryan walked into the jailhouse. There had been no barriers to entry. Seeing his outfit, the guard at the door had simply nodded at Ryan as he passed, and it appeared the other two guards were sneaking in a bit of shut-eye as they were curled up against a wall. This was good. Even better was finding a keyring with what seemed to be all the keys for all the cells.
With success now seeming very close, Ryan passed by the cells holding various numbers of passed out drunks and scoundrels till he reached one that held an odd sight.
"A child?" Ryan muttered as he spotted the tied up VIP. The objective of the mission was a diminutive figure, who was lying on the cold stone floor with their mouth gagged and their eyes closed. It was only when Ryan noticed the pointed ears and the few shallow wrinkles on the youthful looking face that he remembered that this was a fantasy world. A fantasy world with races other than humans.
"Oh, a halfing then," Ryan said as he reached a conclusion to his examination.
The VIP must have been awake, as their eyes flew open to give Ryan an offended look. "Hffmngh? Dtts ma mmu mum. Bht mummu mmng ma hffmngh?"
Not understanding the muffled words, or the reason for the offense taken, Ryan shrugged and started to try the keys one by one until he found a match for the cell. With a dull click, the door creaked open, and Ryan moved inside and crouched down beside the VIP.
"Hey, I'm here to get you out," he told the halfling as he pulled the shortsword on his waist from its sheath. "I'm going to cut the rope around your ankles first, so don't move, okay?
"Mm mmur. Hav mom gis mormr so ha o mow ood moh," the VIP replied eagerly, seemingly not caring that his words were incomprehensible. "Hod mu met of mmes aag mo? Heed mearme mmphng ah ayrl. Ah hm, ha mumphl md phpht nava oh doot moom, maht mmph mmpa met? Eh huh? Mhm mahma da hmm adma mph hav mumphl meme ma mow."
The VIP was getting cross-eyed as he gestured towards the gag around his mouth with his eyes. Ryan had originally planned to get rid of it after the ropes, but the beginnings of a plan had formed, and he needed it to stay on for now. The decision had nothing to do with how much of a chatterbox the VIP was, no sir. Nothing at all.
"Listen, I need you to keep the gag and the wrist bindings on for now," Ryan told the halfling who gave him a querying frown. "I'm going to take you out of here with me, but I need to pretend that I'm transferring you to the castle," Ryan explained. "So just keep those on for a while and I'll take them off once we are out of this place."
"Oooooh, mpay!" the VIP replied with a nod. Well, at least some things were universal and easy to interpret.
With that sorted out, Ryan got the bubbly halfling onto his feet. A bit of prodding got he fantasy inhabitant moving, and they made it out of the jail after a brief stop to pick up the halfling's possessions. They picked up some bags and a cloak, but the halfling seemed angry that something was missing. Ryan was surprised that there was anything to retrieve as he would have expected medieval jail guards to take everything worth taking for themselves. Maybe that was just prejudice from reading too many novels talking though. After all, there was no rule saying that fantasy guards couldn't have standards.
They had gotten about twenty metre away from the jail when Ryan heard the sounds of an argument behind them. Tuning out the muffled words of the halfling, who hadn't stopped blabbering since they had gotten out of the cell, he turned around to see the guard at the jail door pointing in his direction. Following the offered direction were a group of heavily armed men. All of whom began to run towards Ryan and his new friend upon spotting them.
"Right," Ryan muttered as he turned around and quickly cut off the halfling's wrist bindings. "Time to run!"
Freed of his restraints, the halfling was quick to pull off the gag around his mouth.
"Finally, I thought you were never going to take that thing off!" the child-like babbler exclaimed as he joined Ryan in their dash towards the marker in the distance. "Tasslehoff Burrfoot is the name, and I'm sure you've heard of my fame! I must thank you my jolly good fellow for getting me out of that dreary cell. I never belonged there, you know, and I don't know why the good lord provost thought I did. Perhaps he was taking pity on me not having a bed for the night. I never did get around to telling him that there was nice and comfy haystack in the guard's stables that I had been using. In fact, I never got to tell him anything at all. It's incredible how rude those men were. Don't they know that kender are sensitive beings? My word, gagging me like, like, some kind of gaggable being. Why, I have a mind to complain to the Knights of the Rose about their behaviour. Sturm would never have -."
