Anti-Mage

Sally and Anton ate their cheeseburgers in silence for the first couple of bites until Sally asked, “Where are you from?”

That question led to him telling Sally about North Dakota and him learning that she was from a little town in the panhandle of Texas, Amarillo. As they finished Anton commented, “That was one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had.”

“I know, right?” Sally said as she finished her burger, wiped her hands on her napkin, and then took a drink of her lemonade. Sally stood and adjusted her clothes before she pushed her chair in and looked down at Anton, “I really enjoyed our lunch, even if it was short. I do need to get going though. I hope we’ll meet again.”

“Me too,” Anton echoed as Sally walked out of the dining room. Anton also stood and followed Sally out of the room, though he left in a different direction as he made his way to the front of the building.

It was midmorning when Anton stepped onto the street. Traffic was heading in both directions along the main road. Anton decided a leisurely walk would do him some good after his early lunch with Sally. He also took the time to look around and noticed that there were all kinds of humanoids, including some races that looked human. One race looked to be a cross between lions and humans while another had reptilian skin and a tale. Both were headed north toward Ancree. Now that he’d noticed, it seemed that there were a lot of people on the road heading north this morning. Could word of the Crystal's destruction have already made it this far south? The answer was obviously yes. There had to be various ways people could send messages, especially in a magical society.

At that moment Anton noticed five flying Pegasus with riders heading north. Or, there could just be flying messengers. An honest to God Pegasus though, how cool was that?

Skill Notification, Maggen’s Gift has activated.

Skill Notification, Maggen’s Gift has activated.

Skill Notification, Maggen’s Gift has activated.

Anton whipped around to see three child-sized humanoids running into an alley. Anton laughed and then turned as he adjusted his notification for that skill. He set it so that it wouldn’t warn him again until he was down to fewer than 20 copper. If people wanted to steal a copper piece, so be it. He wasn’t going to chase each one of them down.

Anton continued his walk out of the small town and headed north. After walking for about an hour to let his food digest, Anton moved far enough ahead of everyone else that he felt comfortable beginning to jog. Not because he was embarrassed to jog, but because he accelerated and reached an easy 35 miles per hour. With his high endurance, he was also able to keep up the pace with little effort.

The road he was on wound through low hills, pastures, and some farmland. He could see various fields plowed and planted in the distance. He also noticed that the road seemed to be veering to the west. After jogging for just over three hours Anton came to the top of a cliff and stopped to take in the view. He had to be at least a thousand feet above the plains below. From a waterfall off to his right, a river continued south and entered a humongous city.

The city, a combination of cement, steel, and glass stretched out to the east and west at least a couple of miles with the river making its way right down the middle of it. The city was so big that he couldn’t see the other side of it even though he was a thousand feet above it.

As he looked over the city he noticed that there were a few buildings toward the center of the city that rose higher into the sky than the cliff he was standing on. Also, he saw the familiar setup of roadways and breaks that seemed to set up in a circular pattern with a few roads that acted as spokes and made their way toward the interior of the city.

Anton looked for a way down the cliffside and noticed that the road he was on followed the cliffside to the waterfall where there was a very large waterwheel connected to some sort of pulley system that moved a platform between the bottom of the waterfall and the cliff.

Anton jogged along the road to the loading platform where about 30 people were waiting for the next platform. As Anton looked over the cliff's edge he noticed that the platform was almost to the cliff. Also, while the waterfall seemed to be producing spray the platform was completely dry. Anton had to admit whoever had built this had made sure that there was plenty of room and had taken care of the little things like keeping the passengers dry. The platform was about fifty feet by fifty feet and had rails on the sides with a guard rale that could be opened on the cliff side and the opposite side of the platform when it reached the bottom of the waterfall.

Anton looked around for someone who was in charge but didn’t notice anyone on the cliff so he joined the crowd of travelers that were waiting. As the platform came to a stop, a man pulled a lever that disconnected the turning wheel from the chain and the platform came to a rest. While the waterwheel continued to turn the chain, the platform stayed where it was. The man reached over and lifted a bar. With the way open, people on the platform began walking off the ramp onto the walkway that led to the road. Some led horses but most walked.

After everyone had exited the platform the man, obviously the conductor for the platform looked at the crowd Anton was in and said, “Alright everyone, That’ll be one silver. Please put your silver coin in the urn as you step on board,”

Anton followed everyone as they stepped on the platform and pulled out a silver which he tossed into a metallic urn at the conductor's feet. Just as Anton stepped onto the platform a voice from the urn screamed, “Copper!”

The conductor waved his hand, and the offender, a leather-clad slimy-looking fellow, was magically lifted off the platform and thrown back onto the cliff where he rolled and created a small cloud of dust.

The man jumped to his feet, drew his blade, and began running toward the conductor, “I’ll kill you for that!”

