Radical-9

CHAPTER 3: There is another sky

February 21^st, 2022

1:03 am

“Move out of the way!” Klein yells, rushing towards me. He is pulling a large silver sword out of its sheathe.

I run towards him, there are figures off in the distance who seem to be the ones hurling the fireballs, they're on the other side of the room. At this distance, I can see they are all wearing the same kind of attire, heavy set robes that are black with blue distinct markings that look like a snake.

“What do I do?!” I yell, running towards him still.

“We have to get up close. We can’t hold them off from this distance! You should have a bronze sword in your inventory, get it out and join me!”

He begins charging toward the dark figures.

"Inventory?” I ask.

“What are you doing?! You’re going to-” Klein begins to say when a fireball lands directly next to him and he takes some splash damage. His health bar pops up and drops about a third of the way. I nearly get hit with another fireball as I roll out of the way.

“Where’s…your sword?” He says, grimacing, stopping behind a stone column to his left. His face turns into a sudden realization.

“You don’t know how to open your inventory…you didn’t read the instructions when you got the game?”

I let loose a ‘whoops’ and a half smile, “No spoilers!” but it all quickly fades when the ground around us shakes from another fireball. It misses and glances off of the wall behind us leaving remnants of a blaze.

“Swipe the air with your right hand, just like with the key, it's all motion controlled! I hope you can manage it from there!” He yells, once again charging at the figures.

I shake my head and refocus my attention. After I swipe my hand in front of me, a window pops up. It is listing all of the things you’d normally see in an MMO. I press my finger towards the ‘Weapons’ tab. A bronze sword is definitely there.

I select it and on my back, a sword and sheathe appear from a white light. I lean forward for a moment, adjusting to the new weight on my back. It is a generic sword, so it doesn't have a unique name like Klein's sword.

I pull it out and find it works best one handed. I begin to follow Klein, dodging the fireballs as I run. I feel that I can run faster than I could in the real world. It’s an exhilarating feeling. We close in on the robed figures, there’s about seven of them. Klein moves in first with his sword glowing with a blue aura as he raises it upward and impales the rightmost robed figure. The robed figure’s health bar pops up and quickly drains to zero. He drops to the floor and shatters into various pixels that vanish up towards the sky. The others are startled by the attack and begin readying their close combat spells.

“Dex, now’s your chance! Use your sword skill!” Klein calls out.

I take a look at my sword and realize what he was doing must have been a sword skill. I raise my sword above my head and it begins glowing red. I thrust it in front of me and the light transfers to my left hand. A second sword joins the first, yet it’s completely red, made of the light from the bronze sword. I see words rise above me, “Dual Wield”. The robed figures begin firing their spells every which way and I begin charging. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Klein giving me a weird look, but I can’t focus on that now. I slice through the first robed figure creating an “X” where I had cut him and I see his health drop. He was at about half before I got to him, it falls all the way to zero.

“Huh, not bad, this skill is pretty strong!” I say,

The guy in the robe falls to the ground, his hood falling off, revealing a guy with dark brown spiky hair and bright red eyes. His face turns to one of confusion as his body shatters into pixels and floats towards the sky.

“Ha! Hope you respawn in some orc's playpen!” I call out, laughing.

Klein yells something I don’t quite hear, but when I look up I see it, a fireball headed straight towards me. I put up my swords to block. It’s pushing against them and it takes every fiber in my being to redirect it to the column on my right. It explodes and breaks to pieces, not before rejuvenating moments later. I lost some health from the heat of the fire, but otherwise I am okay.

I look at my attacker straight on, he sends another fireball headed my way. This time I stand my ground and lean back. As it gets closer I lean forward and cross my blades into the fireball, it seems that the magic in this world has its own physics. Instead of gaseous fire it seems to be a near solid ball of ones and zeroes, programmed to feel hot, so in this case I have no trouble clashing my swords against it and sending it straight back at the sender. The fireball does minimal damage, as I see the caster’s health go down slightly. As a mage he must have a ton of magical defense.

