So, what? Is there some military server you can connect to or something, should I try to alert someone?

Negative. You should complete the quest.

What? A terrorist organization is here, they could-

Stop wasting time. Finish the quest.

Alan rolled his eyes. Well, the shopkeeper might have some more information, or be able to alert the right authorities, so he decided to follow Eve’s directions. He quickly travelled back to the shop maintaining his invisibility, avoiding people with Eve’s help, getting used to being undetectable amongst a sea of people that were going about their own business. Maybe he should start trying to pick pockets. Nah, that would just get him in trouble.

After waiting a few minutes while some other customers left the shop, which was named Ancient Armour, Alan deactivated the armor’s invisibility. He’d had it on for about 20 minutes now, leaving the armor with 400 energy.

The shopkeeper barely blinked when Alan appeared out of nowhere, simply looking at him, arching an eyebrow.

“Back so soon?”

“Yes, I have proof of illegal activities.”

“Oh, and where is this proof?”

Um, where is the proof?

Remember I am recording your actions, for purposes such as these. I have created screenshots of the bomb you saw in the shop compared to the bomb that was set up in the hangar.

Two images appeared before Alan, clearly depicting the same weapon, in the two distinct locations. There were also two video files attached.

“Um, do you have a computer or something that I can upload a few files to?”

“Certainly.” The shopkeeper bent over, fiddling with something beneath the counter. “Your AI should now be able to connect to the store’s servers.”

Did I ever mention you?

No. Connected to a masked server. Uploading files now.

“Um, okay.”

Files uploaded.

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, and he motioned his hands before him, moving through digital screens only he could see.

“Hmm, yes, this will do quite nicely. Thank you for this information. Now, I’ll trust that you won’t disclose this to anyone else, especially none of the military police or one of the information brokers.”

‘What? But-”

“As a bonus, for this exemplary work, and your discretion, I’ll thrown in any item you find in here worth up to a thousand credits.”

Alan narrowed his eyes. “Before or after the tutorial discount?”

The shopkeeper smiled sweetly. “Why, after, of course.”

Alan mulled it over. On one hand, whatever was going on was clearly illegal and something should be done, yet, on the other hand, this was a substantial amount of money, and he did need to get a replacement weapon still.

Accept the offer. Eve commanded.

What? Why?

It is highly unlikely the shopkeeper is a simple salesman. I will explain more once we are in a safer location. The information provided by the Thought Emporium has been quite enlightening, allowing me to make previously unseen connections, as well as a great deal of history to draw upon.

Not one to question Eve, Alan nodded at the shopkeeper. “Alright. Deal.”

Two messages popped up:

“Shading Dealings, Complete!

Reward: Revenant Power Armor, 5000 credit item of your choice, a Black Coin”

“Level up!”

The shopkeeper grinned, putting his hand into an unseen pocket, bringing out a pitch black metal coin with a cloaked figure on one side, a pile of miniature metal cubes on the other. The shopkeeper flipped the coin at Alan, who caught it without a second thought. When Alan tried to examine it more closely, the images distorted, showing no details.

“You’ll find that there are a number of shops in the Game that will buy and sell more unsavory items, including those acquired through… different means. Simply show them that coin and they should be willing to take a look at whatever it is you want to sell, from items to information to favors. The stores will also sell you an expanded range of items. I’ll upload the names of a few of these unique stores to your AI. Should you distinguish yourself as a customer, various other locations may open up to you.”

“Thanks. Uh, where are the, um, additional items you sell? If you don’t mind me asking of course.”

The shopkeeper grinned, leaning forward, and whispered, “Changing room third from the left. Walk through the mirror. Take the item you want, then leave the shop, invisible, as I doubt anyone saw you coming in.”

The shopkeeper then leaned back, and, patting his belly, said, more loudly, “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Um, yeah, you too.”

