The World Foxwriter/Dream Guide

[FoxWriter]

“Welcome to The World.” The voice was smooth and soft, feminine and sultry. You have already gone through the character customization. The World was the biggest name in gaming since the first hand held gaming system. Full Immersion. You could see, feel, taste. There where age limits for certain things such as gore settings, nudity limits, foul language inhibitors. This was one of the few games rated All. Because you could set the ratings to G for the young kids, but could have XXX for anyone over eighteen. And that was customization as well, say you allowed the words Damn, but not the 'f-bomb' you could set it for that. Say your parents allowed you to look at the boobs but you weren't allowed to touch, that could be arranged. Everyone over the age of ten could play, and that was only because the immersion system wasn't recommended for anyone younger as it could cause, well, problems. They where working on it. It was more than that though, you could even set the world you played in, fantasy, Sci-fi, modern or more. Some people even came in and did Simulations. Which, was kind of stupid really but hey, to each their own. They could even set filters, like 'only girl NPC's, only Guy Npc's, allow Futa, allow other genders, some people could even include such things as tentacle, animals, whatever you wanted The World could provide. It could be a bit of a pain setting everything up, but once you had the base settings, changing little things was as easy as speaking. Providing the game was set to your voice commands. Parental Caps could not be 'worked around', so if a kid decided he wanted to see some boobs, he had to talk to mom and dad, though he could stop the program at any time and work within the parameters of the settings. Every game played was different, there was no end to the options of the truly, open world system. Every person talked to would be different, your actions would change how those people reacted to you, never ending quest lines that could keep people engaged for days on end. Though the system automatically saved and shut down after twelve hours of constant use and wouldn't turn back on until another twelve had passed. Safety features and all.

The loading screen stopped in an instant, and the world began to load, settling you into a white room. A very white room. The floor, ceiling and walls where all white. There was single window, barred over with harsh metal. There would be no escape from that venue. There was a single, white, door with another barred window. A single mattress and a blanket was on the floor in one corner, a table was set in the middle of the room, also white, with two chairs, again white. There was a tea set on the Table, white cups, white teapot, white saucers and tiny white plates. A white serving platter was loaded with tiny finger sandwiches, soft white cake cut into tiny squares, stuffed pastries and some tiny single bite doughnuts. There was a small bow with sugar cubes and a small pitcher of cool cream for the tea that smelled like mint. The voice from before appeared.

“You have been Arrested by the Galactic Space Academy under suspicion of transporting rare Alchemical ingredients. Volatile, dangerous and highly illegal. Everything you own has been stripped from your person leaving you with only two bobby pins.” the Voice announced. As expected, there are Two bobby pins in your inventory. As well as a white prisoners shirt and white prisoners pants. Before you can manage to do anything, the door opens and a young, pretty woman enters the room. According to the tag hovering over her head her name is Nira Nova.

“This is Nira Nova. She is in charge of the Galactic Space academy, or GSA. She Commands the Cadets with an iron fist and the GSA Handles all crime within their sector.” The Voice informed him as the woman, with very well proportioned body and soft blond hair, large blue eyes and a set of glasses on her nose.

“Please have a seat.” she ordered, examining you with sharp eyes. “I'm sure your aware of why your here.” She said, pouring a dash of milk into her cup and a single ice cube before pouring herself a cup of tea. “please help yourself. We're a civilized society, I see no need to be rude to our guests, even if they are filthy thieves and back door smugglers.” she admitted, smirking at him. “so. Your in trouble here, but, there's hope for you yet.” she admitted. “you see. There's a job that needs doing, and none of my... Cadets, are up to the task. You, on the other hand, are desperate to stay out of prison, ad have the skills we might need.” she admitted, nibbling on a piece of cake. “you do a job for me, and I'll conveniently forget all about those nasty little things I found in your ship.”

 

[Dream Guide]

Michael Adams (or as his character was called, Mikola), looking around at the white room he was in. His character had been designed as a rather lithe, pale human, with messy brown hair, blue eyes and a pair of glasses. Looking around and seeing the table and teaser and such, he firsthand thought this was some sort of tutorial stage, designed to get people used to how The World worked. Then the voice spoke up.

"Well, that sucks," he muttered to himself. Not even five seconds into the game and he was already in prison. He had heard stories regarding people getting locked up in the game, but they actually had to run round and cause havoc first. Well, guess a story had to start somewhere after all. At least his crimes made sense. He had selected the alchemist class when he created his character. He was a bit of a fan of Jekyll and Hyde and the class made him think of that. With the bobby pins in his inventory, he figured he was supposed to escape from the prison and go from there.

