Monstar Saga: Exiled Read online

  Kevin lifted his arm and ran his other hand over it. The scales were smooth to the touch. The physical feedback was remarkable as he felt every scale under his fingertips. He then looked at the mirror and the details were amazing. If he didn’t know he was in a game, he would have thought it was completely real.

  “Would you like to choose a name for your character?” Viz asked.

  Kevin smirked. “Kavan Cynder.”

  Viz nodded. “Your name is now associated with the character. Congratulations!”

  Kevin smiled as he felt like a totally different person and ready to take on the world.

  Viz continued, “Next, I will tell you some of the lore of Voldor before we begin your full character customization. This will give you a better idea of what to expect and help further define your character to fit into the world. Please, stop me at any time if you have any questions or anything needs to be clarified. Do you understand?”

  “I do. Please, continue,” Kavan said while giving his full attention to the angel.

  Viz grinned.

  “The Voldor realm is one of danger and excitement. After the great celestial war, the remaining races…” Viz trailed off and looked to the side.

  Kavan blinked as he stared at the angel. Viz’s head pixelated and returned to normal. Kavan looked at the AI with concern until he saw half her face sag. The angel’s eyes darted back and forth, pieces of her form beginning to pixelate and return to normal. The very field around them turned into jagged edges and then back to normal. The sky shifted colors and the single tree close by, wilted and fell like a wet noodle.

  The virtual world began to shift into chaotic chunks, each piece morphing and rippling.

  An alert flashed across Kavan’s eyes.

  CASCADING SYSTEM FAILURE! PLAYER MUST DISCONNECT! DISSCONNECT!

  Kavan’s heart thudded in his chest as he called up his personal 2D screen. He tried to hit the disconnect command, but the 2D screen flickered and words jumbled into arcane symbols.

  “System! Disconnect me!” Kavan shouted, knowing the game systems had mental and voice commands.

  Kavan’s heart nearly stopped as the familiar log out didn’t happen.

  The world around him continued to morph and ripple into smooth and jagged edges. Viz’s body jerked as she tried to step towards Kavan. She raised her hand up, but it shifted to down and up again in blinking flashes. Her eyes filled with determination as she tried to get closer to Kavan.

  “Power surge detected… I will… I will… I… force player log out…” Viz tried to say as her body pixelated and shuddered.

  Kavan tried to move toward the jagged AI. His limbs moved like molasses as the world around them began to crash. Viz fought against the system failure, reaching out and trying to force disconnect the player. Kavan reached out for her, fear stabbing into his heart.

  No! This can’t be happening!

  Viz’s pixelated fingers were inches from Kavan’s outstretched hand. “Kavan… I… will… save you,” the angel's voice stuttering and shifting in pitch.

  The world around them turned into a chaotic storm. Fingers reached through the chaos, an inch apart. The very air and land rippled. Creatures appeared and disappeared. The moon and sun cycled across the sky in the blur. Roars and screams filled the landscape. The ground cracked and split open around the player and AI.

  Kavan stared through the swirling chaos, Viz stepping closer with protective eyes. Their fingers touched and electricity blasted Kavan’s nerves.

  Time stood still. Kavan stared into Viz’s determined eyes as the world around them swirled into a vortex. Heat and energy covered Kevin’s mind and a pinpoint of light appeared over him. The electrical tension grew and grew, pressing down on Kevin’s soul.

  Viz’s eyes softened into sorrow. “Kavan,” she whispered.

  Kevin’s eyes widened as an energy surge stabbed down into his mind with the force of a sledgehammer.

  Kevin screamed as energy blasted his mind to pieces. It snaked down his spine and into his heart. The energy coiled around the organ and ruptured it into streams of internal bleeding.

  Kevin watched as the light around him died. He fell into the yawning abyss, the last image of Viz touching his hand before it all fell away like ash on the wind.

