.hack//Lunis
Chapter 1: Lunis OS
(Ben: )
“Now, when I was growing up, my daddy taught me everything I know about computers. But the most important thing was learned through experience: When solving a computer problem, try everything that comes to mind, even if tit sounds stupid when you hear it in your conscious mind, for example, many problems that seem dire. Like the ones that say “Warning, there is a major problem with Altimit…� (We already know that), sometimes, all you need to do is restart your computer, and it never remembers it said that. It never had time to put it into memory. That’s one main difference between people and machines, they can be shut off, dismantled, changed but if only one wills it to, they can put it back together as if nothing ever happened to it. Except, memories that are forgotten are lost forever. People don’t turn back on when you shut them off or unplug their energy. However, we have many great advantages over machines, one of them being in our inability to erase memories. You see, if tapped into to its full capacity, one can remember every single word they’ve ever read. Now, normally, people never get to use more than a fraction of their brainpower through their conscious will. But I was about to discover another insignificantly small portion of my brain… that would help me out, profusely.�
***
“Welcome to Lunis OS. Thank you, for choosing us as your preferred operating system. Please wait, as this program investigates your hardware configurations…� The speakers chimed.
Ben turned to his comrade, John.
“So you’re sure I’ll like this better than Altimit?� he questioned.
“Of course,� he replied, “It’s much more programmer and hack friendly! Any viruses that aren’t specifically programmed for Lunis OS can’t affect you. Since there aren’t many Lunis users, there aren’t many viruses of such.�
Ben only answered, “I’ll take your word for it. It does sound good, though. Does it still have all of the email/internet services as Altimit?�
“Yea, but it’s not dependent upon the Internet. You can have a dumb computer without the system annoying the crap out of you,� John reassured his friend.
Ben surprisingly added, “Wow! I haven’t heard that term since I was six!�
“It’s called computers for the actually computer literate. You know more than just enough to go online, right?� said John.
Ben replied, “Of course! I could build a gaming system, given the right equipment.�
“Then, you should use an OS that complements your intelligence,� John sagely noted.
A short heroic “I have done it! Eureka!� noise came from the computer, and they both looked over to see. The screen showed the hardware setup of the computer. Clicking the next button, there appeared a big installation percentage bar.
“So who else has started using this stuff?� Ben curiously inquired.
“Well, the headquarters is right in downtown. So, most people have a family member working there. So, at least one computer in every household. It’s not too difficult though, since it uses the same hardware.�
“Installation complete,� the airy, almost Helba-esque, feminine voice indicated.
John nodded his head and told Ben, “I must go, but have fun with that.�
He exited the room.
***
On the days following, Ben found himself very fortunate. Since John was the owner of the city’s local electronics boutique, he had all the Lunis compatible software he ever needed. He installed the best graphics editing software he’d ever seen. He was having so much fun discovering things about his new OS that he never usually ate lunch. But there was one thing that he disliked about the OS that his friend had suggested to him.
At school, he and his friend Jake were talking. They were circling around the bubbler with a few friends.
“John got me to switch to Lunis, but I really miss my account on ‘The World’,� reminiscently Jake uttered.
“Yea, I know what you mean. The only game I can get to work on my system is Tibia. I’m sick of the isometrics in that game! I despise isometric games!� Ben angrily agreed.
“My dad told me that they’re trying to get companies to make Lunis versions of their games at work.� interjected another peer.
All of a sudden, a boy in a big black and red trench coat and glasses came running along, looking very excited.
“Guys! They’ve got ‘The World’ out for Lunis OS! I just saw the commercial!� he exploded to his friends.
“No way!�
“You’ve gotta be kidding!�
“I don’t know about you guys, but my last class is only art, so…� Ben said as he ran down the hallway.
