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The Gam3

The Academy 3.9

All of the Red Tyrant's leads were dead ends. The guards saw nothing, the site of attack had nothing and the instructor knew nothing. Frustrated, Alan flicked through his quest log.

There are two events which require our immediate attention, Eve sent.

And they are?

Returning to Null Point Station, we are three days overdue on fixing the flight simulators, and contacting Celeste, she likely is one of the primary information gatherers within the Academy, she may have information about our assassin or may be able to train us in areas we are lacking.

Right, the virus clearing quest. I almost forgot about that, Alan sent.

He hurried over to the nearest Administrative Center and transported to Null Point Station, using his second teleportation of the day. He'd only be given one more.

"Halt. State your business," the waiting guard said as Alan arrived. He was wearing the same lightweight power armor and jetpack.

"I'm here to fix a glitch in the flight simulators."

The guard paused, looking over a message log that appeared before him.

"You are Alan?" the guard asked.

"Yes, I am."

"You are three days overdue. Due to your negligence the virus spread and outside help was sought. You are hereby banned from Null Point Station for a period of 30 days. Please depart immediately," the guard said.

"Wait, what? I know I was late, but there were circumstances beyond my control. I had to go get the upgrades needed to deal with the problem, which took a week in and of itself, and then I was assassinated by another player!" Alan said.

"You agreed to a contract and failed to abide by it." The guard paused, reading a message that he had received. "Cobalt-1-7 says that it is only out of his respect for Cerberus that you have not been permanently banned from the station; you should have sent word when you realized there were complications. Now, I am asking you to leave." The guard raised his weapon, pointing it at Alan.

"Okay, take it easy," Alan said. He teleported to the Institute, with its long hallways of classrooms and lecture halls. He made his way over to Celeste's classroom; this time determined to make a good impression.

He paused in front of the door, hearing nothing within. The door's window was gone. He knocked.

"Come in," Celeste said. This time the room was setup as an office instead of a classroom. Celeste was sitting behind an ornate wood desk; various trinkets, paintings and sculptures filled the room, probably representing some cultural significance Alan knew nothing about.

"Alan ,was it?"

"Yes," Alan said. "I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior. It was uncalled for and rude."

Celeste smiled. "I'd be impressed, if it wasn't for the fact that Cerberus was here a few minutes earlier with a similar lickspittle speech. Now what do you want?"

"Why are you so certain that I want something?' Alan asked, trying to look surprised.

"Don't. I can see through you like a Haxlard wedding veil. I knew you were here for something because I have yet to meet a single one of Cerberus's students that weren't just like you; straightforward and unwilling to go out of their way if they didn't had to. Direct, to the point, with a quest to complete, I think that sums you up nicely. Or am I wrong?"

"No, not really," Alan said. "Can you tell me much about Cerberus's other students?"

"It's not really my place to say," Celeste said. "But most have been like you: new to the Game, with a powerful AI at their side. Maybe one or two with every class of students, though the numbers have been waning of late. The only reason I've taken notice is Cerberus was never known to take many students, given his responsibilities."

"Oh, interesting," Alan said. There were other new machine lords like him? What were they doing?

It's hardly surprising given the number of players in the Game, Eve sent.

Yes, but why did Cerberus never say anything? Alan replied. Eve had no answer.

"More information than you might expect can be gained from just a bit of chatting, asking the right questions or mentioning the right topics," Celeste said. "Conversation is an art, one that you have far from mastered.

"Communication is paramount, and in your single-minded focus you will experience trouble sooner rather than later. Let me teach you the art, Elissandra is an old friend, I'll forward the Black Rose Guild the fee."

"Thank you for the offer," Alan said, "but I'm not here to learn how to talk to people. I'm here for information, and maybe a bit of knife training."

"You're looking for your killer," Celeste said.

"Yes, how did you know?" Alan asked.

