A/N: Sooooooo, yeah...I really have no announcements to make this time I guess...Well, here it is! Yay! :D
And a big thank you to everyone who reviewed some of the previous chapters. It means a whole lot to me. I can't thank some of you personally through the site since some were from guests and the site wouldn't allow me to reply to some reviews. So thank you very much for your reviews!
I guess I did have something to say. Oh well. Enjoy!
Oh! And a quick definition of a term that fandom blind readers might not know:
Skyfall: When playing match-three puzzle games, orbs drop down from an unseen area that is above and outside the board where you match the orbs. Every once-in-a-while, these orbs that drop from above can make more combinations that increase your number of combos. Skyfall drops are purely based on luck and just happen to drop where a combo can take place. Some Players argue that there is an algorithm in certain games that can be discovered to actually plan skyfalls strategically. However, this is only taken now as speculation.
"...I can embrace my compromises/or organize my towering lies/quelling the trifles of life/while embracing this purposeful strife/(Shout it out)/We'll make it there I'm sure/(Sacrifice)/For me you are the cure/For you I'll pay the price..." -lines from the Puzzle and Dragons "World" game opening theme (sung by Rina Nakamura and Keith Aitken)
Chapter 5-Departure
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Departure Tower
In-Game Timer: Day 1
1:37 PM
Ray stood upon a flat, stone surface shrouded by a thick fog. The area was devoid of wind and a slight chill settled in the air.
The newly awakened warrior analyzed his surroundings cautiously. Nothing hostile seemed to be in his midst. He relaxed himself and took in the feeling of this new world.
As he strode forward through the fog he came upon a square hole in the stone with a staircase leading into the darkness below. He advanced past this a few feet to scan for anything that lay beyond, but he found himself standing at the edge of the stone, gazing down through empty air. He could not discern how far down the distance was due to the fog. He decided that nothing else was to be found, so he backtracked to the staircase and descended into the dark. Ray ran his hands over the wall as he progressed down the spiral staircase and soon came upon a doorway with a faint light emanating from it.
He proceeded with a quickened pace, taking two steps at a time, and found himself in a massive room with a ceiling comprised of squares with fluorescent light from some unknown source. The walls consisted of panels of stacked stone. The construction of the walls appeared to be unstable in Ray's opinion, but perhaps its thickness attributed to its ability to support the unyielding weight of the ceiling above.
The sound of Ray's leather boots padded silently, preventing his footfalls from echoing throughout the empty room. He drew his katana from the scabbard on his back slowly to avoid making any sudden or threatening movements. It was a large room, and there was not a single enemy to be found. This didn't feel normal. Open spaces were typically a source for conflict in games, providing area for the Player to maneuver and for the insertion of multiple enemies large and small. Especially large.
As he crept forward, a dark oval shape began to form from the darkness where the boxes of light on the ceiling ended. He lowered himself and leveled his sword parallel with the ground and brought the hilt level with his eyes. His elbows evened out as the shape drew closer. Just as he was about to shift his feet, a small white creature in half an egg shell floated in front of him.
It had small wings on its back that kept it afloat and two paw-like hands resting over the shell where its belly should have been. The white monster looked like a child's plush toy, nestled comfortably in the shell. A bright yellow star was etched into its front. The creature couldn't have been much larger than the size of a basketball.
"A tamadra," Ray breathed in amazement.
It smiled cutely at Ray and hovered near his face. Ray reached out with a bit of hesitation, but the tamadra made no signs of moving. He rested his hand on the monster's head and it snuggled against his palm happily and made a soft purring sound like a cat. It seemed to sense that Ray was not a threat.
I'm patting a tamadra. I'm petting a monster! Ray thought with wonder.
