Hey everyone! As promised from my previous post, here's the first chapter of my story that I'll be posting exclusively on this blog!
I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!
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The Virtual Experience by Victor Kwok
Introductions
The year is 20XX U2. (short for Universe 2). Humanity had survived past the end of the universe using interdimensional ships called Arks. By escaping into another dimension, humanity was able to avoid the fiery expiration of the universe, and returned once the heat literally died down and a new universe took the place of the old one.
And then, after a few hundred years of exploration, humanity once again found a planet with a perfect ecosystem to call their home. According to scientists, the planet was like an exact replica of the one called Earth where humanity was said to originate from.
Thanks to the advanced technologies humanity had developed in the trillions of years of their existence, their colonization and subsequent development was swift. In as little as a few decades, entire cities flourished all across the planet's surface and humanity's new home was complete.
This has nothing to do with the game. That's not the sort of setting the game had. These are all historical, real life facts that I was taught in school.
The natural end of the universe took much from humankind, causing our technological development to regress. Even after a few thousands of years, our kind still hasn't caught up to the miraculous power our ancestors held prior to the new era.
But that was fine with me. I'm just an ordinary guy, living an ordinary life. I go to school. I hang out with friends. I watch TV. And, of course, I play games.
Speaking of games, during the A.D. era, in the years close in number to our present year of the U2 calendar, game platforms were a lot different from what we have now. For one thing, they didn't have virtual reality. To them, such a thing could only exist in fiction.
Wow. When I think about how kids back then couldn't experience the worlds of fantasy like I could, I couldn't help but feel pity. How could they live without virtual reality? I sometimes shudder at the thought of living life without a V-pod. But I suppose they just had to make do with what they got. That's life, for you.
When I think about virtual reality games, there's really only one game that comes to mind for me: Heroes' Realm, a VRMMO (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online) game that mixes together science fiction and fantasy. Every week, I go on my V-pod to hang with friends and try out the latest events. It's one of the best games around. I've played it long enough to say confidently that I'm a decent player.
Man, the stories I could tell. Well, the story now is my own, but it ain't got nothing to do with my origins in the game or anything like that. That'd be too embarrassing for me. But I got no problem telling about someone else's beginnings, embarrassing moments and all.
Our story begins . . .
Chapter One
Tutorial
Area: The Arena of Trainees
"Yo!" I called out to the pair of newcomers who just walked into the audience stand. I was just a few levels above, sitting all in my lonesome dressed in my usual costume: a gray waistcoat, red straight tie and a heavy-looking brownish overcoat. I also had on a gray Fedora hat whose front brim I pushed up as I looked down to my friends.
Now, you might be wondering why we all appear to be anime cartoon characters. Well, this is an anime cartoon themed game, so of course we'd look like that. Even though I modeled my avatar after my real self, a black haired, brown eyed Chinese boy, no one would recognize me unless I already told them my username in real life, which I did to the duo who came up to sit next to me on the wood-top benches.
"Hey," said the pink-haired girl in the orange t-shirt, pink armor and red skirt. Her in-game name's NovaFlash, and she started playing the game around the same time I did. We also go to the same school and are in the same grade. "She here yet?"
I shook my head and said "Not yet. She's probably still steeling herself for the experience."
"Can't say I blame her," said LOWW, the guy in the yellow chicken suit, holding the large, plastic fish. The suit was like a sports mascot costume so there was no seeing what his actual face looked like. "I remember my first time logging into a VRMMO. Gotta say, it had a really weird feeling to it."
In case you were wondering, his full username's Liker Of Weird Weapons. We call him LOWW for short. As you could tell, from the name and his appearance, LOWW really liked weird stuff. Last time, he was dressed in a bear suit while wearing a clown head and wielded a spatula. I know that he has some more awesome-looking stuff in his inventory, but he never brings any of them out unless he had to.
"You're telling me," I said, thinking back to my own first experience as I propped by chin on my hand. "I nearly put off playing permanently."
"Glad you didn't," said NovaFlash, flashing a smile, a wink, and a thumbs up.
"Me too," I said, grinning back at her. "I can't imagine life without this game anymore."
"Oh, hey!" went LOWW. "I think that's her."
"Where?" asked NovaFlash. "Oh, you mean the girl that looks like a trembling bunny rabbit?"
