《Briars and Thorns》


 Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home

    BEEP BEEP BEEP


    *click*


    Grooooan¡­


    Dismissing the alarm, I roll onto my back, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. For a moment, I just lay there, savouring the darkness.


    "Lights." I wince and cover my eyes as the bright ceiling light flares to life.


    Blinking and letting my eyes adjust, I slide out of bed, shivering as my bare feet touch the cold tiled floor. Pausing for a minute, I shake myself awake and look around the room. The room is simple and plain. Dark grey walls with no windows provide ideal conditions for falling asleep. To my right a dresser sits (also grey, but a lighter shade), embedded into the top of which is a bright holoprojector flashing today''s weather report in my face.


    I should really disable that. It''s not like the higher ups ever set the weather settings to anything other than 24¡ã, sunny with a light breeze. After all, anything exciting like rain or clouds would be too "costly and wasteful".


    Waving away the weather report, I stand and allow my bed to fold up into the wall behind me. Hidden on the underside of the bed are long rows of drawers which hold a selection of plain t-shirts, pants and various other clothing items. I pull open a couple drawers and select an outfit for today. Compared to most teenagers and young adults these days, my tastes are oddly old fashioned. Instead of bright glowing outfits and impressive augmentations, I stick with the tried and true. A plain white t-shirt with comfortable pj pants, I won''t be going out today after all.


    Pulling on the pants, I groggily stumble to the washroom. Navigating my holographic display I bring up this morning''s news. The hologram flickers as it transitions from the projector in my room to the one in my washroom, eventually settling on an image of a young newscaster sitting at a desk.


    Listening idly, I go through my morning routine.


    "...arks the start of a new era for mankind as the first true virtual reality system and game is finally released to the public. Not much is known about the game yet, but players across the galaxy wait eagerly for it to go live."


    I move the image of news reporter with me as I step up to the sink. The fibre optics embedded in the young woman''s hair glow a bright green and her nano tattoos are configured to display branches and leaves stretching from her cheek down her neck and around her arm. Her suit and tie glow to match her tattoos and hair. I guess she''s going for some sort of weird nature theme today, huh?


    "Exactly four months ago, the first sentient non human life reached out to mankind. They offered blueprints for their true VR system, as well as access to their game. All they wanted in return was peace, and our assurance that neither the government nor military would hog the rights to this device, that anyone would be able to play.


    ¡°Nobody knows their reason for this condition, but their consideration for the general populace seems to have gained them a significant following of fans. A few select groups have even been displaying behaviourssimilar to those of thecults which existed pre catastrophe.


    ¡°Since these aliens first came into contact with humans, calling themselves the Erta, news about their offer has spread far and wide across the galaxy. For most, this was a cause for celebration. But companies built to research virtual reality have fallen overnight, as scientists and researchers are fired en masse."


    I wince as I splash my face with cold water. "En masse" is an understatement, even lead researchers like myself are out of their job.


    ¡°Only a select few elite researchers were left employed. They were tasked to study the True Virtual Reality (TVR) machine and ensure it is safe for humans.


    ¡°Now, finally afterfour months of waiting, these scientists have declared the console and game safe, and those lucky enough to already own the console will be able to start playing tonight.¡±


    Wiping my face with a towel, I brush a lock of curly hair out of my face as I look into the mirror. Reflected back at me is a young adult. Once a child prodigy, now an unemployed, regular man. Pale skin shows a history of long days stuck in the lab, and drooping, blue-green eyes are adorned by dark bags from many sleepless nights. Thin freckled arms grip the edge of the sink, and rich brownish-red hair curls down to just below my ears.


    Shaking my head, I focus my attention back on the news woman as I pull on my t-shirt and exit through my bedroom into the living room.


    "...nd with the fulfilment of one of mankind''s long time goals, that is to create true VR, one can only wonder what sort of marvels future with the Erta has to offer. Now over to-"


    I wave away the hologram, ending the video as I stand admiring my living room. Five months ago, only a month before the Erta arrived, I finally made the decision to move here. Before, I lived with a friend of mine in sector 3-2 of the station. Although it was right in the core of thestation, our room was barely large enough for the two of us. So, I moved to sector 12-18, close to the end of the station''s 12th branch. Travel times were much longer, but the living quarters out here where much cheaper and larger. Definitely worth not being crammed into the core with billions of other people.


