After Earth Online: The Iron Warlock

Mission Accomplished

As soon as the cops had arrived and taken the thugs away, Leo made himself scarce, ignoring any suggestions of going to the hospital or the offer of dinner from the woman he had saved. He quickly found himself a secluded corner and paid attention to the notifications that he has been ignoring so far, plus whether this was in game or not, the fact that he had drugs in his pockets left him feeling very uncomfortable in the presence of law enforcement officers, so he would rather be as far away from them as possible.

[Mission completed: the night is young and you’re almost out of cash, steal from someone to ensure your survival, // Reward: 20 credits, amount/loot stolen. +2 infamy.]

[While stealing is wrong, you have proven that there’s a heart of justice beneath your slowly being corrupted soul. +1 fame for stealing from criminals.]

[There is still good in this world and you have proven that by putting yourself in harm’s way for an innocent victim. The police have taken note of your actions. Fame+5]

[biting, groin strikes, eye gouges and using the environment to your advantage. While you’re no Bruce lee, you’ve shown that you can get down and dirty with the worst of the street. You have gained the passive skill Street Fighting lvl 0]

[Adaptive is now level 1, you have become more resistant to unforeseen events]

[Black bolt is now level 1, range and damage increased]

[Analyze is now level 1, more information shown when used.]

SECRET IDENTITY: Leo Freewind// HERO/VILLAIN NAME: n/a

RACE: Human/Techronman Hybrid// ALIGNMENT: Undetermined

ABILITY: Magical(Warlock)// GRADE: F-// FAME/INFAMY: (6/4)

PASSIVES: [Adaptive lvl 1] [Technopath lvl 0] [Arcane Sight lvl 0] [Street Fighting lvl 0]

ACTIVES: [Analyze lvl 1] [Shock lvl 0] [Black Bolt lvl 1]

MONEY: 315 credits// HIDEOUT/LAIR: n/a

EQUIPMENT: Switchblade, Damaged/Obsolete Smartwatch

[Mission: Though the night is young, you’ve been through enough to last you a week of excitement. Find a place to lay your head and prepare for the next day. // Rewards: all injuries healed]

Leo couldn’t help but agree with what the mission said, he was feeling quite tired, he honestly didn’t feel like he had an in game body at all, even if all the pain he was feeling now was just a dull throb in the background. Never the less he was tired and he hoped he had enough to at least get himself a good night rest at a cheap motel, then tomorrow he’ll try and earn enough money to rent an apartment or a lair or something of the sort.

He had no need to log out at the moment, all virtual reality games used a time dilation neural engine to speed up the ratio of time in between the game and the real world. Prolonged exposure to it is actually quite harmful or rather quite advantageous to those who can adapt to it. Due to the time dilation neural engine, there were more people with ADHD, Dyslexia and dementia, but even with that they tend to be the fastest thinkers and athletes in the real world as their perception of reality is always faster than the norm, due to their Brain’s exposure to the time dilation engine.

So far it has brought more good than harm, encouraging more game companies to employ its effects and most governments being unable to do anything due to its advantages. Leo was using an old second hand VR pod, so the best he could get for the time dilation was about eight hours, but lucky enough for him, After Earth Online only had a 7 to 1-time dilation ratio. He wished he knew more, maybe it would be better to skip trying to make any money and instead find a library where he could get some information, after all it was information he wanted to sell.

Leo shook his head as he wandered away from the sprawling metropolis to the east side of the city, the buildings were smaller and less bright. But at least he found a motel without looking too hard and paid 25 credits for a single night. It was dingy and the sheets smelled like death, but beggars can’t be choosers. He closed his eyes and let the effects of virtual sleep take him, his mind still moving at a mile a minute, trying to figure out a plan for the next day.