[ZERO SPACE]

A large bell rang across Trader Town. The vibrations rattled windows, rippled through ponds, and shook the trees of Sunlight Forest. Players turned towards a massive bell tower – the oldest and tallest building in town. This building had gone through several iterations over the years, yet it still maintained its gothic style.

A mechanized voice echoed through the streets:

“Trader Town maintenance will occur in three hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Three hours? Plenty of time for Shae to finish his business here.

Shae kicked colorful pebbles across a paved road, staring towards passing players. He wasn’t trying to intimidate them - he was studying their outfits. Almost thirty thousand players existed on the server, and somehow, each one looked unique. Zero Space’s customization options were limitless; Shae wished his budget was too.

He salivated as a gentle breeze brought him the scent of fried meat and spiced vegetables. Eating in Zero Space was less of a necessity, and more of a hobby. Sugar, saturated fats, and even gluten could be consumed without consequence. The only detriment was temporary discomfort; big meals were best enjoyed after battle.

Dance music blasted from cobblestone walls. Electric lights lit up the inside of small quaint cottages. Centralized AC units blew cool air out from open windows. Shae didn’t understand why developers stuck to this medieval theme if players wouldn’t commit to it. Maybe players didn’t really want to live in medieval times – they just enjoyed the idea of it.

“Nice weather we’re having!” said a passing NPC.

Shae didn’t bother nodding back – these NPCs had limited reactions, and Shae had exhausted them all. Their presence made the world feel more alive, but there was cold, dead emptiness in their eyes. It wasn’t necessary to treat NPCs with dignity. Attaching real emotions to them was an act of insanity.

Shae’s destination lay ahead – a crowded intersection of tarps and tents. This was the heart of Trader Town: Central Market. Yet another entry into Zero Space’s streak of uninspired names. It was clearly a market, and it was the center of everything. At least the name was accurate.

Shae had one intention – pimp himself out. He finally had some credits, and he was ready to use them. It was imperative that he dressed well for this next mission, especially if he knew the whole guild would be watching.

Central Market had better deals than the Haven, but their selection lacked diversity. Vendors here were subject to strict regulations. A few popular merchants occupied the same spots each day, while smaller vendors were rotated in, then churned out before they could find an audience.

Inexperienced players were easy to spot – their outfits were mainstream. As a veteran player, Shae took pride in standing out.

A hooded pteranoid stalked Shae from thatched rooftops. The pteranoid’s fuzzy hands gripped a bow the length of his wingspan. Arrows the size of his arms rested in a cloth quiver on his back. Two patient eyes focused on Shae, waiting for the right time to strike.

Shae remained oblivious, weaving through a rainbow of colorful tents and stands – this was indie territory. Indie merchants were far more interesting, but their quality varied. That pair of fancy shoes for example: they looked great, but they wouldn’t help him run away. Those leather gloves could obstruct Shae’s trigger fingers. And that tie had a bell on it – a poor stealth option.

Wait -- this was the first time Shae had ever taken utility into account when considering outfits. Maybe he really was taking this mission seriously.

A dark figure dropped down from behind Shae, stalking towards him…

A stylish red hat rested on a red velvet pedestal, displayed in a red tent, lit by a red light. Shae wore mostly yellows and oranges – red would be a fine addition. This hat was saucer-shaped, with curled edges, and a feather dangling from its peak. It gave off pirate-vibes. Fortunately, pirate was in-fashion.

That price however, was outrageous. It would cost Shae nearly every credit he had.

“You can’t be serious,” Shae commented. As a veteran player, Shae’s felt compelled to familiarize new merchants with the economy.

“Feel free to browse my wares,” said the merchant.

Wares? This hat was the only thing in here. Wait, no -- Shae’s heart sunk. This merchant was an NPC. Players could delegate NPCs to handle merchandize distribution - another problem with Central Market. NPCs couldn’t be bartered with; their programming didn’t support that.

An arm fastened around Shae’s throat - DangerFace869’s arm. The demonoid was just horsing around. He wasn’t choking Shae that hard.

“Hi Shae,” said DangerFace869.

Shae hated being snuck up on. He shot sixteen bullets towards DangerFace869’s legs. Two of them landed, taking DangerFace869 to the ground.