It was incredible. Here he was, running for his life and shucking off all the metal on his body to keep ahead of their pursuers. Then there was this little guy, who was easily keeping pace with him despite their vastly different stride lengths. And that while maintaining a torrent of verbal junk that would have required a lung capacity measured in oil tankers.
"Do, all, halflings, talk, as much, as you?" Ryan huffed as they skidded around another corner.
"You said it again!" Tasslehoff complained loudly.
Ryan glanced at his temporary companion. "Said, what?"
"You called me a halfling!" the halfling cried out as he stabbed back at Ryan with an accusatory finger. "I am no half human, or whatever you mean by that term. I am a Kender, thank you, and proud of it. So stop calling me names, you ignorant dunce!"
"Sorry?" Ryan apologised. Looks like this wasn't a Forgotten Realms world then.
There was angry shouting from a distance behind them. Unburdening himself of the armour pieces had worked, and though their pursuers could still be heard, they were no longer in direct sight.
"So," Ryan wheezed as he slowed down to a jog. This was the most he had sprinted in years. "Why are those men after you?"
Tasslehoff started back at the question. "After me? Why would they be after me? I'm completely innocent, and a hero at that. Just like uncle Furrfoot. Though I'm more famous than him now. It stands to reason then that they are after you, my good illegal guard impersonator, you."
"No, they are definitely after you," Ryan refuted the Kender's deduction. "I was sent here to rescue you, therefore, you are the one in danger."
The Kender looked at him curiously. "If you were sent to save me from danger, shouldn't you know what that danger is in the first place?"
"If only my life made that much sense," Ryan said ruefully.
They had been running for a while now, but the marker was still a ways off. Maybe about another few hundred metres. Not a problem in itself, but upon turning another corner, Ryan saw a potential problem ahead.
A wall stretched around the neighbourhood they had run through, and in front of them was the only visible gate through it. Thinking quickly, a task made much easier by the ability points he had invested, Ryan made a slight modification to his former plan and hoped that they would have enough time to bluff their way through.
"Halt, who goes there," the guardsman at the gate asked as Ryan and Tasslehoff came up to them. He and his partner seemed suspicious of the two runners who had come out of the pre-dawn darkness.
"Venan, 8th guard attachment," Ryan puffed out in response. "Taking this kender up to the castle to see the knights."
The gate guard frowned at him. "Up to the castle? Why in Paladine's good name would the knights want to see a filthy Kender at this time of night?"
"Filthy? Who are you calling filthy?" asked the riled up Kender in question. "I bathe every day, thank you. Unlike some people I could mention. Do you kiss your wife with that dirt-covered mug-mmf moh!"
With one-hand over Tasslehoff's mouth, Ryan smiled at his 'fellow' guard.
"Look mate, you know they don't tell us the whys of our job," he said with a shake of his head. "They just woke me up and told me to get this Kender over there. Didn't even give me time to get my armour on. So, just let us through so that we can all get home before dark, will ya?"
The guard gave the Kender a disapproving glare which the little man returned, but moved aside and gestured them through. Ryan smiled in thanks and had just pushed Tasslehoff in front of him when their good luck ran out.
"In the name of Lord Cantegan! Stop that Kender!" came a deep-throated roar from behind them. The men from before had caught up to them.
Without waiting to find out how the guards would react, Ryan dashed forward into a sprint again. He was quickly joined in his mad dash by Tasslehoff who beamed a barely visible smile at him while spinning a newfound dagger in his hand.
"That was some good thinking back there," the Kender praised Ryan. "Couldn't have done it better myself, if myself were a lumbering human like you that is. No Kender guards in this city for some reason. Discrimination I tell you. Base rumours about us being thieves and scoundrels. I don't know why people would say such horrible things about the public service we provide. Don't they know it's dangerous to misplace their things on the ground where anyone could step on it?"
"Less, talking," Ryan managed to hiss out. "More, running!"
