Flight of Icarus Read online

  Flight of Icarus by DarkSun

  Category: OriginalGenre: Action, Adventure, Anti-Hero Lead, Drama, Fantasy, Male Lead, Psychological, Secret Identity, Slice of Life, Strong Lead, Tragedy, Virtual Reality

  Status: Completed

  Chapters: 94

  Summary:

  Most stories are about accidental heroes, people who save the world without even meaning to, but not this one. There was once a person with a name Kirin. He was tired of people looking at him with admiration and trying to win his favour. He hated them for making him act nicely all the time and testing his patience every day. So, when he finally got the newly come out game called Regal Dream, he entered without a dream to become the strongest of them all. He didn’t want a legend shared with many. He wanted one of his own.

  0. Prologue

  The calm night was in deep contrast against the raging sea. The waves came crashing down on the rocky slope springing the lonely kid sitting at the edge. He didn’t mind the cold water, breathing the fresh night air. The wild winds played in his light hair, pushing them in his eyes. Kirin raised his hand to pull them back but it was pointless. Sighing he looked up at the dark sky. A full moon was shining, sending silver light to the boy’s face.

  ‘It’s already time, isn’t it?’ thought Kirin standing up. There was an uncharacteristic dullness to his movements.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. A soft sound of his boots echoed in the empty street. It was barren of any activity or movement, only a few lights here and there still persisting in the dead of the night.

  ‘If only it was always like that’

  After some time he walked back to his home located near the center of the town. It was a simple house that had seen better days. Walking up the stairs he opened the door and turned the light up. He didn’t bother with locking up. In the kitchen there was a piece of paper strapped to the fridge. ~We’ve gone to Japan on business, will be back as fast as we can. Love Julie and Robert
  Ignoring the message he took out some eggs and made himself an omelet. After that he went to his room with the food and sat down at his table.

  The room looked like it was supposed to - full of large toys, little cars, posters from movies and cheery colors. The boy hated it. It reminded him of everything he had to endure every day from the people that surrounded him in this town. If it wouldn’t destroy his image of perfect self-control and sanity, he would have ripped apart and burned everything to the last item.

  Or maybe not. Maybe he would leave the new addition to his room – a silver shining cabin which took a huge part of his room. It took him forever to prevent his parents from ordering a blue or green one for children. Today it was delivered and his parents didn’t even show up to see. They were too busy. But he didn’t mind. It was better this way. Now he could enjoy the solitude and enter the new world without anyone’s nagging.

  And the new virtual reality game called Regal Dream was supposed to give exactly that. It promised a new unexplored world to run around, many same and new classes, but most importantly it was said that time worked differently there than in real life. Three hours for each one in real life. An expensive way to extend one’s life just that bit longer but life there was a better one.

  The beta-testers had been tight lipped about what they had seen but there were rumours that this game was going to transform every conception of what a game is. It was said to be more like the real world when the real one was. The non-player characters had emotions, feelings and memories. They never repeated sentences, give pointless quests or stand in place.

  They could trick you, lie to you and even kill you. There was no way to tell them apart from real people.

  This and the chance to create your character in-game however you wanted with thousands of different classes was amazing. Something no one had expected when the game was announced.

  It was a dream come true, to tell the truth.

  And that was even half a year after the game’s launch.

  But one thing annoyed Kirin more than anything else. It was a choice what to be. Regal Dream contained numerous classes and it was giving him a headache just to decide which would be the best since he could make only minor adjustments to his body in character creation. Warriors were nice but his small frame would probably get in the way and his hands were too small to use the strongest bows. Mage or a rogue would be an obvious choice but it was too main stream. He didn’t want to be just another one of those.

  Luckily at least race was an easy choice. He didn’t want to be human, he knows what it’s like to be one, elves were too much on the beauty side and dwarfs were plain ugly. That left him with the least liked race, the one deemed pathetic because it didn’t even have wings. But Kirin didn’t care, he would create wings himself if he ever came to need them.

  He stood up and looked through the window before entering the silver cabin and strapping himself to the chords that would keep him elevated and move his body with actions faintly resembling those of his character.

  The moon was obscured by the clouds as if in hiding. A soft tapping noise reached Kirin’s ears and surprised he saw rain drops on his windowsill.

  “Wonder why the god’s are crying today” he murmured to himself and closed the cabin’s doors behind himself.

  1. Night of Serenity

  When he entered a robotic voice asked him questions about what he wanted to be.

  “Male/Ace/Celestial/My appearance only eyes prismatic, colour depending on my mood/Pass tutorial/ city of Mora, Oradin kingdom “

  After saying everything in one breath Kirin felt darkness enveloping him once again.

  Strange sounds assaulted his ears, those of people bargaining, merchants shouting at the top of their lungs, horses whining, armour clanking and other. Then he opened his eyes and looked around in wonder. ‘What is this place? It feels so real!’ he thought disbelief showing on his face.

  “Just look at him. He’s so cute!” whisper shouted one female passerby.

