Battle Spire Read online

  I’d show them what I could do. Not to put extra pressure on me, but this experiment with the scavenger class really had to work. I was already down five hundred bucks from that greedy asshole of a landlord. He’d taken advantage of me because he thought I was a pushover and, alright, I am. But he just knew it instantly. I was tired of not having confidence, of not having respect. And now that I was safely behind my locked door, I started to feel angry. Anger at him, anger at my family who simply didn’t accept me for who I was and what I wanted to do.

  Two days. In two days, everything would be different.

  And with this bolstering feeling fueling me, I took one last glug of water, pulled on the VisionXcape360 and lay down upon the bed.

  4

  It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when a headset induces the mental state that’s required to interface with your mind. I’m not a physicist or neurologist so I’m not clear on exactly how it works, but suffice to say that it’s able to induce a near coma-like state by using a special wave frequency. When you want to log out and wake up, the headset slowly dials down the intensity of the signal, gently easing you back out of it. Assuming nothing goes wrong with that process, it’s completely harmless, and it’s less dangerous than giving someone a general anesthetic for surgery. You don’t feel a thing going down.

  As you drift off, the light fades, leaving you in pitch black for a moment until a whirling night sky spins around in every color and strands of light spiral outwards like the stretching coils of a galaxy.

  And then a menu pops up.

  What Would You Like To Do?

  Browsing

  Shopping

  Education

  Gaming

  TV/Movies

  I’d gone through this whole process countless times before but experiencing it for the first time in over half a year was disorientating. Luckily, the feeling passed as I selected gaming from the menu, reaching out with my new digital hand just as I would in the real world. Plenty of people these days were using virtual reality for more than gaming, including trying on clothes with highly personalized avatars and then getting those clothes delivered. And rather than simply sitting on your couch to watch a film, you could watch it in a themed cinema experience where all the weather effects, impacts of the action and even the taste of the food the characters ate could be simulated for true immersive viewing.

  Hitting the gaming button brought up the names of all the companies who were running VR games. Currently, Frostbyte was at the top of the list due to its current prominence. I selected it and entered my account information for Hundred Kingdoms that I’d set up a few days ago.

  Somewhere in the virtual landscape, a trumpet sounded.

  Authentication Successful!

  With that, the menu faded away, the spiraling galaxy collapsed inward upon itself and the title screen for Hundred Kingdoms rose to dominate my vision. I’d seen this sequence many times from ‘let’s play’ videos but it was another matter entirely to experience it for real. It was more of a login area than a login screen, and truly unlike any game that I’d ever played before.

  I was inside what I can best describe as a study room atop a white stone tower, only it wasn’t your usual study. Spell books were strewn around, half opened or in tall stacks upon high shelves; cauldrons sat over low fires with bubbling pink and blue liquids inside them; a weapon rack was also there, lined with different staffs, each topped with a unique gemstone; and, directly before me, hunched over a gnarled desk, and peering intently into a crystal ball twice the size of my head, was the Wizard.

  He looked like a classic mage should, with a thick grey beard and dark robes. Everyone called him the Wizard because you couldn’t see if he had a name like a regular NPC, but he had enough personality that everyone was sure the AI controlling the game world was more involved in it than most.

  The Wizard looked up at me and frowned, as I’d seen him do to the lucky players who’d gotten here before me.

  “Ah,” he said, his voice dripping with a wise-knowing. “Another lost soul seeks a vessel to call their own. Approach, child, and we shall discover your destiny.”

  I stepped forward, feeling the same rush as I might in the real world when excited. In here, I’d be able to see, smell, and feel, exactly as I would in real life, albeit with the pain dulled right down to meet legislative guidelines.

  As I stood before the great crystal sphere, its misty innards started to churn wildly in anticipation.

