Hello, World!

Chapter 1: Getting Classy

The first thing I noticed entering the world was the cool breeze on my skin. For a moment I kept my eyes closed, and took it all in. There was the smell of fresh grass, the birds sang their little hearts out, and the world felt…. Fresh.

I opened my eyes to find myself standing in one of the many little parks that were scattered throughout Threefold. It was such a familiar sight; I’d spent days just wandering the streets of Threefold, and here I was once again. It was exactly as I remembered and yet so much more. The breeze became a bit more pronounced, and I looked down to see if I was dressed right at least.

Starter clothes... Of course. I giggled a bit at this, for some reason all the starter equipment in any game always looked like crap. I guessed it’s incentive to go out and get better, but really, did it have to be almost falling apart? I’d better get out there and get my class sorted out so that I’d at least be covered a bit more.

Looking around I saw the training areas of Threefold. The Arcane Halls, the Fighting Grounds and the Explorers Tower. I had to stifle a grin as I thought of the Explorers Tower. Although Explorer was an actual class that could be played, the tower was little more than a coverup for the thieves’ guild that was hidden inside.

Before I could set out to any of the three guildhalls, a young man in the official Threefold livery approached me. The town had three signature colors, each representing one of the three races that originally started Threefold.

A muted yellow brownish color represented the humans, the people of the earth. A similarly muted green brought to mind the elves’ forests, and the muted magenta matched the raw sapphires that the dwarves dug from the deep. Each Threefold representative wore one of these three colors, but the distribution was random, to promote unity. The cut of the clothes would differ with each profession that the wearer practiced, but always there was the logo of a triangle folded in on itself, each side colored for one of the three races.

The representative held out a brownish leather backpack to me and said, “Jazz, good to see you made it. I have have these for you.” He turned over backpack to me, and after wishing me good luck in my adventures turned around and went back, undoubtedly to find the next adventurer.

Curiously I looked into the backpack. This was new, nothing like this happened in Beta. Upon opening the backpack I found a few memory crystals. These I did remember; it was a rather elegant way for the game to teach you new skills without you having to spend hours in a training yard. You held the crystal up against your forehead and the memories inside, and with them any matching skills, would be transferred to your character.

It was an ingenious system that was already being used outside of the game as well, to imprint actual real life skills on people without having to spend months training them. You’d still need the aptitude and muscle memory in real life to be able to actually use those skills, but inside of the game that part was handled by your new body. And yes, that did mean that if your body could handle it (and no magic was involved) you could try and apply these skills outside of the game as well.

One by one I held the stones up to my head. A bright flash filled my vision and the crystal dissolved as my mind was filled with images and rushing sounds. I’d obtained my rewards from Beta as the system voice in my head told me

You have been granted the Epic Feat: Pathfinder - You are the most traveled beta player which grants you a [+25% bonus to finding a path to your destination]. Also grants title [Pathfinder]
You have been granted the Achievement: Eagle-eye - You saved the Eagle King despite it not being a quest goal during the Burning Caves raid and are hereby rewarded with extraordinary sight - [enhanced vision]
You have been granted the Achievement: Cat’s Paws - You located a captured lion cub and brought it back through the mountains, deserts and forests to return it to its mother. - [Like a cat you always land on your feet.]
You have been granted the Achievement: Silent Tread - Your passage through many an enemy camp unseen has taught you to [walk quietly]
You have been granted the Achievement: Nimble - Your climbing, scampering, jumping and crawling has payed off. [+5% to any dexterity related activity]
You have been granted the Achievement: Early Access
You have been granted the Achievement: Hello World!

That was odd. Two achievement rewards without any explanation. Early access could refer to me getting in the game before time, but five minutes wasn’t something to write home about, even it was twenty in game. Bit odd for a reward. And the Hello World! Achievement made no sense at all. Ah well, I decided I would figure it out later, for now I’d need to continue to the training areas to get my first class skills.

I swung the backpack onto my back and headed straight to the Explorers Tower. I had no interest in playing a fighter, nor was the studious mage or cleric something that caught my interest. I wanted to continue doing what I did in Beta, and that was to explore the world. And the best skills to overcome any obstacle, be it through climbing, jumping, tightrope walking or crawling, were gained through the “Explorer” classes.