Tasslehoff nodded back. "Yep, that would be a good idea. Oh, hey. I think I recognise those fellows back there." The irrepressible Kender started running backwards, somehow still managing to run as fast as Ryan. "Yeah, it's them alright. Lord Cantegan's men. Angry guy. I ran into him in an alley yesterday and he tried to kick me! How rude is that? And then he called his guards and told them to arrest me. Something about insulting him? Don't know when that happened. All I did was tell him that his wife must be an ass, seeing as she loves a donkey."
Despite the situation, Ryan found himself snorting in amusement when he heard the reason for Tasslehoff being found in jail. Then, he thought about what the Kender had just said about his species and snuck a look at the possible pickpocket and rogue.
"Tasslehoff," he called out. "Did you, steal something, from Lord Cantegan?"
"Steal? What, like some common thief? Of course not," the Kender replied back indignantly. "You humans are all the same, blaming us poor Kender for your forgetfulness and misfortune! How is it our fault that you lot are so clumsy that coins spill from your grasp and rings see themselves into our pockets! Oh, come to think of it I did find this lovely little egg in my bag after I ran into Lord Cantegan. Do you think he is looking for it?"
Nearly out of breath, and with a bit of distance between them and their pursuit, Ryan stopped in place to examine the proffered object in the ruddy light cast by the two white and red moons in the sky.
He had thought that Tasslehoff was referring to some sort of valuable find when he called it an egg, but there was no other way to describe the bejewelled... Egg. Cast in some valuable metal and encrusted with gemstones, it was understandable that a noble might be annoyed at having it stolen.
"Okay, keep that safe," he told Tasslehoff as he started them running again. "We are going to return that as soon as possible. Just not now, and not to the men chasing us."
The Kender nodded repeatedly. "Sure thing... Uh, Venan was it? Don't worry, I'll keep it - uh, oh!"
That didn't sound good. Ryan turned to see that Tasslehoff had stopped. The Kender was holding the light chain that had been attached to the egg in one hand. Ryan used the words 'had been attached' to describe it as the egg was gone from the end.
"Oops? It flew off!" Tasslehoff said sheepishly upon Ryan giving him a questioning look.
Clicking his tongue, Ryan was about to tell Tasslehoff to leave it and keep running when an alert popped up.
Warning - Mission Critical Item Lost
Mission cannot be completely successfully without item. Locate the item before proceeding.
"Shit!" Ryan swore as he turned back around. Their little pause had allowed the good Lord Cantegan's men to catch up to them. It looked like he had no choice.
"Tasslehoff, I will hold them off. Find the egg!" he ordered the Kender before he ran towards the guards.
The men who had been chasing them were wearing heavy studded leathers and carried spears with broad leaf-shaped heads. They were also apparently not after prisoners as Ryan had barely gotten within reach of them when two spears were thrust at his stomach.
"Whoa!" Ryan let out an involuntary gasp as he reacted to the attack and threw his body to the side. Those nerve impulse boosts he had purchased were more than pulling their weight. Thank god for first year med school human biology classes.
There were five of the armsmen who now faced off against Ryan. The leader of the small squad looked at Ryan standing there with shortsword in hand and smirked.
"Kill him," he growled in that deep-throated voice Ryan had heard earlier. "We've wasted enough time with these rodents."
His subordinates lowered their spearheads and jabbed at Ryan as commanded. They were unfortunately well trained and took turns in pairs to thrust at him. Not trusting in his non-existent swordfighting skills to save him, all Ryan could do was back away while waving the blade in front of him. The increase in his reaction speeds saved him more than once in the frantic moments that followed. Turning what would have been fatal wounds into cuts and stabs that drew blood but did no real damage. All too quickly however, Ryan became aware that he had no more room to back away as his back lightly impacted a stone wall.
He had just batted away one spear and was certain he was about to be run through by another when a triumphant yell split the chill pre-dawn air.
"Venan, I found it!" Tasslehoff cried out with an object in hand. "It's broken though. Must have cracked when it hit the ground. Oh, hey, there's something inside!"
"No!" shouted the leader of the goon squad as the Kender peered at the inside of the egg. Throwing his spear to the side, the large brute rushed at the not-halfling.
