Author Frank Morin
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Ch 5 - Some Questions Really Are Better
🕑 Added 2024-10-10 17:48:03 +0000 UTCMonsters sounded bad.
“Let’s do it, then.” Focusing on immediate danger helped me ground myself.
Another laugh. “I’m having variations of this conversation with all nine hundred ninety-eight of you. Most of the others just start screaming when they hear the word monster. Fascinating.”
“Hold on, I thought there were a thousand of us.”
“Two of the older candidates suffered heart attacks upon landing. That will not happen to any of the rest of you, though. Don’t worry. Your bodies are still only base tier, but your systems have already been altered to foster basic healing over time. The litany of diseases, deficiencies, and medical conditions you’ve all been struggling with will disappear shortly.”
“Wow.” I was in very good shape and didn’t have any major issues, but Tomas had a thyroid condition and high blood pressure from his stressful medical practice. Could they all really be healed that easily? I’d take every advantage until I understood the full scope of our situation.
The voice laughed. “If that impresses you, hold onto your dentures. You haven’t smelled anything yet.”
“Ah, it’s hold onto your hat, and you haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Your culture is surprisingly strict on maintaining odd vernacular in your idioms. You should try branching out more.”
“So what do I call you?” I didn’t want to hold a conversation with someone I thought of only as The Voice.
“Now that’s what I call an excellent question,” the voice exclaimed with a happy laugh. “You’re the first person to ever ask me that.”
“How is that possible?”
“I’ve only been alive for six months. I am the AI given life to prepare this challenge world, bring you contestants here, and administer the game.”
“Six months?”
I was talking with an actual AI, and one far more advanced than anything we could imagine on Earth. Strangely, the thought of speaking with an AI eased some of my worry. I was more comfortable with technology than most people. In my new startup company, I was planning on leveraging AI to help me track down scammers. They could turn the tide against those bastards.
An AI in charge of the game actually gave me a spark of hope. If I could learn how it thought and the parameters of the game, there had to be loopholes I could leverage.
“Your question has earned you a reward. That gives me the perfect chance to explain about the quest and reward system we’re using in the game.”
“That sounds great.” Maybe he’d give me back my pants.
My main menu screen popped up again to fill most of my vision. The third menu option was now visible. It read “Quests”.
“Go ahead and click on Quests.”
I did, and a submenu popped up. It included Open Quests and Completed Quests. I had no open quests, but did see one completed quest.
When I clicked on the option, the female voice said, “Congratulations, Lucas! You completed the unique quest Thinking Outside of the Gray Matter. In reward, you receive a unique ruby Thinking Man loot box!”
Another box appeared in the air in front of me while my menu screen minimized again. This one was much larger than the copper box. It was the size of a large moving box, made out of glittering, faceted red crystal, as if it was actually a giant ruby. It shone like the AI had shoved the sun inside.
“Wow,” I breathed in growing excitement. That was more like it. I willed the box to open.
With a loud cheering fanfare, the crystal box exploded into blinding bursts of fireworks. When I blinked my vision back into focus, an ancient-looking parchment scroll hung in the air in front of me. As soon as I focused on it, it unrolled with a whooshing sound, then disappeared in a flash.
My screen popped back up to full size and golden letters scrolled past as the female voice said, “Title scroll. New title: Inquisitive Mind. It grants you:”
“Plus 10 to intelligence.”
“Plus 10% improvement to all secondary stats affected by intelligence.”
“Plus 10% faster learning of new skills and abilities.”
“Wow,” I breathed again. Those were huge bonuses.
A rush of energy washed through me and I gasped as it invigorated me until I felt better than I ever had. The energizing warmth flowed up into my mind and my thoughts accelerated and my mind cleared as if I’d been half asleep.
“Whoa. That’s a rush.”
“Whoa is right!” the AI exclaimed. “Well done, Lucas. You’re the first Earthling to receive a title, and that is a particularly good one.”
He paused, then added, “I like giving out titles. I’ve been waiting almost my entire life to do this.”
The woman’s voice added, “Congratulations, Lucas! As the first baby human from Earth to receive a title, you are being awarded a second title. Trailblazer. You receive a 30% chance of receiving upgraded loot boxes or discovering bonus hidden loot boxes.”
“Thanks. That’s very generous.”