Klein takes down two robed figures with one sword skill and he chases after a third. It's a good thing that means they also have a low physical defense. I begin running after the one who cast the fireball against me and he’s flipping through the pages of his spell book, looking for something to help him. It’s too late, I bring the two swords down from above and make two nice parallel cuts, bringing his health down to zero like the rest. I hear him cry out as his arms fall to the ground and shatter into pixels, and then his body follows suit.

The battle is over and I’m lying down on the cold hard ground, breathing heavily. The only other sound comes from the crackling torches, a neat little feature I give props to the developer for. I know it’s not real, but it still takes a lot out of me. I haven’t been that active in years.

Klein sits beside me, looking over at me in awe, “How’d you do that? The dual wielding, I mean.”

I shrug and look at my status window. It is as clear as day, “Dual Wield” is on there.

“What, is it a rare skill or something?” I ask.

“To my knowledge not even any of the beta testers were able to get that skill. You’re the first I’ve seen to have it. I guess you’re not totally useless in battle,” He begins chuckling again.

“Hey! It’s my first time! Geez,” I spout out. “By the way…just who were those guys? Going around and attacking other players,” I sit up, my hands resting behind me, supporting me up.

“Those were a part of the Pythons. They're a nasty guild that thrives on PK’s,” Klein says, looking up at the sky.

“What’s a-”

“A PK,” he interrupts, “…is shorthand for Player Kill. The Pythons are a guild that formed in the beta, they've got new members through referral at launch. People who knew beta testers in real life got referred in and started early with some of their gear. I haven't met the leader, but I've seen a few of the admins around on raids. They thrive by stealing loot and gear from other player characters.”

“Are there certain arenas for things like that...or are they allowed anywhere?” I ask, shuddering the thought.

“No, not just anywhere, thankfully. Towns are usually a safe haven. That doesn't count for personal duels, those can happen anywhere, but that requires both parties to agree to it. Out here in the starting zones we’re sitting ducks.” He says.

I stand, stretching, “Well then, let’s get a move on and get into a safe zone for the night, huh? I’ve got school and all,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. The first town should be located through those doors, at least, the entrance to it should.”

“What time is it anyway in the real world?” I ask.

“Well, according to my menu here it says it is about one in the morning,” Klein says, looking down.

“One?!”

“Yeah, we better head in before any of those guys re-spawn and come for revenge,” Klein says.

We walk towards the giant door, but it doesn’t seem to have any visible way to open it.

It easily towers over us, probably three times as tall as either one of us.

“How do we get through here?” I ask.

“Same as you did with the cell door, just tap the air in front of you and another prompt should show up.”

I turn back to the door and repeat the process, this time the dialogue prompt says, “Enter Elysium? Y/N.”

I accept the query and see a white light begin to bubble around me. I look all around me as it begins covering me like a cocoon of light. Soon it covers me entirely and spills into my vision. An accelerating sound begins and I’m on my way forward. This is amazing. Several new viewpoints are being created with the old landscape’s data. Just as the castle walls began rising around me so do several various buildings, not skyscraper like, but instead modest stone buildings, some brick, with old roofing.

In a matter of moments a town is in front of us and several buildings line the streets, behind us now is a large gate connected to a wall that encircles the town on every end, it seems to go on for miles. We begin walking into the town, the road begins becoming clearer and clearer as we approach, it begins to be checkered with various browns and tans from the stone used to form it, or in this case, digital stone.

I see people, tons of people as we enter, smiling and laughing people of all sorts of colors and assortments. There are several small groups of people talking amongst themselves, some people walking in and out of the buildings, some with impossibly large hairstyles. The buildings themselves look to be made in Victorian times. The crackling of the torches is replaced by the sotto voce murmur of the townspeople, the other players. My mouth is left hanging off of my jaw onto the floor as I look at it in its entirety.

“Yeah, I was amazed the first time I saw the level transition too,” Klein blurts out, placing his hands on his hips and looking forward.

I blink to make sure I’m not imagining anything. I look up towards the sunny blue sky.

You’re in the bottom of the bottom, the dungeon of the mysterious Castle Elysium. It houses many varied environments inside of its walls, some of them so large that they even feel like they’re outside.

