Continue Online (Book 1, Memories) (20 page)

Turned
out the little dragon was male and his official race was [Messenger's
Pet]. No joke, the game even put the text with brackets around it to
make his race stand out from everything else. I figured out more
about the dragon after this latest event by using an [Identification]
skill.

The
system seemed to put brackets around all text regarding races,
places, or skills. My ability wasn't high enough to get a name or
other details. James explained that learning
[Identification]
was
the whole reason for me tasting this smorgasbord.

Free
food and an in-game skill all at once? Sure, why not. I probably
would have eaten it anyway. There were enough good flavors to wash
out the bad.

The
liquor, though, that I had to stay away from. My steadfast dedication
to sobriety had caused more than a few misses. In this most recent
event the King's men were also being subjected to food I let slide.
The whole thing had been like a messed up game of hangman.

All
this food reminded me of Thanksgiving. Mom would be starting the
entire process in a few months. The best part of going home, once I
got past the constant questions about my life's current direction,
was the food. My skill wasn't high enough to pick up many details. By
applying
[Identification]
to every item on the banquet, as
well as the poisoned bodyguards as they fell over, I had leveled it
up a bit. There was a percentage bar and number floating beneath the
skill description.

James
identified, was a giant series of question marks. I swear the black
man smirked after I tried it on him.

Besides
the taste testing, there had been other events. Swimming was a messy
one. Floating was simple enough until the water got choppy and sharks
started circling. Failing to last, for the fourth time, had really
bummed me out.

"What
sort of people would actually succeed at these challenges?"

"You
might be surprised. We've had some who come from your world with
abilities far surpassing the norm. Others pursued training in the
world and have started reaching heroic heights." He said.

"Please
tell me there's no one out there, just, smashing mountains with their
bare fists."

"Nothing
so outlandish, but lifting carts, fighting monsters with their hands,
spells of destruction. Be proud!” James' tone carried notes of
sarcasm. “Your kind are quickly becoming legends in their own
right."

"I
bet things are still a mess." It was a massive online
role-playing game. There would never be an end if the developers
could prevent it. Interest in this world would have to dwindle.
Continue Online could easily span decades. Of course, humanity had
thousands of years on earth and still hadn’t figured out a
peaceful ending.

"How
do you balance it?" I asked.

"How
would you?" He responded.

"A
punishment system that reduced their stats."

"That's
one method. After all, scattering to the wind and being reconstructed
is costly for your kind." Was he talking about death and
resurrection? In most games players had to release somehow and start
over at a base point. I guess James and the world had an associated
cost.

"The
other is simple. This world is vast, many times yours, and not
everyone who comes here is a fighter. Some study, others are
wanderers.” I walked around while James explained. He took to
standing in one spot and kept his movements limited. “Even
though your kind is potentially powerful they have shown no large
scale organization. Frequently you fight each other over petty
things."

"I'll
bet they do." I smiled. Humanity had more than once started
wars, imagine in a game where there was no permanent death.

"What
is it in your world that causes such violence?"

"I
imagine it's the same thing that happens here. At least if this place
is as real as you said." Chances were, a good portion of the
game world was based on real life situations. These non-player
characters, the denizens of Continue Online, would have nearly as
many hang-ups as the rest of us. It was kind of sad actually. Life
outside the ARC was better than it had been decades ago.

"Explain,
" James said.

I
poked at more things around the room and used
[Identification]
on anything that was new. Every item here was subject to my button
eyeballing skills. Sometimes the same object was reviewed to see if
there was more information. Even the floor and wall got a pass.
Pop-up messages kept me amused. Occasionally the game would spout
some new fact with an almost snide wording. The one about my new pal
[Messenger's Pet]
made me laugh.

"Greed.
Jealousy. There's deep generational hatred and racism. The Chinese
had it really bad after the depression. I'd be willing to bet that
people who enter from other points in our world make it a point to
attack those who are from different areas."

"We,
I and those Voices who could be bothered to look, have noticed
certain, hostilities, in some of the other locations." James
stood, serious as always as he watched me wander around the room. The
little dragon trailed after me, nipping at my heels in hopes of
getting another cupcake. I gave him the leftovers that seemed safest.
The little guy either had an iron gullet or was lucky.

"Thankfully
this world is huge, right? Imagine if it was as crammed as ours."
I had some peanuts squirreled away to toss at the small dragon one at
a time.

"Make
sure you chew this time," I whispered to the small dragon. James
was more than smart enough to pick up on the difference, which was
amazing considering he was a computer program.

"It
is huge. Still, do you imagine the people of our world have no
feelings? That they wish to add your conflicts on top of their own?"

"I'm
sure it balances out. I imagine your world asks our people for help
all the time." This was a game, there were quest systems, I
think. Beth hadn't shown me one, but my friend's post had mentioned a
quest.

"They
do."

"Well,
it's a give and take. At least I assume so." I said.

"You
are correct. You seem to understand much of our world for a new
visitor. Have you experienced other worlds before?" James gave
that somewhat sly smile again.

"Are
you asking if I've played other games?"

"I
believe that's what your kind calls them." He nodded.

"Then
yes, I used to play a lot." Childhood being what it was, I
played a ton until college. After that, I had been drowned in
homework and reality.

"And
were you any good?"

"God
no. I found some neat things, sure, enjoyed challenges in others,
played with friends. I was never one of the best. I usually played a
little bit of everything to see what it was like."

"Why?"
James asked.

"Why
what? Which part?"

"Why
a little of everything, and not a focus?"

"Oh.
Attention problems I think.” I tried to remember all the games
from a decade ago. “Boredom or other distractions. Once I got
good with a class I usually switched. Playing to be the best was
never my style."

"A
jack of all?" James was falling behind on the question and
answer count. His eager tone was getting the better of him. Often I
found myself slipping and forgetting he was a machine. Oh well, we
would settle our debt of questions and answers eventually.

"As
the saying goes. I'm surprised you know that one."

"One
player introduced your world’s card games to ours. It's done
quite well."

"Yeah?
Did they set up a casino and everything?" I could imagine a
fantasy world with a giant casino in its major cities.

"No.
What's a casino?"

"Wow.
No casino. I bet your Voice of Gambling or Chance would love one of
those. Right up there with Wyvern races." Now I was being
flippant. Throwing out things I imagined this world would have in one
place or another.

"What
sort of nonsense are you talking about?"

"Mh.
Well, I can explain casinos I guess. It’s a place, commonly
referred to as 'The House' where people come to gamble money on games
of chance. Some countries and states consider gambling illegal, but
most just tax the bejesus out of them. Part of the proceeds get taxed
by whoever runs the area and the rest goes to The House."

They
had to have races that involved flying mounts. A world with thousands
of years’ worth of history couldn't be that oblivious. The idea
of thrill riding giant serpents through the air in a death-defying
race made me giddy. As a player, I would love a round or two, even if
I failed.