Nascent (The Stork Tower Book 1) Read online

  Going through the doorway, she entered a corridor branching left and right with doors spaced at regular intervals. In front of her was a door labelled B01-B40. She opened the door and headed down a stairwell to the floor below. There was a small landing halfway down where she changed direction and then another door at the bottom of the stairs. Opening this door, she was in a similar corridor to the floor above and saw a sign pointing left that read ‘B21-B40’. She turned left. The first door had the number B21 written on it and a keypad near the handle. She kept walking checking all the doors. The corridor made a left turn, and she finally found B34 several doorways down on the right. She entered the room code which unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, Leah opened the door and stepped into the compartment.

  Taking up most of the length of the room was the Pod. It went from floor to ceiling with a glossy black finish and the brand-name ‘DMR’ embossed in big bold white shiny capital letters on the entry panel. Underneath each letter in lower-case were the words ‘dreams made real’. Altogether it was four and a half meters long and came out from the wall two meters. She walked over and brushed her hands against the surface. It was smooth with only faint lines showing where the entrance was. Eager to go ‘virtual’ she quickly checked out the rest of the room. Next to the Pod and taking up the rest of the left side was a small bathroom with toilet, basin and shower. Next to the bathroom was a thin cupboard for clothes and then a single bed along the back wall. Above the bed were some shelves for clothes or books. On the wall opposite the Pod was a bench with a small kitchen facility and a combination washer and dryer. Leah checked the refrigerator and cupboards, but everything was bare. No hangers, linens, cups, plates, or any utensils. If she wanted to stay here overnight, she’d have to gather some things from home. The cost of living here all the time was beyond anything she could imagine being able to afford. Nevertheless, she knew that she would try at some stage.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and queried the AI. “Ok, so what now? Do you have access?”

  “Affirmative! I have completed the necessary checks and am ready to initialise the Neural Interface SIM Pod for your use. It has been serviced and disinfected since the previous occupant. While I finish the initialisation, you should remove your clothing and have a shower.”

  “Do I need to be dry? I don’t have a towel.”

  “Negative. The gel hydrates the body and will deal with any excess water.”

  Leah undressed and had a quick, water only, shower as she hadn’t realised she needed to bring soap.

  When she exited the shower, the Pod entrance began to open automatically. Looking inside, she noticed a flat surface with a pillow shaped bulge at one end.

  “Lay down with your head centrally located on the pillow and close your eyes.”

  Leah climbed into the pod. The surface was spongy and soft. She lay on her back and wriggled to get comfortable. She closed her eyes and said, “Let’s do this.”

  She lay there wondering what was going on.

  “Didn’t it work?” she asked.

  “Open your eyes, slowly.” The voice of the AI sounded different like it was coming from outside rather than inside her head.

  Leah opened her eyes. She was lying naked on a matt grey floor in a square white room with no doors or windows. The ceiling was the same dull grey of the floor.

  “This is your world to create as you want to, it is the first step to enter all other worlds. The default is this simple square room. I have some ability to change things but need input from you and extra data to modify things.”

  “Ok!, can you make the floor green, not grey.”

  The floor beneath Leah changed immediately to green.

  She walked toward one of the walls and placed her hand on it. She could feel the wall: it was smooth. She put her cheek against it and watched her fingers flatten as they pressed against the wall.

  “Can you texture the wall?”

  “I have access to a program which modifies variables relating to the wall such as texture, colour, smell, and taste. Altogether there are 546 parameters involved, and most are set to zero. I have not been provided with any guide to describe how to modify these parameters appropriately, except colour.”

  “Is there anything online you can access and use?”

  “I can search but will need a particular texture name or designation from you.”

  “Can you find anything that would feel like: stone?”

  Almost immediately the AI answered. “There are 487,347 different types of stone textures in the public domain that use the same 546 parameters. Do you have a preference of stone type.”

  “Try granite.”

  “There are 63,786 public domain granite textures available.”

  “Do you have access to any ratings for the textures?”

  “Affirmative, however not all textures have been rated.”

  “Ok, choose the texture with the highest rating and change the wall I’m facing.”

  Suddenly the wall turned silver-grey with dark flecks. Leah ran her hand over it, and it felt rough and hard.

  “All right, that looks great. We need to work on the rest of the room, but I also need to get moving. I have one week to enrol in a full-time study program, and I also have to find a viable long-term income stream. Do you have access to public domain clothing that I can wear? No, on second thoughts, can you give me access to the web and auction sites.”

  “I have complete access and can also provide you with access. There are numerous public domain virtual screens I can add, all of them have advertisements or have different types of malware present. I am prohibited from allowing advertising in this space without your express permission. Do you want me to choose the highest rating free virtual net access for you or would you like me to factor price into the search.”

  “No wonder they call you a PAIN AI, nothing is straightforward,” Leah muttered.

  She stood there in silence for several minutes just staring at the wall. Finally, she said, “I’m sorry, that was unfair, I know it’s not your fault, but it’s so frustrating. How much is the cheapest, virtual, net-accessible construct with a four-star rating or higher?”