Ray became so entranced by this wonderful moment that he failed to notice a hulking figure approaching his blind side. The tamadra spotted it first, its eyes widened fearfully and it grabbed Ray's arm, urging him to follow. He took the time to glance over his shoulder to see a massive blood-red figure dragging its massive feet along the stone. A wooden club scraped along the floor behind it, held by a massive hand riddled with spikes on the knuckles. One of its arms was encased in sharp- edged armor with a curved blade protruding at the elbow. Its lower jaw overlapped its upper lip and two long fangs snaked along the mouth. Its eyes were a darkened yellow, but Ray could tell exactly where it was looking as a cloudy outer membrane shifted in direction.
The creature straightened itself and heaved its shoulders back, letting out a terrifying roar that echoed throughout the dungeon and showered the floor with its putrid saliva.
Ray and the tamadra drew back from the monster as it took another intimidating step forward.
Holy shit! Ray thought with a mixture of pure amazement and a touch of fear.
He couldn't believe how real the monster was. He was even more amazed by the fact that his own senses confirmed this supposed realness. Ray could smell its rancid breath, feel the ground shake as the monster strode forward, and he could hear the distinct cracking of the stone. The physical aspects of the monster were also astounding: the slight wrinkles in its facial features, the bending of its toes as they planted on the ground, and the visible retractions of its muscles. All of it was incredibly detailed.
A familiar voice interrupted his racing thoughts and seemed to emanate from the walls. It was the same mechanical female voice from before.
"This is a final message for the Player, Ray Andylon. Welcome to the Departure Tower. The battle tutorial will now commence. Upon completion of the battle tutorial, you will have access to the Pirugan Continent where you will meet your monster partner. I wish you luck on your journey."
The end of the message was the monster's cue to charge forward. It did so recklessly and waved the club over its head with no attempt at control. It brought the club down hard, but Ray easily anticipated the monster's strike. The monster's attacks were slow and exaggerated, but they packed a heavy punch as attested by the cracked stone floor.
Broken stone showered around Ray and his small companion. One particularly large piece of debris glanced off of Ray's shoulder, and he instinctively reached out with his arm to touch the bruised area.
His hand flinched with a moment of realization. Pain?
Ray ran for his life. He wanted to get as much distance between himself and the monster as possible so he could analyze it with the personal database on his wrist.
The sting in his arm was nothing he couldn't handle. In fact, judging from the size of the debris, it should have hurt a hell of a lot more. The pain in his arm almost immediately subsided, but he wasn't about to stick around to see what a direct hit from the ogre's club felt like.
Ray activated the database when the distance was more than sufficient. A menu appeared that floated a few inches above his wrist. He immediately found a holographic symbol on the bottom left of the menu consisting of a circle and bending lines. A giant 'A' was also at its center. He ran his hand over the symbol and the circle discarded the lines and enlarged itself, taking over the menu. A line extended outwards and wrapped around the epicenter like some sort of radar. After only a few seconds, an analysis report appeared.
Monster: Armored Dark Ogre/Attribute: Dark/Health:2,000/ATK: 150/DEF:0/Active Skill:Resolve/Active Skill: Fury
Ray reacted just in time to avoid the ogre's next heavy attack. Its speed took Ray by surprise as he focused on the analysis. He jumped into a shoulder roll and came up into his stance with his katana at the ready.
As the ogre approached, Ray's tamadra partner floated down, its face was puffed up with a determined expression. However, Ray could see that the poor monster was trembling slightly, and its little hands were bundled up into something akin to a clenched fist.
"You're going to help me fight?" Ray asked in disbelief.
The tamadra turned to him and nodded.
This is far too real.
Ray narrowed his eyes at the ogre that now stared down at them. Its mouth was contorted into what Ray took for a sneer.
Doesn't seem like a very fair tutorial, but screw it. Ray rested his hand over the slots on the underside of the database attached to his wrist.
