Chapter 2 – Stay Awhile

Matt sat in the silence, deafened by the sounds of his body doing what bodies do, before remembering the passphrase.

“Edict, disconnect me.”

With a hiss, the lid slowly opened and the sounds of clacking keyboards in the café filled his ears. His stomach grumbled an addition to the influx of noise.

I could go for a burger. I wish they’d have let me see the Character Sheet before I left.

Matt slid his legs over the edge of the pod and slipped once more into his shoes. Standing, he felt the weight of gravity once more pulling him ever constantly downward. It amazed him how noticeable it was after having felt weightless in the POD.

Matt walked out the back-door Joe had given him a key fob for, hearing the electronic click of the lock as it closed behind him, and made his way back to the sidewalk to head home. He stopped at the burger joint for a quick bite and munched on the greasy goodness the rest of the way back to his apartment.

Reaching the top of the steps he stopped and stared, mouth agape – the door to his apartment was cracked open.

Fuck.

Quietly edging toward the door, he slowly swung it open and peered inside. The only sounds were the passing of a few cars on the streets below, and the laugh track from one of his neighbor’s TV shows muted by thin walls.

“Hello?” he called out, to no response.

Stepping inside he found the apartment to be empty and immediately saw why: his haptic suit, gloves, headset, and trackpad were all missing. His computer, TV, and gaming consoles were gone as well. Matt’s shoulders slumped, and he let the remaining bit of paper-wrapped burger in his hands fall to the floor, appetite gone.

I can’t even…

He made a half-hearted cursory check of the rest of his things and found everything else in order. The thief or thieves were efficient and nothing else he owned was worth much.

Matt closed and locked the door – Why I’m locking it I don’t even know, now, and shuffled over to the exercise ball at his now empty desk, and sighed. Sitting and feeling numb, he pulled out his phone and opened it to the Velli Machia Online main site, hoping to distract himself. The police wouldn’t care about some stolen electronics in his neighborhood, after all.

Seeing a link for [My Account] he logged in, intent on hopping onto the forums to figure a few more things out. He focused on his phone, pointedly not allowing his eyes to see his now sparse surroundings.

I could just crash for a few hours and head back to LunCaf. Not really a reason to be here, now. Can’t work, even if I had a commission.

He toggled browser windows on his small screen and ordered a new laptop to tide him over for a while, adding more debt to his card. It would arrive in two days. He didn’t have renter’s insurance due to the cost and the cops had more important things to worry about than a designer’s equipment. He’d be able to make this month’s rent, but after that he’d need a commission to free up enough room on his card for food.

He swiped back to his VMO account page and his spirits lifted slightly when he saw an option to view his [Character Sheet] from within the site.

Well, at least something’s going my way. I’ll take it. He clicked the link, opening a chart of Daos’s statistics:

NAME: Daos, Acolyte

CLASS: Mage

LEVEL: 2

EXPERIENCE: 443/800

GOVERNING ATTRIBUTES

POWER: 1

PROWESS: 1

ENDURANCE: 1

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH: N/A

DEXTERITY: N/A

CONSTITUTION: N/A

MENTAL ATTRIBUTES

INTELLIGENCE: N/A

WIT: N/A

WILLPOWER: N/A

SKILLS

Arcane Perception: 1

Perception: 1

INVENTORY

EQUIPPED ARMOR: ACOLYTE ROBE, 14/14

EQUIPPED WEAPON: ACOLYTE WAND

ACOLYTE SPELL TOME, EQUIPPED

EMPTY POCKET

EMPTY POCKET

That’s right! I have two points to spend when I log back in. I can probably put them into one of those Governing Attributes. He tapped the [Governing Attributes] link with his thumb and received a pop-up tooltip:

[Governing Attributes serve as the base score for the Physical and Mental attributes they oversee and affect them in various ways. Players utilize points received through leveling up or other means to increase their Governing Attributes until the player reaches Level 5. At Level 5 they will unlock the ability to invest points in any of the Physical or Mental Attributes from then on. Please note: Governing Attributes can only have points applied to them prior to attaining Level 5.]