Alan entered into the designated room, then walked through the changing room mirror that covered the back wall. The mirror and wall turned out to be a hologram. He entered a small space about the size of a few supply closets squished together, extended behind the five changing rooms. Now that he knew what was back here, he could sort of recall the dimensions of the changing rooms seeming a bit off.

Dimly lit, each shelf had a digital price tag displayed on it, from 100 credits to 100k along with various items. None of the items were labeled, but when asked, Eve displayed descriptions of the various items that had been in the database the Thought Emporium provided, which was most of them. On the left there were a few packaged items which were most likely mass produced, but illegal to sell for some reason.

There were numerous kits each labeled clearly, intended for a non-standard class. Alan examined a basic thief’s kit, which contained a set of lock picks, a weak laser cutter, and other miscellaneous but no doubt useful tools. Another was labeled as a basic hacker kit, another an assassin’s kit. Each cost 5000 credits. No doubt if Alan had wanted to be any of those classes, he’d have picked the package up immediately. He continued on.

There were numerous weapons on the next three shelves, from bandoliers of grenades, to modified weapons. None looked especially dangerous or illegal to Alan, but he assumed there was some reason they were being sold back here. Come to think of it though, he hadn’t seen anyone in the main trading hub selling grenades or rocket launchers or other area of effect weapons.

Many of these weapons are built illegally to target specific species or are made by unlicensed weapons manufacturers. Eve let Alan know.

Oh, you need a license to create weapons?

Yes. There are many guilds and regulating agencies within the Game that enforce many such laws in “civilized” space. However, such politics are not necessary to learn about now while we’re undergoing the Tutorial.

Um, okay.

Along the next few shelves there were an assortment of items, from armor to weapons to tools to machine parts. All of which had clearly been gathered through “different means.” In other words, stolen. Nothing in particular stood out to Alan. Many items still had a label on them, “Owned by AlienPwnage” or “Owned by US.Agent.33AE2″. He probably didn’t want one of those items, as he’d have trouble explaining where he got it.

Any ideas, Eve?

This weapon seems suitable.

Eve highlighted a small blade embedded in a weapons rack next to the far wall. Alan walked up over to it, examining its description.

“Modified Laser Knife (Rank C):

Once a laser wire cutter, this tool has been modified into a powerful, makeshift knife. Capable of cutting through most materials once the laser field has been activated. Unfortunately, power required to activate the laser blade is quite high, with a fair amount of energy leakage.

Regular damage: 15-20 Laser damage: 225-335

(+100 bonus shield damage modifier, +500 penetration while laser activated)

20 Energy, 2 Energy/sec used while laser is activated, 1 Energy/min regen.

88/100 Durability. Energy Melee Weapons (Basic) Recommended, 4500 credits”

Uh, that seems rather OP. I also don’t have the recommended skill.

The highest damaging human sniper rifles Alan had examined did around 75 damage, although there were bonus multipliers if you got a headshot. The higher end alien laser rifles available at the Hub did 300-400 damage a shot, but cost tens of thousands of credits. Unlike human weapons, most alien weapons were energy based, using cold fusion batteries, thus you didn’t need to spend additional money on ammo. You just needed to wait for them to recharge.

Melee laser weapons tend to deal much more damage. While you may be able to take a shot or two of plasma, you would take much more damage if someone cut you with a weapon capable of cutting through steel. My direction and your Knife Fighting (Basic) skill should be sufficient for you to wield this weapon effectively. Combined with the Revenant Armor’s invisibility, we should be able to practically one-shot any enemy.

Alright, I’m all aboard with that plan.

Similar to the power armor, once he was holding the laser knife Eve was able to connect to it somehow, allowing him to activate the laser edge with a thought. Normally, the knife looked similar to a basic combat knife made with some dark grey alien metal alloy, but when the laser was activated its blade was outlined in a red glow and the knife looked like a miniature, bladed lightsaber. Alan tried activating the laser knife while he was invis, but unfortunately the glowing red wasn’t dimmed at all, clearly revealing him. That meant he’d need to activate it once he was right next to an enemy, or already stabbing them.