    Anyways, back to the living room. Barely furnished (I like to think of it as minimalistic), it doesn''t seem all that impressive. A high ceiling, yes, but nothing decorates the smooth grey walls. The only notable feature seemed to be a lone couch and coffee table sitting in the middle of the room, facing the left wall. That would seem a bit weird, a lone couch facing an empty wall, but...


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    I snapped my fingers


    (Wait for it)


    ...


    The entire left wall shimmers, where once was the plain grey wall now sits a huge window. From floor to ceiling, the thick glass offers a beautiful view of the stars and a band of the Milky Way outside.


    Standing there for a minute, I collect my thoughts as I admired the view.


    *growl*


    Actually, change of plans. Food before thinking. Food and coffee. Yup that sounds good!


    I turn toward the kitchen, stepping around the bar that separates it from the living room I walk up to the far wall. A bright gem-like object flickers to life as I approach, projecting an extensive menu into the air in front of me. Grabbing two mugs from a nearby cabinet I place them both onto the recessed shelf underneath the projector.


    Alright, one coffee and... let''s go for strawberry today!


    The menu flashes and is replaced by a large smiley face. Underneath it, the notification states: "128 credits have been charged from your account, your order is on its way. Enjoy your meal!"


    I sit at the bar as I wait for my breakfast to arrive, spinning gently back and forward in the levitating stool as I let its magnetic prowess keep me afloat.


    This is really the only disadvantage with living so far away from the core. Food takes FOREVER to arrive.


    Drumming my fingers on the cool countertop, several minutes pass before hidden nozzles above the mugs finally sputter to life.


    Into one cup pours rich brown coffee, ordered exactly as I like it. Into the other pours a thick, pink sludge, looking very unappetizing. Grabbing my two mugs, I sit down on the couch to enjoy my breakfast.


    I look down into the mug of pink sludge. Even after drinking thisstuffmy whole life, I don''t think I''ll ever get used to its disgusting appearance. I close my eyes, tip back my head and let the nutrient-smoothie slide down my throat. Contrary to the smoothie''s appearance, it tastes of a pleasant, fresh strawberry flavour (or at least I assume what strawberry tastes like, I''ve never tried a real one before). Its texture on the other hand...


    Billions of people living on a space station doesn''t come without problems. Growing enough food for everybody is obviously one of the big ones. Of course, the solution to this problem is nutrient-smoothies. Cheap, lab made meals that give all the nutrients you need without actually having to use real food, coming in flavours from hamburger to pad thai! Real food is only ever served in specialty restaurants to those rich enough to afford it. I myself have only had the privilege to try it twice in my life.


    Setting the empty smoothie mug aside, I grab my mug of coffee and bring it to my lips, savouring my first sip. Coffee was one of the few things that the station farms are always set to grow. After all, people need coffee, and will buy it no matter the price.


    Finishing my breakfast, I stand up from the couch and stretch my back with a satisfying crack. Leaving my mugs on the table (I''ll clean ''em up later), I move to the final room in my house, the games room.


    This is by far the most furnished room in the apartment. The right wall is entirely covered in posters. These bright splashes of colour in my otherwise grey living quarters depict scenes of fantasy landscapes, apocalyptic cities and alien planets. Foreign creatures and heroes battle and die, giving glimpses of unknown stories and tales. These of course are from any and all of my favourite games.


    Against the left wall sits a sleek metal desk, into the top of which is embedded a small holoprojector, which flickers to life as I walk in. Three "screens", arranged in the typical pre catastrophe format prompt me for my login information as I walk past. An antique white board, filled with scientific scribbles from work hangs above the desk, and my specially ordered whiteboard markers sit in a jar amongst the desk¡¯s cluttered surface. Various knick knacks and figurines fill every available inch of space, adding another splash of colour to my apartment.


    I walk past it all, to the far end of the room where a large, sleek, dark metal capsule lies. I rest my hand on the foreign console which was effectively the death of my job. At least my employers were kind enough to give me one of these things before they kicked me out, I know most of the lower level employees didn''t get this privilege. But I don''t know, maybe it was just their way of saying "you aren''t needed anymore", a final kick on my way out.


    I shake the negative thoughts out of my head. This thing has been the dream of humanity for millennia. It was hard to hold too much of a resentment toward it.