“Ow,” said DangerFace869. “Why’d you do that?”

“You were strangling me!” yelled Shae. “What did you expect to happen?”

“I don’t know,” DangerFace869 admitted.

Shae shook with rage, turning his attention back towards the hat.

“What are you doing?” DangerFace869 asked.

“Shopping, obviously,” said Shae.

DangerFace869 peeked inside the red tent. “That hat looks dumb.”

The demonoid wore a plain white t-shirt and blue shorts; he was still in his starting outfit.

“You look dumb,” said Shae. A childish insult, but a valid one.

“Yeah, I know,” DangerFace869 said. “I don’t care.”

Shae looked indignant, moving on to another vendor. He would come back for this hat later, assuming it was still there. DangerFace869 lingered by his side.

“Stop following me,” Shae growled.

“No,” said DangerFace869. “You’re my mentor.”

“The mission’s over. You don’t have to follow me anymore.”

“I want to. You’re smart and strong.”

That caught Shae off-guard. No one had ever called Shae either of those things. Still, he didn’t have time to tutor a new player. Especially one that looked like DangerFace869 - they just weren’t visually compatible.

Shae took a hard-right past a vendor, attempting to lose the demonoid. He weaved through the market, cloaking his presence with passing shoppers and flapping tents. DangerFace869 trailed him like a shadow - ditching him would require drastic action.

Shae squeezed into an active conversation between four other players. He crouched at their leg-level, flashing them an awkward half-smile. This was a dumb plan; Shae hoped these players wouldn’t separate, or thrash him, for just for a few more seconds. He huddled between their bodies, watching as DangerFace869 wandered out of sight.

“Is that… Shae?” a surrounding voice asked.

Shae looked up. Uh oh - he recognized those faces. These players were from his previous guild: The Blue Cinders. Their name was much cooler than the Feather Birds, but everything else about them was lousy - Shae had been booted for telling them so.

Before Shae could duck out, a pair of tentacloid tentacles coiled around him.

“Get him!”

A leggoid’s fist slammed into Shae’s ribs. A magicoid followed-up with a kick. Finally, a humanoid took a turn. Shae curled towards the ground, but the tentacloid hoisted him back up, prepping him for another round of hurt.

“Do you remember what you said about me?” asked a magicoid in a long brown robe.

“I said you look like a football, and I could throw you twice as far,” Shae replied.

Another volley of fists. Drool and blood dangled from Shae’s lips. He wasn’t positive he’d survive round three.

His guns were useless while his wrists were bound. Even so, he only had 5 SP, and he needed that for the goblin mission –

-- No wait, Shae had 6 SP. When did that happen? All players had 5 SP. That was just how things worked.

“Anything else you want to say?” growled the leggoid.

“Well, since you asked…” Shae replied. He couldn’t help himself. It was almost worth the pain.

The Blue Cinders wouldn’t give him another chance to respond. Their fists pulled back –

-- A demonoid knee crushed the leggoid’s throat. An elbow smashed the magicoid’s head. A kick bent the humanoid’s neck sideways.

The tentacloid released Shae, stepping back in terror. DangerFace869 offered no mercy. He tackled into the tentacloid, cleaving through a merchant’s stand with their bodies.

“Feel free to browse my wares,” said the NPC merchant.

All four Blue Cinders were down. They were just as weak as Shae remembered. DangerFace869 helped Shae to his feet.

“I’m hungry,” said DangerFace869, indifferent to the groans of his defeated opponents.

* * *

Shae nursed his gut with a cold mug of foaming beer. Players drank here without fear of hangovers - Zero Space characters reset after eight hours of being logged out. Ill or poisoned characters miraculously recovered. Dead characters resurrected in their Guild HQ.

DangerFace869 was already on his third or fourth beer. This demonoid had either a strong real-life constitution, or his race wasn’t programmed to get drunk. Either way, Shae was jealous – his scrawny humanoid form didn’t lend itself to drinking.

They sat at a wooden picnic table outside of The Coat of Arms tavern. The food here was subpar, but it was still better than anything in the Haven. An endless ambience of drunken songs and shouts radiated through the tavern’s paper-thin walls. No wonder the rats in the basement were so irritable.