Like most of the items in the trading hub, the knife didn’t have a level requirement, which Alan thought was a bit odd for a game. Most items simply had recommended skills to use them effectively.

According to my item database, only rare and powerful items rank B and above have requirements to wield. Many of those requirements are skill or attribute requirements rather than level requirements. Items are also much more important when determining ones strength, at least compared to most games. A very well geared level one player would most likely be capable of fighting on par with a poorly geared, equally skilled level 1000 player.

Huh, interesting. I guess that makes credits much more important, and again explains their real life value, especially if all these different factions need to fund in-game armies.

Having selected the item he wanted, Alan exited the shop, invisible. He briefly considered trying to rob the place, but the shopkeeper probably had underworld connections or something along those lines, along with hidden security. As soon as Alan stepped outside the store, a message popped up, letting him know the Revenant Power Armor and Modified Laser Knife were now bound to him.

What exactly does that mean?

An unbound item rank E or above will always drop upon death, while any item rank A or above will also always drop upon death, even if it’s bound. Any bound item Rank B or below will not drop upon death. Items are usually bound to a player after purchase or significant use. Items may have modifiers that effect these properties. A bound item may not be traded away or sold, and it costs credits to get an item unbound. If items are left unattended by their owner for a period of time, they also become unbound.

Interesting… what rank is the Revenant Power Armor by the way?

I am uncertain, as the item was not in the item database provided. I would guess it was rank C or B, however.

Hmmm, alright.

Alan made his way outside of the trading hub, keeping a vigilant eye out for any suspicious activity, even though Eve would probably notify him before he noticed anything. The rebels were up to something here, he just didn’t know what.

As San Francisco is a major supply port, they are most likely attempting to sabotage the military base and supplies.

Huh, interesting. What do you suggest we do?

… Too many variables. There are a few clear choices, yet they would result in vastly different consequences.

Oh? What are the choices?

Firstly, we could immediately alert the military, no doubt earning us favor. Unfortunately, they may not believe the threat to be credible, and as an outsider our rewards may not be as great or we may even be detained for questioning. Additionally, the Dark Merchant would most likely revoke our black market status and put a bounty on our head. He is undoubtedly connected to a strong faction.

Secondly, we could attempt to join these rebels, potentially with a backup plan of betraying them to the United World Government. The outsider uncertainty applies as well here, perhaps even doubly so, as they are a clearly underground group. Their connections are dubious as well.

Thirdly, we may try to anonymously sell this information, which is most likely what the Dark Merchant will do. However, the chance of detection is rather high.

Finally, we may either simply wait and see what happens, taking advantage of the chaos caused, or return to base. There is still the second wave in the Survival Test, whatever it may be, which we should prepare for. These last two options are the most neutral.

Wait, what do you mean, factions? And why are you calling that merchant a Dark Merchant?

… Very well, I will need to explain a portion of the information I have gained. Please proceed to the designated point and deactivate your armor’s ability.

Alan followed Eve’s directions, cutting into an office building a few blocks away from the trading hub, crouching underneath the reception desk before deactivating the armor’s invisibility, but maintaining his stealth ability.

Based upon news about current events and the information provided by the Thought Emporium, there are a few major factions that we are likely to encounter. First of all, the various humanoid governments. The Haxlardian Empire, whose ship we will respawn in, are a local* alien empire, controlling the space that Earth is in, including but not limited to the majority of the Milky Way Galaxy. They are ruled by a council of seven. As you have no doubt noticed, they all wear masks, which show off status and rank. Higher level masks provide them with various stats and abilities. On average, Haxlards are twice as strong as humans, while Ultihaxlards are ten times as strong.

The Unified World Government, which you are undoubtedly aware of, is the government that was hastily erected in order to meet the requirements for humanity to join the Game. Their place within the scheme of things is fairly uncertain, both in terms of Earth politics and intergalactic politics, as there are many places on Earth which do not acknowledge their authority. The rulers and rules of the UWG are still in fluctuation. Currently, the primary backers and authority in the UWG is the USA and its NATO allies.

