Silver, Lead, & Mad Science

Summary:
Uploading a consciousness into digital environment is not a new prospect. A duplicate of a person is constructed for them to live on after death. The process is expensive and not an option for anyone not rather well off.

It certainly wasn't an option for me.

When the people from Bonafide Ideas approached me was my lucky day. They would pay for the transfer and cover my leftover medical bills. All I had to do was sign a ten-year contract to work as a digital avatar in one of their many games.

It sounds like I've got some XP to grind.

1.

Dying sucks. Dying slow sucks even more. I'm talking about really slow. Months. The signs weren't good that I could make it to a year. Not sure I would want to if I'm stuck in this hospital room the entire time. Room. Hah. I'm stuck in this bed.

Terminal diseases, now those suck.

My incredibly positive musing was interrupted by a knock on the door. Nurses and other medical staff have a rule where they have to knock before entry. I'm not sure if it's enforced by law, or if it's just for this place.

My nurse, Terry, stood in the doorway. He wore blue scrubs which made the man in the suit behind him stand out even more. It took much more effort than I liked to turn my head to watch them.

"You've got a visitor," He said as he escorted the man closer.

"Lost long rich uncle?" I asked.

"No," The guy chuckled. "Mister Simon Marris, correct?"

"I've got some bad news if you're here to serve me papers," I motioned to my current state.

"It's about your post-mortem plans," The guy countered.

"After I'm dead?" I arced an eyebrow at Terry. "Is this guy for real?"

"Yeah," Terry nodded. "He's been a here a few other times."

"Ok," I sighed. "Not like I've got anything else to do. What about my post-mortem plans?"

"Your documents list you as an organ donor, and you've left your body to science," The guy explained. "I'm from a company that wants to purchase your consciousness and body."

"What?" The word escaped my mouth before I realized it.

"Have you heard about Digital Continuation?" The guy asked.

"Rich people upload their brains so they don't technically die," I rolled my eyes. "I've heard of it."

"My company, Bonafide Ideas, is offering to pay you to upload your brain," He paused. "It's not charity. You would sign a contract for ten years of employment."

"You copy and paste my brain for a job?" I asked.

"Mister Marris," The guy started.

"Call me, Simon," I interrupted.

"Simon. Thank you. I'm Edward. Ed," The guy flashed a nervous smile. "Could I sit down?"

"Sure. I think there's a chair around here," I looked around the room, then regretted it.

"Thanks," Ed scooted a chair over.

I realized that the room was bigger than I expected. Not overtly, but more than I remembered. Now that I thought about it. Where was Terry? I pushed myself higher in the bed and sat up. There was something off about all of this now.

"What's going on?" I turned my attention back to Ed.

"Your integration period is just about complete," Ed replied. "The meeting we're having now is one we actually had four months ago. Your consciousness is now completely integrated with the system and is playing catch up. The easiest way to do that is to latch onto the last viable memory to ease yourself into things."

"So, I've already agreed to whatever you're about to tell me?" I asked.

"Yes," Ed nodded. "But your brain is currently playing catchup."

"Ok," I shook my head. "Let's get this over with. Tell me the fine print to this contract."

"Bonafide Ideas will cover your medical bills as well as the cost of uploading your brain," Ed resumed his sales pitch. "Your part of the deal is that you work for us for a total of ten years."

"What work could I do?" I asked.

"Bonafide Ideas is responsible for two of the biggest Neural Network games in recent history," Ed said. "You would be a character in one of our games for ten years."

"That's where I know the name," I chuckled. "I'll play your videogame for ten years? What's the catch?"

"We put you where we need you," Ed replied. "Right now, there aren't any cozy farming simulators that need people. Most of the games aren't what you would call relaxing. You'd be there for at least six months with the option to change IP after that. There is also the possibility that we'll move you if needed."

"So, you're paying me to be an NPC?" I clarified.

"Yes and no," Ed shrugged. "We want you to be a citizen of the world. You don't have to sweep the same patch of dirt or give out quests. Your job would be to live, to make the world feel more alive. There are optional tasks to do. They come with rewards and are voluntary. If we have an event planned and need people to play a part. We do have NPC towns and cities that need real people to fill things in. Those positions would be a traditional job. We can talk about that once everything is ironed out."