Feeling no guilt at the abuse he was about to put his borrowed body through, Ryan allowed himself to be run through his shoulder by a spear so that he could lock it in place. The feeling of having an object go through his meat was agonising, and he saw stars in his eyes, but with experience of previous fatal wounds behind him Ryan pushed through and managed to hack off the spear head with his sword. Then, before the clearly surprised guards could react, he chased the squad leader and caught up to him just before he reached Tasslehoff.
Crash-tackling the larger man to the ground, Ryan snarled as his shoulder now tried to rip up his nerves and salt them down for good measure. The pain got worse when the man he had tackled elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose. Ryan knew his nose was broken because it felt just like the time he had been kicked in the face by a 110 kg full-back. He immediately got some of his own back though as he smashed down with the pommel of his sword. Something squishy gave way at the impact, and a loud shriek of manly pain was heard.
While this went on, Tasslehoff had finally managed to completely reveal the object hidden inside the egg, and the Kender was very angered by what he saw.
"Hey, what gives! This is an amulet of the Five-headed Dragon! Only Takhisis clerics wear these!" he shouted out angrily as his rescuer and his pursuer grappled on the ground in front of him. "Hey Venan! These guys must be Takhisis cultists. We have to tell the knights!"
A cry of pain turned into the wet choking noise of someone being drowned in their own blood. Having dispatched his immediate opponent with a slice across the neck, Ryan struggled to his feet and cast a wary look at the other armsmen as they now surrounded the pair.
"Who, the fuck, is Takhisis?" Ryan asked as he licked his dry lips to wet them. "And why should I care?"
The Kender who had also been on guard against their foe looked at Ryan incredulously. "You don't know who the goddess of evil is? Wow. Are you related to a gully dwarf by any chance? Do you have a relative called Bupu? Definitely not as tough as one though. You really need to get that shoulder looked at by a priest or a mage. Nose too, though actually that might be an improvement."
"Whatever," Ryan sighed as he straightened up. They didn't have the time for this. The armsmen seemed determined not to let them go, and Ryan didn't think he could outrun them in his current state.
"Tasslehoff."
"Tas."
"What?" Ryan glanced at the Kender who looked back at him with a slight shrug.
"You saved me, and got hurt for my sake, so we are friends now. And all my friends call me Tas," the Kender told him as they both continued to back away from the remaining cultist armsmen.
"Okay, Tas," Ryan drew out the abbreviated name. "Run."
"Eh - whoah!"
Having pushed Tas forward with a light kick on the back, Ryan leapt forward to prevent the armsmen in that direction from skewering the little Kender with his spear. He was able to do so successfully, but for his efforts he took another spear in his gut from behind.
"Gah!" Ryan grit his teeth and pulled himself free of the spearhead. Lunging forward he managed to get within the reach of the armsmen in front of him, and a wave of the sword had the man scrambling aside. Path clear again, Ryan ran after the VIP of the mission, feeling every step he took in his perforated stomach and shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Tas asked worriedly as he kept up a much reduced pace that had them just barely in front of the cultists. The Kender had a concerned look on his face as he looked over at Ryan every few seconds.
"Just run," Ryan gritted out as he forced his body to keep moving. This body was a goner, but luckily it wasn't his. The knowledge let him push through the creeping weakness coming upon him to keep stumbling forward.
Things got a bit jumbled after that, as Ryan focussed solely on moving his failing body towards the evacuation point marked out before him. It almost felt like he had blinked once and then they were there. Tas was shouting at an armoured knight, saying something about cultists and dragons. By this point though, Ryan's borrowed body was nearly gone, and he collapsed to the ground with a smile as he saw the green light appear in the corner of his darknening vision.
"Venan?" he heard as the familiar shroud of death began to cover him. "Hey, help! We need a cleric, he's -."
Mission - Kender Surprise - Success
Death Penalty - Status (Fear) - R1 24 hours
Karma Earned = 15
Bonus Objectives Completed:
1. Catching the Dragon's Tail - 20 karma
> Negative reputation with followers of (Evil) aligned gods
Last edited: Oct 15, 2021
Like
Like
Like
Quote Reply
Report
Like