"Talking to people," Celeste said. "I'm afraid I can't help you in that regard; I can, however, help you with the latter. For future reference, all Institution teachers have their schedules on the globalnet, where you will see I am spending today on private instruction. It just so happens that I am instructing someone in knife work today. I suspect that they'll be happy to let you join, having another student could prove useful. I'll forward the Black Rose guild the bill."

"Alright, when do we begin?" Alan asked.

"How about now," Celeste said, looking behind Alan. There was a knock at the door. Alan turned around. Daisy entered, shutting the door behind her.

Celeste waved her hands and the room changed like it was a simulation room. The office space disappeared and a city street replaced it. Based upon a pyramid-like structure in the distance it was supposed to be a street on Khersath. Pedestrians began appearing, along with a few street vendors.

"Hello Daisy," Celeste said as bystanders, NPC's began walking around her. "I hope you don't mind if Alan joins us today, he'll pay for half the lesson's cost."

"Very well," Daisy said. She walked next to Alan on his right, looked at him once, then refocused her attention on Celeste. Alan shifted his feet, trying to hear Celeste over the noise of the street as traffic weaved around them.

"Knife fighting is a lie," Celeste began. "Knives are weapons, but they are only useful when a target is up close and personal. You will not fight off swordsmen or riflemen with a knife. If someone attacks you with a knife, you most likely will not have time to react."

To your left, Eve sent. Alan looked over to his left just in time to see a bystander take a shiv out of their pocket. He dodged out of the way.

"Ah!" Daisy let out a cry, two small sharp pieces of metal sticking out of her sides. The attackers disappeared into the crowd.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," Alan said. "I should have-"

"I'm fine," Daisy said. She pulled out the two pieces of metal, tossing them to the floor; she held her hands over the wounds and a soft green glow filled the air.

"Healers," Celeste continued, "will likely be the first target of any attack. As well as glass cannons." She glanced at Alan. "You must remain vigilant against attacks at all times; be aware of your surroundings. There should never be a prolonged engagement, knife wielders are at a disadvantage the moment they are discovered."

Two guards appeared. They looked around for a moment, searching for the attackers, then returned to their posts along the street.

"Now go, find and defeat your attackers," Celeste said. She took out two sharp metal blades, handing one to Alan and Daisy.

Alan looked over at Daisy, still in obvious discomfort from the wounds. "You stay here, I'll go out and find them."

"No," Daisy said. "And no helping me. I'm here to become useful."

"Healers are useful! They're one of the most crucial classes in games," Alan said.

"Not when, as Thiago put it, a battle can last a single second, a single push of a button. There is nothing preventing others from carrying around medical kits, technology anyone can use to heal themselves. To be helpful, to make a difference in any party, I can't simply be the healer." Daisy shook her head, then disappeared into the crowd.

Alan stared after her for a second.

I have located the two attackers, Eve sent. The attackers were highlighted red, allowing Alan to easily pinpoint them. Celeste noticed as Alan looked in their direction.

"Alan, you take out the guards, it looks like two street thugs are too easy a target for you," Celeste said. "Getting close to people without setting them on guard generally requires talking to them."

"Or an invisibility field," Alan said, activating his armor's basic invisibility.

Celeste frowned, pushing a few buttons on a screen that appeared before her. Two sentry robots with scanners appeared. Alan tried hacking into them, but they appeared to be nonexistent, a limit to the simulation. Oddly, he could sense the simulation itself, but he decided against hacking into it.

Instead, Alan activated his armor's advanced invisibility, which the robots were unable to see through. He stepped right up to the first guard, and stabbed them in the heart.

They crumpled to the ground, dead.

Behind you, Eve sent. Celeste was behind him, holding two knives. It looked like she wanted to attack, but couldn't determine his position.

"Enough, reveal yourself," Celeste said. Alan deactivated his invisibility field.

"Why do you need training?" Celeste asked. "While I think your methods naive, they are doubtlessly effective. You'd likely be able to reach most targets."