Matt continued checking the tooltips for various other sections of his Character Sheet. As expected, it’s surprisingly traditional role-playing standards here. Constitution affects things like hit points, poison resistance, and fatigue whereas something like Intelligence governs learning new spells, researching, and conversations with NPCs. Simple enough. It seems like the Governing Attributes may provide a multiplier of some kind, then.

He spent the next couple of hours browsing VMO’s forums. There were plenty of entries, as the game had been in Beta testing to large, closed groups, and then the public, for over a year now. As he read, he discovered that not only would attaining Level 5 for Daos unlock the ability to spread his points between the specific Physical and Mental skills, it would also allow him to choose a subclass and further specialize his character.

There were threads devoted to selling – for real USD no less! – training in Unique Subclasses that had been discovered in-game by players. One such thread offered to teach the Swashbuckling Subclass under the Rogue archetype for 2,000 USD. Another, the Sangomancer Subclass from the Mage Archetype was listed at 3,500 USD.

Matt also learned that there was no way to know player or NPC names without asking someone or overhearing their use. There was no concept of names hovering above one’s avatar as in every other online game he’d played. There was no way to tell someone’s level, other than to gauge the look of their gear, confidence in their motions, and what they claimed if asked.

It seemed the forum posters had players on both sides of the fence regarding this decision. Some praised Edict Corporation for allowing bluffing, lying, and nuanced interaction between players. Others didn’t like that something this realistic was added to a game meant to be an entertaining break from reality.

I don’t mind it. The thought of being able to convince others that I’m more or less powerful than I actually am deserves some serious thought for down the road.

Still fairly certain that the blue robes the bullies wore indicated their status within the Academy, and so probably were an indication of general skill level, he crawled into his bed.

I’ll ask that Meister Reichart NPC when I log in. First, a nap, because damnit, everything sucks.

**** **** ****

Sunlight piercing the thin gap between each of the blinds once again brought Matt to wakefulness. This time however, he was energized and ready to leave his empty apartment and get back to LunCaf.

A quick shower and a few pieces of toast later, he locked his apartment door and started his brisk morning walk down the street. His breath was visible, a sign that winter wasn’t too far away. Pushing away the cold he let his imagination run wild with what today may bring.

What did the Mage description say? Elementalist, Necromancer, Shaman, Mesmer and…what? Summoner! Oh, and Rune Scholar, or something. Most of those are straightforward enough. Not going Shaman, never liked the nature style magic all that much. Elementalist is too standard and boring.

Matt thrust his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie as the breeze picked up.

Necromancer could be neat, but it’s been done to death. Ha, done to death. Wow, I’m lame. Summoner, standard. Rune Scholar sounds vaguely Dwarven. Are Dwarves a race in this game? I’ve only seen humans so far. Mesmer could be interesting, though I’m not entirely sure what it would entail.

“Irashaimase,” a bored female voice drawled at him in greeting.

He’d reached LunCaf without realizing it, lost in thought regarding his eventual Subclass choice. A young, pudgy woman in a black tank-top over a gray mesh undershirt and purple hair stood behind the counter, staring at her phone.

Matt had never been here this early before, and apparently most of their customers also hated the morning sun. Only one computer chair had an occupant, and by the stack of energy drink cans next to the keyboard, they’d been there awhile.

“Hey, just here for VMO,” he said, passing the barista.

She nodded without looking up at him. Reaching the back POD section of LunCaf Matt noticed two PODs with green lights this time, though neither were the one he’d used yesterday. Choosing the one closest to the exit, he took off his shoes and climbed inside.

[Logging in…]

The silence and lack of discernible atmosphere still felt alien, but at least he expected it this time.

[Loading Complete.]

[Welcome to Velli Machia Online, Daos! Edict Corporation thanks you for your interest and wishes you a pleasant immersion.]

