James nodded. "You've got the general idea, then. All right, first things first, there's somebody you need to see at the library. She'll give you a map, as well as two very important tools; a new skill and a monster list." he explained, walking toward where he remembered to be the library. After all, it was he who had done some last-second tune-ups on the beginner area to make it solid, so he of all people should know what went on around this place. "Also... I made her kind of surly, but she's a good person at heart. That being said... do yourself a favor and follow close behind me; the library is in the basement of a mansion, and there's nothing dangerous about that, but I should warn you that if you see a blonde-haired girl roaming about the basement, do not try to attack her. She is an optional boss; a sealed vampire that is mentally insane. If you really want to try your luck against her, let's at least wait until before we're ready to head to the mainland."

He then thought for a moment. "There are a few quests around her, but the gist of them all is "point A to point B, get item from NPC, back to point A for a few potions and small amounts of gold." he explained. "Monster-slaying quests are limited to the mainland at this point."

James closed his eyes. "Only thieves and other human 'monsters' carry money. Other monsters are skinned and salvaged for parts that can sell for various prices on the market." He then watched her pull out her menu and realized that his guess had been right. Quickly he pulled his own menu out and perused it. "Alright... so you're a magic warrior, then... I went with the agile warrior, so my starter skill is a speed buff, and my starter weapon is a non-elemental iron short sword and a driftwood small shield. So, I may have the better initial stats, but your starter is stronger than mine. So... that's 55 for me to level up, and the two potions are standard for all characters. Also... keep in mind the difference between your SP and your MP. They're not interchangeable, but there are two important skills that allow a person to transfer between the two gauges as needed. You know what MP is for, SP is more focused on physical attack techniques as opposed to magic. I trust you've played games like this before, with separate technique bars like this?" he asked her.

James grinned as she pointed out that he was speaking as if he was the person who designed the game. Of course that was because he was the designer, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Another thing he wasn't going to tell her was that the level up for completing the tutorial was scripted; there was no "perfect score", except for those who cared. "Well, there's two ways to get new techniques in this game." he explained. "The first is by leveling up, though those moves are completely dependent on your race and gender. The method for general techniques is to buy them from the shops. If you remember the license system from Final Fantasy 12, then you've got the right idea, except you have to be appropriately leveled to have enough MP." he explained. "Besides, a majority of the level up techniques are buffs and whatnot. The technique at Level five goes by a number of names, but it's basically a generic ranged energy bullet which does minor damage but is a guaranteed first strike. Then, seven to ten will give percentage increases to stats. I'm still trying to remember what the next ones are." he explained.

"Now, for the colosseum... it's a good choice, but it also has the toughest monsters in this area, as well as a few from the mainland. It was generally meant to be a means for players to test their strength and get some last-ditch leveling in before taking their voyage to the mainland and their first boss. Also, participation requires money, which we don't have enough of. Though... because of how this game is designed, victory at any stats is theoretically doable. Regardless, where to?" he asked again.

At her last question, he gave a light sigh. "You're underexaggerating this mess, AC. Normally the menu is the M button on the PC keyboard, or the Select button on the PS3 controller. But... since we're actually in the game... try checking the bag on your back. It's something on all characters as an attempt to explain how anybody can carry so many items at once." he mentioned.

(No, I didn't even realize until you pointed it out. Also, my game character is a guy; I just did NOT feel like taking the time to look for a Momiji Inubashiri pic with a less obvious chest.)

James winced. Well, at least she recognized him. Standing there waiting for her to finish ranting about how evil he was for marring her perfect record, he had to duck down no less than three times to avoid her spit as she continued to talk. "Yes, I am a guy." he said, almost bored, once she had finished. "More importantly, so is my character; unfortunately I haven't completed the coding for male wolves yet, so I had to recycle a female sprite code. The only race that has all the known glitches worked out is the human, though the elves, dwarves, and shadows are nearing completion." he explained. "Regardless, you're right, it's been quite some time since we've last fought. So, I'm certain we'll have time for that in the near future. In the meantime... how do you like the game so far? I know they say that people tend to get occupied in gaming, but your avatar is doing actions completely different from what I scripted as random idles, so my only conclusion is that you also got taken in by this game." he explained.

At this, he gave a light sigh. "Now, the next area is in the port; we have to go across a sea. That being said, the ship we get on is scripted to be attacked, as a precautionary measure against low-level characters getting into the mainland. I'd say we'd be safe at Level 4 or 5. Now... the monster areas here are outside the city into the forest, near the piers, and there's a monster arena in the center of town." he explained. "The starter equipment should be good for what awaits in this area, but there's a shop just outside the port where you can get some better equipment once you get some cash. So, where first?" he asked, smiling peacefully.

James Conway is an 18-year old programming prodigy. In fact, he was the driving force on the dev team that successfully prepared the beta for Majestic Knights, 2 years ahead of schedule. Normally easygoing and laid back, it takes a while for him to get serious about anything, but when he does, things get done. And recently, James had been really bored with MMOs as of late. After all, they were all the same thing; level up, fight monsters, buy weapons and armor to pimp out your character, then argue with your friends over who could beat whom in an endless cycle of "what if" scenarios. More importantly... they were all medieval.

Of course that made sense. After all, the medieval era was the time of witches, wizards, princesses, and alchemy, a place where fantasy could come from anything. Really now, all that did was give people a romanticized vision of what the Middle Ages really was like. That was why he had opted for a more... modern... version of the classic. Namely, he had envisioned today's armor, weaponry, and sciences... and put it all in the middle ages. Well, virtually, anyway. Scratching his ear once, he looked at the online members, and saw that she had arrived. AC_EPIC, all in caps.

A grin came across his face. So, she had been interested. They had met once before at a gaming tournament five years ago, and although both players had numerous wins and losses on their gaming records, James had done something no other person had even thought possible. He had played Alicia at her best game and fought her to a draw. He wondered if perhaps she would remember him, and so decided he would make it easier for her to see. The username selection screen popped up, and James decided to go with the same username he had used all those years back. "SARI_91"



As Alicia had her headstart since she had logged in before him, he finished the tutorial stage roughly 3 minutes behind her, and it was at that exact moment all the power in the building went off. "Wha...-" he said out loud, before realizing that for some god-unknown reason the computer screen remained on. "...The hell?" he asked out loud, looking down at the PS3 and realizing that it was off. Curious now, he tapped the screen, when a booming voice greeted him. "It's time to enter the Spiral Kingdom!" it stated, before the white screen seemingly engulfed him in light.

When he opened his eyes, he could clearly see that he was in the game. Curious now, he looked about himself. If he was right, then he would be able to see the username "AC_EPIC" in green letters above one of the characters. Otherwise... well, he had done most of the programming, so any character that looked nothing like what he had made had to be her.

At last he found her. AC_EPIC, Level 1 Magic Warrior. Alicia had chosen well, the Magic Warrior was pretty much a jack of all trades, but somehow... he had always known Alicia to specialize in a single class and press her strengths to win. Well...

James gave a light wave, walking up to Alicia. "I am not an NPC." he stated in a monotone. "Do you remember me?"