After a few seconds, a barrier enshrouded Ray in a generously sized semicircle. Layers of faded blue light emitted from its surface, making it just barely visible. As the barrier formed, a holographic board appeared and presented Ray with an array of scattered orbs of varying colors. He eyed the orbs: light, dark, wood, water, and fire. Next to the board of orbs was an image of the tamadra with all its stats, attributes, and skills listed. What was most interesting about the tamadra's attributes was that it encompassed all of them. This was considerably different from the first Puzzle and Dragons. On the opposite side of the board were Ray's stats: health, level, attribute, etc. Ray was surprised to see that he actually had an attribute associated with his character in the first place. He was even more puzzled as he noted the purple crescent moon symbol that appeared next to his name.
I'm a dark attribute?
He focused his attention back to the board and threw together a few quick three-match combinations of dark, light, and fire orbs to see what kind of effect it would have on the tamadra's attack. Monsters typically had a primary attribute (and a sub-attribute in some forms). It was incredible to think that some monsters could possibly have up to five. Perhaps it was just for the sake of the tutorial, but it was worthy of consideration nonetheless.
The tamadra dodged the ogre's clumsy attack and positioned itself next to the monster's face. It squeezed its eyes shut as Ray completed the orb combinations and issued the power to it. The monster's tiny paw hands conjured a glass orb with three smaller orbs swirling around inside. The three orbs contained a flame symbol, a sun symbol, and the symbol of a crescent moon. They were red, yellow, and purple respectively. The three orbs were the same as the ones that Ray completed with his combinations.
The tamadra readied the glass orb and flung it at the ogre's face. It shattered and emitted purple, golden, and crimson beams of energy that shot in all directions, embedding themselves in the enemy's arms, legs, and any other limbs within their path. One beam even shattered the ogre's club, incinerating it in a final explosion of wood and splinters.
"Tama!" the tamadra shouted triumphantly in its high-pitched, cute voice.
It backed away instinctively as the ogre made a blind grasp at its tiny adversary.
An image formed next to the tamadra on Ray's holographic screen and the ogre's health bar appeared briefly. The bar lowered and the number changed from two thousand to one thousand four hundred. The tamadra's attack was only one hundred. Ray reasoned that there was such a thing as critical hits in this world as well. Hitting the ogre in the face, along with the three combinations of orbs allowed for extra damage. He didn't know exactly how the damage system worked in this world compared to the first game, but so far it was pretty darn cool.
More orbs dropped down on his board and he decided to mix it up a bit to see how some other combinations of orbs worked with the tamadra. He put together another quick combo of water, wood, and light orbs.
As he finished, the orbs vanished and a giant red 'X' appeared over the screen and the remaining orbs faded to gray.
What the hell?
The tamadra's attack did not appear and it glanced back worriedly at Ray. Ray's eyes widened as the wounded ogre rose and brought back its fist to crush the poor egg monster.
"Watch out!" Ray shouted as he disengaged the barrier that surrounded him.
The tamadra didn't register his warning in time and took a glancing blow as it simply shifted in any random direction. The little monster rolled along the floor and came to rest on its back. It forced itself to roll over to free its wings to take flight, but it was too late. The ogre was already upon it and lifted its foot in the air to crush the tiny creature.
As the ogre was about to bring its massive foot down, Ray leaped in katana drawn, and sliced at the beast's achilles heel. He also took the opportunity to whirl about and stab into the top of the monster's foot.
The ogre howled in pain and fell on its rear end grasping its foot.
Ray rushed over to the tamadra and knelt beside it protectively.
"You okay bud?" Ray asked.
Ray noticed that the star on the tamadra's shell was scuffed with a gray line cutting across it.
Ray shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. Your shell got messed up. I forgot that the board locks up at intervals."
The tamadra righted itself and tested its wings a few times before taking flight. It rested on Ray's shoulder and patted him on the head.
Ray was about to respond, but stopped himself as a thought dawned on him. He was communicating with a monster in this virtual world. The creature understood him and responded just like any other individual in the real world might. If this little tamadra creature had this ability, then what would it be like when he met the other monsters, especially the ones that assumed a human form? His excitement returned at an almost frightening level. After all, this new world was what he always wanted. What he always dreamed of.
He shook himself from his reverie and turned back to his little comrade. "Well pal, looks like its time to double-team this freak."