***
“Character type?�
“Wavemaster.�
“Character name?�
“Lunarcloud_88.�
“Welcome to ‘The World’,� an omnipresent voice boomed, “character: Lunarcloud_88, type: Wavemaster.�
***
Ben smashed down the pavement, running to his bike, and he booted his kickstand. As he peddled, he tried to reach higher and higher speeds, ever changing gears, until there were no more.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that he’d left his bag at school. He did a swift 180°. Hitting it as fast as he could, he rode back to school. In the distance, he can see several clouds of dust rising in the distance. As he closed in, he could see that his friends were following in his example. He tried to get out of their way, but they didn’t seem to see him. Soon, he was dangerously close to them. He looked down at his bike. Oddly, everything seemed to slow a little. He repositioned his bike so that he was on the right pedal. Swiftly, he swung his bike to the side and pushed it down with his left hand and foot on the seat. The two bikers on either side of him had a scared look about them. Their bikes jumped off his tires as if they were ramps. Ben jumped off his bike as it careened to the left. He himself found that his legs couldn’t continue safely at the same speed as he was traveling, and so he fell into the dirt, attempting a badly done roll to dampen the damage. He felt his back hit a rock jutting out of the ground.
“My bike!�
He ran over to see the condition of his bike. It had a few scratches, and the front wheel was slightly bent, but nothing irreparable. Going inside, he grabbed the book bag from his locker and looked at his watch. He’d lost 15 minutes, but still had time. When he got to his bike, he stood it up, straddled the front tire and bent it back into shape. As he got back on his bike, he realized how tired he’d become, and how pointless it all was.
Nevertheless, this was his chance to start out in ‘The World’ from the beginning. He could be somebody in the best MMORPG anyone’s ever played.
***
When he got to the store, there was a large crowd of students and adults alike, all waiting to get their hands at one thing.
“Oh, good, I didn’t miss anything.� Ben said to his friend, Maverik.
“Just don’t get too comfy. They’re about to open. Y’know, he closed up shop just so he could safely receive the shipment,� Maverik pointed out.
The crowd could see John coming out to open the gates in front of his shop. He slowly walked down the pavement. He stopped to turn on a sign that advertised the game. The whole crowd cheered wildly, and then went silent.
“My dear fellow citizens of Divine Wind City,� John addressed the crowd, “I give you the Lunis operating systems compatible version of the game that swept the gaming nation. This version has all the enjoyment and nuances of the original, minus the original and deadly problems. In one month, there will be premium accounts, and along with it, PVP. I give you… THE WORLD! For only $39.99, excluding the accessories.�
He opened the gates and hundreds of people came rushing into the doors to get their hands on their copy. Most of them were buying the headset along with the game, but it was a $60.00 well spent to them.
After a half an hour in waiting, Ben finally got his opportunity to get his copy.
“I’d like… just the game, please.�
“Are you sure you don’t want the headset? You’d be the only one without it,� the shopkeeper, the other one beside John, said.
“I’d love to, but I don’t have enough. I’m afraid I need some money to get my mother something for her birthday.� Ben replied.
The shopkeeper eyed him up and down.
“Let me tell ya what,� he leaned in close and beckoned to the boy so he could whisper, “I could get in trouble for this, but you seem like a nice kid. I’ll give you the headset now, and you can pay me back. It’ll be costing you a dollar for every month I wait, but it’s seems fair enough.�
“Thank you, sir!� Ben graced him as he ran off to play ‘The World’.�
“Next!�
***
“Character type?�
“Blademaster.�
“Character name?�
“Gman1988.�
“Welcome to ‘The World’,� an omnipresent voice boomed, “character: Gman1988, type: Blademaster.�
***
Excitedly, Ben rushed into his house. His mother gave a curious look, but then seeing the cover on the box he held, she just rolled her eyes. He thundered up the stairwell and burst open the portal into his chambers. Hopping onto his computer, he opened the CD drive bay, popped the CD in, and closed it.
“MiniControl and CC Corporation thank you for purchasing ‘The World’ press NEXT to continue through the installation process,� a voice rang from his speakers.
As his computer was busy installing the game, he was busy investigating the headset. It had the usual: band across the front, for the screen; the open-eared headphones; the microphone. But this model had a few new features: an injector band below the nose with an on/off switch; a rumble pack armband with an on/off switch; a sleeker, more ergonomically designed controller. It felt good to wear, and it hardly weighed anything. The older model deemed as if a behemoth compared with this small, minimalistic version.
