The simulation abruptly came to an end and John found himself back in his roof on what passed for a bed. He checked the time in the corner of his vision and found that only a few minutes had passed by. Originally, this sort of time distortion made it easier to peddle mindless entertainment upon the masses. Collective was talented at finding ways to siphon off Contribution Points from its citizenry. If your simulation lasted for only a few minutes but felt as if you spend hours or days within it, then what was to stop you from just buying one more? Especially since these simulations weren’t limited to the skills that John was trying to learn, they included all sorts of exotic and tantalizing scenarios to play out. For John, this would be something to capitalize on. Satisfied with the skills and abilities that he had acquired, John decided that it was time to move on into the second phase of his plan.

To be successful and make it off planet, you had to have a combat class. There are a host of other professions ranging from Fabricator to Miner, but these are strictly controlled by their respective guilds and those crafters went to the planets which were assigned to them by the guild. Combat classes on the other hand had all of the freedom in the universe. They were able to interact with Collective for their quests rather than through a guild. After all, Collective’s primary mission was to advance humanity through the universe. It didn’t care how well you could carve a statue or paint a painting. Sure, they could earn Points just like anyone else, but more Points were available for finding and retaining resources for weaponry rather than for art. As a result, Earth, and humanity in general, had transitioned from a place and a people where art was valued, architecture was pleasing to the eye, and language evolved to express beauty to what it was today. Nowadays, buildings were gray, lifeless, and defensible. If you wanted beauty…well…there’s a simulation for that. For these reasons and more, John couldn’t even consider a crafting class.

Outside of that, there were three basic classes and each person could only choose one. The three classes were Soldiers, Outlaws, and Scions. Soldiers and Scions were humanity’s main classes. These were the heavy hitters that pushed back the various species of the universe. The last class, Outlaws, were the individuals that performed the less than honorable quests that no one else wanted. Sometimes, they were extremely profitable but that was because the danger was significantly higher. Each basic class had its own specializations. For an Outlaw, they could specialize as an Infiltrator, a Hunter, or an Assassin.

John surmised that his only chance to make it big the way he expected would be to specialize as a Ranger. Rangers were the ones used to push behind enemy lines in adversarial planets. They were a jack of all trades that operated as far off the beaten trail as possible. They were often sent in alone, to gather intelligence, capture resources, or scope out enemy fortifications. After that, Infiltrators or Assassins were sent in depending upon the nature of the quest.

This class would be perfect for John because it kept him mostly out of Collective’s watchful eye and would give him the perfect excuse not to party up with any other groups. Finally, the biggest reason that John would seek to become an Outlaw and then eventually a Hunter is for the sheer fact that none of the class instructors would help him here on Earth. Soldiers and Psions were required to report themselves to the ruling administration of the planet. Outlaws, by their very name, did not. Outlaws performed the necessary and unpleasant tasks that were required of humanity in order to succeed. However, no administration wanted to be too comfortable with any person who would be willing to do such deeds.

Swinging his feet from his bed, John got up and walked over to the small storage cabinet in his room. Opening it up, he picked up a packet of rations. It was a small silvery package. It provided no stat boosts and merely kept him alive. It was made form sort of fungus and with a little bit of water, it turned into a small loaf of bread. Walking over to the sink that doubled as a toilet, John poured a small amount of water onto the ration and watched it grow in front of his eyes. For John's whole life, this was all he had been able to eat. The bread itself contained all the necessary vitamins, macros, and minerals necessary to keep the avatar alive and that was it. Everything else needed to be paid for.

Listlessly, John chewed his meal as he decided where he needed to go to get his class. Every city had its own underbelly, but John himself had never interacted much with the world outside of his room. There simply wasn’t a reason to do so. Work was a transfer of the mind away and he couldn’t afford anything else. Realistically, there were quests to do around Earth but they were few and far between. People came back to the inner planets in order to retire or pick up a trade rather than make a living. The only ones who operated in any manner resembling a living were Outlaws and they only took in people who realistically had a shot of getting off world and generating more Points. Before now, John wouldn’t have had a hope of joining them. John internally shrugged. Maybe Collective could help.

“Collective, I would like to become an Outlaw. Please direct me to the nearest class trainer.”

John, it would be impossible for you to become an Outlaw with your current level of…there seems to be a mistake with my sensors John. It seems that you’re level two. You have levelling potential. I must reconsider your request.

After a moment Collective spoke into his head again.

John, the Collective has approved of your request to seek a class trainer. Generating quest guide now.