The tamadra narrowed its eyes at the ogre and beat its paws together.
Ray's personal database beeped and he glanced down to see that the board was now ready. The previously matched orbs emitted their energy and the tamadra conjured another glass ball with the swirling orb symbols inside.
Ray considered returning to puzzle mode to solve another board, but he discarded the thought almost immediately in favor of fighting alongside his new friend.
He silenced the alert on the database and nodded to the tamadra. "Ready bud?"
The tamadra returned the nod with renewed vigor upon seeing that Ray had opted to stand alongside it in the engagement.
"Let's do this!" Ray shouted.
They charged at the wounded ogre and brought their weapons to bear.
Seattle, Washington
United States
May 25, 2020
Real World Time- 12:02 PM
Thomas Malkin sat back in his seat as another corporate individual ascended the stairs leading up to the podium on the stage. This new person, wearing a typical formal sports coat, shook hands with the previous speaker and made his way to the podium to deliver his own speech. He settled himself at the podium and opened with a similar line that mirrored the rest of the speeches.
Malkin already found himself lacking interest. The speaker's words were becoming muffled, and the prominent whispers of the audience contrasted to create an unpleasant hum of noise. He ran a hand over his buzzed, graying hair just for the sake of the movement. As the speech continued, he moved to his stubble of a beard instead. He had always been rather fidgety, but the sheer boredom was getting to him, and he found that the twitch of his leg was unsatisfactory as a distraction. The persistent headache that had settled in from the early morning still remained no matter how many pills he forced down.
He took a sip of his wine and smacked his lips together to mask the lingering, bitter taste. Wine had never been his beverage of choice, but he drank it for the sake of appearance.
The hum of noise subsided as a young man in similar formal attire collapsed into the seat next to Malkin. The two men might as well have been complete opposites when it came to appearance. The young man's hair was black and thick with brown eyes filled with energy. He also wasn't yet developing the bit of beer gut that Malkin had begun to nurture over the years.
What brought these two individuals together was not based off of physical appearance. Their similarities involved ambition and a constant strive for improvement. It also helped that they both worked hand in hand with a massive collaboration for the lofty virtual project that was underway.
The young man sat there for a moment pretending to listen to the speech before he spoke.
"So, did I miss anything?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Malkin shrugged. "Not sure. Think this guy works for virtual security."
The young man smiled. "You don't seem too worried. They'll be the guys monitoring the AI you provided."
This comment didn't seem to pique Malkin's interest in the least. "That so? Doesn't matter really. As long as they took care of their end prior to Player entry my AI won't be a problem."
"You sure seem confident."
"Lo is perfect. Never had any problems with her. As long as the Gamemaster and his subordinates follow the guidelines I laid out, then I foresee no issues."
The young man found it amusing how Malkin spoke of his AI. It was as if he saw the intelligent construct as an actual human being, even referring to her by name.
The man took a sip of his wine and frowned deeply at the drink in disgust. Malkin allowed himself a wry grin. Even though their difference in age spanned several decades, he found that this boy was someone he could get along with given their similar tastes.
The young man was Christopher Alsheimer, CEO of World Virtual Visions. He was one of those boy wonders who entered college when he should have been in his sophomore year of high school; the type of boy who corrected the computer instructor on how to better organize programming code, or how to ascertain any problems with the coding outright. He took daring actions for the sake of curiosity in his younger years, entering college campuses and sneaking into buildings so he could work on his virtual programs. A kid like him wasn't going to have the advanced software needed on his home desktop to complete his ambitious projects. He probably could have developed a method to pirate the software off the internet, but sometimes it came through incomplete, and it was difficult to receive necessary updates with stolen software. Besides, he was the adventurous type and reveled in the excitement of potentially being caught.
He founded World Virtual Visions at the age of twenty-four and developed the virtual gear necessary to operate Puzzle and Dragons World shortly after.
Malkin had to admire a kid who came from nothing. Someone who built himself to where he was today in such a short time. He may have been a genius, but it wasn't as if he didn't work to reach his position.
