Inverse by Mikey Luke Mitchell (top 100 novels of all time TXT) 📕

every five minutes of gameplay, 1 minute of real-time passes. In the Portlands we also have this, with so much Cretchins under our belts we can afford to have the maximum, 8:1.

We gathered the rest of guild, not including Jamie, he hadn’t yet bought the game and the headset plus it wouldn’t be most practical to thrust him into a battle in his first few days. We logged in and arrived at New New York harbor, New New York was exactly like New York, but much greater, especially at this time of night, the lights were blanket of bright neon rainbow, the non-existent clouds would create a slow rain of tiny fairy light-like silvery twinkling orbs that floated around us slightly illuminating it’s path. Everything in Inverse had a kind of plastic matte look, it wasn’t real-life detail looking but it was close to it, then again it was all graphics and programming it was hard to believe this place was all that, bar the weird and wonderful creatures you would see. There wasn’t a massive cue on the harbor but you felt an edge of claustrophobia when you looked around, the creatures would do that to you, I was standing in front of our guild but in front of me was like green demon-lizard cross with cat-like eyes and a set of spiky horns on it’s head running down it’s bare spine ending in… jeans of all things. To left of me was Rachel typing away on her cell presumably on Second-Chat, the games answer to instant messaging, the plastic like look of the game didn’t do her much justice, she looked better in real-life more natural, her game character would always wear tamed violet eye shadow and matching lipstick to give it an edge.
“When is that ship coming? I’m getting impatient.” Brett said behind me.
“Quit moaning it’s coming soon.” Ray replied before I could.
Brett wasn’t always impatient, he was a happy-go-lucky type of guy, short blondish hair, longer than mine so he could rough it up with gel which made him look like he just got out of bed, however it suited his general college-boy look well, compete with branded hoody and roughed up dirty jeans. Brett has always been, the heartthrob of our guild, he’s gone through how many girlfriends I don’t know, we used to add them to our guild before some of them turned psycho and put a bounty on us, I recall one jumping at me from an alley screaming manically trying to slash my face with a knife (in the game of course). Despite his active relationships it doesn’t seem to phase him, hardly ever cocky nor arrogant and you can sit through hours of conversation with him. His flaws though, never ever answers his phone. You know when some just text you, and you literally give them a call the minute you receive it but they don’t answer, he’s one of them and always bloody late, and it’s getting worse it’s not even coming up to exam time yet.

The cruise ship finally arrived, it’s beyond anything you have ever seen. Cross between an early 1900‘s vintage cruise liner and an arabic palace with a gold outer shell that twinkled ever so subtle in the night. 10 pools, 20 bars, 16 restaurants and a shopping mall that could turn a tom-boy into a high-maintenance princess. As people went to there rooms I went to the keel of the ship, my favorite place. The wind brushed me gently it was my favorite place in the whole world, in real-life and cyber space, in a past life I was a captain of a ship, I was sure of it.

“Hey dude, hows you?” Brett said whilst joining me to lean with me on the railings.
“Yeah good thanks and you?”
“Yeah I’m cool. I need to talk to you.”
“No way if it’s another girlfriend -”
“It’s not that it’s really important.” For the first time I turned to look at him and seen a state of horror on his face.
“What wrong?” I said with concern.
“Back in New New York I think I stumbled across something, blue prints and plans.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, I got a small look at them before they disappeared out of my hands but at first I thought it was a system upgrade, but they had weird bits of information about when people are logged in. I didn’t actually get a full read, but it was the vibe it gave off.”
I didn’t quite see the urgency, it may of been nothing, but it sounds like an upgrade, maybe plans for a new headset.
“Brett, you’re probably worrying over nothing.”
“Probably, but I don’t know I just got a weird feeling about it, I just wish I could see it again.” I patted his back, mainly for him to snap out of this worry, because his worry was making me nervous, really nervous. Suddenly I felt the need to panic, I tried to calm the need to hyper ventilate and everything started to blur. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
“Bromance’d” Randeep said with a smile, snapping me out before I could make a run for it. I realized he was referring to my grip on Brett’s shoulder.
“Sorry.”
“Dude I’m bleeding, I actually think you broken my shoulder.” I looked at his shoulder, in my fit of panic I had gripped his shoulder that hard I had broken it with my hand and pierced the skin, of course, he couldn’t he looked just as horrified as I felt.
“Shit, dude, I can’t move my arm!” He said in a raised cracked voice.
“Inventory - Health Drink.” Sandeep called out, and a small metal flask manifests in his hand passing it to Brett’s abled arm. He downs the drink fast causing his wound to light up in dull silvery way, and then the light diminishes, he moves his arm as if to test it out, and it works of course. I noticed then the facial expression I was carrying, a mortified, crazed young teen.
“What the hell Will?”
Exactly what I was thinking. I started to wonder if the Vampires had anything to do with this, some kind of spell or curse implanted on the blue prints Brett had seen. There was something fishy going on. Brett getting more late, his emotions influencing mine, us both not knowing what is causing them, these bloody Vampires that have been strangly hassling us. Something was up.