Alan yawned. Politics had never really been his thing, but he should probably try to pay attention.

The Imperial Realms, or the Empire as it is commonly referred to, are an empire of around 30 life-sustaining worlds ruled by a single, enigmatic emperor. The Empire is predominantly humanoid and is constantly at war in attempts at expansion. They are currently rumored to be gearing up for another large scale war, however it is still unknown who their target is.

Most of the Democratic Realms, or the Republic, are a series of approximately 100 planets with semi-interconnected governments, similar to the European Union. The ins and outs of Republic politics are even more complicated however, and enemies as well as allies are constantly shifting. For example, should one planet be invaded, it is not guaranteed that other planets will even be required to respond, depending upon too many variables to list. There are chunks of 10-50 planets which do have collective defense treaties in place within the Republic, as well as a 20 planet collective not in the Republic which are known as the Pirate States… GET UP.

Huh? What? Why’d you stop? Alan had ended up lying down on the floor, and had started nodding off.

Your concentration clearly began to slip. I will endeavor to make the remaining information more succinct.

Um, right, sorry. Just a broad overview seems fine to me, you don’t need to go into much detail, although I’ll try to pay attention when you do.

Very well, please do, as these points may become quite important as we continue in the Game. Also, for your information, this has been a broad overview. The Game, unlike most other games you have played, does not have fake, pretty, oversimplified governments created by some game designer to simply create interesting lore or quests. Instead, it has actual governments that exist and influence the known universe. Now, rounding out the humanoid governments, there are a series of chaotic or neutral planets under no one’s control, as well as a few outliers without any allies, mostly located in the far outreaches of space or mostly inhospitable planets.

Now, I was going to go into more detail around the various theories and other such information, but seeing as you have such a short attention span, I will simply outline the predominant theory about why the majority of alien species are in fact humanoid, or human-like in appearance and behavior. It is known that the Predecessors and Lord of Life fought in a war which resulted in the creation of the Game. It is believed, based upon inference from interaction with Predecessors, that the Lords of Life sent out a series of ships to planets they calculated were likely capable of containing life. These ships caused the eradication of the species currently on the planet, and would ensure the evolution of a humanoid species. Earth scientists are speculating whether or not the meteor that supposedly wiped out the dinosaurs may actually have been such a ship. The Lords of Life planned on using these humanoid species to aid them in war, but how they planned on doing so is uncertain, as they have disappeared to who knows where.

With the Lords of Life disappearance after the creation of the Game, many would expect the Predecessors to quickly become the predominant power. However, they have remained content with their own few worlds, only venturing out to raid other planets for fun or to gather new species. Their sheer physical ability outstrips nearly every other known species in the universe, leaving many to wonder how exactly the Lords of Life fought them to a standstill. The entirety of earth would have trouble defeating a single squad of 10 Predecessor Patriarchs. They primary deal with the biological side of things and disdain technology.

The Revenants are not exactly a species per say, but, as I previously told you, they are a faction that worships an ancient machine race, the Architects. Little is known about the Architects other than they are the basis for the majority of the technology the Revenants use. The Revenants come from many species, yet all are at least part machine. Their home planet, or planets, is in unknown space, as they are often seen at the far reaches of space searching for ancient artifacts or technology. Their technology is generally the most advanced in the Game.

Finally, of course, there are numerous exceptions, oddities and bizarre coincidences, but seeing as you can’t handle the details, I’ll spare you this information. There are countless other species, groups, and bands of people or things, but these are the primary governments of power. Now, moving on, there are the Guilds, which span all species, governments and worlds.

Wait, a guild isn’t considered a government?