I took a better look at the tower as I headed towards it. It was a bit different than Beta too. A total of 6 floors. No wait, make that 7. It was a bit hard to spot but there was an extra layer of windows that were carefully hidden. Quite ingenious, the windows above and below had been shifted down and up a bit to mask the difference in height between the “visible” floors.

I walked into the tower and walked straight past the Explorer stall. Against the back wall of the room was a locked door. They moved the key to the door since Beta, but it took me only a few seconds to spot the new location. I grabbed the key, unlocked the door and made my way up the stairs.

Each floor had its own theme. The first, or ground floor had the Explorer class, the 2nd floor had Acrobats, the 3rd floor had Thieves, the 4th Assassins, the 5th Nightblades, the 6th Ninja’s and the.. Wait, where was the 7th floor? I traced my steps back and was able to notice the difference in the stair lengths, but the 7th floor was not there.

I went back outside to double check my earlier observation. Standing a bit closer now, and knowing what to look for, there was no doubt that there was indeed an extra floor. I circled the tower twice when my eye fell on the ivy that went up to the 2nd floor. Where the ivy stopped a few of the stones stuck out just a bit further. I took a quick look around. This was the back of the tower; there were no nearby buildings or windows on this side that would allow others to easily spot me. Also it was still early morning, and the sun was just about to rise. There were enough shadows that I was decently certain I could climb up unseen.

I had no intention of getting caught. This game did actually have jail time, and being caught on my first day ingame and not being able to play for whatever time the sentence would be, was not how I wanted to spend my time here. So looking around to see that there were no witnesses I climbed up the ivy, the stones, over to the camouflaged windows. A quick glance showed that the window was barred, but there was a lock on it.

I took in my surroundings. The front door of the guilds usually had the tools needed to enter nearby. For Mages it was a spell to open the door, for the Fighters’ guild there was an assortment of weapons to challenge the guardian, and for the Thieves’ guild you had to find the key to enter. As this was part of the guild tower, a solution had to be nearby.

Peeking through the bars I spotted the solution on the table behind them and upon said table, just out of reach there lay a single hairpin. I removed my backpack from my back, squeezed it through the bars, and swung it from the handle. When it was over the hairpin I dropped so it lay upon the table, and dragged it towards me, pin and all.

Now I hadn’t officially gotten the lockpick skill yet, but the game allowed for untrained actions and I did do a lot of lockpicking in Beta. So after I unfolded the hairpin and fumbled a bit with the lock it sprung open. I opened the bars and climbed in the window, ready to explore whatever secret was hidden behind.

For a moment I could not see a thing as my eyes quickly adjusted to the relative darkness of the room. As my eyes vision returned the first thing I noticed were the sheets of paper covering the walls. All across the walls were maps, portraits, sketches and notes. Pins connected with wires, charcoal lines drawn across them. There was a slight draft that occasionally animated the papers.

Behind a desk sat a rather lean man of an indistinct age. He wore a grey greenish outfit with a high collar, brimmed glasses and had a wholly unremarkable face. “Welcome recruit. I did not quite expect anyone to find me just yet. Would you please lock that window behind you by the way? Oh, and put the pin back for any other recruits.”

He waited patiently as I locked the windows and put the pin back. When I faced him again he spoke once more. “Your name is Jessica, although you go by Jazz here. We know you have lived behind a mask for most of your life, we know of your pursuits in a world much like this one. We know many things, and it is pleasing to inform you that you have not disappointed us.”

“Who is ‘us’?” I asked.

“Who do you think we are?” he asked in return. I took another look at the room we were in and took it all in.

“Spies? That much seems kinda obvious. But who for? The thieves? The guard? The council?” I guessed. The man smiled thinly and waited for me to go on. I took another moment to scan for more details. There was a ring on his hand, a letter on his desk, and a coat hanging on a hook.

“You’re working for the council. Councillor Taden to be precise. This world is still unfamiliar, even to the natives, and you are the intelligence agency tasked with gathering information in an inconspicuous manner.” I replied after a few moments.

