Chapter 2: Choices
In no time, the game sent a worldwide notice:
[Out of 10 million beta players, 11 survived. Congratulations on surviving.]
Sarah couldn't believe it. She made it. Unlike Sarah, Maeve was calm as she already knew she would survive. Now it was time to get the rewards.
The game instantly notified Maeve:
[You have finished the Doom is Nigh mission. You are one of the Top 10 Survivors for 24 hrs. You automatically get a 2-minute head start in the Update. Please choose three of the following options for your reward:
1. 1 Territory Token
-After use, users can claim land and create their territory.
2. Retain your Universal skills
-The Update will remove all skills attained during the beta test; this reward allows users to retain their universal skills and set them at the beginner level
3. SS-Level passive skill 'Sustainable Heal.'
-Skill will give a 50% Heal effect for any damage received, which means -6 Hit Point(HP) damages will have a +3 HP addition. The skill will also give +100 Vitality Beneficial Effect(BE).
4. Rare (Blue) Lord Orc Bracer Equipment
-When equipped allows players to be immune to Mental attacks. It also adds 20% Defensive Points(DP), which means for every HP, 20% of the points will create a barrier starting at the equipment and covering the entire body.
5. Head Start
-Begin the Update 5minutes before the other players, two minutes before the other 10 survivors.
6. SS-Level Illusion Arrow Skill
-The skill has 38,400 Attack(ATK) Points, and for every HP damage, the user agility is increased by 10% during skill use.
Maeve had to contemplate what she should choose. Any three of these rewards could help her at the start of the Update. It is all about what gives the most advantage over the game.
The territory token is new and hasn't been heard about on the forums for FS. All territories in Beta were computer run and random changes at different intervals. Changes included building updates and removals, random unhelpful NPCs, or rare NPCs. NPCs are non-player characters that sometimes help players during the game. Depending on the territory in FS, you could even find harmful NPCs. Controlling the changes and advances of a territory could help her create different strategies and plans to defeat the game.
Retaining Universal skills could be a great asset as well. All skills reset in the Update; it would be advantageous to have any skills, no matter the level. Universal skills are skills that anyone in any profession can use. The levels can range from Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, to Ascendant. Maeve's current Universal Skills are:
Cooking: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to prep found food, use items around to cook, and understand the recipes for found food.
Foraging: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to find edible food or valuable items and the way to remove and store them properly.
Hunting: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to hunt animals on land with traps or available tools.
Fishing: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to hunt animals in the water with available tools.
Sewing: This skill starts with the skills needed to patch a hole and make a bandage.
First Aid: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to clean and disinfect wounds.
Navigation: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to determine the North, East, South, and West direction.
Shelter: This skill starts with the basic skills needed to make a shelter of available items and the ability to make a controlled fire; & purify water.
Maeve wanted to gather more Universal skills, but she spent most of her time on each skill to reach the Ascendant level. Keeping these skills even at the beginning stage would be great because it takes a while to obtain them. To acquire Universal Skills, you must repeat an action or combination of activities. Depending on the skill, the number of times you repeat an action can be anywhere from 1 to 1,000.
SS-Level skills of any kind are rare and of immense benefits. The Sustainable Heal and Illusion Arrow skills would be beneficial. Sustainable Heal is a skill that could help Maeve take less damage. The 50% Heal for every damage obtained can significantly affect the outcome of a battle. At the same time, the Illusion Arrow skill allows Maeve to inflict a lot of damage with high ATK Points.
ATK points are the amount of damage that can be done to an opponent by subtracting the ATK points from the HP Points. ATK points are only for equipment and skills to understand their attack power. Illusion Arrow is an SS-Level skill for archers that enable arrows to move so fast that it leaves after images creating an illusion of which direction the arrow came from and going.
The Sustainable Heal is a passive skill that wouldn't have a cooldown. While the Illusion Arrow will have a cooldown period depending on the amount of strength, agility, vitality, and dexterity Maeve will be using. A cooldown is the time it will take for the skill to be able to use after usage. The cooldown usually is determined by the capabilities amount.
The capabilities are:
Strength - muscle capacity in use
Agility - speed and hand-eye coordination
Vitality - stamina and ability to move
Dexterity - use of multiple capabilities and skills in use at one time
Intelligence- Brain capacity in use
Capabilities determine the ability to use a skill. If a user has more agility for Illusion Arrow, the faster the arrows can go and the quicker the user can equip more arrows. Capabilities can also be used for BEs. BEs are the effects of skills or equipment that can aid in using the skills. Sustainable Heal BEs' of 100+ Vitality means the player constantly has high stamina. Both skills could play a vital role in the Update.
The Blue Lord Orc Equipment could be advantageous because Maeve would be the only player with equipment to start. The Blue Lord Orc equipment allows the player to be immune to Mental attacks; this could be of great use at a beginner level. Many high-ranking monsters will attack with their mental powers first. Adding Defensive points along with the immunity to mental attacks is fantastic.
Defensive points are accumulated between equipment, skills, and/or rewards to create a barrier around a user. The barrier takes the attack points, so the HP of the player is not affected. Having DP is vast at the start of the Update. However, the Blue Lord Orc equipment could also make her a target. This could cause all the veterans to chase her for her rare equipment at the start of the Update.
The Head start with an extra 3 minutes before the other ten winners could be advantageous, depending on the start of the Update. However, being a survivor guarantees her a 2-minute head start before the other players. Being behind a couple of veterans won't be that disadvantageous.
Maeve's final rewards choice was the Territory Token, Retain Universal Skills and The Sustainable Heal. Maeve chose her rewards; now, the only thing to do is wait for the Update.
Soon the game sent a notice:
[Doom is Nigh is over. The Beta is closing.]
[In 90 days, the official game will begin at 6:00 am on March 3rd, 2023.]
[Be Prepared and Survive.]
The scene went black, and Maeve could feel the Helmet on her head again. Maeve had started to feel her scalp, then her locs. She was disconnected from the game. She gently lifted the Helmet off of her head. Maeve uses the VR Helmet for FS.
It took her a while to graduate from PC to VR Headset to VR Helmet gaming. PC uses a desktop computer with a keyboard and mouse. Once she got really good at gaming on PC, she bought the 4th generation of VR Headsets. VR headsets allow the user to see the virtual world and use their bodies to make the movements. She had to have a whole room just to game at that point. From Headset to Helmet was a long jump due to the sensitive nature of the connection.
The VR Helmet allows the user to engage in the virtual world with a nerve wave link; the body feels like doing the movement without having to move the body. A signal sent from the Helmet to the sensory nerves allows the mind and body to be immersed in the virtual world.
Once the stats and bugs come back from the 3rd generation of game pods, she will think about buying one. The game pod uses a full-body nerve link where the whole body feels immersed in the virtual world while the user's body is lying comfortably in the pod. A few games are available on the VR Helmets and Game pods. The most challenging definitely is FS.
Exiting the FS Doom is Nigh competition Maeve goes to fix herself something to eat and plan preparations for the beginning of the official FS game.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
MoniqueDeLaVerite
MoniqueDeLaVerite Finally able to update again. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. I look forward to having a more consistent update shcedule soon.
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