That was, until Nira Nova entered the room. Very easy on the eyes. Even if her baleful expression could melt steel. For a brief moment, he had a feeling she was going to be one of those corrupt prison wardens who had their way with the prisoners. He had set the rating to XXX are all. But this early in the game? There had to be a catch. Thankfully, prison rape didn't seem to be on her mind, as she ordered him to sit down and explained the situation. Ah, the classic "hero gets arrested but is offered a job in exchange for freedom storyline." Classic.

"Depends exactly what this job is," Mikola replied, nibbling on some cake as well. Damn, for simulated food, this was good! "For all I know, you could be sending me on some sort of suicide mission. Get the job done, AND get rid of a prisoner at the same time."

 

[FoxWriter]

Nira offered him a tight, humorless smile, the kind of smile that said she knew something you didn't know and fully intended on using it against you. "Oh dear. you don't know? what a shame. well let me lay it out for you then.' she decided, taking a sip of her tea. "Transporting some of the ingredients that you where transporting are class ones." her humorless smile was back. "this is an automatic death sentence. some of your ingredients are used in Necromatic arts, others are potently poisonous. just one ingredient is enough to arrange for the Gallows. several of them means you don't even get a trial. after all, what else could you be doing with so many dangerous, deadly ingredients but planning something very nasty?" she mused. "so. you can either risk death doing what i want you to do, or you can die being hung like a filthy pirate. it's your choice i suppose." she admitted, taking another sip of her tea. "however, if you survive the little task i've set for you, your record will be expunged and you will be spared from your crimes. of course, you won't be allowed to keep the illegal ingredients, but you will be allowed to go on your way." she admitted, watching him with a sly, hard, cold smirk. "Of course, you could always attempt to escape, but that would be unwise." she admitted, helping herself to another pastry.

"You are immersed in a full world where you can do anything you please. you may attempt to escape, try to talk your way out of it, seduce her, try your hand at her task or simply go to the Gallows. the world is yours to explore as you please." The Voice explained. "Every action will have a reaction and every option can have multiple results depending on how you speak, how you act, or how you come across to the person or people you are interacting with. doing good deeds will get you fame. finishing quests will gain you Legend, doing crimes will gain you Infamy. each will gain you options in dealing with certain people, will effect how people will interact with you and may allow, or remove options or quests from the world that surrounds you. choose carefully and enjoy." The Voice informed him, Nira appeared to be completely unaware of it's existence.

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola's eyes narrowed as she stated his situation. An instant death sentence? For transporting goods? He couldn't let her know just how boned he was. despite the many options available, he couldn't help that he was more being railroaded into this job. I mean, how was he going to seduce her? The woman seemed like a humorless ice queen. Either way, he had to keep it cool.

"Well, for all you know, I was planning to sell them, or trade them for something of valuable. I mean, do I look like a necromancer of an assassin to you? I'm just a simple scientist, nothing more. But,vid you want to play hard ball, then I guess I don't have a choice. Though if I may say so, someone as attractive as you doesn't have to resort to threats to get what they want." he figured that line wouldn't work in a million years, but it was worth saying anyway. So knows, this game may surprise him. He leaned back in his seat. "That being said, what is this job of yours?"

 

[FoxWriter]

She snorted. "Like that's any better? the only people interested in buying such things are Necromancers and people trying to wipe out entire cities at a time. that's pretty bad, don't you think?" she asked, looking faintly amused. "you have no idea what you where carrying, do you? you have no idea how much trouble you are really in. where you hired by someone perhaps? you do seam pretty stupid i suppose, you could have been tricked or fooled easily enough." okay, ouch. Game was mean. she paused, looking puzzled at him for a moment, as if the compliment hadn't registered properly. she set down her cup, her head tilted as if trying to decide if he was being serious or not. "I'm sorry, for second there i thought you said..." she stared at him for a moment and then. "it's not often someone flirts with me." she admitted. "ah well. i suppose your too dull witted to really understand how dangerous i am." she decided with a humorless chuckle. "as for the job, it's rather simple." she admitted. "i need you to go and... collect something for me." she admitted. "i hesitate to call it stealing, as it does not belong to them in the first place, but that is essentially what you will be doing. i do not care about the methods used so long as you bring me back what i want, completely undamaged." she informed him. "Blow the place to hell and back, slaughter everyone inside, i don't care s long as the item is unharmed." she admitted, staring at him, waiting for his response. she looked almost angry, whatever this mission really was, it was personal for her.

 

[Dream Guide]

Well of course Mikola had no idea what convinced him to have that stuff. He only started the game after he was captured. Still, not to let the insults get to him. He could prove how smart he was by doing this task for her. He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction to his compliment. She didn't see that one coming, did she? Still, it didn't really lead to anything but another insult, which he expected. And then there was this job. Get an item by any means necessary and bring it back to her. Fair enough, a simple enough job. Though he wondered why she picked an alchemist for the job and not someone like a rouge or something. He wasn't going to say anything though. No sense in making her change her mind. "Alright, you've got a deal. One personal item for my freedom. So. Tell me, what exactly am I looking for, and where am I going to get it?"