Quest Acquired! Becoming an Outlaw I: You have expressed your desire to become an Outlaw to Collective. While Collective cannot generate Outlaw quests organically, it can direct you to a known outlaw in order to begin your journey. The nearest Outlaw is William Crow. You have been provided the means to find William Crow and try and become an Outlaw.

John hopped up and started following the quest line. He exited his room and entered a long and dim hallway with scores of doors that looked exactly like his. There were no outward markings to designate the occupants within since Collective could guide anyone to anywhere. As followed the quest line down the hallway, he was startled by a door just a few down from his own. It was brightly painted with cheap paint. Verdant greens illustrated a bright clearing with a darkened forest. Light filtered into the clearing and lit up the form of a rearing horse. It was painted in whites and greys and it seemed almost ephemeral in nature. John placed his hand on the painting as if just by touching it he could somehow be closer to the soul of the person that placed it there. Horses disappeared from Earth a long time ago. According to historical records, they were only used for entertainment and leisure. There was no need for them now. A little sadly, John removed his hand and continued down the hall. He quickly forgot about the horse and the fleeting feeling of warmth in a cold, gray hallway.

John to the lift to the ground floor of the building. As he stepped outside, he took a deep breath of the air around him. It tasted just as sanitized as the air within. The buildings around him all looked like copies of the one he just exited. There were no visible signs of habitation from the outside. Any information that John would ever need could be pulled up with a thought through the Collective. John took a moment to collect himself and then he took the first step in what he hoped would be a new life. If he were lucky, he might never have to return to the prison-like building where he had spent his whole life.

John’s journey took him from the well-lit, if borings buildings of his neighborhood into the increasingly run down city center. As he drew closer to the center of the city, more signs of habitation began to be seen. More people were on the street. Most were wearing the same bland clothing that John himself wore. A basic beige tunic and trousers with dark synthetic leather boots was common for both men and women. They were the clothes issued to them and they were both practical and cheaply fabricated. John began to notice flashes of greenery in the otherwise bland surroundings. Sometimes a small garden could be seen poking out from a balcony or a flash of color found in a storefront. This city did not have much of a selection since most of the people in this areas were Nameless just like John. If they weren’t Nameless then they had a Name that was relatively new and were not part of the established elite. The quest line brought John to an unassuming store front. The outside was just as plain as everything else and there were no windows to give John a hint to the building’s contents. Looking at the Registration helpfully provided by Collective, all John knew was that it was an eating and drinking establishment. Opening the door, John slowly stepped in. The inside was a huge departure from the bland outside. The walls were a deep crimson and large synthetic leather booths dominated the space. To the left of John there was a large old-fashioned bar. The wall behind the bar was loaded with shelving that boasted all manner of tonics and tinctures. The smell of smoke and sweat was heavy in the air and many of the patrons, clad in dark leathers and cloaks were, talking quietly amongst themselves as they smoke cigarettes and cigars.

John’s entry did not generate much interest. Some of the patrons, looked up to identify the newcomers but once they established that he was lowbie Nameless, they went back to their obviously more important conversations. The bartender was not so dismissive.

“What do you want Nameless? Your kind aren’t welcome in this kind of establishment.”

The voice was rough with age and more than a hint of condescension. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the bar, John heard the whoosh of the door closing behind him. John took a confident step towards the bar and the scowling bartender. The man had grizzled white hair and looked as if he had seen a full life. His age gave truth to the fact that he could not be a combat class. He didn’t have the ageless appearance that went with a combat class and a bump to charisma. Only people who earned a prestigious Name and had a combat class were granted immortality by the Collective. From then on they were Contributors and Collective used them over and over as a churning assault force against the rest of the universe. Any death would be greeted by respawn in a set respawn location, and the Contributor would find their consciousness uploaded into a new fabricated body with all of their old stats. The only thing they would lose is the progress they made since the last stat gain or level.

“Well, are you going to answer boy?” The man’s brown eyes glinted with distaste.

John tried to navigate the unfamiliar situation. He had never had to interact with anyone outside of school and the most basic daily interactions.

“I’m here to buy a drink and to meet someone.”

The man scoffed. “Well, why didn’t you say so? What kind of drink will you be having?”

John looked at the wall of various drinks behind the bartender and didn’t know where to begin. Seeing John’s hesitation, the man smiled cruelly.

“How about whatever is cheapest? You don’t look like you could afford anything else. Hah! You’re still even in your lowbie clothes.”

John was confused by the term lowbie but didn’t want to speak up and announce his ignorance to everyone else. He tried to speak confidently to the man but the quiver in his voice belied his confidence.

“Yes, whatever is cheapest please. Tell me, do you know who William Crow is perhaps?”