Shae swatted at a hanging tavern sign – a dragon emblem, encrested on a shield. It wobbled back and forth before finally settling. Shae wasn’t a programmer, but he couldn’t imagine what went into Zero Space physics.

“Which goblin mission are we doing?” asked DangerFace869, biting into a leg of fried chicken.

“You’re not coming with me,” said Shae, plunging his metal fork into a piece of pie.

“Gotta bring someone,” DangerFace869 said.

Shae couldn’t argue with that. He pressed deep into his palm with two fingers – a floating interface appeared before him, projected from his hand. It was a transparent menu, filled with buttons and windows.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” said DangerFace869.

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Shae said.

Shae swiped through several holographic screens, until a list of available missions appeared:

MISSION LIST MISSION NAME DIFFICULTY Watching the Birdwatchers **** Box of Secrets * A Date with Danger ** &n^!!..5yY?q....+qr~m+qr..w>oOO‘]~mlw>+qr5yY --- Forest Footrace with Farlogg the Fast ***

Shae recognized them all. Missions rotated every few days, and there were plenty of repeats. New Zero Space content was rare, and usually too buggy to play. Either testers weren’t catching the issues, or the devs weren’t fixing them.

Box of Secrets was the worst of them. Players delivered a box to eight different Trader Town locations. The final delivery revealed the box’s secrets: a bouquet of flowers, sent from the originator of the quest, to the one they loved. This cheesy pay-off frustrated players endlessly; guilds loved hazing new members with this quest.

Forest Footrace with Farlogg the Fast wasn’t much better. Players raced a cheating NPC from one end of the forest to the other. A single unexpected goblin ambush could ruin the whole thing. Anything less than first place resulted in a long walk back to the forest entrance.

Only two Goblin King-qualifying missions were available: Watching the Birdwatchers and A Date with Danger.

Watching the Birdwatchers was one of the oldest quests in Zero Space. Players accompanied a group of annoying NPCs as they documented every bird species in Sunlight Forest. The process took hours, and there was no way to skip it. Along the way, numerous goblin ambushes would occur. A single dead birdwatcher resulted in failure. Shae was tired of protecting dumb NPCS, so this mission was out of the question.

A Date with Danger was the only sensible choice. It involved infiltrating a goblin encampment to save a kidnapped villager. Yes, another villager needed to be saved, but at least this one was locked in a cage. Goblins were less likely to murder things they had already captured.

DangerFace869 pointed towards the fourth mission down – the strange glitchy one. “Let’s do that one.”

“No,” said Shae. “That’s not a goblin mission. We don’t do glitched missions.”

“Why not?” asked DangerFace869.

“We just don’t,” Shae growled. “I don’t have to explain everything to you.”

“Yes you do. You’re my mentor.”

“No I’m not!”

“Hi Shae,” said another voice.

Shae looked over – a tall pale-green figure stepped towards them. She had smooth dolphin-like flesh, and long fins extending from her elbows, thighs, and the top of her head. She chuckled as Shae looked up at her, releasing a sweet flute-like sound from her fins.

This was a musicoid, a creature capable of producing beautiful sounds with their bodies. Even a bad musicoid could dominate most open mics. Despite their audio prowess, musicoids weren’t a popular race-choice; they had few combat advantages. Though some players dreamed of being a rock star, more players dreamed about punching people in the face.

This musicoid was Chroma, a fellow Feather Bird, and a healer. Chroma was a nice enough person, but Shae found her frustrating. She loved small-talk, and Shae preferred no-talk.

“So, are you a Feather Bird as well?” Chroma asked DangerFace869.

“Yeah,” said the demonoid. “I’m DangerFace869.”

“DangerFace… Eight… Four… Two?” Chroma attempted to say.

“No, it’s –“

“Close enough,” interrupted Shae. “What do you want?”

“Just saying hi!” said Chroma. “So, whatcha eating?”

“Food,” said Shae.

“Nice!” said Chroma. “I was eating here too! So, you like eating?”

“Yeah,” said DangerFace869. “Eating is great.”

“Nice!” said Chroma. “So, what do you like best about eating?”

“Time to go,” said Shae. He seized DangerFace869’s arm, dragging him away.

“Oh, where are you going?” asked Chroma.

“To see Smith,” said Shae.