  “I see greatness in you, child,” the Wizard said. “Yet, there is much you must learn, and you are but one in a much wider world. There will be challenges you cannot overcome alone, no matter how powerful you may become. Fellow adventurers will be your only way forward. Trust in them or use them as you may, it is up to you to decide. Now, let’s look into your future.”

  He looked theatrically into the crystal orb and I guessed I was to follow suit. Sure enough, a faction selection menu appeared. The menu was being projected up and out from the orb, like a hologram. Each faction had their own cinematic intro which I could watch by clicking for further detail. I knew I was going to play a human, which would be part of the Imperium, but I couldn’t help but get sucked into the detail anyway.

  Choose Your Faction!

  The Imperium

  Demons may fall from the sky, the ground may break, but the Imperium shall live eternally. A grand alliance of all races committed to peace, learning, prosperity and devout faith. Yet, in these dark times, such noble pursuits may have to be set aside, and fire and sword raised in its stead.

  Faction Trait: ‘The Ties That Bind’ – Standing firmly shoulder to shoulder, each member race of the Imperium feels secure in the territory of their allies. Effect: You will begin the game with the reputation status of Honored with each primary faction within the Imperium.

  Races: Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Elves

  Unique Classes: Paladin

  The Great Tribe

  From harsh deserts and deadly jungles, from deep caverns and caves on the mountainside, the mighty beast races have set aside their pride and formed a formidable front. Deeply rooted to the world and nature, the Great Tribe fights to preserve their ancient customs, environments and beliefs in a world rapidly descending into chaos.

  Faction Trait: ‘Home Is The Wild’ – Spirits of the ancestors watch over you wherever you go, providing comfort even in the hardest of places. Effect: The ‘well rested’ experience bonus will accumulate no matter where you log off from in the world but will only last for 10 minutes, as opposed to the full 20 minutes gained from an inn.

  Races: Orc, Troll, Minotaur, Furblog

  Unique Class: Shifter

  The Dark Council

  Banished, cursed, exiled and hated; these misunderstood creatures have suffered long enough. Bound by a pact of mutual support, the Dark Council vies for survival in a world that would gladly see them burn.

  Faction Trait: ‘Molded By The Night’ – Whether by their nature or necessity to avoid persecution, members of the Dark Council feel strongest where the light is lowest. Effect: +3 Night Vision Skill, +10% Shadow Resistance

  Races: Undead, Vampire, Werewolf, Valkyrie

  Unique Class: Deathknight

  To help me decide, I was able to drill down through various levels, checking out summary details on each racial trait, the faction specific classes, everything. Some races like the elves had sub-races – wood elves, dark elves, high elves – there was so much here. I could have spent ages investigating every last scrap of it but I was on a bit of a timetable. Hopefully, I would have plenty more time to explore it all in the future.

  I selected The Imperium as my faction.

  “I hope you are true of heart,” said the Wizard. He looked me over, discerningly, with his brow furrowed. “You shall have your work cut out for you, for the Imperium is under threat from the outside and within. But to which allied race will you hail?”

  He looked impressively towards the crystal orb again, spi
nning his hands and chanting. Another menu appeared for me, this one containing more granular detail on each race of the Imperium. As I scrolled through the options, the crystal ball whirled, showing images of each race and their starting area.

  Choose Your Race Within The Imperium!

  Note: all players will receive +3 Stat points to distribute themselves each level along with another +3 Stat points pre-determined by their class.

  Human

  Stats: No bonuses or negatives – recommended for new players.

  In a world filled with races of incredible natural strength and fortitude, or devastating willpower to master magic, humans hold no such distinction. But it will be their enemy’s downfall if they see them as weak. Humanity, the backbone of the Imperium, leads the way in the alliance, bringing their more disparate allies together for the benefit of all.

  Racial Trait: ‘Silver Tongued’ – Charisma, diplomacy and gold coins can often achieve what whole armies cannot. Effect: +10% earned when selling items to NPCs, -10% from the price when buying from NPCs, +10% to all reputation gains.