    I check the time. 11:02, perfect, just in time for the game''s release. With a pump of adrenaline I lower myself into the black, casket like pod. Letting the cold neuro-gel envelop me as I pull the pod''s door shut, plunging myself into darkness. I close my eyes and lean my head back. Taking one final breath before letting my consciousness be tugged away.

 Chapter 2: What to Choose...

    Welcome Brian Reed, to The Di Game.


    I blink as my vision clears. I am standing in a neutral grey space. In front of me, in an unseen spotlight, the tallest women I''ve ever seen stands. A goddess. Her simple white dress collects around her feet and long silver hair dangles down to her lower back.


    I am the prime goddess of this world. It is my charge to oversee your introduction and journey during your time here. You may refer to me as Evian.


    The corners of her mouth pull up into a smile as her voice reverberates through the empty space like a chorus of bells. But never once does she open her mouth to speak.


    For a moment I just stand there stunned. I look down at my hands, inspecting the pores of my skin as I wiggle my fingers. Turning my hands over I look at my nails. Yup, ripped at and chewed, just like in real life (I really gotta try and fix that habit). I look down at my outfit, a clean, white pair of pants covers my legs and a t-shirt of matching material covers my chest. I finger the material, the lightweight, stretchy cloth is soft to the touch, it folds and bends in my hands just as a real fabric would. I lift the hem of my shirt close to my face, stretching the material as far as I could, I marvel at the individual threads. This is one of the best indications of a truly realistic virtual reality, perfect details.


    Ahem.


    With a start I look up to the goddess, her smile seems a little tighter than before.


    Now, let''s start with a brief overview of this world.


    She waves her hand, conjuring a simple wooden desk and chair into the grey space in front of me. Motioning for me to take a seat.


    Carefully, ever so delicately as to not damage the wood, I pull the chair back, letting the vibrations from moving it travel up my arm. Seeing that I''m seated, the goddess gives a little nod and straightens her shoulders, starting her explanation.


    I''m not listening though, I lean forward and trace my fingers along the grains. Wood is a precious rarity on the station, metal and rock can be easily mined from nearby planets and asteroids but wood takes time, something that nobody seemed to have in this chaotic world. Letting my gaze travel along the grains, I quickly become obsessed to committing this rare resource to memory.


    My daze is broken by a clap from the goddess. Transforming the precious wood into cold, hard metal. I look up to her in horror. Does she have any idea what she''s just done?


    Quite the eccentric one, aren''t you?


    Her words are playful but there''s an icy tone to her voice. Her lips are pressed together in a thin line as she looks at me in annoyance. I match her expression.


    "Do you have any ide-"


    Yes, she cuts me off, I replaced the VIRTUAL wooden desk with a VIRTUAL metal one. This is just a GAME, after all.


    She crosses her arms, staring down at me with eyes like silver daggers. I cower in embarrassment. You can also tell it''s true virtual reality when you forget you''re in a game.


    Now, I''m going to start the introduction over again. You will listen this time, yes?


    I nod weakly, avoiding eye contact and I slouch down in my chair.


    Good.


    She waves her hands, conjuring a blackboard and chalk. I watched, determined to pay attention as she begins to draw on the blackboard, filling the grey space with echoing scratchy sounds.


    When this world was first created by the other gods and myself, we introduced a wide variety of life. Primitive beasts and plants that survived and evolved on instinct alone. But slowly, over the course of hundreds of thousands of years some of the races began to grow aware of their existence, and of their place in the world around them.


    She draws a circle, seemingly to represent the world, then beside it scribbles a couple of strange creatures, unlike anything I''ve seen. One kinda looks like what I assume to be a panther, but seemed to have a large feathery pair of wings. Another was a giant spider-like creature that appears to drip with acid. Unless historical documents are incorrect, panthers didn''t have wings, and spiders weren''t giant and acid-ey.


    Astonished at their newfound sentience, the other gods and I decided to reward them with a gift. We created a new species of creatures, one already blessed with sentience and also with another gift, the power of gods, magic.


    She draws a picture of a couple of cute little creatures. They seemed to be made up of the elements themselves and had a strangely cartoonish quality about them.


