Two gigantic bipedal mechs guarded the front entrance, fifty foot tall armor plated machines of destruction, complete with an array of weapons and personal shields that could, according to Eve’s database, hold up even against an elite Predecessor. This main entrance was nearly four hundred feet tall and five hundred feet wide, but there were numerous side entrances that people were streaming in and out of as well. Scores of cyborg, machine and humanoid guards stood around the perimeter, wielding a number of different weapons, but wearing the same dark blue armor and insignia.
Unfortunately, it appeared there was still a queue to get in, despite the size of the building. The line appeared to be fairly orderly, with Administrators throughout the line moving people forward, asking questions, directing players to different lines and entrances. Alan began to grow a bit worried. He had to make it to the Black Rose Docking Bay in another four hours, with a package, with no idea how far he had to go to get the package or where any of the places were. He might not have enough time at the Administrative Center.
Running a bit faster, Alan ran up to the end of the line that was snaking out of the main entrance. It was an orderly queue, with each party standing a few feet away from the next person in line. Taking his place at the end, Alan looked over at Red Death, and interrupted his lecture. He'd go back and listen to it at some point.
“Hey, thanks for bringing me here, I think I’ll be fine by myself here. Before you go though, can you tell me why everyone is so orderly?”
“Hmm?" Red Death tilted his head, as if he just realized who he had been talking to. "Oh, it’s generally considered common courtesy to stay at least a few feet away from other players, to prevent actions such as theft. As you’ve no doubt noticed, people have a number of insignias on their armor or weapons, to show their alliances, and to warn people not to mess with them. A few players are even so noteworthy their name and title will appear above their heads. You should generally steer clear of these people, as you don’t want to risk pissing a Named player off, and given the countless customs of players you’re more likely to piss someone off just being near them, either looking at them the wrong way or by not looking at them. Are you certain you’ll be okay alone?”
Alan nodded.
“All right, it’s your choice. Honestly, given that you have no insignia and you’re wearing Revenant armor, most players are likely to consider you fairly suspicious. You should try to stick to the main streets and thoroughfares.”
Alan hesitated, but Eve prompted him to ask the question.
“Um, right, except, well, what do you know about the Undercity?”
Red Death turned his head sharply towards Alan, then glanced about them.
“The Undercity? Why would you want to go there? I haven’t even been allowed there until I reach level 250.”
“Um, I read something about it on the Globalnet, that’s all.”
“Well, my advice is to steer clear of that place. It’s a deathtrap. All sorts of gangs, pirates and even slavers hang out there. A single, low leveled player without any guild or government to back you up would be easy pickings. Of course, you’d have to find an entrance first, and they’re rumored to be impossible to find.”
Unfortunately, I don’t think I have much of a choice, Alan thought. It looked like this simple task wasn’t going to be as simple as he hoped.
“Okay, I’ll definitely avoid the Undercity then. Thanks for your help.”
I definitely need to hide my level too, then maybe other players will be more cautious…
Red Death saluted, then turned around, running back towards the Haxlard Embassy.
A few minutes later, Alan finally reached an Administrator directing players onwards.
“Greetings, player. How may we assist you today?”
Alan concentrated on the Administrator in front of him, forming a mental connection.
I want to change my username, hide my level and make other information private as well. I was also hoping to spend my ability points, peruse the vault, and also set my respawn point here.
The Administrator stood still, examining Alan closely.
Very well. Please follow me, Traveler.
The Administrator broke away from the line, another Administrator taking its place. Alan followed, wondering what was happening. He didn’t notice any of the other players being treated specially, maybe it was a class perk. Perhaps sensing his confusion, the Administrator told him:
As a Chief Administrator is your mentor, your status has accordingly been upgraded. Given the various actions you wish to perform, I assumed you would want a private room for your transactions today. Is that acceptable?
Um, of course.
The Administrator deftly wove in-between the long lines of players, a few shooting envious or curious looks at Alan. Luckily, Alan's helmet hid his face, and as soon as he changed his username he would fade into anonymity. Alan was led up a flight of stairs to the main entrance, guarded by the two mechs. On a whim, he tried to see if he could form a mental connection to one of them, but was met with a blank wall of silence.
Once inside the building, he could see long rows of Administrators assisting players. It was almost like a bank, with booths set up for privacy. Before he could get a better of look, the Administrator turned sharply, leading him into a corridor guarded by two small turrets and guards with electrical batons. Within the corridor were a series of advanced elevators: open, semi-translucent metal boxes that didn't quite look safe. Alan followed the Administrator into one, and the walls shimmered, becoming solid, blocking out all vision. The elevator began moving sideways, then diagonally, stopping a few seconds later. Alan hoped he wouldn’t need to find his way outside.
The door opened, revealing a simple room with a single Administrator and capsule. Alan stepped out, and the door to the elevator closed behind him, leaving him in this room without any doorways or windows, somewhere inside the vast labyrinth of the Administrative Center.
Um, hello, Alan sent towards the Administrator.
Greetings, how may I assist you today?
Alan proceeded to change his username from Adampwnage to just Alan, at least until he thought of something better, hide his information, and set his respawn point to this location. The Game required what it considered a signature, verbal or written agreement that he was making these choices of his own volition. It was a rather painless experience and only cost 1250 credits too. Alan then proceeded to purchase two main abilities.
Each class had distinct talent trees that branched off from specific paths. For example, for his Machine Lord class he could develop Eve as some sort of cyber weapon, to gather information and hack into secure networks or do whatever it was black hat, dark-side hackers did in the Game. He could also try to develop Eve to control robots, develop a sort of Mecha Eve. Likewise for the Rogue class there were paths that were designed for assassinations, piloting, or a variety of other options. To unlock each talent tree, you had to purchase a central ability, which would cost 250 ability points, a hefty investment. Additionally, only one major ability could be active at a time for any given class. Alan had decided on which two he wanted.
For the Machine Lord class, he selected Enhanced Control. It would enhance his ability to control his own mind and body, through Eve and his augmentations, which would be useful in a number of ways. For one thing, it would allow him to train faster and harder, as, despite everything that had happened, Alan was definitely still human. When exercising he could only handle so much pain, yet Eve believed he could push himself further without risk of injury. His body and mind just wouldn’t let him. This would help to break free of those bonds, hopefully making training easier.