  “There is a greater than four-star virtual net-access app available for 2.99 Virtual Credits.”

  “Ok buy that and find a free chair and desk for me if you can.”

  A straight-backed brown chair appeared next to a plain black table. Leah went and sat down to look at the screen that had materialised, floating above the table with a virtual keyboard resting on the table surface. She found the chair was hard and uncomfortable against her bare skin.

  “Any padded chairs available?” she asked.

  A chair with a yellow padded seat appeared in the room. Leah exchanged the chairs and sat down. The padded seat felt much better. The brown chair faded from sight. For the next hour or so Leah interacted with AI and the internet, researching and testing various options. In the end, she was curled up on her new, over-stuffed sofa, and looked out at the four wooden walls of her room. Three of the walls had several large windows which displayed various live virtual-world feeds. One was devoted to ocean scenes, one to forests, and one looked out into a star-studded space scene. The last wall had two large screens. One was labelled ‘Academia’ and the other ‘Dunyanin’. Through them, she could watch some of the public feeds from the first two worlds she was likely to visit. She was wearing a rather plain public domain t-shirt and shorts that looked like they were painted on. The other free clothing she had tried failed to move with her and kept losing texture, colour or substance as she walked. Buying a set of jeans and t-shirt at the bargain sites would set her back five Virtual Credits, and while she was very tempted, she didn’t have enough money. Entry to the Dunyanin world, at the cheapest rate, was going to cost forty Virtual Credits. So without clothes, but with access to a possible money stream, after buying the screen app, she was left with 7.01 Virtual Credits. The clothes could wait.

  “So how long have we
working on this stuff? How much more time do I have?”

  “It has been one hour and forty-seven minutes virtual time since you entered the Pod. It has been thirty-six minutes in the real world. You have seven hours and fifty-four minutes real-time before you need to return home. It is strongly recommended that you take a break every three hours to have some food and visit the amenities. You have two hours and twenty-four minutes real-time or seven hours and twelve minutes in virtual-time assuming you remain in this space or the game Dunyanin. If you visit Academia, you will only have four hours and twelve minutes, time in that world is increased by a factor of 1.75, not three.”

  “Thank you! Make the seascape wall white and put the Dunyanin information on the wall.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  November 18, 2073 B

  The wall turned white, and a video montage appeared on the screen showing amazing vistas of forests, mountains, deserts. Dragons flew overhead, and people battled in fast and amazing fight scenes. Horses were galloping, beautiful women fighting, evil creatures dying, people climbing mountains and sailing ships. Leah saw blacksmiths and gardeners, people making potions or digging in mines. There were battles of magic and people drinking in a tavern. There was the music, sometimes loud and stirring, at other times, soft and peaceful. There were times when a sonorous voice would talk about the land.

  “Dunyanin!” words appeared in flowing magical golden text.

  “A world of endless opportunities, a world where myth has become real, where 'legend' is re-lived, where your imagination is the only limit. It is a world of elves and dragons, of orcs, goblins, knights and mages. A world of deep forests and deeper mines, of burning deserts and freezing tundra. It is a world you can explore on your own or conquer with an army.”

  “In Dunyanin you can be anything - an elf, a barbarian or an Orc Lord. You can master magic or wield a sword of legend. You can craft amazing sculptures or prepare diabolical potions, build impenetrable castles or tame a mighty dragon. Live in lively bustling cities or wander a world silent and untouched.”

  The music and montage slowed, the speech became more informative, “The world of Dunyanin is a continually expanding world which currently has a playable area of over 300 million square miles. Just over half of this is explorable land. To date, there are still over 50 million square miles unexplored or unclaimed. The world continues to grow, and new areas are opened throughout the year.”

  “There are over twenty races you can choose to be: each with an extensive range of preset classes. You can develop your character to meet your own needs, to use your real skill set or you can use the preset game options and skills. There are currently thirty-seven preset professional groupings, and each has several profession pathways available, each with numerous specialisations. Again, you can use your real life skills where they interact with the game mechanics. Doing this allows some players to develop unique professions. The AIs which manage the game are steadily evolving and can interact with unique situations seamlessly.”

  Leah interrupted the spiel, “OK, that’s enough. Put up the pricing again please.”

  Wood Level

  Entry Fee: V$20

  Monthly Charge: V$20 or 20 Gold

  Entry Level: Level 1

  Benefits: Pain Threshold set to 50%

  Bronze Level

  Entry Fee: V$100

  Monthly Charge: V$100 or 100 Gold

  Entry Level: Level 1

  Benefits: Additional 10 Character Points, +10 % to Experience, Pain Threshold set to 40%

  Silver Level

  Entry Fee: V$500

  Monthly Charge: V$500 or 5 Platinum

  Entry Level: Level 1

  Benefits: Additional 20 Character Points, +20 % to Experience, Pain Threshold set to 30%, Begin in Advanced Starter Town

  Gold Level

  Entry Fee: V$5000

  Monthly Charge: V$1000 or 10 Platinum

  Entry Level: Level 1, Power Levelling to Level 20

  Benefits: Additional 30 Character Points, +30 % to Experience, Pain Threshold set to 20%, Begin in Advanced Starter Town, Complete Set of rare Class-based equipment

  Platinum Level

  Entry Fee: V$50000

  Monthly Charge: V$5000 or 50 Platinum

  Entry Level: Level 1, Power Levelling to Level 50

  Benefits: Additional 50 Character Points, +50 % to Experience, Pain Threshold set to 10%, Unique Starter Town including residence, Complete Set of rare Class-based equipment, Mount of Choice (not flying, not rare) on reaching Level 50

  “Time to step up and look out,” Leah said under her breath.

