Read Online Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) by Cosimo Yap - Free Book Online

skills were the ones he bought, Skilled and the basic sneak ability.
    You should align yourself and become “friends” with this Kitana. Discover her goals and aid her or blackmail her,  Eve suddenly sent. 
    Um, right… I’ll do that, but probably not for the same reasons you want me to, and I’m definitely not going to try to blackmail her.
    Fine. Based upon the games I’ve played, girls are likely to like you if you are strong, cute, handsome, charming, funny or a lovable buffoon. Based upon my observations, you would be best suited for the role of lovable buffoon. First—
    Wait, no, stop. Too far. Please don’t give me relationship advice.
    Is that a command?
    It is. Stop.
    Fine.
    Blushing slightly, Alan continued jogging along the road. What were they talking about again? Oh, right, skills.
    “Huh, that’s pretty amazing," he said. "I actually only have a few skills. Um, by the way, what level are you?”
    “53.”
    Oh, well that explains a lot… Alan thought. I guess abilities in the real world transfer over to the Game, which sort of makes sense if it’s supposed to represent fighting in your actual body, just virtually. Another reason all the people at the airbase were super buff and looked militaristic.
    Still, to be told that I don’t have any skills worth mentioning is sort of depressing. I may have spent most of my days sitting inside reading stuff or watching things or playing games, but I also studied pretty hard. Okay, well, I studied hard when it mattered and I wanted to, so like, a few times. Whatever, I have Eve to do that...
    Alan ignored the fact that a lot of his inability came from laziness. He’d do the hard work. At some point.
    Alan began to tire, but Kitana kept up the quick pace. Urging his body onward despite the pain, Alan resolved to take this time to push himself harder than he ever had before. It was a game after all.
    A mile and a half later, Alan was regretting his decision, but they’d arrived at the police station in under 15 minutes, and he’d gained a point in endurance. He’d also almost thrown up.
    “Wait,” Alan gasped, talking to Kitana, “Let, me, rest a bit.”
    “Very well, we shall wait a minute.”
    Alan collapsed onto the stairs in front of the police station, taking a long drink from the self-filling water bottle he’d bought earlier. It was already half full.
    Looking up at the station, he noticed a board tacked up above the entrance.
    It read: “Gamers, if you require medical aid please proceed to Pier 27. If you wish to trade or purchase items, proceed to the downtown mall nearby the Metreon, at the corner of Mission and 4th St. If there is an emergency, add IntelligenceAgent.23 as a contact.”
    Scrawled onto the sign were a few words of profanity, doodles and a few messages that were fairly helpful. The key ones said, “You fail the Tutorial if you get outside help, don’t ask for aid,” next to it was, “You can still buy items though! Visit Igor’s Emporium!” “No items here, all taken,” and “The Army rules San Fran, get out while you still can.” There was also apparently some sort of base camp across the Golden Gate Bridge.
    “Looks like there isn’t anything to scavenge here," Alan said. "Any idea what to do next?”
    “What do the green dots on the minimap represent?” Kitana asked.
    “Neutral or allied life forms larger than a frog, I think. If they’re particularly important life forms they'll still show up if they’re smaller though,” Alan said.
    “Well, you mentioned before that you have no combat experience. I believe we should train," Kitana said. "Have you killed before?”
    Alan stared at Kitana, wide eyed. "You mean like in the Game?"
    “Yes," Kitana said, giving Alan a level-eyed stare. "Like hunting."
    "Um, I haven't," he said.
    "We will begin with the basics then."
    Kitana proceeded to show Alan how to hold his knife. She was calm and direct, demonstrating cuts and thrusts useful against a larger opponent