Basetier

Once we were back under the clear skies of Galrinth, we went to chat with my brother Justin. When I saw him it was like he was a different person. I felt like I haven't seen him for two years.. Even his best friend Tyler I could not even recognise. It was like if they were soulders. They were looking fit and strong.. After I greeted them and my brother told me every thing there was to know about the game. They both joined me on my Quest to beat the game.

I was so happy and overwhelmed that my little brother had all grown up. I said to my self can't wait to see his skills and magical power and experience. After we finished talking.

Datalent

led me to the Synth Square, where I could get the silk turned

into a robe. He showed me around the square, a big turquoise

and white-tiled circular area surrounded by tall limestone

buildings and beautiful gardens. He gestured me inside a

weavers' store while he waited outside. I looked around at the

colourful fantasy garments hung up around the dark, wooden

walls.

Considering the color of the silk was white, I was

surprised that the female NPC behind the counter gave me

the option to change the hue of the robe to whatever shade I

wanted. I thought black would have been a good color for

fighting at night, but after seeing how awesome Data's

Sapphire Edge was, I went with a navy blue instead.

"Alright, with that you shouldn't die too easily." He was

waiting for me outside the weavers' quarters of the Synth

Square. "At least not in any of the Basetier dungeons."

"Base...tier?" I asked.

He gave me a look and began to laugh, leaning against the

wall as he gripped his belly. "Let me get this straight. You

know about the seven Color Blades, but you don't know about

the separate tiers?"

I rolled my eyes. "Enlighten me then."

"Well, as you've probably noticed, there are no difficulty

settings in this game, and skill Points aren't good for

anything but leveling up your abilities and allowing you to

access different weapons. So . . . " He stood straight and

pointed a finger to the clear sky. "For those who want to gain experience faster or get rarer items, they need to go to

different tier dungeons, generally with a party. I said to my self," I already have my party ". The other

tiers are Primatier, Secotier, and, finally, Tertiatier, the only

place in the Dream State where your items can be stolen from

you if you are defeated. I've heard your avatar can be

destroyed there as well, you will die in the real world but that's never happened to me

before"

He began walking and I followed him down the street. I

had no idea where we were heading to now, but with a sword

like the Sapphire Edge in his possession, as well as my

Brother Justin , I had a feeling I was pretty safe with Data.

As we walked we passed a lot of avatars. Some of the

players in the crowd looked like they had altered their

avatars to look like other fantasy races from popular books

and films. Elves and barbarians were two very popular

choices.

"Was Widows' Forest an example of a Basetier dungeon?

I asked.

"Yup, but it's one of the harder ones on this tier, so don't

feel too bad about it." This seemed like an uplifting

statement, until Data followed it up with, "But if I wasn't with

you then you definitely wouldn't have made it."

He said this as though it weren't obvious enough already.

However, this talk of tiers got me thinking. What tiers would

Justin  and Tyler  be on now? Would they even visit the lower

tiers after how long they had been playing? How long had

they spent playing this game without returning to reality?

How long would I be leaving reality for? What would I be

returning to?

The idea that Sade  might be dead by the time I woke up tore at my heart. As distracting as this fantasy world was, the

pain of knowing that I might never see her smiling face again

trumped any escapism or excitement I might have felt while

in it. One of the reasons I didn't start playing the Dream

Games when my friends did was because I wouldn't have been

able to spend as much time with her.

I thought back to when we had first met during our Home

Economics class in high school. Sade liked to cook big stews

and soups, which she later told me made her feel like a witch

stirring a boiling cauldron. She would always make a face

that I would sometimes be blamed for, her partner in crime. I

would open jars of garlic and preserves for her that were too

stift. Although there were much tougher guys in the class, she

would only ask me, even when I was partnered with Tyler . He

would always give me a cheesy grin, his eyebrows going up

and down suggestively. The memory made the cold feeling of

anxiety rise in my chest again and I gripped the front of my

robe.

Will that be all that Sade becomes to me? Fond memories that

leave painful echoes?

"You know, if you just accepted their conditions they

would give you the rank," a voice said as though from a great

distance.

"Where's the fun in that?" a sly, female voice replied.

"But the Moola alone should-"

"Stephen!"

It must have been the third time Data called my name for

his voice dripped with impatience. I looked up and saw that

he was confused by my expression.

"What's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

"Can you even cry in this game?"

Data shrugged. "There's probably an avatar that can."

I had zoned out for a moment. This wasn't surprising

considering the literal state of my brain, but Data was now

talking to another player. She must have come from the

crowd because I hadn't even seen her appear.

"oh right, this is Siena_the_Blade, title included." He

gestured to me. "Siena, this is Stephen."

The woman gave me a serious look, as though judging

me. Her hair was long and bright orange and was tied in a

thick ponytail. She wore light Warrior gear with a missing

midriff and what I could only describe as a plated Warrior

skirt. As exaggerated as the feminine alterations made to her

avatar were, I kept having to make up excuses for why my

eyes constantly wandered back to her curvaceous figure. I

made a quick mental note to myself not to drool. Even so, she

must have had high agility to make up for her armor's lack of

practicality.

After she had looked me up and down, a fierce grin

appeared on her face. It was such a stunning change from the

cold look she'd had previously that it was startling.

"Well, that's a newbie if I ever saw one, and yet you're

wearing an Arachnid ilk Robe. I assume that's your doing?"