  “What does that mean? It is the second time you have said those words today, and I have searched both my linguistic database and the internet and have been unable to find a clear reference to give meaning.”

  “It’s just something my grandfather used to say. It comes from an old Chinese poem that was important to him. For me, it means that you need to move up to see what’s over the horizon. Take the next step and look to new things, never stop.” Leah stopped and was silent for a few seconds, pondering what she just said before saying, “Enough of that! Ok, let's pay the entry fee and one month’s subscription.”

  “Done! To complete the process and finalise payment you will need to enter Dunyanin. There are some legal items for your approval, and you need to set up your name and character settings. Inside the world will finalise your purchase and subscription. I can either transfer you instantly to the Dunyanin reality or via a Dunyanin designed portal.”

  “Let’s do a portal. How does that work?”

  “The Dunyanin program provides either a medieval arch to walk through or a mystical circle on the ground for you to stand on.”

  Leah thought for a moment and then pointed to the wall where she had watched the presentation and said. “An arch, please put it over there.”

  A granite arch formed in the wall. The entrance had a liquid silver sheen and seemed to ripple slightly. Leah walked over and pressed against it, her hand slowly pushed through the surface. She continued to push through, it felt like entering a pool or a bath. On the other side of the doorway was a large room which looked like an office. There was a distinguished looking elderly man sitting behind a desk on which was a large book, a quill and an ink pot. Looking down, Leah noticed that she now wore a linen knee-length tunic, a pair of stockings, simple leather boots and a belt around her waist.

  The man looked up, smiled and indicating to a chair in front of the desk said, “Welcome young traveller, welcome. Please have a seat.”

  Leah walked forward and sat down. She looked over her shoulder and could see the archway filled with the blurred image of her virtual room.

  The man sat straight in his chair and continued. “So, you’ve decided to enter the amazing world of Dunyanin. My name is Julian, and I am a scribe and advocate. It is my responsibility to record your information and to ensure you understand your rights and responsibilities. I am charged with ensuring you are aware of all possible dangers involved in entering this world. If you permit me, I will offer a few opening remarks which frequently seem to be needed by new travellers. First, you should be aware I am not of your world but a citizen of Dunyanin. Second, our conversation is being recorded by another scribe, and you will be sent a copy of this. Next, if you would prefer it, I can arrange to provide this information in a different format. Finally, this will only take a few minutes, and then you will move on through the door on your right to choose who you plan to be in this world. Are there any questions at this stage?”

  Leah thought for a moment then said, “No, none at the moment.”

  “Alright then, I have as your full legal name ‘Atherleah Lin Mu-Ling Carroll’, is this correct?”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “And your ID is FQC3465278.”

  Leah nodded, but Julian said, “I’m sorry my dear, but I must insist on a verbal agreement for our purposes today.”

  “Yes, that is my ID.�
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  “Wonderful and finally I have your Personal Interface as AI 628B44CE81.”

  Leah thought quickly and silently “Is that right?”

  Hearing an affirmative she responded. “Yes sir, that is correct.”

  “Good, good! Please feel free to call me Julian, and I must say I do appreciate the ‘sir’ as so many travellers these days lack your courtesy. Now, have you had time to read the various terms and conditions?”

  “No, not yet. Is it necessary before I continue?”

  “Well, well, another rare occurrence. Most people are less honest than you and often speak falsely. Is it necessary? Well … no! Prudent? Certainly! You must give assent that you will abide by the conditions, but I dare say you might not truly grasp their complexity in a single read. If you wish I have a copy here you may peruse, or I might summarise, and then clarify any further queries you have. My summary is no substitute for studying the document, but may suffice for your immediate purposes.”

  “That sounds great; please summarise.”

  “It is all quite simple really. The creators and sustainers of the Dunyanin world agree to provide this world for your enjoyment. They will take all proper care to maintain and improve the world according to its rules and their ability. You promise to provide them with the finances agreed upon, on time, or they will, unfortunately, evict you from the world. You mustn’t use Dunyanin to break any laws in your world. Finally, if anything goes wrong and you find yourself suffering any loss then it is not the responsibility of the Dunyanin creators or sustainers in any way.”

  Julian continued “I think that covers everything although there are many small rules and regulations that you should read in the game-manuals so as not to be surprised. Do you have any questions?”

  It seemed to Leah that Julian had summarised almost every user licence she had ever read, so she said. “No, no questions and I agree to the terms and conditions without reservation even though I have not yet read them in full.”