 

[FoxWriter]

"Very good." she said, looking quite pleased before grimacing at the question of what he was looking for and sighed, closing her eyes. "Her name is vira." she informed him, pulling out a picture from her pocket and slid it over to him. t was a picture of a six year old girl beaming at the camera. her soft blond hair was pulled into pigtails and she was grinning wide, revealing two missing teeth as she clutched a teddy bear that was bigger than she was. "she's my daughter. these... monsters, kidnapped her. i am currently uncertain who they are." she admitted, looking quite furious. "apparently, because i am connected to the case, i am not allowed to become involved legally. however it has been three weeks and their demands are getting more insistent. if i don't come up with three million Credits then they're going to start sending bits and pieces of my daughter back to me. they're going to start with the fingers." she admitted. "it's one of the reasons why i'm using you. being that your not a murderer or a rapist, i can appeal to your human nature, hopefully, to save my daughter." she admitted, pausing to take a sip of her drink while a small text appears informing you that *Credits are this worlds Currency. it has no physical form, instead it is simply numbers on a screen that is controlled by the government. a person can live off of three hundred Credits a month, or so government says. that is enough for a meal a day, providing you eat slop or rats.*

"In all honesty, employing you isn't strictly legal, but i am running uot of time and i don't ahve that kind of money." she admitted. "i've already paid every last dime i own and the others are dragging their feet through red tape and legalities." Nira admitted. "this is the only hope i have left." she admitted. "So. you take a ship, and track her location, do whatever you please to child kidnapping scum, return her here and i will expunge your record. fully. including any crimes you do between now and when you return my daughter to me. do we have a deal?"

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola's smile vanished the instant he saw the picture. A child. They had kidnapped her child and were threatening god knows what to her. Mikola considered himself a decent enough human being that he couldn't let this slide. He barely even acknowledged the voice explaining the credits. "Ok, I'm in," he said, no sense of joking in his voice, "Where do I start?"

 

[FoxWriter]

Nira offered him a tight smile. "Thank you. i am out of money, out of time and out of options. you where my last hope." she admitted. "i can't begin to explain how grateful i am. even if i did have to arrest you." she admitted, standing up and motioning for him to remain seated. "I cannot be seen as helping you." she admitted, giving him an apologetic look, setting something on the table. a satchel. with that she turned and walked right back out of the room, her heals click, clicking along the way, though the door remained open. he was given no chance to explore though, as a screen popped up.

"Welcome to your Inventory. The Satchel on the Table is the height of The Worlds technology. using various components of Magic, Alchemy and Technology, this bag is currently capable if holding up to five hundred pounds. you can access your inventory at any time simply by opening the bag, it cannot be taken from you unless you are caught breaking the law and have been arrested. you will always retain two bobby pins and will be given prisoners cloths in the style of prison you are within. with high enough Sneak skill, you may also have a chance of slipping in a small dagger or similar weapon and may have a chance of keeping a potion or magic item." The Voice informed him. "Please select your optioned Inventory."

he had a number of options. and a long list of things that where within the bag.

"Please select either twenty Caltrops, or Twenty Flash bangs." The Voice ordered. "Please Select either a Static Sword or a Small Pistol. Please Select either Throwing five Stars, five Throwing Daggers, or five Throwing Needles. Please select either Alchemists Robes, or Leather Armor." there was a pause and then The Voice began speaking again.

"You have received from Nira Nova, one Space Enhancing Bag. Three Bobby Pins, Three Days worth of Rations, water included, Two Water Canteens, One Healers Kit containing 4 Bandages, 4 bottles purified water, 2 healing Nanites, 1 bottle of Pain medication (12pills worth, four hour duration) Bottle of Burn cream (3 applications). One Bedroll capable of healing fifteen health per hour of rest. upgrades are later available. One Electronic Map and Universal Positioning System, often referred to as EMUPS. One Star Chart with Three locations marked. One Heatstone, one electric lantern, three space flares and one small Alchemists Kit currently capable of creating one dose Nightsleep (sleeping potion), One dose veritaserum(truth Serum) and One Dose Spidersbite(poison). Also included is a small handwritten note depicting instructions on how to escape, a set of Ship Keys for a two seated Shooting Star Ship and thirteen hundred Credits that have been downloaded onto your Wallet. to buy, or sell you must present your Wallet to a shopkeeper or a trader to open both inventories." the Wallet looked just like a small MP3 player, only it had the amount of credits he owned on it. at the same time, a small glowing line appeared on the floor, marking his next destination. not that he had to follow it. at the same time The Voice announced that three new locations had been marked on his EMUPS.