    We named this species the Sprites, and for every creature that fought their way to sentience we created a Sprite. Their companion and protector for life. With the aid of these Sprites, each and every creature could borrow the power of the gods, and create their own little miracles for protection and survival.


    Her drawings show three pairs of Sprites and people. One of the pairs is a young child and a Sprite playing with hovering spheres of water, the child is giggling as the Sprite splashes her with water. Another is an old tailor who sits working in the dark, at his side a Sprite emits a pure white light, helping him see. The final pair is facing away, toward a large shadowy beast. With a fire Sprite at his side, the young man seems more than ready for the danger.


    For eras, life was peaceful. Sprites and creatures coexisted in a beautiful harmony. But as the eldest of creatures slowly passed away, more and more of the immortal Sprites were without companions, left to roam the world in search of a new purpose. Eventually, the oldest of Sprites couldn''t take it anymore, and were driven mad by their meaningless, purposeless existence. These Sprites, desperate for companionship turned toward the only things that didn''t already have companions. The beasts and plants that still relied on instinct instead of awareness for survival.


    This time she draws a boar, its eyes seem to glow with a dark red energy and fire erupts across its body.


    In their frenzied madness they forced bonding rituals upon these creatures. Empowering them with their power but also their madness. These Sprite-Beasts now roam this world, leaving trails of destruction in their wake. The only way to defeat them and put the Sprites to rest is by using the same power that created them, the power of the gods, magic.


    At one side of her image she draws a large horde of possessed beasts. Acid spiders melting and feasting upon unsuspecting people, large wolf like creatures lunging out of the ground to tear out throats, and winged panthers hiding in the shadows. Beasts of all types slaughtering helpless innocent people.


    At the other side of her image, a large army of people charge into battle against the beasts. At their sides Sprites fly, imbuing them with powers and launching attacks of their own. The people are of all different races, some made of rock or covered entirely in hair. A couple people were towering above the others, and even more are almost being trampled beneath their feet. Some have extra limbs and others have only two. Each person was uniquely different, and used their differences to their advantage in the battle.


    She suddenly stops scribbling and stares at me with an intense gaze.


    Realizing our mistakes, we gods did all we could to fix it, but ancient laws prevented us from directly interfering with the world. We did what we could, and called back all of the still sane wandering Sprites, giving them one final gift. A second chance.


    This is where you travelers come in. When you finish choosing your body for this world, instead of us creating a new sprite for you, you will be paired with one of these former wandering Sprites. Already with a lifetime of experience, these Sprites are much more powerful than normal, as such it will be up to you and your newfound companion to put the ravaging Sprite-Beasts to rest.


    Please traveler, we beg of you. Join our cause and help save the poor souls of the mad Sprite-Beasts!


    She is basically kneeling at this point. Her silver eyes seem to be brimming with tears as she stares at me, waiting for my response. I turn her words over in my head. Something seems amiss.


    "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Didn''t you say that this was ''just a game'' earlier. Why are you so committed to this act? If it is ''just a game'', why is it so important for us players to be ¡®fixing¡¯ your mistake? Or is your ''mistake'' just a convenient plot point to get new players interested into your story?"


    She seems shocked by my questions, the blood drains from her face as, for the first time she talks with her actual mouth.


    "Ah! Er, Ahem, I''m sorry Playe- erm, Traveller. I- I''m not sure I understand what you mean! Hahah..." She frantically waves her hands as she backs away, bumping into her chalkboard she disappears into a cloud of chalk dust.


    I sit there for a minute, stunned. I''m not sure why she was so flustered, perhaps I was a little too inquisitive? Maybe I could have tried phrasing the questions in a simpler manner. My thoughts wander for a while before I notice a small blue window had popped up in front of me.


    Brian Reed,


    It has been brought to our attention that the staff member in charge of your introduction has made a mistake. She is being spoken too and disciplined for her actions. Another staff member will be sent to complete your introduction momentarily. We thank you for your consideration and apologize for our staff''s behaviour.


    -The Friendly Administrators of The Di Game


    I read over the message confused, what sort of mistake did she make? I certainly didn''t notice anything. Shaking my head, I wave away the box and idly drum my fingers on the desk as I wait for the next person to arrive.


    Eventually, a bright slit of light catches my attention. I watch, curious as it lengthens, twists and turns to form the outline of a doorway. As suddenly as it appears, it goes dark, and a white gloved hand reaches through the edge of the darkness to push it open.