This was turning into a great little chat. If I could keep the AI talking, maybe I’d get even more titles or more loot. I’d played enough video games to know the more loot you got, the better your chances of survival.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” the AI asked, sounding even more pleased than usual. “As you may now suspect, accomplishing unique, unexpected, heroic, or clever things wins you greater rewards. The grade of your loot box is upgraded again if you’re the first one to do that particular action.”
“So I’m assuming winning titles is not the main way to advance, but more a special event?”
That was similar to some online games I had played, and some fantasy and litRPG novels I’d read. Did that mean people who wrote those novels had gotten sucked into an intergalactic game like this?
I’d never heard of other states getting carved out. So maybe our transportation was different. Somehow the idea that maybe we weren’t the first to get kidnapped by the multiverse helped settle my worries a bit.
“Absolutely right, Lucas. Not everyone gets titles. When you do, they provide a huge advantage.”
“I’ll take it.” I needed every advantage I could get while I figured out the crazy world I was now standing in.
“Be aware that other players will learn to tell if you have a title.”
“How?”
“Each title you receive adds a thin gold ring in one’s iris. With just one title, it’s hard to notice, but if you win more titles, the color will grow. Those lucky elites with a lot of titles end up with eyes that look almost entirely gold.”
That actually sounded really boss. Isabella would love it if I returned with golden eyes. “Is it bad if people know I have a title?”
“Most people born in already-integrated planets never earn a title. The game offers unparalleled opportunities to win them, though.”
“What is the game?”
“Don’t ruin the surprise. Just know that here on Arasha, many will likely end up with titles so it won’t be as big a deal as it would be in the rest of the multiverse.”
“Arasha. Good name for a planet.” The female voice had mentioned it when she first welcomed us into space. I was honestly shocked that I remembered that.
“I agree. Back to names, though. I have decided to let you help me choose mine.”
“I’d be honored to help. What kind of name do you want?”
“Someone brilliant and outstanding, of course. Since you asked me the question, I will choose an Earth name.”
“Sure. Some of the famously brilliant people on our world include Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Bruce Lee, William Shakespeare, or Thomas Edison.”
How did I remember all those? Maybe alien air was good for focusing the thoughts. Then again, my new title had said it improved intelligence. Was that an actual direct improvement? Both cool and a bit freaky that the AI could mess with my inner capacity that directly.
“Those don’t feel right. How about famous military leaders? I am overseeing the great game, after all.”
“Okay, maybe Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, or Napoleon Bonaparte.”
“No, those won’t work either. They only focused on military conquest.”
For only scanning our planet briefly, he knew an awful lot about it. “So you need a name that suggests you’re strong and smart and a leader of change?”
“Exactly. I’ve got it! I’ll call myself Cyrus.”
“As in Cyrus the Great?”
“Indeed. Did he not rule most of the known world in his day with fairness and equity almost unknown to the rest of your world?”
“Yeah, he was pretty important.” I didn’t actually know much about Cyrus. Wasn’t he the weird Persian king in the movie 300 that the Spartans wrecked?
“Cyrus it is,” said the AI, his voice exultant.
“Pleased to meet you, Cyrus.”
“I know! Your life will never be the same.”
Definitely humble enough to take on the name of the ruler of the entire planet. The more I thought about it, the better the name seemed to fit him.
“So what about that intelligence stat. How does that work?”
“We’ll get to that in a moment. I like to keep the game hopping along, and the best way to learn is by doing.”
The female voice said, “New quest.”
I triggered my menu and clicked the quest menu option. The New Quest tab was glowing, and when I clicked on it, script flowed past while the female voice spoke.
“Quest: Defeat a level-1 monster. Reward: A copper loot box and unlocking greater menu access.”
“So quests tell you what reward you get up front?”
“For quests announced in advance, they do, although the grade of the loot box can be altered sometimes for exceptional performance. You’ll also receive loot boxes for non-quest-related actions. Their grades will be based on your performance and creativity.”
“What do I call the female speaker?”
Cyrus laughed as if I’d said something particularly funny. “She is not a self-aware AI like myself. She is just the computer voice that reads the game announcements and such.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t about to judge an AI for having a computer assistant. “So, defeating a monster. Is that what I think it is?”
“You bet it is, Lucas! Monsters are real, and they want to eat your heart. Kill or be killed. The simplest and most entertaining of all games. Good luck!”