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola gave her a small, genuine smile as she set down the satchel and turned to leave, of course leaving the door open. Not exactly the mot subtle method of letting someone out, especially of their position. Maybe he should try grabbing her, fake overpowering her so that she wouldn't get in trouble.

Unfortunately, before he could put this plan into action, the oh so helpful voice of the tutorial popped up, explaining to him about the inventory. As he was given a number of choices, Mikola pondered for a moment. "Ok, I think I'll go with the Twenty Flashbangs, the Small Pistol, the Five Throwing Needles, and the Leather Armour," he spoke up softly,catching as all the equipment appeared in his inventory. Then came the list of things Nira had provided, causing his jaw to drop. Holy hell that was a lot for starting equipment! This game was very generous to its players.

Once the little tutorial had finished, he saw the line going out of the cell, an indicator of where he had to go. But first, it was time for Mikola to get out of these clothes. He opened up his inventory, rummaging around before finding the leather Armour and the pistol. No instant equipment in this game. He had to put these on himself. Thankfully they were us size and before long he was dressed and ready.

Very slowly, he made his way out of the cell, keeping himself low to the ground and by the wall. With no other ideas on where to go (and since he was escaping from a prison, he'd better play it safe), he followed where the line was guiding him, keeping as quiet as possible, keeping an eye out for any guards or cameras.

 

[FoxWriter]

As he walked he would find a tiny line hovering in front of him. The Voice quickly informed him that it was his Stealth indicator. the line meant he was unnoticed, if the 'eye' opened halfway it was a warning, they suspected he was there and if the eye was open all the way, he was noticed and no longer hidden. as he walked, there where soft sounds from the closed doors around him. the further he walked the less fellow prisoners he encountered and the more offices he came across. some of them with people in them chattering on phones or working on paperwork. being a first quest, more likely a tutorial, it was relatively easy to navigate in and out of the empty offices to avoid the few people he came across. at one point a man was stalking down the hall, snarling about misplaced paperwork and how they couldn't figure out if they had thirteen prisoners or fourteen. which was a hint on how Nira had gotten away with letting him go, the GSA didn't know that he was supposed to be in there in the first place. granted, he still had to be careful because he definitely did not belong there with his leather armor where every other person he'd come across was, surprise surprise, dressed in white armor or white suits. lot of white in the GSA. if he attempted to go anywhere other than the direction of the Yellow Line though, The Voice informed him that the other locations where not yet available during the Tutorial and that he could go back later.

The Glowing Line led him straight to a door that was, in the running theme of a tutorial, was locked. The Voice talked him through picking the lock, an easy enough processed where you inserted the bobby pin into the slot and positioned it carefully while using a dagger or a screwdriver to manipulate the lock itself. it was actually easier than using console, because you could feel it when the lock started giving pressure. it wouldn't take 'Mikola' long to get the door open which led direction into the Hangar Bay. here the line led straight to a ship. it was relatively small and a dark blue. there where two seats in the front and an open space in the back for Cargo. a personal ship. it wasn't hard for him to get in the ship and again The Voice ran him through another tutorial on how to 'fly'. it was basic, Just like driving a car only simplified. he could either manually drive or insert a Star Chart, like the one Nira had provided, and the Ships Auto Pilot would save the coordinates and take him there automatically. or, every location he went to, on the ship, the location would be saved in the Ships Star Chart Hard Memory. the Auto-drive feature was basically The Worlds version of Fast Travel. all he had to do was insert the Star Chart and go. once he did that the Voice Spoke.

"Congratulations on Completing the Tutorial. A New Quest has been added to your Queue. Nira Nova has employed Private Investigators to search for her daughter, they have not found her but have narrowed the location down to three locations. Ion Sector Three, Killin Quarta and Scota Prime. Travel to those Locations and see what you can find or explore The World as you please. Other People will have Quests for you in other locations. many locations will have many quests. be careful which ones you take, as some quest objectives will upset various factions within the game. breaking the law, for example, will earn you negative Reputation with some factions like the GSA, while gaining you Reputation with others, like the Family." The Voice informed him. "Good luck and have fun. you have gained Forty Experience for completing the Tutorial."

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola knew this was a tutorial, but he still couldn't help but feel like the GSA weren't exactly the most competent of law enforcement, even with one of their higher ups pulling the strings to allow this to happen. Using the familiar stealth system (he had seen it somewhere before, but from where?), he managed to slip out into the hanger and to the ship. Quite a nice ship he was being given. He made a mental note to thank Nira personally when he had saved her child. Who knows, maybe rescuing her loved one was a turn on for her.