The two men noticed that the next speech had concluded and a familiar executive was now approaching the podium. The man adjusted his wide spectacles and shuffled some unseen papers. His tie was slightly crumpled and one of his secretaries had done a poor job of adjusting his collar.
Malkin sighed. "And here we go. Successor to the great Shinji Takamura. What a joke."
Malkin took another sip of his wine. He was not nearly buzzed enough for the speech he was about to hear.
Alsheimer mimicked his friend's exasperation and propped his elbow on the metal arm of his chair. "Kurosaki isn't all that bad I suppose. I mean, he isn't Takamura sure, but who is?"
Malkin admired his optimism, but the boy was green in this department. Alsheimer had been in the business world for only a few years where he had spent decades.
Malkin was aware of the kind of genius that Takamura had been. The kind of genius who rivaled or, more accurately, surpassed him. Kurosaki was another story. How he had managed to attain Takamura's position was beyond Malkin's understanding. The guy was a joke. A complete sham. Nothing more than a figurehead in the whole scheme of things. His position was a title, not a symbol of competence.
Without Takamura, the advanced virtual world wouldn't have existed in the first place. He was the creator of the universal code that allowed the world to operate itself without any interference from the outside. And the denizens of the virtual world operated separately from this system with their own free will. That was Takamura's crowning achievement: a world that operated just as the real world did with individuals that could forge their own destinies.
The virtual world project functioned with three crucial components. Takamura developed the code that runs within the virtual world and supports its denizens. Alsheimer's virtual technology provides Players with access to Puzzle and Dragons World. Malkin's AI regulates the world and implements necessary adjustments with any potential discrepancies along with data collection. They were "The Big Three" corporations of the virtual world: Takamura Programming Development (TPD), World Virtual Visions (WVV), and Future Artificial Networking (FAN).
They were like the three musketeers, but now one of the musketeers was gone.
"Lung cancer right?" Alsheimer asked.
Malkin nodded and spoke with a grim tone, "Yeah. Docs said he had six months to live. And what happens? He dies in three weeks. In this day and age how in the hell do you mess that up?"
"I'm sure Takamura would've appointed a more competent successor if he had known that."
"Who knows? Takamura was so absorbed in his work that I guess he didn't really think about it. After all, he was expecting to see his world before he went."
Alsheimer nodded at this with sympathy for Takamura. "A damn shame."
Kurosaki concluded his speech and stepped down to allow yet another individual to take the stand. It was the Gamemaster. His appearance was the indication that the corporate opening ceremony was now reaching its end.
"I am pleased to announce ladies and gentleman that all the Players have now entered the virtual world. Each entry went smoothly and there are no issues to report."
The crowd erupted into huge applause, and even Malkin and Alsheimer joined in.
"The developers and designers from Gungho would like to especially thank Thomas Malkin of Future Artificial Networking and Christopher Alsheimer of World Virtual Visions for providing the virtual gear and AI that made this world possible. Thank you very much for your contributions to this technological breakthrough."
More applause followed. Malkin and Alsheimer gave a quick wave as all eyes were directed upon them. Malkin could tell that Alsheimer was uneasy being put in the spotlight. The kid would get used to it with his future successes.
As the Gamemaster continued his speech, the man named Kurosaki approached Malkin and Alsheimer's table and greeted them with a deep bow. He gestured to one of the seats politely.
"May I have a seat?" he asked.
Malkin nodded. "By all means."
Malkin did well to hide the irritation from his curt response.
Kurosaki took his seat and nodded to each of them in turn. He seemed to have just noticed that his collar was popped up and readjusted it to the best of his ability before finally speaking.
"I just wanted to thank you gentleman for agreeing to provide your assistance for this massive undertaking."
He gave another quick bow from his seat before continuing. "As I'm sure you are both fully aware, I am not Takamura, and never will be Takamura. But I assure you that the company's ambitions have not wavered in the slightest. I owe Takamura at least that much for how well he has treated me."