“Okay, color me impressed lass. That’s a bit more than I had expected you to learn. Mind sharing how you gathered all this?” he asked.

I had used my enhanced vision to take in the extra details, the signet on the ring, the pockets of the coat and the text of the letter. “Well sir, The letter on your desk came from Councillor Taden with the task to map and explore the region. The ring on your finger bears the same sigil as the letter does, telling me you are actually employed by that faction. Now you could still have been a family member or something, but your coat has a receipt for equipment from the council sticking out the pocket.”

He burst out laughing. “You’ll do lass, you’ll do! I’m guessing you have cheated a bit with some special ability, but that’s no problem at all. We use all the means at our disposal to get the job done. You’re hired, should you choose to accept the job. You’ll be a Scout and your task will be to gather intelligence of all kinds on our world. You’ll be asked to map out areas, to find the weak spots on specific targets and to intercept communications. To infiltrate and to walk unseen.”

Hearing this I was almost bouncing in place. I was just told that I could advance in this game doing what i loved to do most. “I accept, sir!”

“I’m glad to hear that, from what I just witnessed I would’ve hated to let you go. Here are your memory crystals,” he said as she pushed a small collection of crystals in my direction, after which he reached under his desk, “and here is your starting equipment.”

I immediately held the crystals up to my head and felt the new knowledge seeping in. A light chiming sound came from my bracelet. As I looked upon its display it showed me my new stats.

Class: [Threefold Scout]
LVL = 1
HP = 350
AP = 350

STR = 10
CON = 11
DEX = 12 + 5% bonus
INT = 12
WIS = 9

[Backstab]
Stabs at vitals of opponents for 600% damage.
Requirement: Must be in stealth, Must be behind target, Must have fought this creature type 5 times before if not base race.
Cost 6 AP
Duration 1.5 secs avg

[Tumble II]
Vault and tumble over your opponent, disorienting them for a moment allowing you a 3 second stealth time after landing behind the opponent.
Cost 18 MP
Cast 3 secs avg
Special: Can be used out of combat to clear hurdles of a max of 10ft / 3m

[Dirt Kick]
Kick dirt in the opponent's face disorienting them a moment. 3 second stun, does not grant stealth.
Requirement: rubble, sand, loose stone or other things that can be kicked up. If dropped by scout, add 1 second.
Cost 6 AP
Cast Time: 1 sec avg

[Lockpick]
Open locks of shabby quality with the use of tools.
Requirement: suitable tools
Time: 10 sec-5min depending on lock, lockpick and concentration.

“Huh.. Tumble II? Isn’t that a bit much for starting new?” I asked the still nameless man. I really did have to ask again who he was before I left. He looked puzzled for a moment before he browsed his papers. “Ah, I see. Your pre-existing experience with tumbling superseded the memory crystal. We have great expectations of you miss Jazz, I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Now, go get dressed properly, “ he said while pointing at a changing screen, “and we can set you up with your first contact.”

I grabbed the clothes offered and hid behind the screen to change. I hesitated for a moment. I could have just used the interface to link the backpack to my inventory, put in the clothes and “apply” them through the display on my bracelet. But it seemed like a shame to do it that way. I had this wonderful new body, that just felt so right on all accounts. I wanted to experience it all, so I undressed and dressed the old fashioned way.

Clothes in unfolding world online were a wondrous thing. Everything was oversized. Like, way oversized. All clothing, and armor for that matter was big enough that a half-orc would fit into them. One size fits all. Ok, so I hear you thinking, that's like, really uncomfortable for smaller people, right?

Wrong.

After donning said clothes all you needed to do was tap your bracelet and they would adjust to the proper size. Always fitting well, always looking good. There was some lore behind this feature. I know I’ve read a book on it in Beta, but really, who remembers boring shit like that? The effect was what was important, and the effects were stunning indeed.

When I tapped my own bracelet and the clothes shrunk to size, I noticed something odd. Something stuck between my toes, and the lack of a proper sole beneath my feet. “Are you sure these are the proper boots? They don’t seem right…” I asked stepping into view from behind the screen.