“It’s all mine!� thought Ben, “This is the beginning of my grand quests across ‘The World’!�
***
“Character type?�
“Wavemaster,� Ben replies.
“Character name?�
“Blue,� he answers.
“Welcome to ‘The World’ Mr. Ben Hum, character: Blue, type: Wavemaster.�
A great white light appeared, and in no time, Blue was in front of the chaos gate at Saturn Server. He could see that it had a great resemblance to the Sigma Server on the Altimit network. As of yet, there was no way to bridge the two worlds, so they made exact copies of many of the player hot-spots (areas with little to do but interact with other players and/or AI, like Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground). The platform was an enclosed square and it had an outer square with roads connecting to it. It was floating in the air, and there were many birds flying past him. Already, there were many players on the server. Apparently, this was the only available server.
He checked his pouch and found 1000 GP inside. It wasn’t too much, but he had to admit it was pretty damn good to start out with, and at the very least, better than nothing. He decided to make some friends while he was here. Maybe he could find some party members and increase his chances of leveling.
“Hi, I’m called Blue, and you are?� he asked one beautiful looking Long-arm.
“They call me Hydra. How be you, yester morrow?� she answered back.
“Yester morrow?�
“Yesterday’s tomorrow, today.�
“Well, in that case, I’m ecstatic. I’m new, but I guess everyone will be for the first week, so it’s kinda redundant, huh?�
She giggled, “Hm hm… I suppose it is. How long have you been running on Lunis?�
“Only for about a couple weeks, now. You?�
“I’ve been using it since Green Cap version 7, about four years.�
“Cool. Hm…�
Blue looked around at all the people here.
Blue then said, “… it’s kinda boring just standing here like everyone else. Wanna trade member addresses and hit the maps?�
“That sounds great. Here.�
Little ‘ping!’ noises were heard as each of the players exchanged their member addresses to each other. In the intricate inner-workings of the system, let it be known to the reader that this was the 42nd occurrence of member address swapping. That may or may not be important, but I thought you’d like to know.
Hydra and Blue were found gathering around the chaos gate.
“Chaos gate activated…�
Blue turned, “So where to?�
“Let’s try a dungeon from the List of dungeons I found on GameCheater.com.�
“Sure, which one looks the coolest?�
“This one should. It’s dark type,� she turned to the Chaos Gate, “Great Lunar Shadow!�
The great rings of teleportation sweeped across each player in vertical fashion, to take them to their very first field.
***
Chapter 2: Enogera
Our two intrepid heroes appeared in an area with a sweeping open field landscape. Above them, there were thousands of stars and a big great moon in the sky. In the distance, Blue could see many magic portals. If he strained his eyes a bit, he could see the entrance to a dungeon. It was in the shape of a pumpkin. Hydra could see a magic portal too, but it wasn’t in the distance, it was right next to them.
“Watch out,� she warned, “there’re monsters right behind you!�
“Oh, crud, you’re right!� he excitedly beamed.
As Blue turned around, he saw his first enemies of the game. There were two. Each of them were exactly alike. Above their heads appeared the words, ‘Hell Hound’. These Hell Hounds were terrible two-headed canine beasts. They were fiery red. They growled and nodded to each other.
Blue held his staff at arms length, spun it strait up-and-down, grabbed it, and swerved it in front of him. Hydra twirled her spear above her head and then, pointed it at the Hell Hounds. They decided to take on one each, and therefore, paired off. One Hell hound jumped up and bit Blue’s shoulder. There was a fire upon his blood, and it hurt badly.
Back in his room, Ben Felt such a rumble coming from the armband that he nearly lost hold of his controller.
Blue used a health drink on himself and got up. With the fire now in his eyes, and adrenaline in his blood, he blasted a pulse of water at his opponent. The dog’s heads closed their eyes and grimaced in disgust.
Meanwhile, Hydra was busy with her own little two-headed demon-dog. She leaped forward and tried to stab at the beast. It tried to grab it with their teeth, but the two heads merely bashed into each other, allowing the full blow to come strait into its vital organs. It disappeared. In the background, one could see that Blue had also killed his foe. Experience floated above their heads.
“I guess two heads aren’t good enough for these guys,� Hydra jokes.