She looked to Data and he shrugged.

"I  don't mind doing hired work if the price is right."

"I don't really have a choice. I'm kind of stuck in here,"I

said.

Her eyes narrowed and she looked to Data.

He nodded. "Seems this game is being used to

communicate with paralytics now."

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed, hands covering her

mouth.

Data ran his fingers through his hair. "Tsh, that's not the

worst of it."

"How could it be worse?"

That was a very good question. I thought not being able

to wake up was the worst thing about this situation.

How could being stuck in this game and not being able to wake

up be second place to anything?

"I've been contracted to give him basic training and not

let him die for at least the first three days he's here. I've been

told that .." Data looked at me then, and I realized his eyes

were asking whether or not he could tell her the second half

of my problem. I nodded and he continued. "I've been told

that if he dies while in his condition, he won't be able to

voluntarily log back in again. He's got one life only and losing

it neans losing his contact with the rest of the world."

Siena's wide eyes bugged further. "You poor boy! You

can't even leave Basetier!"

"What, why?"

Data sighed. "Another thing to explain, I suppose. Why

don't you take this one, Siena?"

turned my puzzled attention in the redhead's direction.

"With every tier but this one there are competitions held

with prizes and higher ranks for whoever can survive the

longest in the dungeons. Your consecutive time on a tier is

called a Survival Record. Every day spent in Basetier

translates to an hour that will be added to your time in

Primatier. Anyone who's spent a long enough consecutive

time in Basetier will be picked off quickly. You'll quickly build up more time here than anyone since you don't have to log

out to pee or anything." She shook her head as though in

disappointment on my behalf. "But it also means that, as soon

as you enter a higher-tier dungeon, you'll be hunted down by

any guild trying to eliminate the competition."

Data inclined his head. "It's going to make training a little

more difficult, slower too, but at least you'll be busy for a

while. After all, you're stuck in here. You might as well keep

yourself occupied."

"Well, I guess that's just more motivation to prepare well

prior to entering them," I said.

There was silence from the other two but then Data

grinned and Siena laughed loudly before saying, "Wow, with

what you have to lose, thať's pretty ballsy, kid! Tell you what,

if you ever decide to do a Primatier dungeon, I'll be proud to

be in your party!"

A window popped up in my vision with Siena's contact

information. Waiting behind it, with time-stamps from when

I had been in Widows' Forest, were two more that I hadn't

noticed before. Here l'd thought I had been forgotten about,

but it looks like my brother had been busy getting in contact

with my old friends, giving them my in-game contact details.

I won't lie, after everything l'd been through, noticing Tyler

and Justin on the list was uplifting.

"Well now, you're a popular boy. I won't keep you two

any longer." She brushed back her long, ginger ponytail and

began walking into the crowd. "I'm heading to my real bed.

See ya later!"

Data nodded and I waved as she moved off.

"Who was she?" I asked "A friend. But even with my friends you need to be

careful, especially you. She's the type of player who tends to

bite into things she can't chew and run blindly into battles.

She has fun. She's a real player in this world."

"What do you mean?

Data turned and began to move back in the direction of

the square where the Gateway I had first arrived from was

found. I followed after, keeping up so I could hear his voice

over the others in the crowd.

"After I first accepted your parents' contract, I was

having second thoughts. After all, your motive in the game

was to survive. But now I'm glad I did."

Walking beside him, I felt the impact of the other players'

elbows a lot less through the defense of my new robe.

There's a big difference between living and just trying to

survive. When you put your life on the line and show some

courage, that's when you're engaged, when you're really

playing the game. When I took on this contract I thought you

would just expect me to be your bodyguard, but after hearing

your intention to go to Primatier, despite the risks

involved .. . well, it's given me another outlook on the

situation."

That's probably why he was a little cold with me to begin with.

Hopefully he'll lighten up and we can have a bit more fun now.

We arrived at the open square and he stopped.

"I'm going AFB for now. I need a shower and some food."

"AFB?" It sounded similar to AFK, which meant Away

From Keyboard.

"Away from bed," he clarified. "Anyway, we'll meet back

here in exactly six hours, okay?"

Knowing that I would not have him to guide me until

then, that I would be alone for the first time in this world, a

panicked feeling bubbled up in my chest. Besides the tutorial,

he had been with me since l'd arrived. I didn't even know how

long ago that had been now.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Data planted his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes.

"Tsh, I don't know. Have fun, go out and explore. It shouldn't

be too dangerous for you in Basetier now that you have the

Arachnid Robe." He looked up as though glancing through his

own menu. "l'm giving you a few items that will help you out,

but I would still suggest getting in contact with some of your

friends. I saw that you have a few in the Dream State."

I nodded.

"Those people are going to become very important for

you over the next few weeks. Get in touch with them and try

to remain on good footing. Teamwork is one of the most

important parts of the game." He gave me a look then that I

couldn't quite place, like only his lips were smiling.

"Especially on the higher-tiers."

The gate then flashed and Datalent vanished. I was alone

again. I recalled then that I had seen an exclamation mark

beside Scott's contact details on the window that had come

up. I found it, pulled it up again, and focused on his name

before speaking.

"Hey, were you tryi"

I was interrupted by the sudden voice of my friend

screaming, "Stephen, is it true? Are you really stuck in the SC?"

"Y-yeah."

"That's great!"

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