Slipping in the star chart, he smirked with satisfaction as the ship's auto pilots kicked in, and soon he was flying away from the facility that held him. "So long suckers!" he laughed out as he flew away. Not that they could hear him, and while the line was cheesy, he just had to say it. When would he have another opportunity? Once he was completely out of range, he relaxed, listening to the soothing voice of explanation talking about his assignment, as well as the concept of reputation. He figured he should stick to his current course for now. After all, why leave a child captive? If anything interesting popped up, he could look into it then.

He glanced over the three systems available. Killin Quarta was out for now. Anything with 'Killin' or any variation was best avoided until you were more than capable of doing the 'killin'. That just left Ion Sector Threee and Scota Prime. After a moment, he finally decided on Scota Prime. He sat back, allowing the automatic navigation to take over. While he was in transit, he may as well take the time to look over his abilities. He had selected the alchemist class after all. Time to see what he was capable of before he got into any fights.

 

[FoxWriter]

Unlike other games, the Skills where used differently. depending on which base character you chose, A.K.A, Paladin, Alchemist, Assassin, Thief, ETC, you got bonus points assigned to various skills. other than that, only by doing said skills would increase them. at the moment, only his base skills, his Lock Pick and his Speech had anything to them. his lock-pick and Speech where both at five. his Alchemy, Explosives, Medicine and Science where all at twenty five because of his Alchemists bonus. everything else, for the moment, was at zero. the more he did, the more those would advance.

"Thank you for selecting Scota Prime." this voice was different. it was the ship itself speaking, the soft female voice very pleasant as well. "This is a GSA controlled area full of fresh water, clean fresh food and clean housing. it is mostly a farming community that grows and sells fresh produce, clear spring waters and livestock. Crime is almost nonexistent, but the prices there are steep because of the quality of goods as well as the need to support the GSA presence in their community. as they are often attacked by raiders, pirates and others looking for food, money or other such things the GSA presence is needed." the computer informed him. "preparing Auto Drive." the Computer informed him. his vision went black and when he blinked, the ship was landed on a strip and he was at Scota Prime. as the computer had explained, it was all wild and bright with trees all over and bright green grass. there was a tiny village where he had landed. there with three houses a bar, a general store and a doctor. over in the distance there was a large inn claiming to have both rooms and food for sale. another building across from it had a large sign over the double doors announcing that it was GSA Scota Prime Sector Four building. a small sign announced Welcome to Goodspring.

People wandered around and he could hear two NPC's talking about how two people, the McGradies had disappeared and hadn't been seen for a few weeks. The Voice spoke up again.

"On Occasion, Background Characters will speak about various rumors. these Rumors, as well as any Quests you have will be marked in your Journal, which can be accessed using your Wallet."The Voice informed him. and indeed a second screen had been added to his Wallet, which showed his current Quest, titled Daughter of Mine, and newly added Rumor that the McGradies had disappeared. "Some Rumors will help you during current quests, other Rumors are for bonus Experience during Quests you have or have not encountered." The Voice informed him. "People with names over their heads, are the ones with quests, quest updates or information you might want or need." The Voice informed him before shutting up. currently there where three people with names over their heads. Veronica Meyers, Farmer Vegan and Annabell Beth.

 

[Dream Guide]

Man, that fast travel really was fast. It was almost a little disorienting to find himself at his destination so quickly. So, this was Scota Prime huh? He couldn't but chuckle somewhat at the computer's description. No crime, yet they were under attack by raiders. Wasn't raiding a settlement a crime? Well, in any case, he should keep his head down while he was here. Sure, Nira had effectively released him, but he didn't doubt he was still a criminal. Best not to draw too much attention to himself, lest he end up in a jail cell without a hot warden to let him out.

Exiting the ship, he took notice of the rumour, as well as the explanation regarding the quest mechanics. Well, he didn't have to go on in his current journey, no asking the GSA was out of the question. At least he had three people to go on. He decided to try Veronica Meyers first. Either she had some information regarding the lost girl, or a side quest he could do to buff himself up a little more. He walked around, finding the telltale name hanging in the air before aroaching the woman in question. "Excuse me," he spoke up, trying to get her attention, "I was wondering if perhaps you could help me with something."

 

[FoxWriter]

Veronica Meyers had stepped into the bar and was seated when he walked in after her, nursing some kind of red drink in one hand with a cigarette dangling from the other. she was certainly very beautiful, but then all the women where in their own way. this woman was slight, but not too thin. she had impressive muscles and long legs. she was someone who worked for a living. she had black hair that fell in waves down her hair and eyes so dark blue it was like looking into the depths of the ocean. she was certainly not one of the farming locals. she was wearing black leather pants that clung to her shapely ass and legs and a blue silk button up shirt that hung to her impressive assets, all topped off with a black leather jacket and a holster on her hip that housed an impressive Gun. i front of her was a wallet with a badge attached announcing that she was a GSA Private Investigator. meaning she wasn't a cop, she just looked into things. went undercover and looked for people responsible for crimes instead of hunting down people that where already known.