"Well, to access Volta, I was thinking of reaching master level in Knife Mastery," Alan said. "I was also hoping you might have a database of information that describes various alien customs and cultures that I could consult."

"Any reason for Knife Mastery in particular?" Celeste asked.

"I have a weapon that requires it," Alan said.

"Very well, to master any skill you simply need to demonstrate a level of competency to the Game. I will provide you with a suitable training room. I had planned on teaching you how to reach targets, but I think your methods differ greatly from mine.

"In regards to your other demand, there are so many factors that go into any social exchange that I highly doubt you'll receive decent results trying to calculate the suitable action, but if you wish to go down that path I believe I can recommend a list of books that should provide enough context to tackle basic social situations." There was a commotion in the distance, raised voices and a crowd forming. "Now it looks like my other student needs me. Good luck."

Walls appeared, enclosing Alan in a white chamber. Two messages appeared:

[You have entered a simulated zone! All damage will be simulated and not actually affect the player. No death penalties. Severe XP penalties while in the zone.]

[Permissions: None, unable to call into being or change the simulation. Basic interaction with simulated environment allowed.

Welcome! The knife test will assess your knife mastery. Additional examinations may be needed. Data from your fights in the assessment will be analyzed. Are you ready to begin the test?]

Alan selected yes.

[Preparing test…]

[Knife Test Initialized]

The virtual space shifted, creating an obstacle course. Red outlined targets appeared all around Alan. He couldn't see an end to the obstacle course, it surrounded him, extending in every direction. It grew more complex the further out Alan looked, with Eve highlighting numerous traps she had already detected. A row of knives appeared before Alan in a menu, ranging from simple metal combat knives to high-powered laser knives. Eve highlighted the weapons she approved. Alan didn't find a soulsteel knife in the list of options.

After a bit of deliberation, Alan chose a pair of Elite Crimson Combat Knives, as they were similar to his newly acquired Crimson Blades, just smaller. Alan tested a few swings with them, they felt natural enough. He was able to activate the laser field on the knives with a thought directed at Eve. A message appeared:

[The Knife Examination will begin when you select ready. You will be tasked with eliminating all red targets. You are to avoid hitting any target of a different color. You will be graded on technique, targets destroyed and timing. Black dots designate weak spots on each target.]

Alan selected ready, then launched himself over a low grey wall that appeared in front of him. Eve plotted out a path through the obstacle course for him, and he followed it as usual. The first fifty targets were simple to reach, navigating to them no harder than climbing a wall or dodging a laser trap. Alan attacked each target according to Eve's outlines, anticipating how the targets, which were all humanoid in shape, would move.

As Alan eliminated the fiftieth target a wave of five knife-wielding red thugs appeared, about his height. Alan eliminated them one by one, dodging all incoming blows. 10 knife-wielding red targets appeared. Dealing with them required Alan to follow Eve's direction with the utmost care, each step crucial to-

Alan tripped, causing himself to fall onto an oncoming knife. A message appeared:

[Knife Test Complete.]

[No new abilities gained or upgrade to ability.]

Damn it, again, Alan sent. The test restarted, a familiar obstacle course appearing.

Shit, again? Alan sent, hoping there would have at least been checkpoints.

Yes, we should wait until you have caught your breath-

No. Let's go. Alan made his way through the obstacle course, only slightly different from before. He took longer to get through the obstacle course, his tiredness taking its toll. This time when the first wave of attackers appeared he activated hypercognition. With ease he managed to deal with the first wave of attackers, the second, the third and the fourth. But his computational energy ran out before the fifth wave of attackers, a combination of melee and ranged attackers. Stabbing at the wrong angle caused him to lose hold of a knife. Shortly after a sword that he was unable to deflect or dodge stabbed through him. A message appeared:

[Knife Test Complete.

Managing to destroy 50 consecutive targets with amazing control, you have learned Knife Mastery (Basic)!

