“Tootsie.” I tried to calm myself. I was back in the jungle. I could smell the swamp. Feel the sticky hot air. I imagined the mega snake creeping up on me now. This was all real, too real. “How do I get out of this thing?”

“This is an open-world RPG, you are free to explore the furthest reaches of Visceral.” Tootsie grinned an all too large grin for her face. At least I was telling myself it, was a her.

“No not out of the swamp Tootsie, how do I get out of the game?”

“Do not worry, no one is shorted one second of their paid vacation. You will remain in the game until your timer is run out.” Her voice was almost mechanical yet there was intellect behind it. She was aware. She wasn’t just answering with programmed responses.

“O.K so I find a safe hole in the ground and wait it out. How long have I been in the game?” A week in the flaming Pit and a day in the swamp, I thought to myself. So maybe another few days and I would be out of this thing. Then I would go straight to my car grab my service pistol and stick it right in the mouth of the sadistic programmer that made this game. No more undercover long-term discrete operation. I don’t care who he knows or what kind of lawyers he has I will get my moment alone with him.

“Six minutes and thirty-four seconds.”

I reached out with both palms and slapped them together gritting my teeth but the creepy little hummingbird was too fast to squash. “Six minutes! I was in that pit for at least a week.”

“Ah my big hairy friend, pain can make a small amount of time seem like an eternity. Don’t worry though time flies when you’re having fun.”

So if I want time to go faster I am going to have to play the game. I felt my vessels pumping lava. I’ll play the game then. I was breathing heavy, enraged. Filling my guts with hate. That’s one thing I could bring out of the game with me. I hadn’t really cared all that much about the missing people. It was just a job when I took the case. Just another notch in my belt toward advancement but now it had become personal. I squeezed my fists until my knuckles cracked. At least I had chosen a brute of a character. This big pig-faced creature I had become could be a vessel of my hate while I did my time down here. I would pummel my way through the weeks. First I had to get out of the swamp though. How could I ever have a moment to think with that giant snake somewhere out in the trees?

“So you are my guide Tootsie?”

“I am indeed.” The hummingbird zipped around before my face.

“So what advice do you have for me then?”

“Well whatever you do, just don’t die.” The hummingbird tipped her little face back and laughed a long, loud, belly laugh.

I stood there. Waiting. Wanting even more to squash the thing. When she finally stopped laughing I cleared my throat. “Tootsie, if I kill a creature in this game do they go down into the pit as well?”

“Oh yes. Most definitely. All must go down to the pit. It is a rite of passage. Everyone must walk the Valley.” Her voice became more somber. It is not that she looked or sounded necessarily like a girl. She could very well have been either. It just made me more comfortable to imagine that she was in fact a girl.

“Have you been burned down there, or are you always a guide?” I asked.

“Everyone must go there. If you die you must ascend back out of the pit. That is the way.” She answered.

Well, I for one would not be going back there. Not one more time. The rest of my “vacation” would be sending evil creatures like that snake down there. Never me again. “You said I had soul points to spend?”

“Would you like to use them now?”

“Yes.”

“Then open the data pad and select where you would like to spend your soul points.”

Following Tootsie’s instructions, I opened my data pad and clicked on the link to spend my soul points. I had five available. The three I had not spent in building my character and two as a reward for ascending from the pit. A skill tree opened up like a hologram before my eyes. I could still see my surroundings but glowing blue symbols floated in the air before my vision. They surrounded me. There were options for melee combat and there were elemental powers. There were symbols for bows and guns. There were crafting skills, building skills, acrobatics, healing, and the list went on and on. I had played a handful of RPG games as a kid and even played a few tabletop games but none near as extensive as the options of this one. I would have liked to stay and investigate the skill list for hours but I didn’t know how close I was to my original spawn point or how long it would be before my friend the snake got hungry again. I would need to choose my skill upgrades carefully. First off I needed to be a lot more difficult to kill. Arcane attribute modification caught my eye. I opened it and found carapace skin level one. it cost me two soul points.

Carapace skin: +4 constitution, cost 2 Manna

I paused after I spent my first two soul points. It would take several levels before I could kill a creature as large as that. I needed another advantage. Speed? Stealth? I began looking through the arcane skill tree more thoroughly. I needed something to tip the scale. Airwalk? No, what if the next encounter is with a flying creature? Furious Feline. I opened the spell for more information.

Furious Feline:

Grow claws and reflexes of a cat for one game hour once per game day. Sacrifice two health points and become a ball of fury. Two mana to cast.

Ever tried to put a cat in the tub? I had an ex-wife that made me do it once. Not recommended. I looked down at myself. I would have to guess I was the size of a six-foot-four pig-faced man in the game, mix that with claws and the anger of a cornered cat. Well, it sounded like the kind of canned rage I was feeling at the moment. I had half a mind to go back and find the snake and let it swallow me again. I would claw its throat out on the way down and make sure it went back down into the pit with me. I wouldn’t though. I hated snakes. Actually, I hated them even more now. I also now had a fear of being swallowed, and a brand new fear of dying in general. I spent the last three points on Furious Feline and closed the data pad. Now finding my way out of the swamp but first I needed to test out my new spells.

Level 2 Orc.

Strength: 16

Dexterity: 10

Charisma: 6

Intelligence: 17

Manna: 5

Constitution: 14

Perception: 14

Exp: 600

Skills: Furious Feline: cost 2 mana,

Dex: +3, Claws, time: 1 hour

Carapace Skin: +4 Constitution,

Cost: 2 Mana, time: 1 hour

Coin:

$350

Gear:

Loincloth