Like last time, the light started faint and slowly grew to fill his vision, increasing in intensity as it did so. Before long, the deafening darkness was replaced by the relatively silent hallway outside Meister Oric’s office.

The door was closed.

Alright, Meister Reichart. Off to see the wizard… Where are you?

Matt made his way down the winding staircase and into the large main hall of the Academy. Other students bustled about, and he touched the shoulder of one briefly to catch their attention.

“Hey, which way Reichart’s office?”

“I’m sure you mean Meister Reichart, Acolyte.” The woman’s voice was stern, much like the cut of her dirty blond hair. “Don’t let any of them catch you leaving off the title they worked so hard to earn. Head to the end of the hall and take the door on the right. Through it, Meister Reichart is the last door on the left.”

“Wait, are you a player?” Matt asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Matt nodded both in thanks and in answer, but the middle-aged woman in her dark green robe with gold trim, turned and continued.

Huh. Maybe that’s a standard response of an NPC? That, or someone who really likes getting into their role. It’s almost refreshing not necessarily being able to tell who is real and who isn’t.

Following her directions, he made his way toward the end of the great hall. Looking up at the back wall, he saw a grand, round stained-glass window depicting a tower much like the one whose top he’d stood upon when choosing to be a Mage. Behind it were six slightly smaller towers, though he didn’t see any distinctive difference between them other than size. He focused on them:

[The Tower of the Mage. Mage towers have stood for centuries in all corners of the land, each representing a form of arcane study. The Six, as they’re known, make up the standard paths of scholarly pursuit for most Mages. Those who find hidden or forgotten magics are the lone wolves of the Mage community, forging their own path without the trusted structure provided by previous generations of Mages.]

Neat!

Matt continued on, took the final door on the right as instructed, and followed the slowly curving hallway to the last door on the left. A sign outside read: “Meister Reichart. By Appointment Only”.

Matt knocked on the door.

“Enter!” a slightly dramatic, perhaps melancholy male voice greeted him from behind the closed door.

Opening it and stepping inside, Matt found himself in what looked to be an exact replica of Meister Oric’s chambers. Makes sense. Games tend to reuse assets.

The only difference was the man behind the desk. He rose as Matt entered, towering a few inches taller than Doas in height. As Daos was, as far as Matt could tell, the same height as Matt in reality, that meant the Meister must be over six feet tall. Hah, I’m not used to looking up at people.

“Daos, is it?” The question sounded more like a statement. The slicked back, black hair and goatee with his almost beak-like nose that made it seem as if he was looking down on Matt gave him a stereotypical magician look.

The Magnificent Reichart! No, Reichart the Resplendent! That would be his stage name for sure, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

“You’ve passed Meister Oric’s initial tests and it seems I now have to finish your initiation and set up a curriculum so you can take your Trials.”

Matt stayed silent, assuming the middle-aged man would continue of his own accord.

“Arcane Bolt – it’s not often the old codger awards that spell to the acolytes he sends my way, but it is what it is.”

“What do you mean?” Matt interrupted the Meister. “Why isn’t that a common spell for a newbie? It seems basic enough.” Other games use a similar spell early on, too.

“Newbie. What a quaint term. Is that what you call Acolytes on the Outside? Nevermind,” he waved his hand. “It’s not often taught because it’s very easy for students to learn on their own and doesn’t stack well with your future progression.”

Matt caught the veiled insult in his explanation.

“You see,” the Meister continued, “while it is fast, straight, and true – that’s all it is. Straight. It goes where you point. What happens in a real encounter? The enemy moves, hides, misdirects you. What good is this, then? It’s great for a quick surprise, especially with the enemies you’re likely to find at your level of power. Later, though? Most Mages leave a spell like this behind not long after the Trials.”

Great. I had one free spot open and the old man filled it with something I’ll just ditch later on. What else could he have given me? What did I miss out on?