The conductor waved his hand again and the thief was picked up and thrown out and over the platform with a yelp that turned into a scream as he fell out of sight.

“All right people, the show’s over. If you don’t know the drill, here are the rules for you newcomers. If you try to cheat the fee, we remove you from the platform in any way we see fit. The first time, we’ll be kind enough to throw you onto the ground you tried to walk on from. If you attack us though, well, we reserve the right to see if you know how to fly and swim.

“Fly and swim? You killed him!” a man called out from the platform.

“I didn’t stutter, Fly and Swim,” The conductor said with no hint of emotion in his voice, “Though to ease all of your minds I’ll explain. If the thief had entered from below, he’d have been thrown out into the middle of the lake. It would have been a short flight sure, but then he’d have had to swim. From this end though we throw you off the platform when you make us angry, though the law says I can’t kill you unless I’ve been hurt so the spell I used will reactivate and slow the moron down just before he splashes into the middle of the lake where he’ll have to swim. Sure, it’s a longer flight but we won’t be seeing him again for a while. Also, you can’t use the platform for at least a day. So, pay your silver and enjoy the ride.”

“That’s just not right,” one of the young men muttered near Anton.

“That was Seriven, he’s going to come looking for that conductor later…”

“Let him. It looks like that conductor…”

Anton left the muttering behind as he moved to the other end of the platform and looked down at the lake below. The mist from the waterfall shrouded the area in a haze but he could make out someone in the lake swimming for the closest shore which was on the opposite side of the lake from where this platform would come to a rest down there. The conductor hadn’t killed him.

The trip to the bottom only took about 10 minutes. It looked like the waterfall pully system had gears to make the ride as smooth and level as possible. About halfway down they passed another platform that was going up on the opposite side of the chains. Anton marveled at the simplicity of the design. It was a simple system, powered by water, that was quite technologically advanced.

As the platform came to a rest, Anton’s eyes were drawn to what looked like a bus stop complete with what looked like a Greyhound bus. Had more people made it to this world than just Sally? Anton walked over to the bus stop. Unfortunately for Anton, he couldn’t read the sign, but the map on the wall had three stars on it. The first was by a waterfall and the other two were in the middle of a city image.

“All aboard for the Market and Sally’s. This is a complimentary service provided as part of your cost to ride the platform,” a man sitting in the driver’s seat said.

Anton stepped onto the bus and walked to the back. He took a window seat and looked out over the town.

“Isn’t it amazing what they’ve done to the City over the last year,” a middle-aged woman said to a man next to her.

“I see what you mean,” the man sitting next to her said with wonder in his eyes, “How did they make the changes so quickly?”

“Magic of course, they have Earth Mages creating the structures and Sally and a few of her friends, at least that’s the talk of the town, taught them how to make this new material that is almost as strong as steel, but light. That’s how they built those buildings. Magic to create the structures and elementals to place them. It was amazing watching those buildings rise into the sky. That building in the center of town is the new Adventurer’s Guild, it’s at least 150 stories, that’s what they call floors.”

“How does it not fall over?” the man asked with awe in his voice.

“Chuck, the city engineer has been overheard using the word physics, whatever that means,” the woman said.

Anton listened to the two talk while he rode the bus toward the center of the city. There was a lane in the middle of the road for the bus but the street was also wide enough to allow horseback, and other animals to walk up and down the street. The bus lanes were paved with what looked like concrete, but Anton couldn’t be sure. The area for the riding mounts was made up of packed dirt.

As the bus entered the outskirts of The City Anton saw a mage directing some earth and air elementals. Earth was transformed into cinderblocks which were then covered with logs and roofing that was waiting on a nearby wagon. While this was obviously the poorer sector of the town all the houses and buildings were in good repair and children of all races could be seen playing in various parks that had been set aside for them. He also noticed that guards seemed to be everywhere. All wore a pin of a sun setting on the horizon, while guards from different sections of the cities wore cloaks with different sigils.

The bus ride was relatively short and only lasted about 30 minutes. As the bus came to a stop the driver called out, “This is the market. The bus will be continuing further into the city to the Adventurers Guild at the top of the hour. Be back in less than 20 minutes. We leave in 25 minutes. The next bus after that will not be by for an hour.”

Anton watched as everyone, including the driver, stood, and made to exit the bus. Anton stood with them and stepped onto the street. He watched as the bus driver walked toward a public bathroom and everyone else walked down the street into a row of shops and stalls that looked to sell anything he might desire.

Anton noticed that one of the shops had a neon green sign in the window that said, ‘SYSTEM Shop Access.’ Anton only had about 19 minutes left so he beelined to the store, walked in, and made his way to the SYSTEM Shop node. He quickly placed his hand on the node and was transported into a familiar gallery with a female wood-elf behind the counter. She looked over, met Anton’s eyes, and smiled, “Welcome back, Anton.”