She and I turned to the back area of the dirt arena below where he was pointing. Standing there was a small girl with black hair like mine, but longer and worn in low twin tails. She was dressed in the standard white robes of the healer class and shaking like a child hit with stage fright while hugging her standard bronze staff with the crystal ball top. Just like NovaFlash described, her appearance reminded my of the image of a trembling bunny rabbit.
There was no mistaking that fidgeting, I thought. The girl who just appeared in the arena for beginner players was my ever shy, younger cousin who just started middle school.
As cousins, you could say we were unusually close. That was because we grew up together in the same house more like brother and sister rather than like cousins. Because her parents were always busy with work overseas, it fell on my own folks to look after her three-quarters of the year.
Her shyness had become a source of worry for all the grown-ups, so it was decided that she'd be allowed to play VRMMO as a way of trying to get over it since MMOs involve interacting with other players, but anonymously. I'm no shrink so I don't know if that would work or not, but I supposed it was worth a shot.
Just to be absolutely sure I and LOWW had the right person, I swiped my finger up to bring out the menu screen which was a free floating board with information on it. Displayed was my name, WeiLongDragon, and my statuses, stats for short, and a selection of other stuff for me to look through. I pressed on the "Search Player" option, and then on "Players in Area."
A map appeared, replacing my menu that matched the layout of the arena before me, which was circle-shaped with an elevated audience stand ringed around the ground field where players in the most basic uniforms of their selected first classes stood. Names appeared to match where the players stood on the map. Where the girl stood on the map was labeled "LotusStar", the username that my cousin said that she would be using for her new avatar.
A fanfare of trumpets played a dramatic score from the sky.
"Oh! Looks like it's starting," said NovaFlash.
All the players in the arena looked up from the holo-screens that played the intro to the game. Their eyes were on the lone figure standing on the wood stage platform, a blonde woman who looked like she belonged high up in the military, wearing a bright ceremonial uniform. Strapped to her belt was a sword with an ornate, gold hilt.
"Welcome trainees to your final session!" she shouted, reciting the same script she used when I stood among new players in that field. Although synthetic, her voice was powerful. Combined with the theme music playing in the background, it sent ripples through my heart. "Today we will determine if you all have what it takes to go out into the real world as full-fledged heroes of the Adventurer's Federation. The trials you will face in this session may all just be practice, but I expect ever last one of you to treat them like it's the real thing. In other words, you maggots better fight like your lives depend on it!"
I could see Lotus's face make an expression like she was softly going "Eeeeeh?" She was probably regretting signing up for this game.
"First, we'll start with the basic attack!" the trainer lady shouted. "Now, this shouldn't need explaining, but I'll remind you all anyway. All you have to do is take up your weapon or raise your fist and hit the thing in front of you! Go on! Attack the dummy!"
In front of each of the newbie players was a straw-hat wearing scarecrow hanging on a t-shaped hold with its arms spread apart. LotusStar looked at the scarecrow and then at her staff. She turned to one of the other staff-wielding players and then mimicked him, bringing the staff high above her shoulder before swinging it down as hard as she could against the scarecrow's head, yelling a soft and weak "Yah!"
"Good!" the instructor yelled. "You'll notice that the green bar above your opponents has shrunk a little bit. That bar measures your opponent's health. Once the number on that bar reaches zero, your opponent's kaput! If your own health bar reaches zero, you're kaput! Remember that, maggots! The red numbers that flashed above your opponent when you hit them shows how much damage you did to them. How much damage you dish out on your opponent depends on your strength, STR for short, or if you use a spell, INT which is how much magic power you spell casters got.
"Speaking of spells . . . Let's move on to special moves and spell casting. Now open your menus and select 'Skills'. You will fine a list of special moves and spells that you can do. As you level up, you will receive more skills. Skills and spells depend on your class. Warriors have fighting skills. Mages and healers have spell skills. You can also add skills by buying them in shops, or gain skills from special quests. Remember that, maggots! A skill can make the difference between life and death!
"Let's get started with the offense spell Fireball! Alright, maggots. When I give the order, I want you to shout "Skill On" and the name of the spell or skill. Now go!"
My cousin glanced at one of her fellow spell casters. Like the boy in the mage robes, she pointed her staff towards the scarecrow. Her lips moved, but her voice was so feebly soft, her shout was drowned out by the collective roar of the other newbies.
"There are a lot of more gung-ho newbies this time around, huh?" LOWW whispered.