  Two

  Inky darkness and a strange buzzing filled the void. A thin line of light appeared and slowly opened. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was everywhere. Dark shapes filled the light and pain whispered along a haunted mind.

  Kavan blinked. Cool air touched his face as his eyes tried to focus. With each blink, the world became clearer until he opened his eyes and looked up at leafy tree limbs high above him.

  Kavan stared as he looked past the leaves and branches to patches of gray sky beyond. For a long moment, he did nothing but stare. The cool air pressed down on his face, energizing his senses.

  The young man let out a long sigh. A mental fog wrapped around his thoughts and it was hard to string one thought to another. Faint memories of chaos clawed at him, but he willfully tried to keep them at bay. The memories could not be silenced, clawing closer to him with dread and fear.

  Kavan tried to move, not ready to think about what happened. At first, his limbs didn’t respond. For a brief moment, he feared he was paralyzed. When an arm and then a leg moved, relief washed over him. Muscles filled with energy and Kavan let out a long exhale as he slowly sat up.

  Confusion dimmed as he took in his surroundings. He was beside a dirt road. Trees spread out as far as the eyes could see. The air held a small chill, his misty breath rising up before him. Kavan looked at the floating vapor before he noticed his small, scaly snout.

  Kavan lifted his arm and looked at it. Leather covered most of his arm, but his hand was exposed. He stared at dark red scales along the back of his hand before turning it. The color of his palm was also the same dark burgundy color. Long fingers curled and Kavan stared at the small slits at the end of his fingertips. He then looked down at himself, his body covered in some medieval leather armor, leggings, and boots. Straps crossed his chest and pockets lined the side. A cloak was under him and wrapped around his shoulders.

  Kavan winced and touched the side of his head. The buzzing was slowly fading away, but it was still there. When his fingers touched scales and the edge of a horn, Kavan blinked.

  “Am I still stuck in the game?” Kavan whispered to himself.

  The distant memories came roaring back of Viz trying to log him out during the system failure. Eyes widened and he turned his head to see if the angel was by him.

  The small rustling sound of the breeze through the trees filled the area, but no sign of the angelic AI.

  “System, log me out,” Kavan commanded.

  Nothing happened.

  “System?” Kavan asked.

  Only the sound of swaying trees in the breeze answered back.

  Kavan’s shoulders slumped and he bowed his head in defeat. “I don’t think I’m dead. I feel very much alive. Different, but alive,” he said to himself.

  Kavan shifted his legs under him and slowly stood up. He glanced around, his senses sharp and alert. Scaled hands touched his leather armor and opened side pockets. Fingers fished around each one and each one was empty. His hand reached down to a belt pouch and opened it. Fingers slipped in and again, touched nothing.

  Kavan shook his head. “Wake up on the side of a road and have nothing on me. Not a great start, but at least I’m alive.”

  The dragonkin looked down at his scaled hand again. “I think I’m alive.”

  The buzzing in his head caused him to wince in pain again. Kavan growled as he ignored it and looked to his left and then right alongside the road. Each way stretched on into the distance, but there was nothing else visible.

  “Until I figure out what happened, I better start walking. The game could have reset and systems are slowly coming back online. If I give it a little time, I might be able to access command menus.”


  Kavan nodded and turned to his right. He looked down the long, dirt road. With a deep inhale of fresh air, he lifted a boot and started walking.

  The cool air flowed over the dragonkin as he walked. Glancing to the sky, the sun wasn’t overhead and Kavan felt like it might still be morning. He continued on, taking in the world around him.

  Everything feels so alive. I didn’t know things could be this vibrant.

  Another thought flashed and Kavan nodded to himself.

  My senses may be enhanced because I’m a dragonkin. This could all be a simulation, but it feels so real. I know many companies have upgraded the technology for a better, immersive experience, but this is incredible.