Anton could swear he heard the hint of recognition and genuine excitement in her voice to see him again but he didn’t recognize the wood elf, “Do I know you?” he asked.

The wood-elf laughed, “Yes, but the last time we met I was human. I’ve gone through some changes as you can see. It’s me, Vie.”

“Vie? But last time you were human…”

“My primary sector has gone through a SYSTEM update. During the update, I received an offer to change my race, so I did,” Vie said.

“You can just change your race, like that?” Anton said as he snapped his fingers.

“Not really,” Vie said. “The Universe I come from originally is being used as a test bed for some SYSTEM changes that are being made. The Notification I received said that I was part of a ‘Beta Test’. As I understand it there will be major changes to how attributes, skills, and spells work. Also, the class system and maximum levels are being altered.

“How so?” Anton asked.

“Currently every class is set within a range category. Tier 1 classes are Common, Scarce, and Rare. Tier 2 is Advanced and Master. Tier 3 is Epic, Tier 4 is Mythic and Tier 5 is Legendary. As I only have one class I’m not exactly sure how the new system for classes works but the notification stated that individuals can have up to five classes and each class could be any of the ranks mentioned above. Additionally, instead of leveling a Tier 1 class to level 100 and then taking on a Tier 2 class and needing to level it to level 100 before being able to take on a Tier 3 class, individuals can pick up their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th classes at any time as long as they meet the prerequisites.

Anton thought about what Vie was saying and compared it to some rules he’d seen in roleplaying games and Massive Multiplayer Online Games. It sounded like the SYSTEM was adopting true multiclass rules which meant…,”If you take on additional classes won’t that slow your progression down?” Anton asked.

XP costs for class leveling are influenced by the rarity of the class and the number of classes an individual has,” Vie said as she looked at Anton thoughtfully, “How would you know to ask that question?”

“Just something I read about back on my homeworld,” Anton hedged. “So, if you’re part of the Beta Test does that mean everyone will eventually be converting to these new rules?”

“That is my understanding. But, you know what this isn’t supposed to be about me, How can I help you today Anton?”

“I need to know if there’s a way for me to get back to the Earth I returned to when you helped me get back from The Hunting Grounds,” Anton said.

“Let me pull up that information. I see, we used technology because you can’t use magic. Hmmm. Well, the good news is that you won’t have to pay the 2 million credits for the gate and the remote activation fee as the gate is already in your city. The bad news is that your current location within The SYSTEM requires both a pass and an extreme mana energy cost which would be right around 120 million credits. Even if we liquated all the coins you currently have you would still only have just over 15.5 million credits.”

“Okay, it’s out of my price range. I’ve heard that I could enter a dungeon and maybe get home through the Labyrinth. Could I purchase a map?” Anton asked.

“Before I answer that let me first tell you that another change that is part of the Beta Test is my inability to purchase any information from the SYSTEM concerning other beings or individuals. If others create the information and it's for sale, the SYSTEM will provide it but the SYSTEM will no longer provide information as the primary first source. If I had to adhere to that rule for you, I would only be able to provide you with a Universal code for the Universe you're trying to get back to. It would then be your responsibility to find someone to help you get back or get back yourself using your abilities or skills.”

“Why are you telling me about all of these changes that I might not see for a while?” Anton asked.

“Oh, you’re going to see them, when they take effect is up in the air, but since you were so good to me on your last visit, I thought I’d let you know so you could either wait before adding anything or if you needed to purchase information do so now, while you still can. My supervisor thinks there will be information brokers that pop up, but that will take time and effort to set up once the switch is made. Right now, it’s just easier to buy that information from the SYSTEM.”

“We’ll still be able to buy information concerning skills, spells, abilities, and general monster data?” Anton asked.

“Skills, spells, and abilities, yes. Monsters will fall under selling information about individuals. People who create compendiums of knowledge will make a ton of credits in the early days,” Vie said.

Anton looked at his Status clock and noticed that 15 minutes had already passed, “Vie, thank you for the information, I need to finish this up and be on my way in the next minute or two”

“Okay, what do you need?” Vie asked.

“I need the coordinates of the Earth I went back to the last time you helped me. If that’s not possible, I need to know how to use a dungeon and the labyrinth to make my way back to that Earth.

Vie tapped on her console before she said, “I can give you a memory, wait you can’t use magic, hmmm. Okay, I can sell you a neural downloader and the file you’ll need. You wear it like you’d wear sunglasses and insert the file in the memory slot. It downloads the information through your optical nerves. The headgear is 10,000 credits. The file is only 1,000 credits. The information won’t get you home but I noticed that you have the skill Planar Shift. The knowledge will allow you to use that skill to shift back to that universe, eventually.”

