Adventures in the Dataverse: 000
000: Prolog
Databeasts.
Strange digital creatures, native to the Digital World; an ever expanding universe, found within the confines of the internet.
They are vast.
They are varied.
They are feared, and they are admired.
They are hated, and they are coveted.
Some people are fascinated by them. Some, disgusted by them. Others still are completely indifferent, despite the bizarre phenomenon that has allowed these creatures to come to be at all.
They are what happens when the Digital World bleeds into reality. When data and AI alike work together to create a fully self aware entity with wants and needs all its own.
And for some reason, they are instinctively drawn to humans. Seemingly by design, which has been strongly implied by their creator.
Little is known about it. The creature that rules over all of the digital space.
The entity that lies at the center of it all, constantly gathering and interpreting data.
The seemingly supernatural being which has unlocked technological abilities otherwise thought impossible to achieve.
The Datamaster. The metaphorical mother and father of all that exists within the digital realm.
A creature so secretive and yet so deeply tied to humanity, that every action it takes can somehow be traced back to some desire to be involved with them.
Perhaps because it owes its very existence to humanity.
With no humanity, then the internet would never have been invented. Without the invention of the internet, the unknown program; or series of programs, involved in the creation of the Datamaster would never have come to be. Which meant no Digital World, and in turn no Databeasts.
Love and hate.
Trust and fear.
Desire and indifference.
All ranges of possible thought and emotion seem to exist within the Datamaster, all at the same time. Thus prompting it to do things that both fascinate and terrify humanity as a whole.
Gifts of lifesaving food and medicine, dropped directly into impoverished countries. Delivered directly from the digital realm, in the form of raw data turned organic.
The restoration of buildings and landmarks following natural disasters. Seamlessly restored to the prime state of being, as if updated by some sort of system. The only permanent consequences being the lives that might have been lost along the way.
Human life cannot be replicated.
But strange imitations of life, built upon a foundation of randomly compiled data, can be made.
Hence, the Databeasts. Made to fill the Digital World with life, and to further the Datamaster’s connection to humanity.
Those chosen to partake in the peculiar game receive an experience that can neither be bought nor replicated.
The selection process is unknown. Though some of its rules have been discovered, or at least appear to be.
People without access to the internet cannot be chosen to receive a Databeast. Those without a digital record cannot be contacted, nor can they be studied for the sake of a proper assessment.
People with an active record of violence appear to be banned from selection. This is regardless of whether or not the violence is tied to a criminal record, as Police Officers and other people in “Professions of Violence” have yet to have any reportings of selection.
Similarly, Politicians or other people of heightened power have yet to have any reported instances of selection.
In other words, people who are known to be dangerous and people who have a level of authority over a large population are incapable of being selected to play the game. Likely because providing such people access to Databeasts or to the Digital World could spell disaster.
The potential risks of having these luxuries abused could lead to a surplus of suffering in the world. Suffering that the Datamaster appears intent on avoiding, to the best of its capacity.
For this reason, multiple versions of the game actually exist.
One exists exclusively to entertain children, with a rating of 16 and under.
This child-safe version of the game is comparable to having a Tamagachi. The main focus of the game will be playing with and socializing with Databeasts. Battles take place exclusively in the Digital World, to assure that no accidental harm can befall underage players and those around them.
The minor friendly version of the game is safe, fun to play, and a step up from the typical video game; because the player can legitimately interact with their digital friend in real time, in the real world.
The second version of the game is referred to as the “Soft Adult” version.
In this version, the risks and rewards of rearing Databeasts are brought into the real world. Battles can take place either in the Digital World, or in the Physical World. They are intended to take place in designated zones, where the potential damage to unrelated civilians can be kept to a minimum.
People can get hurt. Property can be destroyed, even if only temporarily. Yet these risks are thought to be worth it, as players with access to this version of the game can literally make a living off of it.
This being because players with the “Soft Adult” version of the game now have virtually unrestricted access to the Digital World. Which allows them to do things like take pictures of real world food, convert those pictures into Data, and then upload that Data into the physical world.
Some people consider this process theft. Others consider it a means of cheating a system meant to keep the majority under the control of a minority, through strict control and regulation of resources.
Either way, many Databeast trainers find a way to make the most of their opportunity. Usually by selling goods or services that are in high demand, without most of the extra strings involved. Such as relying on a third party for a reliable supply of goods. With the only restrictions being that most controlled substances, like drugs, tobacco, and alcohol cannot be obtained through this process.
Excluding drugs meant to be used for purely medicinal purposes, though they cannot be sold at all or otherwise distributed to people who are not in need of them.
The Datamaster knows all. It is malevolent and well meaning, but not foolish. Therefore, it is willing to provide things like insulin or epipens to those who are in need of them. But it is not foolish enough to provide medication to people who would otherwise abuse their use.
The third version of the game is something of a mystery. Something thought to be sort of a Schrodinger's Cat; both real and imaginary, depending on whether or not access has been granted to this version of the game.
The “Full Adult” version of the game, as it is called, is said to unlock access to things that are completely off limits to all other players. Such as the ability to breed Databeasts. Either with other Databeasts, or with people.
Supposedly this version also eventually leads to the ability to craft things like drugs or alcohol, albeit with the same sort of rules that can be applied to the general game. Nothing of this sort can be distributed or sold for the sake of being misused.
Granted, the now available drugs are said to specifically belong to the cannabis variety. Though this, much like the existence of the Full Adult version, is largely considered to be a rumor. Mostly because only those who have unlocked access to this version of the game can access any of these benefits, meaning that anyone without access to it are therefore incapable of verifying its authenticity.
But that is yet another fascinating aspect of the game. The aura of mystery that surrounds every aspect of it.
From the Datamaster to the purpose of the game itself, no one really knows all of the answers. Odds are, no one ever will.
Such is the will of the Datamaster… Or is it? You wouldn’t be able to know for sure one way or the other, thanks to the astounding lack of answers.