No, they are a separate entity, at least according to the Game. Yet, even though guilds are in a different category, they are no less important or influential as many of the governments I discussed. A major top ten guild may be just as or even more influential than, say, the Empire. Additionally, guilds may control a planet or planets, similar to how a government may, but the rules concerning how a guild rules a planet and how a government does are completely different. The various circumstances around the planet can vary a lot too, of course. There are certain planets which are unable to be conquered, at least through war, such as Khersath, which is considered by most the capital of the humanoid races. Khersath is essentially a PvP-free zone, where all the various humanoid governments and guilds interact. The interplay between guilds and governments can be quite interesting, as for instance your guild may end up going to war with the government you are a citizen of, and, once more, the specific circumstances of the situation would determine whose side you could or could not take. Of course, many of the major guilds are simply arms of the various governments.

Alan’s head was beginning to hurt.

Now, moving on, the major guild groups. There are the Mercenary Bloc, the Alliance Allies, the Empire’s Legions, Humanities’ Saviors, the Knights of Justice, the Revenants of Progress, the Explorer’s Guild and the Independents, just to name a few primary groups. Going into more detail-

A series of explosions suddenly went off in the distance, rocking the building Alan was in. Alan activated the Revenant armor’s invisibility, and raced outside, never more thankful for a series of potentially harmful and devastating terrorist attacks.

Ok, just remember, things are very, very complicated, and the universe is a large place! Thus, you should leave political dealings and faction/guild choices to me, I’ll be able to calculate our best interests better than you can, Eve shouted into Alan’s mind, but he wasn’t paying attention anymore.

Outside, it was chaos. It seemed more like a full on invasion rather than a simple terrorist attack. Alan watched as hundreds of people fled downtown, while hundreds more were heading downtown in military vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Planes flew in from above, and a series of spaceships materialized out of nowhere in the sky, firing upon various buildings and each other.

Head upstairs for a better vantage point.

Alan readily agreed with Eve this time, and he ran into the building, racing up the stairs as adrenaline pumped through him. At the top of the twentieth floor, he darted into the corner office with a window facing the action. Below, it seemed like a fleet of ships had appeared out of nowhere in the bay, and were launching a series of attacks from the waterfront, while a few well placed explosions had knocked out various anti-ship defenses that had been set up by the United World Government military. There was so much smoke and fire everywhere that Alan couldn’t tell what was really happening.

This is our chance. Eve whispered into Alan’s mind, almost sinisterly.

What?

As I outlined beforehand, this seems like a good chance to take advantage of the chaos, and acquire both items and experience we need.

And exactly how do you plan on doing that?

Eve highlighted a number of nearby buildings.

There have been sniper shots from the highlighted buildings. Should we sneak up on one of the snipers, we should be able to easily assassinate them and take their gear. We may simply disguise these killings as the work of the Legion of Man, and no one should be the wiser. Unlike in most games, unless an action can be directly attributed to you, it has no bearing on your faction standing, except in certain scenarios, such as an officially declared war or battle.

I don’t know…

If you wish to become an effective, efficient mercenary you will need to start making such morally grey choices that benefit you. Think of the snipers as simply a rare mob that have a special drop item you need. Also, you didn’t seem to have much issue with buying stolen goods.

Alan began to try to formulate an argument with Eve in his head, but then, mulling it over , decided that it was in his best interests to try to take out a sniper for their weapon. Besides, it wasn’t like a single sniper would change the course of the battle, they’d respawn once they were killed, and he’d pay the United World Government back once he was done with the Tutorial. Conscious clear, Alan descended the stairs carefully, debating with Eve which building he should target.

A few minutes later, Alan approached the building he and Eve had decided upon. It was on top of a hill, on a street further away from downtown, towards the Presidio, where the tutorial base was. Thus, if something went wrong, Alan could flee in the direction opposite what most people would anticipate, away from the Legion of Man forces rather than towards them. The battle, off in the distance, was still going strong, with more laser fire and reinforcements arriving every minute. Where a rebel group Alan had never heard of before was getting such firepower Alan had no idea, but then again maybe the group only existed within the Game.

Alan was about to step into the lobby of the multistory apartment building, when-

HALT.