  “Do you remember when we were so innocent?” asked some guy.

  “Don’t kid yourself, you were always a bastard” answered his friend good naturedly.

  Kirin, - no Ace now sneaked into the first alley he saw and put his back against the wall.

  “Wow, this is a lot to take in. I thought everyone was exaggerating when they said it was like another reality” he whispered while thinking what to do now that he was in this marvellous world. He hadn’t read about what others did on purpose, to have his own adventure from the very beginning.

  First he decided to check what the game’s starting equipment was. “Items” he shouted into thin air.

  A transparent bag appeared in front of his eyes containing 5 buns and a jar of water. ‘It seems like I can survive for some time. Maybe I should visit a library to better decide who to be?’

  With that thought a young boy, no more than twelve from his appearance left the alley and joined the masses in the main street. His small frame allowed him to move easily through the crowds and pass the blocks of people. Library was nowhere in sight so he examined one of the giant maps showing the city and followed the directions from there. He had almost made it when a pop up message threw him off. Surprised he stopped in the middle of the street.

  It wasn’t a good idea.

  Some guy wearing heavy armour didn’t react in time and stumbled on him almost falling down. The kid also tried to keep his balance but to no avail.

  “Ouch, ouch…” he mumbled while clutching his head and looking up teary-eyed at his oppressor.

  “Do you have a death wish, kid?” the guy shouted but seeing only a beginner and a little boy on top of that added “Watch where you’re going next time” and walked away with a ‘humpf’.

  The kid glared daggers at his
back and slowly stood up still massaging his head and hoping that there won’t be a bruise. At that moment Ace’s eyes fell on the accursed window that brought up this disaster in the first place.

  New skill acquired: Hiding in plain sight [Toggle] Your movements are quick and coordinated, hiding your presence from the minds of those around you.

  +5% Agility

  +5% Concentration

  Mana consumption 2/s

  The higher the skill level it is the easier to move around unnoticed.

  “You can gain skills doing random stuff?” asked Ace no one in particular. Smiling he toggled on the ability and once again went for the library.

  What stood before him was a huge run down place. For some reason all the houses around were renovated but not this one.

  Shrugging Ace opened the door. He was welcomed by a smell of old paper, ink and candles. The air was slightly cooler inside.

  “Do you want anything specific?” asked an old man, probably the bookkeeper.

  “I’d like a book about the legends of the world. I’m interested in heroes of old times”

  “What an interesting request. Nowadays people only care about magic. Every day all I hear is ‘Can I get a book about fireball?’, ‘ Do you have a scroll for Ice blast?’. God this is a library not… ”

  Ace listened for a few minutes but noticing that the end wasn’t in sight interrupted the old man.

  “Uhm… My books?”

  “Oh yes yes yes. Just wait a moment here and I’ll be right back”.

  It took him about five hours to find four books. ‘Does he really know where all the books are?’ mused Ace finishing the third book that had been lying on the table. He had also acquired +3 Int and +1 Wis.

  “Here are the books you requested”

  Ace promised to return the books in a week and left the library. Outside the sun was setting but there was still some time till the world would be covered by darkness. Walking down a few random alleys Ace reached the slums. The buildings were old and looked on the verge of collapsing but he didn’t mind. The thing he needed was quietness and this place was perfect for that. He sat down on some steps and took out the first book. It was called “The Heroes through the Ages”. ‘Original name’ a thought flitted through Ace’s mind before he lost himself in world of people who changed the humanity’s history.

  He was only in second chapter when bits of conversion reached his ears. Raising his head he listened more closely. It seemed to be three people arguing, one of them at least a warrior from the clanking of armor.

  “It wasn’t my fault You did..”

  “… stronger than…”

  “Shut up. Bett…”

  A though to take flight entered Ace’s mind but it was too late. He already could almost see them appearing from the street’s corner so he just lowered his head pretending to be reading. Maybe they would just pass by?

  Lady luck wasn’t smiling at him.

  “What do we have here?” exclaimed one of the mages with a sinister smile, draped in red. He came closer and raised the scholar’s head by the hair and burst out laughing. “Guys! He’s just a kid!”

  The ‘kid’ rubbed his head where the hair was pulled and looked up with the most innocent expression the trio had ever seen.

  “I almost feel bad for thinking about killing him” muttered the other mage wearing a blue robe.

  “Me too” quietly agreed the warrior.

  Those clear blue eyes adorned with golden curls made the kid look like a little angel. Only Satan himself would be able to kill something like that! Or so the duo thought.

  The first red robed mage was already chanting a spell to steal the kid’s life!

  “Fires of old lend me your power, Fire sphere!”

  The young boy crawled back, his eyes wide and body trembling. The warrior couldn’t take it. He might have been part of a player killers group but he never agreed to kill innocents, especially kids. Dashing forth he blocked the spell with his body.

  “What are you doing?” shouted both mages at once but the warrior kept on advancing towards the red robes, his sword unsheathed.