  Available Classes: Rogue, Ranger, Mage, Warlock, Paladin, Priest, Warrior, Berserker, Monk, Scavenger

  Dwarves

  Dwellers

  Stats: +5% Constitution, +5% Might, -4% Intelligence, -3% Reflexes

  Hailing from their strong homes inside the mountains, the Dweller Dwarves are the proudest and most stubborn of their kin.

  Racial Trait: ‘Stone Is In Me Blood’ – It is said the Dwellers used to give their most beautiful women to mate with earth elementals in order to keep the peace deep beneath the mountains. Whether this is true or not, it is undeniable that Dwellers have an uncanny instinct for all things mining, prospecting and blacksmithing. Effect: Reduced materials required for all blacksmithing recipes, +10% chance to gain bonus ore from mining

  Available Classes: Shaman, Paladin, Priest, Warrior, Berserker, Scavenger

  Sky Born

  Stats: +4% Constitution, -2% Might, +4% Intelligence

  Whether from adventuring or exiled lineage, these dwarves were born on the surface world and prefer adventure to a life in darkened tunnels.

  Racial Trait: ‘The Road Well Traveled’ – Roaming all areas of the world has opened the minds of the Sky Born and brought them closer to the latent powers that their Dweller cousins have forgotten. Effect: + 5% to all elemental damage

  Available Classes: Rogue, Ranger, Shaman, Paladin, Priest, Warrior, Scavenger

  Gnomes

  Stats: -4% Constitution, -4% Might, +6% Intelligence, +3% Reflexes, +4% Willpower

  Ingenious, crafty, tenacious; the denizens of Gnomeland have crafted a technological answer to almost every problem. Though logic and engineering are valued above all else, they are still eccentric at heart.

  Racial Trait: ‘Larger Tool Belt’ – It is said each gnome can rewire a mana capacitor before they can walk, though this has never been verified. Effect: Reduced materials required for all Engineering recipes, +5% power to all items created from Engineering

  Available Classes: Rogue, Mage, Warlock, Priest, Warrior, Scavenger

  Elves

  Wood Elf

  Stats: -3% Constitution, +2% Intelligence, +7% Reflexes, -3% Willpower

  From the lush Dunbar forests and the grimier woods of Guldun, these smaller elves are as deadly as they are crafty.

  Racial Trait: ‘Dead Eye’ – Master bowmen, it is said armies can be slain between their trees by unseen archers. Effect: +3% damage dealt by bows, +3 Bow Skill

  Available Classes: Rogue, Ranger, Mage, Warrior, Berserker, Monk, Scavenger

  High Elf

  Stats: +2% increased Mana, -10% Constitution, -5% Might, +6% Intelligence, +5% Willpower

  Venerable and wise, the high elves prefer living in open valleys or coastal regions in order to magically direct water to plumb their fine villas. You’re more likely to find a library than an armory in their towns, but the spells within them leave such crude measures redundant.

  Racial Trait: ‘Ley Lines’ – Over millennia the High Elves have charted the magical veins of the world. Where it is stable enough, they have learned how to make use of these highways. Effect: As a High Elf, you may teleport from one Ley Line connector to another. Cooldown 24 hours.

  Available Classes: Mage, Warlock, Priest, Monk

  Dark Elf

  Stats: +3% Constitution, -4% Intelligence, +3% Might, +6% Reflexes

  If they have a place they call home, no one has left it alive to tell the tale. At times, they have joined the Wood Elves to resist impositions from their High Elf brethren. They serve the Imperium these days and the Emperor sleeps easier for it.

  Racial Trait: ‘Smoke On Shadows’ – ‘Never send a Master Assassin to do a Dark Elf’s job’, An Imperial Proverb. Effect: +2 Dagger Skill, +1 Sneak Skill, +1 Night Vision

  Available Classes: Rogue, Ranger, Warlock, Warrior, Scavenger

  After I’d finished reading through all the racial information, I was desperate to double back and read everything on the members of the Great Tribe and Dark Council. This game was enormous.

