Lost in the Game

Beginning of the Chaos

Lucas Masters had just purchased the fully interactive virtual gear from the leader in the field, Humabond Labs. They lead the virtual gaming industry with over a dozen games from fantasy to modern shooter, and he couldn't wait to try them all.

He had read everything there was to read about it, and if the game allowed it, there was a skill tied to it that you could master. It also had a search function that allowed players to determine how things were done in the world. If someone sold a health potion at a market, there was a way in the game a player could make that same potion.

The newest game was about to launch, and everyone was excited about it. It was called Chaos Reigns, and was a dungeon game where you went to fight monsters, and was the entire reason he had bought the gear at all. He was one of 10 million to win a prerelease version, and this was the day it was scheduled to launch.

Lucas rushed into his room, and setup the gear in the alcove he used for his current system. His parents were not the richest, his only thought was with the enhanced gear he would be able to make more money from his hobby. He was a hacker, and this would enable him to move beyond the neural link he had been using. The enhanced gaming was just a way to unwind after a long day.

As soon as the server launched, he activated the VE gear and closed his eyes and it went through its initialization sequence. When he opened them, he was in the character creation screen for Chaos Reigns. He was truly impressed with it as he learned it would be a fantasy type game as he selected an Assassin Rogue to play. He knew it would play to his natural acrobatic strengths, and was surprised that it had detected that through the physical scan and given him a natural +20 per level on all attributes.

He was surprised when the beginning area appeared around him, and it taught him how to use his basic skills while inside the world. Just like a dozen others that were with him in this area, they were all leveling and beginning to learn what it meant to be Rogues, no matter what class they were. Within half an hour he had reached level 5, and was headed for one of the next areas when he encountered the first of the plants. He didn't know how he knew he would be able to use it, but he collected it as well as several ores and the meats and furs of nearly every animal he interacted with. He walked into the town, and was surprised when he saw profession trainers for nearly everything that could be imagined. His poison skills didn't count as one, as every Rogue was able to make them. He however noticed his Skill read as Poison Alchemist, and his skill had begun at 300 out of 500 possible skill points. He laughed as he had just graduated with his Bachelors of Botany. He got looking through his skills, and was amazed to learn that it had given him the equivalent of everything he knew in the real world. He was surprised at how quickly his attributes were climbing, as he had somehow gained 10 levels as he accepted blacksmithing, mining, herbalism, and enchanting as his professions. He also loved he had picked up a cooking, first aid and skinning skill as his bags seemed a little full until he found a merchant for what he had already made with what he jad managed to salvage. He had seen most of the others fly through the primary quests, as he realized his selecting the skills and it determining his real world experience had provided him with a bunch of levels.

Some of them he jad next to none, and those were normal skills for him right now with a few recipes available. His mining, herbalism, skinning and fishing skills he would have to just use to increase over time. By the time he took the first quest and traveled to the area after collecting the herbs and mines along the way, he was already several levels above the monsters he was facing. They posed no real danger to him, but because he hadn't killed them and they dropped actual loot, he went on a killing spree picking up money along the way. He even found a few recipes along the way, one of them an xp potion that increased his experience gain from the sources of experience. He realized that every time he used the time to benefit his other skills this early on in the game, the more it rewarded him with various things.

His first quest for his Assassin class he watched several of them fail using poisons to various foods and drinks. He had his daggers of course, as he watched from the rafters as his target moved into the bedroom where none of his guards were located. He smiled as the man took his armor off, and Lucas used the chance to use a throwing knife coated in a combination of poisons right to his throat. He watched in satisfaction as the target slumped forward, and his life force quickly fell to 0.

He jumped down and looted the body, and was amazed when he was able to loot the room as well and escaped with a bunch of things just as the guards opened the room and the assassination was reported alerting everyone that the cycle clock had begun and it would take 5 minutes before the target would reappear for the others with the quest. Lucas however was headed to the Capitol, the quest item he needed as well as a full set of new rare armor waited for him in his inventory.