  “Stop it! Aren’t we friends? Just let Merlin kill the guy and we can go finish the quest!”. The warrior only glared at the passive mage and then continued on his way. His breath was labored but he still had half of his hp. ‘And he just had to use the sphere instead of fireball’ angrily thought the ‘good’ guy. Fireball was a much stronger spell but it at least never left a nasty burning that could only be dispelled by clerics or a fortune costing potion. ‘I must hurry up’ with that thought he once again used [Dash] and then [Double slash] on the poor mage. But the guy didn’t die in an instant.

  “Wind blades!” only the last part of the blue robed mages incantation was heard by the warrior before wind slashed at his arms and legs while also pushing him away from the target.

  “Fires of Abyss hear my cry and turn my enemy to ash, Fire pillar! Avenge me Arthur! Kill that bastard” cried out Merlin with his last breath before leaving items and a pool of blood in his place.

  The mage called Arthur looked at the blood with his eyes wide in disbelief but soon his face contorted into a mask of fury.

  “You fucktard dare to kill my brother?!” his voice turned into a growl. “From the North come…”

  The warrior didn’t wait for him to finish the spell. He had only a bit over 10% of his health so he collected his last strength and rushed off. Using [Dash] he appeared before the mage and their skills clashed.

  “Blade fury!”

  “Ice twister!”

  The cold wind rose lifting everything in its path including the two unfortunate souls locked in a battle of life and death, right and wrong. They were reaching the high tops of the buildings when the wind ran short. The two people fell down with a crash, one of them instantly turning into gray mist. The other staggered up with a malicious grin.

  “Next time you’ll know to never challenge a magician.” He looked around as if searching for something “Where did that little bastard go? Oh yeah, he had plenty of time to run away with his tail between the legs.” The mage sighted and limped to where his brother had fallen. Or at least he tried before he saw a sword sticking out from his chest.

  “Whaa..?”

  ***

  [You have leveled up]

  [You have leveled up]

  New skill acquired: Deception [Passive] You can pretend to be anyone and lie with your face straight. There’s nothing sacred to you.

  +5% to fool Npcs

  +2% to fool other players

  +3% resistance to illusions

  “Awesome” whispered Ace with a slight smile. It had worked out much better than he expected. Not only did he survive but he also got a skill and experience from the kills that he wasn’t even participating in! He felt a bit bad for the warrior’s/knight’s in shining armour death, but it couldn’t have been helped. He had no weapon until the guy died and left his sword. That reminded Ace of the loot lying around. He picked everything up and started to examine.

  Sword of the Deceased Attack 15-20

  Durability 23/40

  Sword scavenged from the hands of an unknown soldier. It had so many owners that it’s durability was lowered permanently.

  Beginner Magic A book that explains the fundamentals of magic and it’s uses. Allows to learn spells.

  Old robe Defense 5

  Durability 8/15

  It is a poorly made robe from common materials. Good against the rain.

  Iron dagger Attack 7

  Durability 27/30

  A sturdy dagger made by a promising blacksmith from low quality iron.

  Boots of Might Defense 5

  Durability 8/15

  Boots with an engraved eagle

  +10 Luck

  +5% resistance to fear

  ‘Well this is not too bad’ mused Ace while putting on the boots and hiding dagger in them. Then he equipped the sword even though he had no idea how to use it. Never
know then it might come in use, maybe he’ll need a stick to lean onto one day. With that finished he picked the book about magic and started to read. It was standard stuff: elements, purpose and alignment.

  He finished it after a few hours squinting by the moonlight, trying to decipher the last shadowed words.

  New skill acquired: Magic mastery [Passive] You can learn and cast spells depending on the level of your mastery. Trying to cast higher tier spells may result in disaster.

  +10% spell proficiency

  +10 Int

  +10 Wis

  New skill acquired: Flare [Active] It is a simple spell that illuminates ones surroundings by a faint light. It is the only spell that can be used while meditating. Ancient magicians created it to teach young to channel their mana and concentrate. Only those who managed to keep the fragile light on for half a day were allowed to become apprentices of Magic.

  Mana use 20/min

  “Flare” Ace said in a steady voice. A small light like that of the candle appeared in front of him flickering horribly and then disappeared. “Grrr” the kid growled and once again summoned the light. He played with it for a good half a night until he could keep it steady for fifteen minutes before running out of mana.

  With the first rays of sunlight he took out one of the buns and started to chew. It was tasteless but what could he expect being a level 3? So he ate until felt filled up and then rose to go to the market. The adventure was waiting there for him surely.

  The marketplace was bustling even at the first light. Merchants were trying to find a better place for their stalls, night hunters came to sell their loot. It was a bit too lively for our hero so he quickly sold the robe and sat down a bit away on an edge of a fountain. He decided to observe people and their habits.

  Newbies were shun by everyone, mid-level players walked as if they owned the world, those over one hundred were usually calmer and more deceitful, trying to save every copper, those even further up looked most happy even though their equipment was battle worn and some of them even had scars. Merchants on the other hand were all the same no matter their levels and whether they were player or npc.