“Very good, my fellows,� a mysterious voice said.
As soon as they can turn around, they can only see the last of the teleport rings.
“Who could that be?� Blue wondered aloud.
“I don’t know.�
“Whoever it was, I’m beginning not to like them already.�
“Why don’t you like me, is it because you can’t see me?� the mysterious voice yet again added.
They spun right around, but saw nothing.
“This is really beginning get on my nerves! Let’s just get to the dungeon already,� Hydra suggested.
“Good idea, I don’t wanna waste my time with some prankster,� Blue agreed.
They walked over to an item on the ground. It was long and had many holes, like some sort of musical instrument. There was a note attached to it.
Blue read it aloud, “Grunty Flute. A little present to show that I’m friendly.�
That’s odd. Use it, see what comes.�
Blue grasped the instrument and began to play. The music seemed to just come to him. He liked this sensation. When he finished, there something was appearing in front of them. It was a grunty that seemed to be made of shadow. The Grunty flute suddenly burst into flames, singeing Blue a little.
“OW!!! Damn. He burns me and expects us to believe that he’s friendly!� he yelled.
Hydra was already beginning to mount the grunty.
“Well, it’s a lot freakin’ better than walking!� she remarked.
“Yea, I guess.�
Far off in the distance, a mysterious figure stood in mid-air watching the two. It was an unclassable male character. He was dressed in the most elaborate harlequin outfit. He had many azure chains. In his hand, the weapon seemed to be a metallic whip that pulsated the black and red colors.
“Hm hm hmmm… I may need to have an army. Have fun my little med-evil soldiers,� He said to himself.
“Did you hear that?� Hydra asked.
“No, but keep you eye on the path. We’re almost there,� Blue irritatedly asked.
They came to the entrance of the pumpkin dungeon. As they dismounted the grunty, it disappeared into the shadows.
Far off, the mystery man stood next to his pet grunty.
“Good work my pet.�
A great big smile came across his face. Suddenly the great rings of teleportation swept across him in a horizontal manner (as opposing to the usual vertical fashion).
Inside the dungeon, Blue and Hydra seemed to put their game faces on. They powered up with a few things that Hydra had bought earlier.
“Right, well… here we are,� Hydra said.
“Let’s go in further,� Blue ordered.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.�
“Sorry.�
They walked through the dungeon, collecting many items and grunty food. When they reached the fourth floor, they decided to take a rest. They were waiting for their healing magic to be available.
“So, what grade are you in?� Blue asked.
“I’m in 9th. What about you?� she responded.
“Well I guess that I’m in 10th since this year started.�
“That’s cool. I’m glad I met you. This morning, I thought that I’d never meet anyone until I got a lot stronger. That’s what happened to me when I played the Altimit version;� she appeared to be reminiscing, “There was so much chaos going on. I didn’t know what to do. I was so helpless then. One day, I was trying a dungeon, alone as usual. It was level. 49 and I was lv.47. Now, that wouldn’t be so bad in a party, but I didn’t have one. I was getting my 4$$ whooped by this one monster. I didn’t know if I’d make it, when, all of a sudden, this ninja-type Twin Blade came out and saved me, Soma… or something. I thought that maybe I could make a friend in this game, and he wanted my member address, but he really creeped me out. So, I quit playing the game. I wasn’t having much fun on my own, and people were dropping into comas left and right.�
“Well, I’m glad I could help. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen to you ever again,� he promised.
“Thanks blue!�
She seemed much more cheerful than a moment ago.
They healed themselves fully and entered the next room. There was a gigantic beast inside. It was a golem that grew to three times the normal size. It was glowing green as if it were a data bug.
“That’s impossible!� Hydra gasped.
“There’s no way that could be a data bug!�
“The data bugs were a defensive system designed by morganna to eradicate those who wished to aid in Aura’s birth.�
“Very good,� the mysterious man said while floating above them, “I’d should inform you, why: Lunis incorporated this feature into the game’s network as a controlled facet. There are certain items that can be combined, with the combination feature to come with premium that can eradicate such creatures. Personally, I prefer the old fashioned way of killing these vermin."
“What, do you work for Lunis and CC corp.?� Blue asked.