+10 Agility +5 Strength +5 Endurance]

Rest before the next attempt, Eve sent.

Fine, Alan replied. He sat down on the floor, going over the previous two tries. As soon as his stamina and computational energy were full he commanded Eve to restart the test. This time he would wait until the fifth round of attackers before he would activate hypercognition. He failed in the third round, ignoring one of Eve's outlined movements, not seeing the attack that came from behind.

God damn it, again, Alan sent.

Perhaps-

Again.

Very well.

The fourth and fifth tries fared no better than the second, the combination of precise balancing and control over his already tired body too much for Alan.

Try something different, Eve sent.

Like what? Alan asked.

Try splitting your mind, controlling the two different sides of your body.

The experiment failed, the sense of control too strange for Alan's split mind; layered on top of the odd sensation of controlling half a body was the need for the two parts to communicate with each other to balance. Alan nearly fell on his face with the first step forward he tried take.

Try having one part of your mind control the top half of your body, the other your bottom part.

Fine. Alan did as Eve commanded. The sensation was odd, but it did make controlling his body a simpler, as instead of needing to keep track of every part of his body at once he only needed to control half.

Of course you came up with this idea, Alan thought.

What?

Nothing. Again. The test restarted, but Alan barely made it three quarters of the way through the obstacle course; his lower half had tried to make a jump a tad sooner than his upper half had expected, resulting in a missed grab at an over-hanging bar. Alan crashed to the floor, landing on his face.

Again, both halves of Alan's split mind sent.

It is unadvisable to-

Again. But this time add a timer to each action. Let me know if I end up out of synch.

Very well.

Alan managed to complete the obstacle course without any errors, but he was still slower than his first attempt. The wave of attackers appeared. Alan carefully followed Eve's outlines and took them all out. He defeated the second wave as well. A third wave appeared, and despite a small misstep Eve was able to adapt, allowing Alan to complete the round. He activated hypercognition, which simplified things immensely, and completed the fourth and fifth rounds. No new enemies appeared; a short break allowed Alan to regain stamina and energy.

Good job, Eve sent. Alan ignored her, and the next phase of the test began. Another damn obstacle course, but this one had no obvious pathway, filled with treacherous footholds and hanging ropes.

Targets appeared like ninjas, attacking Alan as he traversed the obstacle course. He barely made it twenty feet before one sliced off a rope he was holding onto, causing him to fall to his death, despite the fact that he had followed Eve's directions perfectly.

Sorry, that move was unexpected, she sent.

Again. And Alan tried the test again. Then again once more, on and on until four hours had nearly passed. Half the time Alan barely made it past the fifth wave of attackers, and never further than a hundred feet into the second obstacle course. As his body became tired, the time for breaks grew longer and Alan began to fail to make it past the third round of attackers.

"The others were like that too, or so I hear."

Alan, drenched in sweat, spun around to find Celeste. She stood by a doorway, looking at him.

"The other what?" Alan asked.

"The other machine lords; they were all able to learn a new skill faster than any other, but few were ever able to train an ability past the intermediate level," Celeste said. "Only a handful were able to master a skill and make it to Volta."

"Master a skill? Don't you mean two skills?" Alan asked.

"No," Celeste said. "Were you required to master two?"

"Yes," Alan said.

"Interesting," Celeste said. "The Game adapts, everything is variable, from what you hear to say to quests to sound to what you see. Thus the need for clear communication."

"Whatever. You're supposed to be teaching me knife fighting, right? What advice or instruction do you have."

"If your goal is to make it to Volta then my advice is simple. Give up. You have no aptitude for knife mastery, you lack the finesse, the refinement and the control that is necessary to master the skill. The only reason you've made it this far is because of the instruction of your AI.

"I can tell by watching you," Celeste said. "Your movements are uncoordinated: wooden and mechanical. It's like watching a Erudite try to dance. Mastering any skill requires years of training, you have to practice the skill to the point that ever movement is natural, ingrained into your very being. You won't reach that level in a few months, certainly not by following a program's directions without any understanding of why you're performing your actions."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked.

