***
Alan awoke to the dinging sound of message. Yawning, he got up to read it.
Results gathered. For being the only member of your party to successfully complete the Survival Test and remarkable fortitude in the presence of a boss class enemy, you are awarded a Platinum Mark. At the end of the Tutorial you may trade in the mark for an item from the Vault, 100 ability points or 100,000 credits.
A small, metal cube appeared in Alan’s hand. This must be the platinum mark. It looked like one of the cubes that appeared on the side of the Black Coin he’d been given earlier, a simple dice-sized cube of platinum, but when Alan turned it about in his hand it gave off a faint, ethereal glow displaying a steady flow of digits running across its surface. Alan stored it in a safe compartment in his armor. Once Alan was fully awake and had taken a shower, which had conveniently appeared in his Home when he thought he smelled a bit funny, a new message popped up:
The Ethics Test:
Choose. Choose only as you would choose. There are no right or wrong answers, simply a choice. To act is to choose. To not act is to choose. Choose well.
Alan felt Eve’s presence vanish, replaced by a warning from the Administrator:
The results of the following tests may be lost, even to you, depending upon your actions. Permanent scarring may occur, even death in a few highly unlikely cases. Are you certain you wish to proceed? You may complete the Tutorial now. Or, you may truly be tested.
Somehow, Alan got the feeling that the Administrator wanted him to proceed. Most would probably have considered the warning carefully, become more hesitant, but Alan felt differently. He was finally having an adventure, and despite his debt, despite the pain, despite the world being in danger, despite the fact he was simply following Eve’s directions most of the time, he was having the time of his life. He could maybe, finally make a difference.
Will taking these additional tests affect what class I end up? Alan sent.
Yes, these tests allow us to grant you a class more suitable to you, the Administrator responded.
What are the chances that I actually die? And this is real, actual death, right?
Yes, death as in a true end. The chance is less than one in a trillion.
All right, let’s do this, then.
Very well.
Alan lost consciousness…
***
An onslaught of images flashed through Alan’s mind. His childhood home. A cage. A cave. Darkness. Water. Drowning. A coliseum. A lion. Pain. Death. Fire. An empty room. Then nothing. Then a feeling of falling… falling…
*BAM*
Alan jerked upwards, head banging against a metal surface, his heart pounding. Disoriented, Alan looked about, trying to get a grasp of where he was. He was... in a capsule. The capsule on board the Titan, from the look of things. Alan stepped out of the silvery liquid that wasn’t really a liquid, looking about. The other capsules were unoccupied, he was the last one out. Alan glanced at the time and date, then, blinking, looked again. It appeared an entire week of in-game time had passed since he began the Tutorial… what had happened?
I am unsure, Eve answered. It seems as your memories of the tests have been erased, as have my own memories.
Wait, you were tested as well?
Yes, but how was purged from my memory banks.
Checking himself, Alan noticed he had the same items and gear as when he had finished the Survival Test, the Revenant Power Armor and Modified Laser Knife being the only items of interest. He still had 26230 credits.
Huh… Alan mused. Wait, bring up the message log.
Very well, though many messages have been deleted as well.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of your death, you have been reverted to the state before the Ethics Test begun. All acquired experience, skills, attributes and memories have been lost. 10 Gold Marks awarded based upon the results of your tests.
These gold cubes appeared in his hand, apparently a lesser version of the platinum mark, worth only 1,000 credits or a single ability point.
Congratulations! You have completed the Tutorial tests!
Recommended classes: Machine Lord and Rogue. You may now gain specialized abilities and augments for this specific class. If you want to decline this chosen class and forge your own path, please contact an Administrator.
Specialized skills: A.I. Interaction, Stealth and Sniping
+1500 ability points, +1 Class Mark and +250,000 Credits only to be spent on Machine Lord and Rogue augments/skills
The class mark was a glowing crystal cube, similar to the mark but slightly larger. More windows popped up, detailing information about the classes:
Machine Lord: These enigmatic beings utilize the power of synthetic life and minds to bend the universe to their will. Not much is known about the details of this scientific, technological brotherhood.
Mentor: Chief Administrator 170 (Please contact him at your convenience)
Rogue: Skilled and cunning individuals, rogues often lurk in the shadows, awaiting the opportune moment to strike. They may just as easily be the center of attention, charming and deceiving those around them. Answering to no one but themselves, rogues often follow the highest bidder. They usually rob them too.
May develop into: Assassin, Master Thief, Covert Agent, Scoundrel or Other
Mentor: Unknown (Clue: They’re closer than you think)
After he closed these windows yet another appeared, thankfully the last.
Learning the Basics:
Please proceed to your chambers. Before you disembark from the Titan you must learn more about the Game and its inhabitants. An Administrator will teach you this basic information and provide you with additional resources. It is highly advised you learn more.
Once you complete this task you may then disembark when the Titan arrives at Khersath (Est.: 22 days remaining), teleport to a nearby major city or be granted passage onboard another ship to your home planet, Earth. Should you fail to learn the material in time, you will be required to proceed to an Administrative Center and continue studying there to complete the task.
An icon appeared on Alan’s minimap, designating where on board the ship his quarters were. Alan exited the capsule room, intending to make his way there, when he was abruptly stopped by the two Haxlard guards who had initially led everyone to the capsule room when they first boarded. Had they been standing here the entire time?
“Please follow us, the captain would like to speak with you,” one said. It was a bit unnerving, being unable to see either of their faces due to their blue armor and faceplates.
“Uh, sure,” Alan said, wondering what Pharaoh wanted.
Alan followed the Haxlards through the narrow grey hallways of the ship, realizing for the first time how massive it was. If Eve’s minimap was to be believed, it was bigger than the largest of aircraft carriers, around 500 meters in length. The majority of the rooms were closed off, but Alan passed by what were appeared to be mess halls, a hangar of some sort and a med-bay. They were making their way to the center of the ship; Eve wasn’t allowed access to what was in most of the rooms here.
They passed by a number of Haxlards, yet Alan didn’t see any of the others. They were probably all trying to complete the same “Learning the Basics” quest. The majority of Haxlards had the same blue faceplates and armor that the guards had, but there were a few green masked Haxlards carrying around devices of one sort or another. Alan caught a glimpse of a single group of Haxlards wearing grey armor and masks similar to the one that had tried to assassinate the Predecessor, but as soon as they noticed him looking at them they vanished.