Alsheimer and Malkin glanced at each other, but made no indication of replying to this statement.
Kurosaki took this as a sign to continue. "That being said, there has been a rather sizable hiccup in the PADW project. I would like to discuss this with you gentleman at the earliest possible convenience."
Alsheimer spoke first, "Why don't we discuss it now if it is such a problem?"
Kurosaki glanced around the room as if he thought someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation.
"To put it simply, this information is above nearly everyone's paygrade who is involved with this project. We do not necessarily need to deal with this issue immediately, but I would prefer we address it at the earliest possible convenience."
Malkin cocked an eyebrow at this. "Keeping this all on the hush-hush? Must be pretty serious." He took another sip of his wine out of habit. "I need to provide a few more last-minute instructions to the game operators concerning the handling of my AI. Other than that, I am pretty much free."
Alsheimer added, "I have to get my guys set up on the data link with Malkin's AI before the game officially takes off after the tutorials. I will be free as well afterward."
"That is absolutely fine," Kurosaki said with relief.
He thanked the two men once more and hurriedly headed off to speak with another group of individuals at a different table.
Malkin and Alsheimer exchanged a concerned look that they didn't want to make apparent in Kurosaki's presence.
The Virtual World
Pirugan Continent, Departure Tower
Game Timer: Day 1
2:15 PM
The remaining trials of the Departure Tower proved to be far more manageable than the introductory battle with the dark ogre. Ray and his new companion took their time testing different abilities and combinations with orbs and with their team coordination. A nice skyfall of orbs had provided the tamadra with combinations of all five attributes, and the glass ball that resulted converged with the tamadra, giving it the ability to phase through enemy attacks for a short time. Even previously weak monsters in the original Puzzle and Dragons now held hidden power. With the help of Players, monsters could unlock their true potential.
The duo exited the tower full of energy and high spirits. Ray shielded his eyes from the blazing sun that pierced through the thin clouds. The fog had lifted, and the chill was replaced by a cool, comfortable breeze.
A mountain pass lay before them and winded downwards with rocks strewn along a dirt path.
Ray began his descent, but halted when he noticed that his companion did not follow. The tamadra simply floated there still smiling.
"What's the matter?" Ray approached the tamadra with a touch of concern in his voice.
His question was answered by a thin spray of data particles that floated from the bottom of the tamadra's shell. The base of the shell began to disappear.
"Wait, no-" Ray started. He realized what was happening.
The tamadra flew next to Ray and patted him on the head. The monster didn't seem concerned, which put Ray at ease. Still, he was sad to see the monster go. They had bonded in the tower together, and Ray was understandably reluctant to let the little guy go.
Ray forced his worry aside with the tamadra's assurances. He smiled and patted the tamadra in return. It closed its eyes happily at Ray's touch. His hand didn't leave the small creature's head until it completely disappeared. Its data particles drifted away on the wind.
Sure hope I see you again, pal.
He knew that the tamadra wasn't gone from the world. Maybe one day he would meet it again.
Ray started down the path. As he carefully picked his way through the rocks he took the time to run his hand over the dirt. He clasped the dirt in his hands and let it fall from between his fingers. It felt just like, well, dirt. The realness of the world still amazed him. It would take some getting used to.
It wasn't long before the pass opened up to flat land that extended to a cliff on all sides. He could see for miles around. To his left was an expanse of forest that extended as far as the eye could see. To his right, the mountain range continued and lowered its jagged body into a distant lake.
Ray's focus was then held by the individual who sat a short way from where he was standing. A young woman sat upon an outcropping of rock, her arms crossed and resting on the pole of a halberd, the blade driven into the ground. Her elegant red and gold Chinese dress and long, ponytailed light brown hair blew in the wind. Her rainbow wings were folded behind her, their gold armor shining under the sun.
The sight of her near the edge of the cliff with the blue sky behind her was absolutely mesmerizing. Ray found himself lost for words.
She smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ray."