“Ah yes, these are new here. These shoes offer all the protection that normal shoes do, but offer way more traction when doing active stuff like climbing. They do take a little getting used to, but once you do I assure you you’ll never want to go back to regular shoes. They are brilliant for our line of work. By the way, there’s a mirror over there if you want to admire our handywork.”

Putting on the oversized pieces of cloth really hadn’t allowed me to get a proper look at what it was I was actually putting on, and the effect was great. It was still low level clothing of course, so it was nothing to write home about. Yet it still felt right. This was the garb of my chosen profession and it looked good on me.

The special leather boots looked like normal boots from a small distance; the pants looked to be cloth but while putting them on I had noticed the leather reinforcements. The sweater was skin tight, and had the same reinforcements as the pants. The collar though was interesting. When down it draped over my shoulders and bosom like a comfy shawl, but fold it open and it became a hood that would nicely hide my face. Two belts hung crisscrossed over my hips, with many hooks and notches to hang tools and pouches on. Finally a leather jacket finished the look. The jacket was short but loose hanging, allowing for many pockets and hiding bulky objects underneath in plain sight.

From a glance it looked like a simple outdoor outfit, but it really was both very comfortable and functional, offering protection and flexibility. “Great, everything in order then? Your contact can be found sporting the Threefold sigil and a crow, and resides in select inns across the world. Tell them the crows are ranging far this year. Now scoot, I think the next recruit is scaling the wall, I’m curious whether he’ll get in. It was nice getting to know you miss Jazz, have a great day and goodbye!”

He ushered me out the door and it slammed shut behind me. I found myself in a small room with only a door and a shuttered window. The door behind me had no handle to grab onto, so it seemed the window was once again the way to go. I lifted it open and climbed out. The shutter fell shut behind me, leaving no trace from the outside that there actually was a window.

I shrugged and started to climb down, my mind already made up to find the contact in the inn and see if he had an assignment for me, when a chiming sound pinged from my bracelet. “Hello, World!” was featured in large friendly letters on its display. As I was preoccupied with the meaning of this message, my foot located a foothold and I set down my boot so that the sole would hook on and transferred my full weight. I was warned that I would need to get used to this new type of shoe and the first thing I did was forget all about the warning!

For a fraction of a second it felt like I was suspended in the air, much like those old cartoon characters who had to realise that they would fall before they actually did, and my mind went into overdrive. My enhanced vision showed me a rock sticking out of the wall, a nearby flag, a blind wall and a market stall’s cloth cover. I twisted around and let myself fall until I reached the stone, kicked off against the stone and shot away from the tower, crossing the street 5 stories below.

At about 4 stories height I altered my course by grabbing the flagpole. My hands and arms throbbed from the sudden strain on them, but I managed to swing a 90 degree arc on the flagpole before letting go to sail to my next target.

Once again I sped over the street, this time twisting my body so I was facing down. My feet touched the blank wall at about the 3rd floor and I crouched on it for a mere moment to break the momentum. Slowly my mind started to catch up with what I was doing and it started to scream at me wildly for the stupid shit I got myself in this time. But this was not a place to stop, and before I could start sliding (read falling) down that wall I pushed off with all my might.

As if sprung from a spring I straightened out and took off again. I rolled my body in the air to land with my back on the cloth top of the market stall. The wood creaked as the cloth took my weight and for a moment I was afraid that either the cloth would tear or the wood break, but instead it launched me into the crowd gathered below. One last time I twisted myself through a somersault and landed, on my feet but out of breath between townspeople and players.

Okay, so that just happened…

I peered up at the tower and measured the distance and the path I had traversed, counting my lucky stars. If it hadn’t been for the tumble, the enhanced sight and the cat’s paws I would probably be suffering from resurrection sickness right now. And what was with that weird message? Glancing once again at my bracelet it had disappeared. Bringing my mind back to the present I felt a lot of eyes on me.

Fuck… So much for low profile. I quickly pulled up my hood before people could get a better look at my face. I moved into the crowd, turning at least 3 times in random directions. Then I pulled my hood off and joined the crowd in the search for this amazing acrobat before wandering off toward the inn.

[Tumble +1]