"Tell your AI to stop giving you commands," Celeste said.

Stop giving outlines, Alan sent.

"Now," Celeste said, "stab forwards with both hands."

Alan blinked. He looked down at the knives in his hands, then tried stabbing forwards in the manner that felt most natural.

"Your grip is wrong, your footwork is wrong, everything that you just did is wrong," Celeste said. "But you have no idea why, do you? Despite the hours of training that you just performed do you understand knife fighting any better?"

Alan thought to himself. "No, I guess I don't. So what are you saying? That I just abandon my AI when I train? I'm obviously a talentless hack that can't do anything without her. What would you advise?"

"You've managed to reach a level that takes most people a matter of weeks in a single day, and you complain about your talent? Daisy still hasn't managed to reach basic knife mastery, you know."

"Yes, but that was only with Eve, my AI. Without her I doubt I'd have many skills at all. The Game is only recognizing them as my skills, not hers, because I'm the one performing the actions, but she's the brain, she's the one coming up with every action."

Celeste shrugged. "I can't tell you how to play, but I'd suggest trying to find something that you are good at, not your AI. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's knife fighting."

"No, thank you. This has been helpful. Do you know somewhere I can shower and sleep for free? I'm out of credits."

"The student dormitories are in the directory, check in with them, they have open spaces for all Academy students. Where have you been sleeping up until now?" Celeste asked.

"Capsules, mostly. In my Home," Alan said, trying to recall where exactly he had been sleeping. Mostly in Cerberus's Revenant capsule.

Celeste put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her. "Are you all right, Alan?" Celeste asked.

"Why would I not be alright? I'm just tired," he said, puzzled.

"Alright, well if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to find me. I know that Cerberus is likely not the most talkative of mentors, given his predicament, and you need to talk to more people besides your AI."

"What, you think I'm not getting enough human contact? I think there was some sort of miscommunication here, because I'm fine. Great. I'm playing a freaking virtual reality game so far advanced I can't even begin to fathom how it works," Alan said.

"Okay. Just remember if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here. It's rarely mentioned, but the main source of death these days is suicide, so if you ever feel depressed-"

"I'm fine," Alan said. "I just had a frustrating day and need to figure out what I'm doing next. Goodbye." He turned around and left the simulation room. A message appeared:

[Managing to defeat 100 consecutive enemies with amazing control, Knife Mastery (Basic) has been upgraded to Knife Mastery (Intermediate)!

+15 Agility +10 Strength +10 Endurance]

Alan found his way to the student dormitories in the Institute, and was able to find a empty single room. He took a shower, found some food, then lay awake on top of his bed, staring at all his stats.

Status Window

Name: Alan Alignment: Neutral

Level: 508 Class: Rogue Machine Lord

Species: Human (Earth) Gender: Male

Titles

Black Rose Recruit, Revenant Initiate (Hidden)

Renown: Rank G (50*) Notoriety: Unranked (15*)

Health: 545 / 560 Health Regen: 0.06 / Sec

Computational Energy: 254/ 500 Regen: 0.06 / Sec

Shield Energy: 500 / 500 Shield Regen: 1.05 / Min

Stamina: 340 / 340 Stamina Regen: 1.25 / Sec

Strength: 69 Agility: 179

Intelligence: 117 Willpower: 54

Charisma: 1 Perception: 191

Endurance: 68 Luck: 42

Resistances

Physical: 23.6% Mental: 87.1%

Psionic: 5.2%

Faction Standings

United World Government: Neutral* Predecessors: Neutral*

Legion of Man: Neutral* Lords of Life: Neutral

Haxlards: Neutral Administrators: Friendly*

Revenants: Friendly Black Rose Guild: Friendly

Ability Points: 387* Current Quest: Justice is Served

General Ability Window