Inverse™ FAQ:

How does Time-Codes™ work?
Everything you experience in Inverse™ is psychological activity influenced by digital programming, including time, time in Inverse™ is a program like any other digital clock, thus telling your brain how fast time goes during gameplay. With Time-Codes™ and a World-Creator account or Elite-Guild account you can choose an alternative speed, thus tricking your brain that hours are longer or faster when they are not.


Can you choose to fly instead of walk?
Flying is one of the games best experiences, however again due to the nature of the game goals, flying can not be used as an alternative unless you choose a creature design that travels through flight (Like a bird). Every humanoid characters has a flying-meter. Certain residential areas of the game have a no-flying policy and you will not be able to fly in or to these parts, however roads, ships and airplanes offer the alternative.


Chapter 3: Warning

2057 April 15th - Two days and a half till the incident.


I stood with Brett, Randeep and Coleen at the Portlands Island harbor, it’s a small island, with an exclusive shopping centre and fancy restaurants, the harbor dangles on the edge of the island just outside the Portland gates. We were waiting for Rachel and Ray as they took the opportunity to socialize throughout the thirty minute trip.
“How is your arm?” I asked Brett who stood silently staring at the rest of the passengers coming off the ship. I was pretty sure he was pissed at me.
“It’s fine of course.” He said not acknowledging me.
“Of course, I forget.”
“That this isn’t reality?” Now he acknowledges me.
“Yeah, it’s hard not to.”
“It’s pretty sad when you think about it. Spending most of our time socializing in this god damn game then on the outside world?” His words struck a nerve, when you did really truly think about how much time everyone spent in the game you felt pretty pathetic. I can’t remember the last time I went out bowling, or to the cinema or to a group dinner outside of this world.
“Do you not enjoy it anymore?” I sure as hell did, no matter how pathetic it is, it was exciting, liberating and full of possibilities, I sometimes felt sorry for those who couldn’t afford to experience it’s full potential like we could.
“I enjoy it Will, but it sometimes throws me off how serious it gets.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well a lot of people treat it like real-life or forget that it’s not, and sometimes when we battle it gets into your head all of a sudden nothing else matters but the game, it’s scary how real this place can be. I’m sure tomorrow will remind you of that.” Tomorrow, the big battle with those idiots.
“I’m sure a ten minute battle will feel like nothing.”
My deep train of thought stopped to a wide smile as I seen Rachel and Ray appear out of the crowd walking towards us.
“Ready to go?” They both and we grab the love-crazy couples and join the crowd to enter the gates of Portlands, we can’t fly to our island until we enter Portlands officially, part of the teleport and flying block.

As we enter through the gates passing verification, which is actually just walking through the gates, if you are not a verified home owner or visitor to Portlands trying to walk through is like walking into an invisible wall. We walked to the east side of the island past the shopping center to the edge of the island the water twinkled with a shiny gray and you could make out the small islands in the distance.
“Let’s go!” Ray shouted in enthusiasm and we all took off in flight, just a matter of thought, easy as lifting up your arm. It was a strange weird feeling, like being on a roller-coaster my stomach churned with a weird feeling, not in an over sickly way though, just slightly that it tingled my body. We sometimes had races but not tonight we hadn’t been home in a while. Now and again Ray took the opportunity to dip harshly to break the velvet water into ripples like a dolphin. Nothing could ever beat it in real-life, this was as good as it gets. In the distance we could see our small island, with only about 30 feet of grass land circling our mansion guild hall and a small pristine beach area. The lights were on and it was probably the most inviting house I had ever seen, a brown mocha shell with lighter brown-creamy doors, pillars and windows. It was warm looking and even in the gray night it looked like a perfect summer home.

Landing was not as elegant as flying. You could just stop mid air and lower yourself but wheres the fun in that. Landing in a swift action requires skill and multi-task thinking, I had to lower yourself at a consistent speed whilst trying to move my legs in rhythm of a normal walk so I don’t topple over, in a sudden jolt I landed but tripped, I managed