  With every step, Kavan continued to feel better than he ever did before. Even in deep VR, the aches and pains of his actual body still slipped in from time to time. He often had to take his pain meds before a session so he wouldn’t be distracted. Virtual world protocols forbade shutting down sensations from reality. It caused a health concern that users and players could harm themselves if they couldn’t feel outside sensations, or natural internal ones. Worlds used to be so immersive, players forgot to eat real food or disconnected to be sitting in their own urine. The divide between virtual and real caused personal harm and many companies and corporations who dealt with VR worlds agreed to lower some of the threshold protocols.

  “Maybe I feel this way because of the system failure,” Kavan whispered to himself.

  “Kav…”

  Kavan stopped in his tracks. The voice drifted across his mind with a silky touch.

  “Viz?” Kavan said out loud.

  Silence followed.

  She might be booting up. I may be getting out of here soon.

  Kavan began walking again. A long moment slipped by before a sound touched his mind again.

  “Kavan. Can you hear me?”

  Kavan smiled. “Viz, I can hear you. Are you booting up?”

  “I’m not sure what is happening. I’m not connected to the Monstar Saga databases. I can’t access anything. I only feel you and your mind.”

  Kavan noticed the edge of concern in her voice. She seemed calm, but slightly confused.

  “Could it be damage from the system failure?” Kavan asked out loud.

  “I can’t say. Memory is cloudy.”

  “Can you remember anything or access any systems?”

  “Checking.”

  Kavan continued to walk as Viz became silent. The sound of dim crunching of boots on the dirt road was all the dragonkin could hear for a time. The walk had turned into a stroll as Kavan waited patiently for the AI to find some answers.

  A 2D screen appeared in Kavan’s vision and he slowed his step. Words and numbers filled his gaze as he read each line.

  Kavan Cynder

  Species: Dragonkin

  Health: Normal

  Mana: 3

  Attributes

  Strength: 2

  Intelligence: 2

  Dexterity: 3

  Constitution: 3

  Willpower: 2

  Natural Abilities

  Claws

  Regeneration

  Spheres

  Fire: 1

  Skills

  Combat: 0

  Farming: 0

  Mining: 0

  Social: o

  Fishing: 0

  Wood Working: 0

  Metal Smithing: 0

  Kavan lifted a boney eyebrow. “Is this my character stats?”

  “I investigated my capabilities and found I have very limited access. I was able to call up your character sheet, but I can feel that you have the same access and ability to call it up. There is also something else.”

  Kavan studied his character sheet as Viz continued.

  “It’s hard to explain, but I don’t feel like I’m part of the Monstar Saga game system anymore. I feel I’m completely localized to you. The information I see indicates I am in a small area of your brain. I don’t know how I know, but I can read the code, some of it anyway. A large portion of it doesn’t make sense and every time I try to access it, I am denied.”

  “If the system is rebooting, it may take hours before you can access it,” Kavan said.

  There was a long pause.

  “Kavan, I don’t believe we are connected to the Monstar Saga servers. I accessed your senses and everything you are seeing and feeling is reality.”

  Kavan slowed his walk, the words hanging in his mind.

  This isn’t a simulation?

  “No, I don’t believe it is,” Viz answered.

  You can hear my thoughts?

  “I can.”

  This is getting really weird.

  “Yes, very weird. I feel different, like I’m connected to some of your cerebral functions. Parts of me feel alive and other parts feel like I’m a virtual construct. I’ve never felt this way before now.”

  Are you okay? Do you feel any distress?

  “Not at the moment. I feel… fine.”

  Thoughts and possibilities swirled across Kavan’s mind. He continued to walk as questions filled him. The character sheet continued to hover in the corner of his vision and a sliver of panic touched him. Kavan’s mind worked as he needed as much information as he could get and Viz may have some answers.

  “Viz, we don’t know what is happening right now, but maybe we should pool our information. We never finished the tutorial and if we are to find answers, I rather us be ready for anything that may happen. Can you tell me a little more about how stats work?”