“Still, Meister Oric usually does not act without reason. He is no seer but seems to have a knack for setting people up with what they need. Time will tell, student, time will tell. Now,” he raised a finger in the way only a professor can, tilting his head back ever so slightly so he was once more looking down the bridge of his nose at Matt. “We need to take the next step toward preparing you for the Trials. You’re not yet ready.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about this Trial a couple of times now, but nobody has explained what it is,” Matt responded.

“The Trial is given to every Mage Acolyte to determine when they are ready to leave their remedial studies behind and choose a specialization.”

Sweet! This must be the Subclass choice then. “Don’t I need to study things and like, go to classes or something? This is an academy, right?” He said jokingly. Why’d I say that. Don’t say there’s classwork, this is a game.

“Most mages must study for years before attempting the Trial, it’s true. You Outsiders, slow on the uptake though you may be, nevertheless seem to have an aptitude for the arcane arts after your initial resistance is overcome, that puts you on a fast track to choosing your specialization. It has been this way since your kind first came to this world, years ago.”

Matt shook his head slightly. Is the A.I. breaking the fourth wall here? First old Oric used the gaming term “tank”, and now he’s talking about “my kind” coming here. And they keep referring to me as an Outsider. It’s like the game was programmed for characters to handle Player differences by thinking we’re… what, aliens?

“Why do you keep calling me an Outsider?” Matt asked.

“Tell me, young Daos: what is the name of this city?”

“I don’t know”, he replied with a shrug.

“So, you’re not local. Are you in the habit of risking days in the wilds to enroll in an institution of study without even knowing the name of the city to which you’ve traveled? Yes, it takes days to reach the next town, and longer still to reach another major city, though I doubt you knew that, either.”

Whoa. How big is this world? In most games, you can reach another town inside of twenty minutes! I wonder if there’s some kind of time dilation trick with nanites in the POD. Otherwise how will we get any real questing done?

“Alright, Reichart, you got me there.”

Meister Reichart’s eyes narrowed. “That’s Meister Reichart to you, whelp!”

Matt twitched in surprise when the Meister’s mouth didn’t move, and the voice sounded from behind him. He turned around and found another Meister Reichart staring at him.

“I did not devote ten years to the Meister title to have you address me so casually, like a friend!”

The second Reichart leapt at him, arms outstretched.

Arcane Shield! Matt thought as he brought up his arms to guard himself.

As before, a light purple shimmer crossed his vision as the magical barrier encompassed him. The second image of Reichart closed in, then disappeared in what Matt could only describe as a ‘pop”, the way a bubble might. A Meister shaped bubble, maybe.

Matt turned back around to find Meister Reichart standing where he had been the entire time, a slight smirk forming on his smug face.

“What was that? Some kind of Mirror Image spell?” Matt asked, using the name of a popular spell in Dark Times Online.

Meister Reichart raised an eyebrow. “I suppose that is an apt description. When I passed my Trials in my youth, I chose to follow the path of a Mesmer. I play tricks with people’s minds, Acolyte. What you saw could not have actually hurt you – unless, of course, you believed it could,” he added cryptically. His smirk widened to a slightly sinister smile before reverting to neutral.

“Now, you have inscribed in your book a defensive spell and an offensive spell. It seems, at the moment, that is all your tome is willing to hold for you. My job is to help you on your way to taking the Trials. Return to me when your book will allow you to learn another spell. You are dismissed,” he finished, sounding like Matt’s high school drama coach.

When my book allows me to – ah. I need to gain another level, or more, until another slot opens in the book so I can save another spell to it. Wait, I have those points from the level I gained yesterday! How’d I forget about them?

“Give me just a sec, Meister. I want to try something.”

Matt could vaguely hear the Meister grumbling a response about being busy but tuned him out. He mentally opened his character sheet and saw the two points he had available to spend. Hmm, unlike previous games, it looks like I can’t immediately increase my Intelligence score. I’m limited to Power, Prowess, and Endurance until I reach Level 5. Each of those affects a Mental Attribute, but Power governs Intelligence, so let’s give this a shot.