"Sure. I accept," I shrugged. "It's not like I have anything to lose."

Then I realized that not only had I sat up, turned my head, and now shrugged, but I had done so without any pain. This was amazing.

"How do we do this?" I asked. "Do you drill some wires into my brain or something?"

"No," Ed shook his head.

The world shifted. I was once again lying flat on a bed. Ed was now joined by a few nurses I didn't recognize. They rolled me through a hallway with tasteful lighting. Much too nice to be in the hospital I had spent so much time in.

"We found that the best method is to use the entire body," Ed explained as the stretcher came to a stop. "It turns out that your body holds a bit of your consciousness in it. There are cases where people who have transplanted organs have acquired things from whoever provided the part."

We paused beside a metallic tube that looked like a section of waterslide. The nurses lifted me. I floated for a brief moment before I was placed on some sort of gooey surface. My body sank a few inches.

"Kind of freaking out here," I yelled.

"This is a transfer pod," Ed soothed. "We'll put you under and the pod will provide lift support until you expire. Then it will process your body to fully transfer your consciousness."

The world went black as the lid slid into place. As fast as I could blink I found myself sitting in a nice leather chair in a high-class office. Ed sat behind the desk in front of me.

"Are you with us, Mister Marris?" Ed smiled at me.

"That," I breathed out and slumped in the chair. "Was a trip."

"I've been told," Ed laughed.

"This isn't a memory anymore, right?" I looked around the room as I spoke.

"No," Ed replied. "This is an artificial world. Part of one. Right now, I'm hooked up to a rig so we can talk."

"Ok," I nodded. "Tell me about where I'm going to be living for the next six months."

"Excellent," Ed smiled. "Now, you'll have to excuse me. I have to read the official statement before I can move on to answer any questions."

I motioned for him to continue.

"Silver Bullets and Sagebrush," Ed sounded like he was reading from a script. "A wild west full of magic, mad science, and monsters. Adventure from High Noon to Full Moon with a combination of Survival, Base-Building, Crafting, and Real Time Strategy. Players can start their own settlement or join an established one. They can hunt, craft, farm, and establish businesses. Travel the land as a merchant moving from one settlement to the next. Fight monsters and gather materials to upgrade weapons, armor, and equipment. If the slow life doesn't appeal, there is always another option. Hunt down bounties or live the outlaw life to get one of your own. Conquer, raid, and rule with an iron fist."

He paused and took a deep breath. His shoulders relaxed as he let it out.

"Questions?" Ed raised his eyebrows in a cheerful expression.

"The Wild West?" I asked.

"Of a sort," Ed nodded. "Are you familiar with Steampunk?"

I nodded.

"Think the Old West mixed with Steampunk. Instead of steam, it's some mad science that fuels it," Ed explained.

"With monsters and magic in there for good measure," I gave a dry chuckle.

"Yeah," Ed nodded. "Some classic fantasy monsters with some cryptids too."

"Ok," I shrugged. "That's pretty cool."

"You'll learn more about the lore once you're logged in," Ed reassured me. "Now, let's talk streaming."

I arced an eyebrow but didn't speak.

"Your employment is basically there to pay back the cost of the Transmigration Process," He paused. "Uploading your brain. Income from streaming goes directly to your account."

"And I can do what with that?" I asked. "I'm not sure how useful cash will be while I'm in a videogame."

"There is an in-game store for cosmetics, player housing, timed-buffs, and adaptable equipment," Ed explained. "We do our best to make it optional rather than pay-to-win. The mechanics of the game itself are best explained in the tutorial."

"Alright," I clapped my hands and stood. "What next?"

"Character creation and logging in," Ed waved me over to a mirror on the wall. "Take a look."

I flinched when I saw the me in the reflection. The last time I saw myself I was skin and bones with a pallid complexion. My reflection was me before everything like that. I looked to be in my mid-twenties with short, wild brown hair. Also, I was completely nude aside from a conveniently placed cloud. Honestly, I looked like someone had taken a picture of me and touched it up. After a life of working in construction and freight I had a solid build of functional muscle. My shoulders were broad, my waist was small, and my legs were thick.