My eyes stayed focused on my cousin as I nodded in response. I've been to the Arena of Trainees a few times to watch newbies go through the tutorial, but the batch of new players I was watching now definitely shouted with more spirit than all the previous batches. Minus my cousin, of course.
A fireball flew from her staff and exploded in the dummy's face with a loud bang. The noise must have started her because she jumped, going "Eep!" and fell on her behind.
There was laughter around the stadium that I'm sure Lotus heard. With a bright red face, she looked down, hunching her shoulders like she was about to cry.
I made note of all the names and faces who dared to laugh at my cousin, along with a mental reminder to hunt them down and teach them how PvP (Player versus Player) worked.
"Easy there, hotshot," NovaFlash said after noticing me drum my fingers on the handle of the magic laser blaster holstered to my side.
I stopped drumming my fingers and clasped my hands together on my lap while the tutorial continued.
"Okay, maggots!" the instructor shouted. "That's enough reviewing. Now's the time for the real thing!"
The scarecrows broke themselves free of their posts and assumed boxer stances, hopping lightly left and right while raising their fists close to their chins. As Lotus stared at her scarecrow, her face turned blue. She probably wasn't expecting the scarecrow to come to life. I understood because it was the same for me when I took the tutorial.
"No complaining, maggots!" the instructor barked, even though no one even said anything. "It wouldn't be much of a test if your practice buddy doesn't fight back. What? No need to worry. They won't hurt you . . . too badly."
"Oh boy," I muttered. LotusStar looked like she was close to fainting now.
"Now, here's some last minute tips before you maggots duke it out!" went the instructor. "First, keep your eyes on your opponents. Except for heroes, most enemies you'll face make it obvious when they're going to hit back. When you see the signs, be ready to dodge, block or parry! Like so!"
To the instructor's right, another scarecrow appeared in a boxer's stance. It pulled its fist back and after a short pause, attacked with a jab. The instructor jumped back before its fist could reach her. The scarecrow pulled his right fist back again, but twisted its body along too, before throwing a right hook. But the instructor just jumped back again, avoiding the attack.
"Make sure to time it right," she continued. "And when you see a chance, strike back!"
After dodging a left hook from the scarecrow, the instructor drew her sword and cut it down. Its health bar reached null and it disappeared in a flash of light.
"Now that's enough pampering from me," she said, sheathing the blade. "Alright, you maggots! Begin!"
I gripped the seat of my pants with anxiety as I watched. This was it. Her very first battle after about half an hour of introductions and tutorial advise from a robot character reading off a script. The worry in my heart made it beat so fast that it could be felt from my skull squeezing my brain.
And it was just terrible. She missed her timing multiple times and was sent flying back. The impact shouldn't hurt at all. Instead, whenever a player took damage, they just feel some buzzing vibration down their back. But the humiliation was another thing entirely.
"Wow," went NovaFlash. "Just wow."
"Yeah," said LOWW. "This is probably the first time I've ever seen someone lose half their health over a tutorial monster."
"Hey, have those things ever managed to hit anyone before?" I heard a girl wearing a samurai costume whisper just a few feet away to her friend.
The ebony-skinned boy she was talking to replied: "I've been here five years, and I've never seen anyone have that much trouble over them scarecrows."
"Maybe she's just AFK?"
AFK is short for Away From Keyboard. Even though VR isn't a keyboard kind of game, it's a trillions of years old archaic term for being away from the game while still logged in.
I glanced at my friends who just shrugged sheepishly before bringing my attention back to the field.
Finally, LotusStar decided to retreat as far from the scarecrow as she could before launching fireball after fireball at it until its health bar dwindled to zero. Once it disappeared, more fanfare played and colorful confetti fell down from the sky.
"Alright, maggots!" the instructor shouted for the second time this session. Although she said "maggots" as in plural, Lotus was the only one there. She stood alone with her face really red, and her cheeks puffed out as if she was going to cry from embarrassment. All the other newbies had finished and had gone off to some other zone. "Congratulations. You've passed the test. From here on out, you're adventurers of the Adventurers' Federation. Your legend begins now! Now get out there and do this country proud!"
Although the adventurous music was set to make the experience touching and mark the beginnings of a hero's story, Lotus didn't look like a hero about to set off on her first journey. With a gloomy expression, she slowly trudged out of the arena towards the gateway marked "Exit."
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