“First off, CC corp. just owns this version legally. If you’d look at the box, the company who does all of the work here is called MiniControl. Second, ask me again in another tense.� He replied.
“Okay then,� Hydra said, “Did you work for MiniControl?�
“Why, yes, I did, but I feared that they may create a version more dangerous than the first. When they wouldn’t let me fix the problems I foresaw, I quit and told them that it would fail horribly.� He said.
“Seems okay to me,� Blue pointed out.
“Sure, BTW, if it’s so okay, then how do you plan on defeating this data bug?�
“I never thought of that,� Blue said.
“I’ll help you out, only if you swear allegiance to me.�
“I don’t know about this, but okay. I am your humble servant,� Hydra said.
Blue realized that while they were talking, the monster had sluggishly made its way over to them. If he didn’t pledge his loyalty, he would have to start over, and he hadn’t even saved yet! He didn’t know if he could trust him, he did look like a hacker.
“Fine,� Blue said.
“What was that?� the stranger added.
The monster was closing in on them. Sweat was pouring out of Ben’s hands to the point where he had to wipe them off to keep grip on his controller.
“I AM YOUR LOYAL SERVANT, NOW SAVE ME!�
“So let it be written, so let it be done.�
Suddenly, time stopped as a huge fist stops inches above Blue’s head.
“So, you are a hacker!� Hydra exclaimed.
“Yes, that’s right. Since I know the insides and out of this system, I’m a rather good one too. You may call me Enogera (eh-naw-gr-ah). I have no need for your services as of yet, so I bid you adieu. But before I go, A friend of mine wants you two to have this,� He said.
There was a great red light emanating from a sphere. It floated in between them and split into two. The light faded and there was half a twilight bracelet on each of them, Blue, on his right arm, and Hydra, on her left arm.
“How’re we supposed to use this!? It’s broken!� she said.
“Ah,� Enorega said as he was teleporting away, “Strength in numbers!�
“What’d he mean by that?� Blue asked his comrade.
“I dunno, but we might want to be alert, cuz I think that time’s coming back to normal.�
Slowly, time seemed to return to normal, and as it did so, our two heroes distanced themselves as much as possible from this beast. They hit it with a few magic attacks, when they noticed the PROTECT BREAK sign by the monster.
“Hey, Blue! I can use the data drain attack!�
“Me, too!�
Hydra held up her piece of the bracelet. Nothing happened. Then, Blue tried, still nothing.
“What’s with this!?� Hydra angrily asked.
“Wait. Strength in numbers… Let’s try it at the same time!� he said.
They each selected the skill and activated it. The bracelets began glowing. Soon, a great magnetic force, forced their arms together, making the bracelet whole. The world seemed to tear apart around them, revealing a great white space. They could feel their energy being tapped into, and it hurt.
As their arms flung forward, their bodies stretched back. Great beams emanated from the bracelet, and penetrated the monster’s data. Virus cores came to them and the great golem was normal again. The world stretched back into its previous state, the bracelet stopped glowing, and the two newly made hackers were free to walk separately.
“Holy $H17!� Blue said.
“What a rush!�
“Is that what being high feels… Wait! We can kill it now!�
Blue stood ready to attack. Hydra jumped up and made several slashes at the great goliath. Blue stood there, eyes closed, powering up to amplify his attack. Hydra managed to knock one of its arms off. Blue quickly opened his eyes and screamed his incantation. Great waves of water came in from each side of the dungeon. The two intrepid heroes floated upon their weapons, while the golem roared in agony as it gruesomely died.
“That was fun!� said blue.
“Yea it was! Now, let’s go get that treasure.�
They ran into the next room. It had a gigantic statue of a grunty. In front of it, there was a treasure chest. Hydra walked over to it. Blue followed suit. Inside, they found a few Yellow Tags and a pair of Omeprus Blades.
“Well, we can’t use it, but it’s not bad. Maybe we can use it in a trade. You hold onto the Blades, and I’ll hold onto the Yellow Tags,� Blue told Hydra.
“Alright.�
***
I'm gonna work on Chapter 3 soon... and if anyone wants to try helping me... just pm me on put something here.
Any help is very much appreciated.