“So, we can just log out here? We're fully safe, right?” I ask.

“Yeah, this is the place I visited on my first time through, Novus Dandé,” Klein answers, taking in a deep breath of digital air and letting it all out slowly.

I swipe up the menu and notice something is wrong. Klein must have done the same thing, because he asks the same question that is in my mind.

“Hey, where’s the log out button?” Klein is hurriedly going through all of his menus, desperately searching, “C’mon! I have pizza being delivered to my house in like…well…it’s one, so I already missed it, but I’m still hungry! Where’s the log out button?!”

“Maybe it’s a bug? I bet you someone is getting fired over that one.” I say, trying to make myself believe it as much as I’m trying to get him to.

“C’mon Dex, let’s go to the center of town, maybe someone else knows something about this,” Klein says as he begins running. He pushes past some of the other players, some of them regard him with confusion, others yell after him in a rage.

I chase after him, shaking my head and sighing, apologizing to the other players as I slip by. One with a forceful grip grabs me by the arm and pulls me back, “Hey! Excuse me, but what the hell is your buddy there in such a rush for, tiny?”

I look around to see a man with bright blonde hair that curls just behind the nape of his neck.

“I'm sorry, I really can't speak right now, I have to-”

“Oh, are you an Assassin?” The man says, his mouth creasing slightly, mimicking his eyes. “It's a shame, nobody of any class picks that, it's for the mutts!”

“Yeah, yeah, shove it up your pretentious-” I begin.

“Surely you know how to talk to someone with class, don't you, you little cretin?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows in a snobby rage.

“Listen, I don't have time for you or your pretentious bullshit. Go choke on a chainsaw,” I say, pulling away from his grip and running the other way, hoping Klein didn't get too far away.

I look to my sides and see several different signs, some announcing the name of the town, “Novus Dandé.” Others announce the location of the inn and even a marketplace. They all seem to be empty. I make it to the town square. I see that everyone is crowded together for at least a mile down, it is absolutely insane. I spot Klein in his gigantic armor amidst the other players wearing the same getup as me, another armored fellow or gal every so often, other beta testers. Everyone is chatting and even yelling amongst themselves, it's hard to hear myself even think. It’s hard to selectively pick out what they are saying, but it seems to be all about the log out issue.

I catch my breath and look around. The ground begins shaking and the sky begins to change from a bright blue to a deep red. Text is then displayed all over the sky. It only says one thing, “INCOMING MESSAGE.” The sky then becomes somewhat like a grid and parts in the middle. A ball of light floats down from the space above the sky, the metaphorical heaven of this world it seems. The ball transfigures into a familiar shape, the Game Master, Jack Adata himself. His golden robe shines as the sky’s two halves rejoin into one unified warning message. Everyone is dead silent. Around me I see a few players fall to the ground, but I re-shift my attention back to the Game Master. I can’t look away.

“Hello players of Elysium! I wish to welcome you to this world! It is unlike any you have ever seen,” his loud voice echoes throughout the town.

I hear whispers from the other players, “He’s the guy who made this game!” One beside me yells to another.

“Yeah, I know, dipshit! I saw him when creating my avatar!” The second elbows the first.

“It’s really him, Jack Adata!”

Jack Adata raises his arm to silence the crowd, “Now, I bet you all have some questions. I will lay them all to rest,” he begins. The crowd begins to quiet. I look over at Klein and he’s deeply engrossed in his words. I can't lie and say that I am not as well, there's a certain ring to his voice that is so...enticing. It makes you want to hear what he has to say.

“This game isn't like many games out there, you do not rely on experience points to grow stronger. No, we aren't using arbitrary numbers here to demonstrate your strength, we're going off of pure strategy and skill. Each of your classes has been outfitted with pros and cons, each of which can be utilized to succeed. The goal of the game is to reach the top floor of this world, it is there where you will find me.”