With a blink Matt invested both points into the Governing Attribute [POWER]. He didn’t feel any different. He reached for the tome at his waist and when he opened it, he smiled.

“I’m ready, Meister Reichart,” he said, raising his eyes to meet the man’s. He thought he saw the corner of the Mesmer’s mouth angle upward slightly.

“Very well, Acolyte, very well. You certainly aren’t the only Outsider to be ready in their meeting with me, but it is admittedly uncommon. What shall we do with you, then, young Daos?” He stroked his goatee, staring at Matt and reminding him of a villain in one of the old films he’d once come across in his parent’s attic.

**** **** ****

When I looked at my Character Sheet this morning, I’m pretty sure I was under five hundred experience points. Now I’m right at five hundred. I must be earning something through social interactions, and not just fighting and quests. That’s interesting, Matt pondered as he exited the Academy once more.

Meister Reichart had given him a task to help get him started on what path he would choose at the Trials. The quest, if you can even call it that, he thought with a small sigh, was to visit the Clothier and convince the man there to modify his robe in some way at no charge.

That last part was important, given that Daos had no money. Neither do I, Matt admitted to himself. On that note, what is money in VMO? He’d have to investigate that.

Alright, how am I going to convince an NPC to provide a service for free? In every other game I’ve played, I’d have to do some kind of errand for him. Maybe he needs five flowers that only grow in a certain area of a mountainside outside of town. Maybe he needs the rats cleared from his cellar or is short ten deer hides. I really hate intro and grinding quests.

He walked down the steps outside the Academy and noted that the kid selling meat pies earlier wasn’t there. NPCs doubtless have their own schedules in this game, then. With a governing A.I. handling the generation of everything in the world, maybe there is more opportunity than I’m considering? I need to think outside the box more. Let’s try something new…

Matt picked up the pace a little, excited at the possibilities of having alternate routes to achieving his goals if his guesses were correct. As it had the day before, the Smithery came into view. He could hear an arrhythmic clang as he approached, and his spirits continued to lift as that indicated the blacksmith would be there.

As he neared, he saw the same large, hairy man from the day before who’d been working with the young woman, pounding on a white-hot rod over the anvil. As Matt closed the distance, he could see a look of consternation on the blacksmith’s face, as if things weren’t going quite the way the man wanted.

“Hello,” Matt said in greeting, between the man’s strikes.

The man didn’t look up from his work and struck the rod again.

“Yo, what’s up man? Hello? You there, Blacksmith?”

The man lowered the hammer but didn’t raise his gaze to meet Matt’s. Instead, he just stood there, staring at the fast cooling rod before him.

“Hey, I’m sorry to have interrupted, but do you know the name of the Clothier just down the way, there?” Matt asked.

Still the man stood silently.

Did the game just glitch or something? Matt wondered.

“It’s alright, Roddard, I’ve got this,” a faintly Scottish sounding female voice sounded to Matt’s left.

He turned and saw the red-haired girl from yesterday coming out from the back of the shop, wiping her hands with a dirty rag the way a mechanic might.

“You go back to working on that sword of yours. Looks like it needs to go back in the fire first.”

The large man nodded slowly, seemingly glad to have a task assigned to him, and picked up the rod with large tongs to move back to the fire and bellows behind him.

Looks like I got this relationship wrong, then, Matt considered as he turned to address the girl. Look at all those freckles, the graphic fidelity int his world is stunning! She’s gorgeous.

“Best apprentice I ever had, that one,” she said, tossing the rag on her workbench and nodding toward Roddard. “Not one for social interaction, though. What can I do for ya, Outsider?” She said the last part with indifference.

“I need to know the name of the Clothier just down the way, miss…” Matt railed off at the end.

“Crowe. Nadia Crowe, but just call me Nadia. Or simply Blacksmith, like most Outsiders do. The Clothier you be pointing toward is Sir Donnan. Bit of a family friend, him. Tell him Nadia sent you his way, may leave him more amenable to your request,” she added with a wink.