The man had already started pouring a drink into a glass that looked like brackish water but glanced up at the mention of William Crow’s name with interest.

“Will Crow you say? Now what could a lowbie Nameless be wantin’ with ol’ Will? He may have fallen on hard times but he hasn’t become so desperate for company tha’ he would be looking to hang around with people such as yourself."

Will flushed with embarrassment. The man was not making this easy for him. Will lowered his voice as he took the finished drink from the bartender’s hand.

“I’m here to learn how to become an Outlaw."

The man barked out a laugh. “Well lowbie, I doubt you ha’ got the Points lyin’ aroun’ to convince Will ta train ya. He don’t care much for niceties these days since his family kicked him out. He’s trying to eke out a living and all he cares for are Points these days.”

John took the new information in stride. He knew that this wouldn’t be easy. This man confirming the fact just made him more confident. Had it been a walk in the park, then will may have been suspicious. People don’t get to just dramatically change their lives through good fortune and a bit of wishing. It took hard work. People who forgot that…died. It was that simple.

“Well, thanks for your opinion, can you point me to where Will is?”

The man nodded mutely seeming to lose interest in the whole conversation. “Yeah, thas him over there in tha’ corner. He’s the black-haired fellow wearing the grey cloak and green tunic.”

The man pointed to the corner where a young-looking man sat alone staring into a clear drink in front of him. John followed where the man pointed with a muted thank you. John carefully made his way to the table. He took a circuitous route in order to avoid the loud and boisterous denizens of the bar. He was careful not to spill his drink. It had cost him 50 Points automatically withdrawn from his account by Collective. When he drew close to the table he quietly cleared his throat in order to gain the man’s attention. Unheard, the man ignored him. John tried again, this time more loudly. The man blearily looked up. His eyes were red rimmed and irritated, but his eyes were the clearest blue that John had ever seen. They seemed to pin him to his place and all the words that John had mentally rehearsed fled from his head. After a moment of awkwardly standing there the man grumbled out.

“What do you want Nameless.”

John quickly gained his composure. “I’ve been hearing that a lot. My name is John, may I sit?”

Will gestured noncommittedly and John took that as a good sign. Well…at least it wasn’t a totally bad sign. Unsure of where to begin, John decided just to be honest.

“Well, Mr. Crow, I was given a quest by Collective in order to find you and begin a journey in order to become an Outlaw.” Right as he said that, a notification popped up informing John that he had completed the quest. Will look at John in confusion for a moment before carefully replying.

“Why would Collective do that… I’m not a class trainer. In fact, I’m more of a thief than anything. I’m an infiltrator. I haven’t mastered any of the other specializations that would allow me to teach anyone to become an Outlaw.”

John was stumped. This was new information to him. He hadn’t been sure of what specificities went into becoming a class trainer. He had just assumed that Collective wouldn’t steer him wrong when it came to this quest.

“Uh sorry Mr. Crow…”

Will testily interrupted. “Stop calling me Mr. Crow. Crow is my family Name and I have been banished from their presence. Just call me Will.”

“Sorry. Right. Mr. Uh…Will. I don’t know anything more than you. I told Collective I wanted to be an Outlaw and it sent me the quest guide that led right to you. I’m sorry to have bothered you if you weren’t the right person that I needed to talk to.”

John gathered himself to stand and exit the establishment. He decided to leave his drink untouched. As he went to rise Will stopped him.

“No, wait. I think I have an idea. There are a couple ways to become an Outlaw. The first is to seek out a class trainer who gives you a few quests that are easy to complete. The second is to do something outside of the quest system that makes you worthy of the class. I was sitting here in this bar contemplating how I was going to get back at my family. I decided that I wanted to break into the family manor, rough up some of the guards, and then steal my Infiltrator gear from my family so that I can leave this planet and find work in the frontier planets. I was wondering how I was going to be able to do all of that myself and get away with it. I had almost talked myself out of it until you showed up.

Will seemed to grow more animated.

“But if you’re here, that means that this plan has a shot! Collective sent you to me so that you could help me! If we’re successful, you’ll be able to gain a class and the levels necessary to catch a portal out of here. I’ll be able to get my class armor and send one final “fuck you” to my family.”

Will gave John a roguish grin and John couldn’t help but think that this Will seemed entirely different from the morose man drinking alone.

“So, John… are you willing knock up the Crow family manor with me?” Will held out his hand.

John only gave it the briefest thought before he smiled and clasped his hand.

“I’d be happy to.”

There are moments in life when time seems to run a little bit slower and the universe seems to pause and consider the significance of a course of actions. John felt this pause in the depths of his being and surprisingly he wasn’t afraid anymore. He was determined.