"If your looking fir directions, talk to someone else. if your looking for a good time, prostitution is illegal in GSA controlled Areas." Veronica informed him, still sounding bored. "if your here to uy me a drink then do so and then shut up." she looked him over and seamed to change her mind a little. must have liked what she saw. "i suppose since your cute, i might let you get away with bothering me a little bit." she admitted. "But make it quick. i'm in a pissy mood and my contact off this too good little pisstown is late." she admitted.

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola flinched when he saw the badge. Dammit, another GSA operative? And a crabby one to boot. Still, she at least seemed t think he was cute enough to be worth her time. He could use that to his advantage. "I'm looking for some information myself," he said, sitting down beside her, "I'm trying to find info on a missing child. You might have heard. Daughter to Nira Nova of the GSA. I heard someone might know anything about her whereabouts." He was going to leave it at that as he looked over her. Very, very nice indeed. Maybe if he could get her in a better mood, perhaps he can get a little more out of her than just information.

 

[FoxWriter]

"Oh?" now she looked interested, someone who wasn't trying to chat her up? how unusual. especially for a small town full of farmers like this one. he didn't look like much of a farmer though. she froze at the mention of what he was doing and she slowly set her glass down, staring at him. "You're looking for that poor kid?" she asked, her face softening. "...I was too. i found... traces." she admitted softly. "There was a shack out on the fields where they where keeping her, the poor thing..." she admitted, swigging back her drink. "My other two associates... well, one died. whoever took the girl had no problem putting a bullet through his brain. the other is on his way here. he sent me all the information and we where going to go together to..." she looked at him. "but i'm not sure i should really be telling you this. maybe your from Nira. maybe your not." she leaned forewarn, her ample breasts pressing against her shirt. "maybe your just a cruel, sadistic monster who kidnaps little girls and keeps them chained in a tiny, cold hut in the dark, and leaves her pretty dress behind, torn and splattered with blood." she mused studying his reaction. she must had seen what she wanted because she leaned back again and sighed.

"No. your not like that, i can see the horror in your eyes. you don't have to worry, there was no sign of... disgusting activities. i don't think they hurt the poor girl. the blood on her dress was from my friend and they left his body behind." she admitted. "they left other information though, and i found information in other places..." she admitted, playing with something in her pocket. "working the job i work... it can be disgusting and troubling." she admitted. "this is the first time i've ever been on a job that was... i used to babysit her. Vira i mean. she's such a sweet child and now they're... they're going to cut her fingers off because no one has enough money to satisfy them." she admitted, watching him now, looking as bored as ever but now emotions clutched at her throat. "how could i possibly trust her safety to a stranger such as you?" she wondered, watching him. "an even if i did, what would i get in return? this is a hard world after all. no one gets anything for free and even if you are working for my friend, why should that change now?" no wonder she was so bitter. her best friends daughter had been kidnapped and not only had she failed to locate the poor girl, her other friend had died getting too close. still, she wanted to trust him, he just had to press the right buttons to gain her trust. or seduce her. seduction in the XXX games where always a viable option.

 

[Dream Guide]

So she did have information on the kid. Perfect! But then she began telling her story and Mikola's face fell. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. She was just as invested in this as he was. No, Moreno. After all, he didn't even know the kid. When she hinted at what could be happening, Mikola backed up in revulsion, which was apparently what she wanted to see. To do something like that to a little girl was horrific. He was feeling more and more motivated to get this job done. Then came the cynicism, doubting whether he actually wanted t do this job or not.

Mikola's face hardened slightly before he reached forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I can tell you now, I've done some crummy things in my life, but hurting kids is crossing the line. If you don't trust me, then we can go and save that kid together. And, when we find the bastard responsible for this, you can put as many bullets in his brain as you like." He looked into her eyes, his own kind and compassionate. Getting someone to help him would aid in this quest big time.

 

[FoxWriter]

Veronica watched him closely, watching his reactions and glad to see what she had. anyone who wasn't disgusted by that, well they deserved a bullet in their brain. she startled at the touch on her shoulder and looked up at him, startled before looking at him again, blinking. clearly surprised by the offer before a wicked grin crossed her lips. "Agreed." she said, swigging back another Drink. in front of him, a large green +20 appeared.

"Congratulations on obtaining your first Companion. you may have up to two companions at a time, however one must be humanoid and the other must be animal or mechanical. every Companion comes with a quest that you must complete to gain their trust, and a second quest to gain their undying loyalty. in Veronica's case, the completion of the Daughter of Mine Quest is enough to gain her loyalty. she will have a secondary quest for you after you have gained enough of her trust and respect." The Voice informed him. "You may trade Companions, or ask one to leave at any time and they will return to a location you own or return to the location where you found them unless otherwise stated by the Companion."