“Eventually?”

“Yeah, you are extremely out of phase between here and there. To correct that phase shift requires a lot of energy, which someone with only 34 levels should not have yet. I mean, never say never, but it is unlikely that you would be able to pull it off,” Vie explained.

“Okay, I’ll take both, and the other information?” Anton asked.

“That information is a little more involved. There is no specific path as will be explained in the datafile I found for you. Again because you are so far away from your origin point. Since the information I’m going to sell you is comprehensive the cost is one million credits. Also, be aware that you can use that first data file and there will be almost no downside to doing so. You might get dizzy if your willpower is low, but since we know that’s not the case, you’ll be fine. The second data file though. That one, you should only use when you’re in a safe place. Even with your impressive willpower for your level, it is going to be a lot of information all at once.”

“That’s fine, I’ll take both,” Anton said.

“Very well,” Vie said as a small box appeared on the counter and two small rectangular pieces of plastic appeared that looked a lot like Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory sticks. Vie opened the box, and placed the device that looked a lot like a Geordi’s visor from Star Trek the Next Generation with a strap over the top to hold it on the wearer’s head. Vie showed Anton where the data files were inserted. “The data file with the green dot on it is the one you can use anywhere. The data file with the blue dot is the one you should use in a safe place.”

Anton transferred 1.25 million credits to Vie, which would give her a very good tip, “Thanks for everything Vie, I have to be going now,” Anton said as he put the visor and data files in his inventory.

“You’re very welcome. Please come again,” Vie said.

Anton nodded, turned, and hurried to the node to exit the SYSTEM Shop. He quickly made his way back to the bus. As soon as he was onboard and seated the driver pulled away from the curb and they were headed even further into town. Anton took in the architecture of the buildings they drove by and marveled at how the city was a true melting pot of multiple races, cultures, and eras. He could see hints that a lot of the changes hadn’t been implemented everywhere but it looked like there were both magical and electrical signs and lights throughout the city.

One thing he noticed was that there didn’t seem to be any truly exotic humanoid races. He didn’t see Angels, Demons, or Dragonkin of any kind. Mostly humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and the like. Of each of those species, he saw multiple types and while there seemed to be areas where each held sway, when others of a different race entered a section of the city inhabited by another race it looked like they were cordial to each other.

Of course, it was daytime so that could be a factor but Anton believed that what he saw was a good cross-section of how the various races interacted with each other. Also, as the bus made its way deeper into the center of the city, the building grew higher and higher and the neighborhood and streets seemed to be for the more affluent of society.

As the bus came to a stop, Anton couldn’t help but notice that there was a Sally’s directly across the street from the skyscraper that housed the Adventurer’s Guild. Anton exited the bus and made his way up the steps to the front door of the Adventurer’s Guild and made his way up to the steps to the main doors, which looked to be made of glass surrounded by a gold frame.

While the streets outside the building were slightly populated that changed as he stepped through the doors. Inside was a bustle of activity with multiple lines of individuals making their way through a queue. As each person made it to the end of the line they were called into five different closed-door rooms.

“Look Ralph, new meat for the grinder”, a red-haired female halfling said to a dark-haired male halfling.

“Trixie, will you stop it!” the halfling, who had to be Ralph said.

Anton stepped into line behind the two of them and smiled, “Trixie, Ralph, nice to meet you, I’m Anton, how are you doing?

“See he’s not so bad,” Ralph said to Trixie as he turned and stuck out his hand, “Nice to meet you Anton, is this your first time in the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, it’s his first time in the Guild building, or he wouldn’t be in this line, duh!” Trixie said.

Anton shook Ralph’s hand, “Nice to meet you Ralph, you too Trixie, and yes it is my first time here. Do you two have any advice?” Anton asked as he held up two silver coins he pulled from his inventory.

“Not such a bad sort after all,” Trixie said with a smile as she pocketed one of the coins and Ralph did the same. “Not much to tell really. Recruits stand in this line. Get called into one of those rooms and are asked a lot of questions before you’re either added to the guild, tested, or just sent packing. This is our second time coming here, they sent us both packing two years back for being too young and inexperienced so we’re trying to join again.”

“Anything I should know about the questions they’re going to ask?”

“Just don’t lie,” Ralph said. “The Adventurer’s Guild doesn’t tolerate liars.”

“Thanks for the information,” Anton said as he settled into the line and the three of them talked about The City and the things they’d seen. Trixie and Ralph were a treasure trove of information for areas in The City away from the bus line which Anton promised himself he’d go visit. They also had some information about the dungeon but most of that information was generic. By the time it was Anton’s turn to step into the office, the three of them had become good friends. It probably also helped that Anton had given each of them a gold time just before he left to go into an office for an interview. They just smiled and wished him well as they were led into their interviews.