"Damn," I muttered.

"Would you like to alter your appearance?" Ed asked.

I toned down the bulk a bit. No one would ever accuse me of being svelte, but that didn't mean I was built like a bulldog. I had a barrel chest, broad shoulders, and a thick neck thanks to genetics.

"I think that's good," I said. "What's with the cloud?"

"Would you like to alter anything else?" Ed asked with a wink.

"I could do that?" I laughed. "Wait. Does that mean there's sex in this game?"

"Yes," Ed nodded. "It is a complete sensory experience. With adjustments for pain, of course. You can disable the 'adult' options if you'd like."

I couldn't remember the last time I got laid. The dating scene in a long-term care ward wasn't lively.

"I'm fine with them on," I shrugged.

"Did you want to adjust things?" Ed asked. "I would step out to respect your privacy."

"Yes. Thanks."

There were a soft tone and Ed disappeared from the room. The clouds disappeared. I stared at my resting member. It was odd, but I could not remember the last time I had actually seen it. I wrapped my hand around my shaft and gave it a few strokes to start the blood flow. My cock hardened up nice and quick. I couldn't help but smile. The body that actually functioned was awesome.

"Hm," I nodded in appreciation. "Not bad."

Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I had actually seen my body. Life in a hospital isn't what you'd call sexy. Just for the hell of it I adjusted the length and girth. The monster between my legs looked like a log made of flesh. My center of balance shifted. I instantly reverted it back to the default size.

"That was disturbing," I muttered.  "Big changes are a bad idea. Noted."

I bumped the length up to eight and the girth to six. It didn't feel like I was about to fall over.

Accept Changes?
Y/N

I nodded. The cloud reappeared to cover my equipment. Another tone sounded, this time announcing Ed's arrival. I turned to look over at him.

"Tried the third leg?" Ed asked with chuckle.

"I thought you weren't watching," I glared at him.

"I wasn't," Ed continued to chuckle. "Everyone does that. Some people don't care about privacy, or they ask for another perspective."

"Hm," I shrugged. "Now what?"

"You pick a starting equipment pack and get on the train," Ed motioned to the door that had appeared on the wall behind him.

The wooden door looked well maintained but still had signs of wear. Thick strips of brass framed a window that was too cloudy to see through. My attention shifted from the new door to a table that had appeared beside it. Laid out on it were four stacks of clothing along with an accompanying bag.

All four outfits were a variation of same shirt and pants. The only variations were the color and the inclusion of suspenders.

"No hat?" I shot Ed an amused look.

He pointed back to the table. I turned to see a hat rack appear beside it. There was also a holstered revolver on a gun-belt and a lever-action rifle on another table that hadn't been there before.

"Neat trick," I muttered.

I settled on a pair of brown pants and matching suspenders. My shirt was an ashy blue. I stepped up to the selection of hats. Some looked like they were taken from a movie set while others looked more functional. I passed over the bright white ten-gallon hat and the matching black one as well. The options all came in three color variants of white, black, and brown. I was tempted to grab a short top-hat but decided against it. I settled on a brown hat with a wide, flat brim and a flat crown to match.

Basic Gamblers Hat

The text appeared beside the hat as I held it in my hands. I moved on to the firearms.

Cattleman's Revolver 6/18
Basic Gun-Belt
Lever-Action Cavalry Carbine 7/21
Basic Rifle Holster

Once I moved them out of the way I noticed one more item for me. A knife. It was a short fix-blade that was about six inches in total.

Cattleman's Knife

I strapped the gun-belt around my waist, slid the knife in my boot, and slung the rifle scabbard over my shoulder. It only took a moment to adapt to the new weight of the weapons. I turned to ask Ed another question. He held up a hand to stop me.

"Any more questions will be answered in the tutorial?" Ed motioned to the door.

"Nice to meet you, Ed," I tipped my hat at him. "I appreciate it."

"Nice to meet you too," Ed gave me a polite smile.

"Will I see you out there?" I asked.

"Westerns aren't really my thing," He shook his head.

"Thanks for your help," I said once more.

A gust of warm air washed over me as I opened the door. Fresh air. Damn, I don't remember the last time I felt that.