"So. here's what i know." Veronica said, her voice pained. "I was off on my own mission tracking Vira when i got the call that Nathaniel was dead. he was as good as my brother. he practically raised me." Veronica admitted. "He had been found by the local livestock farmer, Ashley Vegan. the hut where they where keeping Vira is on her property but it was for when they had a Shepard who had to stay with the sheep. they haven't used it in years." Veronica admitted. "the local GSA cleaned his body up but they're just dumb muscle around here so they didn't bother looking in his pockets or anything." she admitted. "i found Vira's dress inside the shack. torn and abandoned and filthy... i found this too." she set something on the bar and slid it over to him. it was a lighter. expensive. real silver on the outside and a Gold etched inlay setting with three diamonds. it was an image of three clubs, or clovers, like the sort you found on playing cards, set in a small circle. in the middle of each clover was a diamond. it was enough to buy a house, providing you got one in a slummier area, or planet. another green +20 appeared as soon as he piked up the lighter, and a small text message appeared that the Big Slots Lighter has been added to your inventory.

"i was in Ion Sector Three when the call came in. Vira's bracelet has a small tracking chip in it. i was tracking it. it's still in the same location." she admitted. "so i don't think Vira is there anymore, but the person who has it might have more information." she admitted watching him. "so whenever you want to go i'll be ready. there are people around town who might need help though, they might be willing to offer information on the strangers who came from town, or they might be willing to part with a few supplies or even credits. they aren't very rich here, but they're pretty decent. the Locals anyway, don't bother with the GSA guys here. they're all brutes and bullies." she admitted with a huff, draining the last of her drink before watching him expectantly, waiting to see what he might do.

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola gave a small smile as it was revealed that Veronica was to be his companion. He had to admit, it would be nice travelling with someone on this adventure, especially one as beautiful as her. He stored the lighter in his pocket as he took in all the information. Vegan. She had been one of the NPCs mentioned earlier. There was no doubt he would have to speak to her. "Well then," he said, standing up from the bar, "I do believe we should pay Miss Vgan another visit. If the guys were holding Vira in her shed, then naturally she should have more information." He held his hand out to her in a gentlemanly fashion. No problem with doing some subtle flirting while they were on this job. He was curious to see how the XXX function on this game worked. "Shall we Miss Meyers?"

 

[FoxWriter]

Nira Nova
Veronica Meyers

Veronica offered him another smile, running her hair back out of her face. "Well. i agree. i'm sure she must have seen something, but i think she's afraid she'll get in trouble for it." Veronica admitted. "problem is, in some cases she'd probobly be right, even if she wasn't involved at all. some of the GSA are total assholes who just like to cause problems for other people." Veronica admitted. "because of that she wont talk to me at all. you might have a lot better luck, if you can get on her good side it would be better." Veronica admitted before blinking at the hand offered to her like it was some sort of venomous snake before looking at him again. "yeah sure." she agreed, taking his hand after a moment, a blush spreading across her cheeks. she was pretty infatuated with him, even if she was rough and grumble. being a companion, he could probobly have sex with her whenever he wanted. whether he got experience for it remained to be seen.

Ashley Vegan was standing outside her house, snarling at a holotablet in her hands. "What do you mean we lost six more?! we can't afford to keep loosing our cattle!" she protested, shaking her head bfore blinking when she looked up at the man who had approached her. "i'll get back to you on that." she said to the person on the other side, hanging up before popping a fist on her hip. "well howdy! what can i do ya for?" she asked, watching Mikola. "I'm Ashley Vegan, most people 'round here just call me Farmer Vegan. you can call me Ashley." she offered, flashing him a wide grin and a bold wink. considering what she was wearing, very bold. she had light pinkish hair and wide eyes with a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a gun strapped to her hip. she wasn't wearing a shirt, it was more of a strapless bra really in a powder blue, and a skirt so short you caught a flash of her panties. when she set her leg up on the deck of her farmhouse. "This is Lon-Ton Ranch! i'm the owner! we sell the best meat, and the best milk, in all of the Sector!" she bragged, grinning again. "can i get you folks something nice or did ya just wanna look around?"

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola couldn't help but blush in response to her own. He didn't think he had won her over so quickly. He had a feeling they were going to be a great team.

As they arrived at the ranch, and we're greeted by Farmer Vegan, he blushed at the sight of her. Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and began speaking. "Hey there. The name's Mikola." He moved in closer, speaking in hushed tones. "I'm here regarding a missing person. A girl. I was wondering if you could possibly help me out."