“Who?” DangerFace869 asked.

“Oh, I need to see Smith too!” said Chroma. “You want to go together?”

“Nope,” said Shae, pulling DangerFace869 along.

“Oh,” Chroma seemed surprised, and maybe a little hurt. “Well, see you later!”

DangerFace869 ripped his arm free from Shae.

“What’s your problem?” asked DangerFace869. “She was nice.”

GONG

The bell tower rang once more, followed by an automated message:

“Trader Town maintenance will occur in two hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Two hours? Still enough time for Shae to wrap up what he needed to.

“Where are we going?” asked DangerFace869.

“To get you some credits,” Shae said. “If you’re coming with me, you can’t look like that.”

Shae dragged DangerFace869 towards a distant windmill – the second tallest and oldest building in Trader Town.

“Fine,” DangerFace869 said. “You’re the mentor.”

“I’m not your mentor!” Shae yelled. It didn’t matter how many times DangerFace869 rescued him. Shae would never commit to that.

A hooded pteranoid observed them from the rooftops, holding a bow steady.

“Are you going to kill them or not?” said a frustrated voice behind the pteranoid.

“Not yet,” the pteranoid said. “Fetch Syadd.”

“Do we really have to get her involved?” asked the voice. “It will be more fun without her.”

“I’m not here to have fun,” the pteranoid snapped. “I’m here to win.”

* * *

Shae and DangerFace869 stood before two wooden windmill doors. Four massive wooden blades rotated above at a steady pace.

They shoved the heavy doors open, revealing a workshop full of NPCs, slaving away on large pieces of machinery. Shae had no idea what most of this machinery did - there was a good chance these NPCs didn’t either.

DangerFace869 gagged on smoky air, wiping his eyes with a plain white sleeve. Demonoids lacked the air filtration of most modern races. He wouldn’t suffocate, but he would still suffer.

They navigated aisles of conveyor belts. All sorts of weapons - swords, spears, bows, and even the occasional rifle – drifted past an assembly line of blacksmiths and craftsmen. A blacksmith would pick up a weapon, bang it a few times against an anvil, and then trade it for the next weapon in line. A tailor would then adorn it with leather or cloth, often completing the weapon. It was utter nonsense, but the pseudo-logic was compelling.

“This place is weird,” said DangerFace869, hacking up pollutants.

“It’s where new players come to get their weapons,” Shae said. “You would know that if you hadn’t skipped that part.”

A brutoid NPC in a hardhat stood on a raised platform, high above the assembly lines. His lower two arms gripped a clipboard. His two upper two arms scratched at his head, pondering the clipboard’s contents. This was Smith, weapon-master and factory overlord. Despite his busy appearance, he was always in the same, reliable location; easy for players to find.

DangerFace869 peeked over at Smith’s clipboard – there was nothing on it.

“Welcome DangerFace869,” Smith said.

“He knows my name,” said DangerFace869.

“Of course he does,” said Shae. “He’s an NPC.”

“I see you have one of my very fine weapons,” Smith continued. “Are you here to upgrade your weapon, or trade in items?”

“I don’t have a weapon,” said DangerFace869.

“No, you don’t,” said Shae. “That’s your fault for picking hand to hand. Move.”

Shae nudged DangerFace869 out of the way, pulling out the Vintage Tea Kettle from his previous mission.

“This will go for a lot of credits,” Shae said. “You’re going to use those credits to buy some new clothes.”

“Fine,” said DangerFace869. He wouldn’t object to free money.

Smith caught sight of Shae.

“Welcome Shae,” Smith said. “I see you have one of my very fine weapons. Are you here to upgrade your weapon, or trade in items?”

“The latter,” Shae said, glancing over at DangerFace869. “I’m going to make my guns look cooler while I’m here, so I might be a while.”

DangerFace869 coughed out a gust of smoke. This environment was starting to make him dizzy.

“Fine,” said DangerFace869. “I’ll be outside.”

As Shae watched DangerFace869 depart, he became aware of Smith’s dialogue – it hadn’t advanced. Shae groaned – he knew why.

“I’m here to trade in items,” Shae said. Those specific words were required to advance the transaction; Smith was an old NPC.

“Very good,” said Smith. “Please present the item you would like to trade.”