“Thanks! Nadia then, yeah? I’m sure I’ll be back at some point, I don’t have a weapon yet.”

He watched her eyebrow raise slightly and small dimples formed as she smiled, and he mentally smacked himself in the forehead while he felt is cheeks grow warm. Yes, I do. This little wand. I’m a Mage, duh! What use do I have for a sword and heavy armor? Just turn around and go, dumb ass.

Matt turned and continued on his way as another customer in mismatched armor approached the forge. Forcing the awkward conversation with Nadia out of his mind he beat pavement, concentrating on the next part of his plan.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked Bashful. This skill affects other skills such as Persuade or Seduce, depending on the temperament of the individual you are interacting with. It can apply to Social Combat skills or others you’ve yet to discover. Bashful is a passive skill that adds a modifier to interactions when appropriate. Bashful: 1]

Wow, even being shy and embarrassed can trigger a skill unlock? That’s crazy detailed! Those nanites must be able to interpret just about anything.

Matt mentally closed the pop-up as he reached the door to the Clothier. Who names their tailor shop The Tailor? Is this poor design by the A.I., laziness by a developer, or is it supposed to indicate narcissism or ego of the NPC owner? Hmm. With all the details I’ve seen, all the way down to Nadia’s freckles and dimples – why am I even thinking about her right now – and a skill as out of the box as Bashful, I’m going to go with narcissism. The Clothier might give me free stuff for running errands, but I’m betting some social combat might get me somewhere faster.

He opened the door to enter, and a small bell rang as a piece of metal above the door bumped into it to announce his presence.

“Ah, another costumer, welco – ahem, welcome,” a tall and roguish gentleman in what must pass for a tuxedo in this era, finished what was sure to have been an excited greeting, deflated.

“Not excited to see another customer?” Matt asked, taking in the shop, and purposefully not focusing on the man. Clothed mannequins both with and without heads, male and female, were tightly packed throughout the space amidst dark wood shelving holding fabrics of every color imaginable. Dresses, doublets, dusters – and those were just the D’s.

“You’re an Acolyte, you have no money. What kind of customer are you that I should be excited about, when it’s obvious you can’t afford anything?”

“Well, Nadia sent me, and money isn’t the only form of payment. Surely a man of your skill and obvious taste knows that.” Maybe flattery is an unlockable skill in this game too – why not?

“Ah, an Outsider, here to run me errands or fetch me something I desperately need but for some reason cannot acquire myself in exchange for tailoring your robe, is that it?” he asked, his affectation slightly pompous.

I mean, that was it originally, but now I have other ideas.

“I’m not a grunt who is here to do your dirty work. I’m here to gauge your ability to provide what I need.”

The gentleman rolled his eyes.

“I want to set myself apart slightly from my fellow Acolytes. Something that looks bespoke despite simply being an adjustment of this very robe. Umber is a rather drab brown, don’t you think?” I’m a graphic designer, dude. Let’s see how this A.I. handles color. “I want something to line the cuffs, bottom, and hood to set me apart without being too ostentatious.”

Interest, or at least curiosity, put a gleam in the Clothier’s eye. Or was that just my imagination?

“So, Sir Donnan, do you have any burgundy that would suffice?”

If the man was surprised that Matt – or rather Daos, knew his name, he didn’t show it. “You may be the most interesting Acolyte I’ve met, but like all of your kind you continuously go on to say something that reminds me you’re an Outsider. Burgundy is the color reserved for Meister lining. Surely you’ve noticed that.”

“You got me,” Matt said, not admitting that he’d failed to notice anything about the robes of either Meister Reichart or Meister Oric. “Camel, then? Anything in a nice camel? That wouldn’t be too crazy. It would look nice, but not flashy,” he finished with a smile in challenge.