 

[FoxWriter]

Vegan's smirk only got bigger when he blushed, she dressed that way for a reason after all. "Nic Ta Meet'cha Mikola!" she said happily before she frowned at him. "oh for... look! i told that woman everything i know! some no good, dirty bastards came into mah farm about... hold on i gotta do the math. about two weeks ago, since then, i been loosing my cattle! every night something comes out from around that area and starts slaughtering my livestock! An it ain jes the cows neither! they go after the Chickens and the Cockatrice and the Sheep and the Woollies too!" she complained. "Hellfire, they attack my people too if they go out there at night but aint not one damn person been seeing whats been killen em! that's how i found the body, poor feller." Farmer Vegan admitted. "i went to look an see where the creatures where a comin from. i figured it had to be old Cherry Cave. sometimes critters bed down in there, but aint no critter do the things they been doin to my herds before." she complained. "i know it has to be a critter of some sort, on account of the wounds on the animals, but what the hellfire attacks a Cockatrice!?" she complained, scowling. "now i aint got time to answer questions about lost little girls that aint here! i already sent my dogs out through the woods a lookin for her trail and she aint there and i aint sendin no more." Vegan said, looking as stubborn as a mule, crossed arms and wide stance, chin up and a sulk on her face and all. she was cute when she was annoyed though, at least there was that.

 

[Dream Guide]

Mikola nodded patiently as Ashley's smile faded and she went on her frustrated tirade about her livestock. So about the time the men who had kidnapped Vira had turned up, Vegan's livestock started to get slaughtered huh? There was no coincidence as far as that was concerned. It was clear that the two were connected. From how she was describing it, maybe they were using up animals to attack the livestock, possibly as camouflage? There was really only one way he was going to find out.

"Well, the way I see it, the only way we're dealing with this is to camp out in the fields, wait until it gets dark, and then ambush whoever is attacking your livestock," Mikola replied, "If anything else, it helps you out, and it may give me and my friend here answers to the girl's whereabouts."

He looked back and forth between the two girl women, a playful smile on his face. "So, what do you say ladies? The three of us, a nice romantic camping trip under the stars with a lot of guns?"

 

[FoxWriter]

Speech roll- Fail needed 66+ roll 35
Seduction roll- Success. needed 33+ rolled 49.
+5 seduction
+5 XP

Farmer Vegan snorted at him and gave him a dull look as if she thought he was stupid and then shook her head. "i aint goin out there at night! you think 'ahm stupid? i aint gettin eaten!" she informed him with a scoff. "you feel free to do it yeh-self if you feel you have to but don't come crawlin to me iffen you get hurt! Livestock might be my life but it taint worth dyin over." she informed him with a wrinkle of her nose, crossing her arms. "i already be knowin they're comin from Cherry Cave an that's all i need to know. i'll have all my Stock moved over to the south field within the week, providin' i don't lose em all before then." she admitted before hesitating. "though... i'd be much obliged if you could take care of the problem. the GSA bastards 'round here won't do nothing, as there 'aint no proof'. see? they don't deal with beasties, the cowards. they're job is to be handlin people, not monsters. the cowards." she complained. "Might be able to swing a few things yer way, should you be dealing with the problem for me." she admitted.

Annabelle went bright red though, at the idea of a moonlit night and a camping trip. she hesitated, it would be nice to have a man for the night, one who didn't think he owned her just because she smiled at him. there where wild, feral animals of unknown type though. who knew what was out there eating her flocks? Dire wolves? Owl bears? ROUS's!? who knew. she wasn't ging out there, no matter how cute he was.... though, if he came back, she'd certainly save him room in her farmhouse. her and the annoying P.I. both. was the least she could do. "Sorry Feller but i just can't do it." she admitted. "Fer one, i aint got a gun and fer two, i aint insane." she admitted. "If You make it back though, even if you don't stamp out the problem, well i'll make sure to have a nice hot bath for ya." she promised, flashing him a wink. "and a nice soft bed, and maybe a... special reward. since yer goin so far to help me an all." she offered, grinning at him. "And yer friend would be more than welcome as well." Veronica just giggled a little, blushing herself and she shook her head at all the blatant flirting. things would never be boring with Mikola around at least.

"Come on. we can't change her mind. We can clear out the problem though." Veronica admitted. "we'll have to wait for nightfall if we're going to wait for, whatever they are to come to us though. then again we could just take our chances and storm Cherry Cave... i wonder why they call it Cherry Cave?" Veronica wondered. "That's on account of all the youngin's going there to pop their cherries." Annabelle admitted. "Although, officially it's because of the Cherry Tree that grows in the way back." she admitted. "Or there used to be one. Aint no one been in there for years though, not since there was that cave in. killed a couple a kids and it was off limits after that. too dangerous i suppose."

Quest Added- Save My Stock.