Shae set the vintage tea kettle in Smith’s four outstretched arms.

“This is a very fine item,” Smith said. “This vintage tea kettle goes for…”

Smith stopped mid-sentence, frozen in place. That was odd. Shae waved his hand in front of Smith’s face. Had Smith bugged out? Shae hoped not – he needed those credits, and he was running out of time to spend them.

Smith’s six eyes suddenly shifted towards Shae.

“I see you are a premium account holder,” Smith said. “Please follow me.”

Shae was stunned. That was Smith-dialogue he hadn’t heard before.

Smith abandoned his post, walking into a small office behind him. Shae had never seen Smith act this way. He wasn’t even aware there was a door back there. If he followed, he feared what he might find.

Smith had Shae’s tea kettle however - Shae needed that. Against his better judgement, Shae followed the brutoid through the mysterious door.

This room within was dark and empty. Entire patches of wall and floor were missing. There was some furniture lying around, but it didn’t look like it belonged here – it certainly didn’t match the aesthetic. Artificial sunlight poured in from a fake hole in the ceiling; a solitary source of light. This was an unfinished room. It felt, unwelcoming.

Smith’s six glowing eyes stared into Shae. An aura of menace projected from the brutoid in the dim light. NPCs were dangerous opponents - a brutoid like Smith would have no trouble ripping Shae apart.

“Now Shae…” said Smith. “It is time for you, to die.”

Shae panicked. Both pistols whipped out, and –

Smith laughed, collapsing to his knees in a hysterical fit. Shae would have soiled himself, if that were possible in Zero Space.

“Sorry Shae,” said Smith. “I’m just messing with you. That’s a very funny prank I like to pull on new premium account users.”

Shae was still shaking. Smith’s words didn’t bring him comfort.

“Anyway,” continued Smith. “I very much recommend not trading that rare material away. You’re going to need that if you want to get very strong!”

Shae paled; this NPC’s dialogue was different. It emoted, and used inflection. This was either the best voice actor in Zero Space history, or --

“You, you are, an NPC, right?” Shae stuttered.

“Of course!” Smith said. “Most players are just very boring. I’m usually AFK, as you players say. My programming handles the tedious stuff. I just tune in when things get very fun!”

AFK? Tune in? Smith’s dialogue was impossible – it was fluent, and reactionary. Shae wanted to leave. To get out of this tiny room. Whatever he was witnessing, it was unnatural.

“Anyway, Shae, that tea kettle is a Level One material,” said Smith. “That means you can unlock another Level One ability with it!”

Shae stopped panicking for a moment. He didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded useful.

“Another, Level One, ability?” said Shae. He knew abilities could be upgraded in Zero Space, but he didn’t know how to do it. One thing was for certain though – every player had exactly one ability. There were zero exceptions to that rule.

“Anyway, looks like you’re on the path of Xieter,” Smith said. “That means you have access to the following abilities:”

Smith pressed two fingers into his palm, projecting a spider web of holographic menus. This NPC had a palm interface. Shae had no idea what a Xieter was, or even how to spell that word. This was too much to take in at once. He wanted to go back to the Haven. Back to reality, where the rules made sense.

Smith swiped to a holographic list of abilities:

Shae Abilities – Path of Xieter ABILITY NAME ABILITY DESCRIPTION CURRENT LEVEL Piercing Shot A shot that can penetrate surfaces and objects. 1 Ricochet Shot A shot that can bounce off surfaces and objects. 0 Poison Shot A shot that does damage over time. 0 ??? ??? --- ??? ??? ---

“Anyway, with that Level 1 Material, you can unlock either Ricochet Shot, or Poison Shot,” Smith said. “Both are very fine choices!”

Shae considered both options. A second ability would be a huge advantage in battle. It almost felt like cheating.

“Anyway, come back here with more materials” Smith said. “Premium account users can do very cool stuff!”

The premium account – that’s what this was about. Another world of possibilities had opened up to Shae. A world of sentient NPCs and multiple powers. It was terrifying, but also exhilarating. How had he lucked upon something this significant? This was almost better than a new hat!

With a second power, it might even be possible to take down the Goblin King. Shae just had to decide which one.

For once in his life, Shae had real power.