  Kavan felt Viz give him a mental nod.

  “I can. Monstar Saga designed a newer stat system to streamline character creation, gain attributes, and improve skills. It is based on a 1-to-12-degree scale. I will display the degree scale to better understand.”

  Degrees

  1: Weak

  2. Average

  3. Above Average

  4. Proficient

  5. Skilled

  6. Advanced

  7. Experienced

  8. Expert

  9. Master

  10. Grand master

  11. Supernatural

  12. God-like

  “Everything your character performs is measured in degrees, from magic to skills. As you can see, starting characters will have weak to average stats. Since you are a dragonkin, you do have some above average stats like your dexterity and constitution. These are connected with your natural regeneration and body abilities.”

  “How can I raise my stats? I don’t see any place to keep track of experience points.”

  “Monstar Saga changed basic experience gathering. Normally you wouldn’t be able to see it, but to reach a new degree, you must use skills and magic associated with it. For example, you have a listing of basic skills. You would have to actually perform those skills, gain knowledge from books or both. A percentage will be calculated and will grow every time you perform those skills and abilities.”

  “Can you give me a better example?”

  “I can. For instance, you have a weak proficiency in your only mana sphere, Fire. If you use it, the percentage to reach the next degree will grow until you achieve your second degree. Currently, I can see your Fire Sphere is first degree. Since you haven’t used it, the percentage to reach the second degree is currently at zero.”

  Kavan lifted a scales hand as he walked and looked at it. “How do I use my mana sphere so I can increase it?”

  “On your character sheet, you have access to three mana points. By using a mana point, you can activate the sphere.”

  Kavan continued to look at his hand. Senses glowed deep within as the dragonkin felt a small pool of energy around his heart. It pulsed like his own heart beat and he felt he could tap into it. Taking hold of the mana within, a large drop broke off and Kavan mentally pushed it to his hand.

  Small sparks shot up from the palm of his hand and in a blink, a small aura of flames erupted.

  Kavan’s eyes widened as he stared at the flames surrounding his s
caled hand. He then looked at the top of his character sheet.

  Kavan Cynder

  Species: Dragonkin

  Health: Normal

  Mana: 2/3

  “Viz, how much of a percentage did my fire sphere increase?”

  “Five percent. From what I can see, using mana spheres is a slower process than increasing your normal skills.”

  “How do you know?”

  The AI was silent for a small moment.

  “I simply know. The integration between us is still a little confusing.”

  Kavan closed his spindly fingers and willed the flames to disappear. The flames instantly vanished, his hand untouched by the flames.

  “At least I can still protect myself in this place, wherever we are.”

  Kavan looked over his character sheet again before mentally pushing it away. It disappeared from view and he continued along the road.

  “We don’t know how dangerous this place may be. Since we are on a road, it should lead to some place. If we don’t find a place soon, we might be spending the night out here and I don’t know how dangerous the wildlife is. I don’t have any supplies, food, or water.

  “Our best chances are to keep on the road or find a stream or river. Towns and settlements are often close to water. If we find civilization, maybe we can get some answers.”

  “How do you know?”

  Kavan nodded to himself, a shadow touching his slitted eyes. “I used to hike and camp a long time ago. I still remember the basics. I can start a fire, even if I didn’t have access to magic. My fire sphere will make it easier to stay warm when it gets dark, but water is our priority. A human can’t go long without water. I don’t know how long a dragonkin can go without.”

  “Twelve point five days. Dragonkin bodies are very efficient. Your race can last two months without food if needed, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The longer you are without food, the more feral you will become.”

  “I know we are still figuring this out, but how do you know that? I thought you lost your connection to the server databases?”

  “I can’t explain it. Some information simply comes to me, like it's buried in my code, if I still have a code.”

  “I really hope this is just a glitch. It’s hard to believe that the game crashed and we were sent to an alternate world. Things like that simply don’t happen.”