He looks across all of us, “You may notice that there is no log out button on your menu. The clever of you have likely thought this a bug in the game’s code, am I correct in assuming this?” Jack Adata asks, but he seems to know the reply already, as he gives no time for a response, “This is no bug. This is how Elysium is to be played, all at once. You may also notice that there are a lot less of you than when the game had originally started. Or, you may not have, but this is the truth.”

The crowd is in a silenced terror, all praying that this is some sort of joke for the new coming players.

It isn’t.

“Approximately four thousand of the original five have lost all of their health in this game already, all complacent little ants who got way in over their head, it seems. When your health depletes to zero…” He trails off, letting the suspense work its way in like maggots into a corpse, “…you die.”

A panicked scream emanates from the crowd. It is joined by others not soon after. People begin panicking and running for any exit they can get to. It is futile, as any exit from the town square is blockaded with some sort of force field. It probably arrived when Jack Adata did. The other players hammer away at the force field, but it is useless. Klein and I are standing in horror, jaws agape.

“Now, now,” Jack ushers calmly. “I’d like to think you’d like to listen to the rest of what I have to say.”

The crowd in turn stops attacking the force field and turns towards Jack Adata. “Let us out of here, you freak!” One player yells. “Yeah! How do we know you aren’t lying?! I want to leave!” A female player pitches in, her voice is in shambles.

“You can leave…but only if you win the game. Find and defeat me on the top floor and then and only then will the log out button will then be restored to every player that survives,” Jack Adata explains. “It truly is quite a pitiful state. I mean, I wouldn't want your families to find your brain-dead corpse rotting away in your bed, now, hm? About four thousand families are already going to experience this in a few hours when they go to check on their son or daughter.”

I stare up at him with a mad disgust.

“Oh, or even better if a small child finds their mommy or daddy in that condition...I almost wish I didn't have to miss that.”

The crowd grows wild again, shouting things like, “You monster!” and “Heartless!”

“Now, now. This is the punishment for death in Elysium. Don't die. It is that simple. It looks like my time here is up. I hope to see you all succeed, but we all know that not everyone standing here today will make it out alive. Look to your left and right and be grateful you stand now, because that privilege may just be taken from you, whether it be from a monster, or maybe even another player. Who knows, maybe it will be me that gets to take that privilege from you? I would certainly like that. It’s been nice chatting with you all. I hope we meet again soon.”

He lifts his right arm up and then puts it down momentarily, “Oh, I almost forgot, a parting gift from me…” he begins and swipes his hand in front of him. A giant mirror appears and Jack Adata presses a button on the hilt of the mirror. White lights envelop every single player character and they change to look like a completely different person.

Some people change drastically, such as changing gender and others there are only minimal changes, such as eye color or hairstyle. It isn’t until I see myself in the giant mirror that I notice myself shrink a few inches, my hair flops down, shorter than Dex's hair. My eyes change to a lighter shade of green, the green I'm used to. I'm no longer Dex, but myself. He’s changed us from our avatars, at least visually.

Our clothes remain the same, but nearly every person has changed from the white light. Jack Adata then shoots a beam towards the grid-sky and it once again separates into two pieces. He transforms back into the ball of light and disappears into the null void. The sky rejoins and turns back into its normal color. This, at the time it is in-game, is a dimming red-orange color.

Every player in this game is subject to die in the real world if we die in this one.

A horrible realization dawns on me. I remember those players we encountered back outside Elysium. I see their robed figures being cut down, one by one, each one shattering into nothing.

Ha! Hope you respawn in some orc's playpen!

We had killed them. One of my golden rules, broken. Just like that, with a swing of a bunch of zeroes and ones a life has ended. I take a step back and Klein notices me. “Hey, Dex! Are you okay? You don’t look so good,” he walks up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

I look at him. I must look like a deer in headlights, I back away, taking one step after another, another step back and I trip over my own feet. People begin stampeding around me, trying to find an exit, or at least a way up to the next floor. The force field must have left with Jack Adata, just as it had come.

I feel like I’m going to throw up, but I don’t even understand how that would work in this world. My eyes are wide and I’m sure if this were the real world I’d have broken some bones in this stampede. Yet I lie here, unharmed in this world in which we are prisoners.

This world that I am a murderer.