Alan halted.

There are motion detectors set up to detect if someone enters the building.

Two small devices besides the doors into the building were highlighted, showing a red screen surrounding the entrance which Alan assumed was the field Eve detected. As Alan looped around outside the building, he saw that the detection field surrounded the entire first floor. Well, so much for that plan.

Negative. Proceed to the fire escape.

Eve highlighted an fire escape on the side of the building that Alan hadn’t noticed. The detection field didn’t expand outside the building, at least as far as he could see. The only problem was that the fire escape was 15 feet off the ground.

You should be capable of leaping up and climbing onto it.

Well, Alan was definitely feeling stronger than he’d ever been before, and if Eve told him he could do it, he probably could. It might just hurt a lot. He walked underneath the fire escape, and leapt up with all his might. To his surprise, his fingers managed to brush against the bottom of the un-extended ladder. After a few more leaps, Alan managed to catch on to the edge of the fire escape and pull himself up. The metal squeaked and shifted a bit as it bore the brunt of his weight, but it didn’t give way.

Alan traversed up the fire escape to the 7th floor, the floor below where Eve calculated the sniper to be, remaining invisible all the while. He’d been maintaining his invisibility for about an hour total since getting the power armor, taking into account the regained energy, thus he was left with 200 shield energy. It was 2:13 p.m., with a bit over three hours left until the next round in the Survival Test. That meant the shields wouldn’t be done regenerating by the time the round began, but oh well.

So, um, why’d you have me stop on the 7th floor?

You will attack the sniper from below, cutting out the floor beneath the sniper, silently, quickly and carefully, at my direction. How did you expect to get to the sniper? Climb in through the window they’re shooting out of, or through the door that’s no doubt booby trapped?

Alan, who had actually been considering climbing around the outside of the building, replied, No. But wouldn’t maybe coming from above make more sense?

Negative, I have pinpointed their location, and the drop should be disorienting enough for you to finish them off.

Alright.

The window to get into the building from the fire escape was of course locked, but Eve assured Alan that he could cut through it with the laser knife, and the alarms were all turned off as the building no longer had power.

Alan took out the knife, and, sure enough, once activated it cut through the glass and metal like it was butter. As he cut a man-sized hole into the side of the building Alan smiled with glee. It was like his fantasy of wielding a lightsaber was coming true! Unlike a lightsaber however, the knife didn’t make a low buzzing sound, or any noise at all, actually. That was probably because of the modifications.

Unfortunately, as the laser portion of the knife could only last for 10 seconds, and it took seven seconds to cut through the window, Alan had to wait a few minutes before he could take on the sniper. Eve told him to be patient, so she could triangulate where exactly the sniper was. Somehow, using the slight movements and noise Alan heard above, in addition to the occasional laser shot Alan could see shoot out from above him towards downtown, Eve created a red silhouette of where the sniper was shooting from. Apparently they were in the corner of the room above, resting their rifle on a desk to steady their aim.

Following Eve’s directions, Alan made a series of cuts in the ceiling, and, three seconds later, with a resounding crash, the entire floor of the room above collapsed inwards into the room Alan was standing.

LEAP BACK. Alan leapt back into the hallway, leaving the door open, deactivating the laser knife and reactivating his armor's invisibility. He watched as a figure in camouflage colored power armor collapsed onto the floor and begun to bring out a laser pistol sidearm with his right hand. The sniper had around 2000 HP left after the fall, but no shields for some reason. Their level was a series of question marks. Alan followed an outline Eve provided, planning on simply running up and beheading the sniper. Somehow, when he was a few feet away, the sniper detected him, and began firing laser shots wildly in his direction. With Eve’s help, and due to the snipers disorientation, none of the shots hit.

