Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 009 - Part 2

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The School of Good Books

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TheirWorld

She hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a small black dot of a tattoo on the inside of her wrist, identical to the one which Biku Biku had pointed out to her during her registration. “Though these defaults are both reliable ways to cast spells, your abilities will not be as strong, fast, or effective as they would be if you learn to apply your will to casting them. In some cases, of course, this doesn’t matter, and it may be less taxing on you as a player to use the simple command words in these cases.”

“Can I cast without words or motions?”

Grimhai hesitated before saying, “It’s not impossible, but unless you have a strong will, it can lead to… undesirable outcomes. Therefore, it is not recommended that anyone try to play without some kind of tangible direction to guide the powers you call up.”

“Undesirable outcomes?”

“You may, for instance, cast the wrong spell. Or, you accidentally cast a stronger or weaker version of the spell you mean to cast. You could even cast on the wrong target, or include allies in your attacks and enemies in your buffs.”

“Hmm,” Guin thought about it, then nodded. “Alright then. What’s next?”

The instructor gave her a few other pointers about various other windows, but for the most part, everything was driven by the same concepts. He gave her various warnings that she had already known about from one source or another, and then he told her this: “A very important note,” Grimhai went on. “While all of the NPCs have a high level of AI, some NPCs are in fact player characters and are employed by Varier Co., and the associated governments. These may be players who rely on TheirWorld technologies to live normal lives, and it is expected that you treat them as people, not programs. There is no way to tell the difference between the two, so it is recommended that you treat all people with respect. NPCs are an integral part of the TheirWorld environment, and it should be understood that any dealings with them can affect the world and it’s stories.”

Guin didn’t want to know how they made that work. She had read that NPCs were so independent that they could spontaneously generate, change, and even delete quests if they wanted to. Some important quest giving NPCs had even taken to wandering around the world so you had to track them down. Others seemed to have been able to go so far as to magically come up with classes that hadn’t been recorded before. Whatever programming nightmare they were a part of, they were given free reign to run the continuously evolving world that was Uldarin.

After acknowledging Grimhai’s teachings, the quest screen notified of the completion her with a ding.

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Accept this quest to begin a series of quests on how to play the game.

You must fulfill the basic five lessons of the teacher Grimhai Kidalmar.

You have finished the first lesson.

UPDATE: The Second Requirement: Listen to Teacher Grimhai’s introduction to skills. Follow his instructions in order to gain a randomized selection of free skills.

This quest is required.>

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One down.

“Now that you have been introduced to the basic mechanics of the game, you are now free to speak to the other teachers in the school, and they will teach you. You will also be able to seek help from more people in town. That said, there are many ways to learn skills and abilities in this game. Then next thing that I will teach you is how to gain, level, and keep track of, skills.”

Guin had a vague idea of how the skills worked - she also knew that there were thousands of people complaining about how difficult the system was to use. The game had already gone through several patches to try and fix it, and make it more user-friendly, but ultimately, the game was simply too complicated.

“In the game, skills cover everything from mundane tasks, to magic and combat. TheirWorld possesses thousands of skills and subskills, and unlike many games in the real world, TheirWorld has no limits on the number of skills you can learn - though there is a deterioration system. Simply put, if you do not use a skill, you lose a skill. Skills have their own levels and experience bars. For every in-game day - eight hours in the real world - you do not use the skill, you lose one point of experience in that skill, for a total of 4 points for every day that passes in the real world - even if you do not log in. I would note that in the tutorial, you can earn skill experience, though not level experience, and the deterioration system is turned off. Once a skill reaches zero experience points, you lose that skill and must build it again from square one.” Grimhai’s explanation made logical sense, and losing four points per day wasn’t a big deal to her. The teacher pulled out a large book. “You receive a skill if you gain one experience point in that skill. You can gain and nurture skills in a variety of ways.

“First, perhaps most obvious and most effective, is by reading,” he tapped his finger heavily on the book. Guin perked up and looked at the massive leather bound tome of maybe a thousand pages. The words ‘Geographical Cryptozoology 3’ was scrawled on the cover in gold lettering. “Let’s use this as an example,” he pushed the book over to her. “This book lists creatures that you can encounter in specific locations. Certainly it is not a complete collection - It is obviously part of a set. Should you read all ten books in the set, you would be, at the most, a master of the topic. That aside, we shall start you on getting to know what you might find in this area. This book covers the whole of our continent, Adoriakana. In it, find ‘White Fox Forest.’”

A smile twitched about her lips as she took the heavy book off the desk and began to look through it. Hand drawn pictures and handwritten words; she kind of wanted to keep it. She found ‘White Fox Forest’ in the glossary and flipped to the proper page. In her peripheral vision she saw Grimhai nodding in approval. There was a picture of a forest, with a three-tailed white fox at its front. Guin was certain that if she could see herself, her eyes would be sparkling.

In her head, she began to read:

White Fox Forest

Considered to be one of the most mysterious and magical forests on Adoriakana, White Fox Forest is said to be home of the Yipva of the Dusk (p. 304), The Grand Bikrin (p. 310), and the Dragon King of the Mist Moon (p. 313). Stories of these powerful entities influencing the forest and those who try to pass through it have influenced the legends and lore of all clans throughout it’s history. Though originally kept by the Noble Clan in keeping with the will of the crown, Emperor Helion Tevithith II turned it over to the Mist Clan in Sharudo 23 (Common Year 1545 A.E.(Arcane Era)) after stories of attacks and hauntings turned from an occasional incident to an epidemic of nightmares, plagues, and missing children. The Mist Clan, with their ability to speak with spirits and walk within the Veil managed to calm the energy of the forest, and since then, the stories have ceased.

Curious, she turned to page 304. Knowing that Yipva and Bikrin were valkyrian names for fox demons and unicorns, respectively, helped her understanding, but the ones they listed were very specific.

Yipva of the Dusk - “Amikavi”

Said to be the mother of all the veil foxes (p. 355) in the White Fox Forest, the powerful, nine-tailed Amikavi, Yipva of the Dusk, is also said to be the reason why the forest is called White Fox Forest. One of the six great Yipva of Uldarin, Amikavi is also called ‘The Storm Fox’, ‘The Kitsune of the Gale’, and ‘Thunder Tail’.

Various legends and folklore surround Amikavi and her rule over the White Fox Forest, but the last recorded sighting of the nine-tails was in Cardin 49 (Common Year 4 P.E. (Primitive Era)). However, there have been sightings of what is presumed to be her tailed children, the three tailed Amisuri, the four tailed Takiravi, the six tailed Liomiori, and the eight tailed Bitaki, all the way up to present day, though these stories are few and far between.

One reason it is said that Amikavi is no longer seen in the forest is that she is out following the great Eastern King of the Veil, the Hie, around as his guardian. This distinction, though implying that Amikavi is no longer a ruler of White Fox Forest, is taken as a matter of pride for those who live in an around the forest, including the Village of Hamorin, the Village of Bade, and the Village of Task.

The book also listed a few actual fables which Amikavi was a part of, but Grimhai cleared his throat, drawing her attention away from reading. On her screen, however, two screens popped up:

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“So many skills…” Guin muttered out loud. Where is one even supposed to begin?