  But my choice was clear. I’d done my homework, after all.

  I went ahead and selected Human and chose to be male. The notion of gender-flipping raised my eyebrows, but I didn’t much fancy the idea of batting off the weirdos who’d try to flirt with me, either for real or for roleplay.

  I was then taken to the character customization section, where an image of a default human model stood before me, ready for sculpting. I could import a premade avatar that looked almost exactly like myself, taken by ultra-high-res three-dimensional scanning booths. It was the type of avatar people needed when shopping in the virtual space and most people had one these days, myself included. A part of me wanted to delve into the various customization options, maybe giving myself anime style white and black hair, detailed tattoos stretching across my chest and an infinite amount of options besides. But time was of the essence.

  In the spirit of urgency, I imported my premade avatar and made a few quick alterations, making myself a couple of inches taller, slimming my waist, broadening my shoulders and removing all the blemishes from my face. I clicked ‘accept’ and the idealistic version of myself appeared.

  Don’t judge, alright. Everybody does a bit of digital cosmetic surgery.

  “Ah,” the Wizard said again, “Humans are a versatile race, capable of greatness in most aspects of life but not quite the masters of any. Now, we must delve deeper still. What type of human are you to be, I wonder?”

  Choose Your Class!

  Note: Classes may further develop through specialization choices, talents, hidden quests and in-game events… yet you must discover these for yourself.

  Rogue

  The classic sneaks and thieves, rogues love the art of stealth, poison and working quietly to get the job done. They may not hit hard, but they know where to slip in their knife to make it hurt the most.

  Key Stats: Might, Reflexes

  Primary Role: Damage

  Secondary Role: Utility

  Class Benefits: +2 Sneak Skill, +2 Dagger Skill, +2 One-handed Sword Skill

  Ranger

  Unlucky foes will fall before they even know what’s hit them. Rangers are unmatched in aim and utility when it comes to firing on the move.

  Key Stats: Might, Reflexes

  Role: Damage

  Class Benefits: +5% damage will all ranged weapons, +2 Bow Skill, +2 One-handed Firearms Skill, +2 Two-handed Firearms Skill, +2 Crossbow Skill

  Mage

  A lifetime of knowledge would never be enough to master the arcane arts. Each mage commits to try nonetheless.

  Key Stat: Intelligence

  Role: Damage

  Class Benefits: +3% increase to Mana, +5% increase to Spell Power

  Warlock

  Many in the Imperium would throw warlocks beyond its boundaries, but enough at the top recognize there is a need to understand what your enemies are capable of. Calling
upon demons and fel magic for aid, warlocks are second to none when it comes to controlling the state of others.

  Key Stat: Intelligence

  Primary Role: Utility

  Secondary Role: Damage

  Class Benefits: +10% increase to Health, +5% increase to shadow damage

  Paladin

  Soldiers of the light, paladins vow first and foremost to protect the weak and uphold what is righteous. All members of the Dark Council fear these zealous defenders of the Imperium.

  Key Stats: Might, Intelligence

  Roles: Tank, Healer, Damage

  Class Benefits: +2 Two-handed Mace Skill, +2 One-handed Mace Skill, +5% damage dealt by holy magic

  Priest

  Whereas their paladin cousins train in the arts of war, priests focus on their spiritual essence to channel the power of the light in its purest form. Humble men and women, priests serve others first and foremost, using their connection to the light to cause harm only when they are pushed beyond all other measures.

  Key Stat: Willpower

  Roles: Healer, Utility

  Class Benefits: +5% to Regen p/s, +5% effectiveness to all healing spells

  Warrior

  Whether defending others or fighting on the front lines, warriors are always first into the fray. Highly disciplined, they let opponents tire themselves out before striking with precision. Heavily armored, they will outlast most opponents.