Deactivating his armor's invisibility field, Alan powered up the laser knife as the sniper lifted up his left arm, a small round blue shield appearing on the sniper’s forearm. With Eve’s help, Alan managed to feint downwards at the sniper’s left leg as he suddenly shifted the knife to his left hand and sliced into the Sniper’s right arm, holding the pistol. He activated and deactivated the knife as he did so, making it disappear and then reappear out of nowhere. The sniper let out a scream of pain as he dropped the pistol in his right hand, his HP shrinking down to 1600.

As the sniper tried to jerk himself away, Alan thrust the knife into the sniper’s chest just as the laser knife ran out of power. Luckily, Eve had been aiming for the heart, and the soldier died in seconds even as he managed to throw Alan off of him, as his heart had ceased functioning.

Panting, Alan stared down at the body and rubble as a string of messages popped up.

“x10 Bonus xp for slaying an enemy over 100 levels higher while you’re under level 100, taking 0 damage in the process!”

“x14 Level up!”

“Gained over 10 levels with one kill! +10 bonus ability points”

The soldier had been over a hundred levels higher… how had Alan even managed to kill him?

As I mentioned, items are often more important than levels. Additionally, in order to avoid detection he had his energy shields turned off. While we were able to detect where the laser shots came from, that was only due to my unique capabilities, and the fact that I am actually capable of slowing down your perception of time, essentially speeding up the rate at which your brain processes information. Additionally, as a sniper most of his abilities, items and stats are most likely dedicated to long range fighting, thus as we were up close and personal, we were able to take him out.

Alright, well, good job.

Alan smiled as he walked over to the body, excited to see the loot the sniper dropped. It seems as though most of the sniper’s items had been bound, but he dropped his sniper rifle, which was all Alan cared about.

“Reaper’s Scythe (Rank B):

A powerful, high-damage plasma sniper rifle developed by Reaper Industries. With a high critical multiplier and shots of plasma capable of evaporating multiple enemies, reap your enemies on the battlefield. As a weapon of war, this item has changed hand countless times.

Damage/sec: 425-500 x8 Multiplier on headshots x2 Multiplier on other vital shots

150 Energy, 5 Energy/shot, 25 Energy/min regen.

74/150 Durability. Energy Ranged Weapons (Basic) and Sniping (Basic) required.

Energy Ranged Weapons (Intermediate), Sniping (Intermediate), Energy Efficiency (Basic) recommended.

Drops upon death.”

Unfortunately, Alan needed still needed the Energy Ranged Weapons skill to wield it, but he was sure he’d be able to buy the skill with the over 88 ability points he had to spend on skills. Also, the fact that it would drop upon death was sort of disappointing.

As Alan rummaged around, searching for additional items, Eve told him:

Incoming targeted transmission. Do not respond. Whoever is on the other side will be able to hear whatever you say aloud.

“James? What’s your status!? We have reports of some sort of building collapse, and you aren’t responding in the party chat.”

Alan, thinking he’d be clever, said aloud, in his best evil villain voice, “The Legion of Man leave no survivors!” Just as Eve shouted into his mind, NO.

“What!? Who is that? AI389, cross examine that voice with our database.”

A mechanical voice said, “Examining… Match found.”

Not sitting around to hear anymore Alan raced outside of the building, invisible. He continued running back towards the base. Glancing behind him, he saw a military jeep approach the building he’d just left. Thinking he was in the clear, Alan continued to run along, back to the base, when a message popped up.

“The Survival Test: Round 2

Antagonizing the locals is never a good idea! As a result of a member of your group’s actions, the local United World Government has determined you are hostile. Survive the company they are sending your way.”

It was shortly followed by:

“Second Wave: Initiate United World Government Marines, Lvl 50

Enemies remaining: 200

Time until arrival: 0:32:08″

Alan winced. The others definitely weren’t going to be happy, but, well, he’d gotten 15 levels and an awesome weapon, right?

You will most likely be determined an enemy of the United World Government, a wanted terrorist.

Oh.

Author's Note:

One of these days I'll get a chapter out on time :P. I also need to create tables for quests/item descriptions... Hope you liked the chapter, please rate if you haven't yet!