He examined it so thoroughly that he gained a new appraisal skill, as he was able to also identify the rare items in the field. He was able to determine the attributes of these items, and equipped them all as he entered the outskirts of the city. He went to the rooftops, and used his acrobatics skills to move unseen through the city as he went to Rogue Guild. He slipped in through the top floor window, and was able to slip into the Master Rogue Trainers room where a rare dagger was sitting on the desk.

He no more than picked it up when he heard the door open and slipped into the shadows by the curtains, as he closed and locked the door. "You are the first to enter this office, and it is brave to take things that do not belong to you." he said attacking the opposite curtain from where Lucas stood. "Hmm. Seems you are better than expected. What is your name?"

"Shadow works for now." Lucas replied using a translocator so it sounded like he was somewhere else.

"This shall be the name you go by for your entire time you are here. Is Shadow the name you wish to use?" he asked as he sat at the desk and summoned a different knife in the display. "The blade is yours to keep either way."

"Shadow Killer." Lucas said with a smile.

"Very well, I will be your primary instructor when you come for training here. As it seems you already know how to access my office we can go straight to skills." he said initiating a training screen. "Normally you come back every few levels, but something tells me there is nothing normal about you." the NPC said as Lucas stepped out and began purchasing the skills that would automatically make him an even stronger assassin. Some skills were basic Rogue skills like pick pocketing, moving in shadows, lock picking, and a whole host of others. He instantly realized it would be a lot of skills that would require him to practice in order to get better at.

"You will find Specialty Dealers downstairs for your more exotic needs, and members will always receive a bonus when selling unique items that require a deft touch." the Master Trainer said pointing to the window as he had nothing more for Lucas to learn right now.

He took the hint and left through the window, and entered the building through the normal door to actually report and complete the quest he had, as he looked at Legendary throwing knife he had looted. Its auto replicate ability would give him an unlimited supply, and so long as he kept a poison in the sheath, each copy would have whatever poison he wanted automatically applied.

Lucas made his way across the city, testing just how far he could push the system and what he could or couldn't steal. He had even killed a few guards and looted them as well as he went through, finding even herbs and different items he could disenchant to improve his skills as he went. Chests allowed him to practice his lock picking, and he even found himself pick pocketing other players of money and rare items when he got the chance. He was in desperate need of reaching the Capitol profession trainers, as he had maxed out most of his skills so far, and needed to upgrade them.

He also liked that the supply houses and the auction house was nearby to them, as he went and placed some potions he had already made with extra benefits on it. He went to the first of the trainers, and had just barely advanced his first aid skill to intermediate when he was alerted the first stack of potions had sold. He smiled as he had maxed out the amount to sell it for.

He smiled as he had a few ideas to combine his health potions and bandages, and was surprised by the benefit they made to eachother. The bandage gave the benefits over a longer time, but the effectiveness of the potion with how much they held. It also acted to level both skills, as his alchemy and first aid progressed quickly. Next was cooking, and he had saved even the clippings of some of the portions of the herbs for the health potions and used them to season the meals depending on his taste. He made a few new recipes, and was glad that each time he tested a new combination the system automatically logged not only what he used to make it, but what the effect was. Some of them were absolutely useless, but some of them had great uses with what they did over the base recipe.

Before he realized it, Lucas had spent two hours here and had gained another 7 levels when he finally finished and went to the Auction House having learned how to not make only weapons, but enchanted weapons that could be enchanted again. He was testing the ability to cross train his professions, and none of the NPCs even registered he was doing it in a way other than the way he was increasing his level of mastery quickly.

He placed the last stack of items on the auction house, and had just teleported to the Rogue Headquarters when all hell broke loose. He killed nearly a dozen warriors before he slipped into the shadows and climbed into the Masters Chamber before anyone noticed.

"It seems you are becoming strong as a Rogue, just as I had hoped. Now however we need the strength of your blade to defend our respite here, and deal with these invaders." the Master said as a quest icon popped up.