Sir Donnan turned on his heels and disappeared into the rows of shelving. Matt let his eyes wander once more. Gowns to Gambesons, rows of uncomfortable and sometimes impossible looking shoes, and hats with all sizes of feathers surrounded him.

It seemed Velli Machia Online considered the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and maybe even early post-Classical era styles to all work together, jumbled in a big melting pot of fashion.

“Here we are, Camel,” the tall man said, returning holding a much lighter brown fabric in both hands, a couple others draped over his left arm.

“Matt took one look at the fabric and smirked. Looks like social combat is a real thing in this game, after all!

“You insult me, Sir Donnan.”

“Whatever could you mean?” he responded with fake innocence, without becoming defensive.

“That is clearly more of a Fawn, not Camel,” Matt challenged.

Sir Donnan’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. He reached for the next fabric lain across his arm.

“Don’t’ bother with that, I didn’t ask for Bisque. Nor,” Matt continued before the roguish gentleman could grab hold of the final piece he’d brought with him, “did I request Caramel. If you do not have Camel, I will seek tailoring elsewhere.”

“Ha!” the tailor clapped his hands together, smiling. “A man after my own, well in this case, eye. Very well, Acolyte.” He reached behind him and produced a distinctly camel colored strip of fabric with a flourish, taking Daos’s arm and laying it across. “This should be precisely what you’re asking for.”

“I see you were intent on trying to fool me. Do you try to fool all your customers? Maybe adjust prices slightly here and there, as well?”

“A man must both make a living, and have his fun along the way, yes?” Sir Donnan answered, still smiling.

“I challenged, you struck. I parried, you swung again, and I blocked. Twice. What say you make the changes and let me return to the Academy? I’ll be sure to send any who ask your way and tell them how awfully expensive it is for work this fine, to ensure they come with plenty of coin.” I hope they use coin in this game world.

The smile faded and his lips pursed in thought. “Very well! It was a fun duel of wits and you proved yourself to have a keen eye with shades to which most would ascribe the same name. Off with the robe, I can finish this for you in an hour.”

[Congratulations! You have unlocked Banter. This skill affects other wordplay skills when you enter into Social Combat with an NPC. Banter is a passive skill that can increase with successful starts to Social Combat encounters. Banter: 1]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked Barter. This is a Social Combat skill used with NPCs to negotiate lower or higher prices in merchant interactions. Barter increases with successful bartering activations. Barter: 1]

Matt mentally swiped the two messages away as he began to disrobe.

“Tsch, no. You’re such an Outsider,” Sir Donnan said, lightly slapping a hand toward him. “I have dressing rooms just over here.” He led the way to curtained off closets and guided Daos in. “You would do well to apply your wit to your obvious foreign nature,” he said in closing, reaching to take hold of the robe Matt pulled over his head, and walked away with it.

Matt sat down on the stool provided in the small space. Well, let’s check my Character Sheet and see where I’m at while I wait.

Before he could open the view however, another pop-up appeared before his eyes:

[Level up! Points to spend: 2 – Congratulations! You have just earned another level! You are now Level 3! At Edict, we encourage you to play responsibly. Why not use this time to log out and enjoy the real world for a bit? As always, thank you! We look forward to watching your progress in Velli Machia Online – the Edict Corporation Team.]

The wave of pleasure Daos had experienced before surged through him once more, and he was glad to be seated as he was sure he must have groaned a little.

As the feeling receded and everything fell back to normal, he knew he’d get bored simply sitting there.

Well, I suppose if it’s going to be an hour before he finishes, I may as well log out and go grab a bite to eat. It seems like I’ve been in longer today than last time. Game, log me out.

Daos continued to sit on the stool, staring at the curtain.

Um, log me out. Game, log me out.

Nothing happened.

Velli Machia Online, Log out. Edict, log me out. Still he sat on the stool.

What the hell? “Game, log me out,” he tried out loud. “Edict, disconnect me.”

He could hear the sound of the Clothier’s shears somewhere out in the shop, working on his robe.

Fuck.