    Bending down to step through the abyssal doorway, a tall man enters the grey space. Taller than the woman, he wears an entirely white suit with matching pants and tie. Thick lensed glasses sit atop his large nose, slipping down only to be pushed up by a gloved white hand. His face seems to be quite youthful, but his hair is white like that of an old man.


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    He bows lightly as he introduces himself.


    ¡°Greetings traveler, my name is Oren, I will be in charge of the final portion of your introduction.¡±


    I speak up, ¡°Before we start, I have a quick question.¡±


    Oren looks down at me, a concerned expression flashing on his face before being replaced with a cool professional smile.


    ¡°It''s not one of the questions you attempted to ask Evian, I hope.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I was just wondering why the gods didn''t directly give magic to the sentient races?¡±


    Relief floods his features and he lets out a sigh.


    ¡°Although these races were mighty with their newfound sentience, they were not powerful enough to wield the power of the gods. Sprites were created as a way to allow them access to the power without destroying their mortal forms.¡±


    He removes a handkerchief from his suit pocket and dabs at his brow, ¡°Now if that''s your only question, shall we proceed to character creation?¡± He begins to move away, but I raise a finger to stop him.


    ¡°Actually, I have one more. This game was created by the Erta, yet both of staff members I''ve seen appear to be human.¡± I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk and lacing my fingers. ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    A strange expression, one I don''t recognize flashes across his face for a brief second before once again being replaced with his cool smile.


    ¡°The head office in charge of managing this game¡¯s release decided that all staff members were to take human like appearances as to not frighten travelers. Now, is that everything?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I make a noise and frown, dissatisfied with my answer. Nodding anyways, I stand up.


    ¡°Yeah, let''s go.¡±


    Well, I actually had a couple more questions, but I doubt he''d be able to answer them.


    ¡°Very well, please follow me.¡±


    The doorway that he entered from reopened, this time leading into a white space. He motions for me to follow as he steps through the door. I walk after him through, a strange shiver passing through my back as we move from one space to another.


    Stepping into the white space I notice that, unlike the grey space, this one is occupied. Rows of hundreds of familiar figures stand on slightly elevated pedestals, staring forward blankly. Each and every one a perfect copy of myself, only with slight variations. Some of them only had slightly pointed ears, but other more extreme ones seemed to loom over the others.


    Oren speaks up, ¡°Here you will chose the race and customize the body through which you will be inhabiting this world. Each race has its own unique advantages and abilities, you can see these as well as a brief description of each race by standing in front of its representative.¡±


    I begin walking down the aisles, inspecting each figure in turn. I see many typical fantasy races. Different types of Elves who have greater affinity for certain elements of Sprites, Dwarves who receive bonuses when crafting, beastmen, who have increased agility and dexterity. Large, hulking, scale covered forms who have incredible defence. Small fae folk who can flutter several meters off the ground. I even notice the really tall race that the staff members are, ¡®High Humans¡¯ they''re called. A few strange ones catch my attention.


    <u>Slimekin</u>


    One of the youngest of the sentient races, these anthropomorphic slimes form nomadic tribes which wander the wastelands. Slimekin have the ability to alter their form, allowing them to change their appearance and fit into smaller spaces. The degree to which one can use this ability increases with use. Slimekin may also store small amounts of materials or items within their body, storing too many items will decrease mobility.


    Possible Sprite Elements: everything but darkness


    Abilities: Slime Shape, Body Storage


    Affinities: none


    Traits: none


    <u>Florae</u>


    A species of living plants, these long lived creatures spend their entire lives in one place, living in small communities. Few members of this species participate in the adventurer lifestyle, but those who do live a life of greatness. When creating a Florae character, one may choose what subspecies they wish to be. Each subspecies has the ability to grow different types of materials off their body, some produce fruits while others produce medical ingredients. The speed at which they grow depends on nutrient intake. Florae are able to ¡®eat¡¯ through their roots in the soil and through their leaves in the sun.


    Possible Sprite Elements: nature, earth, water, light


    Abilities: Material Production, Nutrient absorption


    Affinities: None


    Traits: None


    <u>Venomling</u>


    Small vicious humanoids, venomlings stand only a foot tall. Their entire body is capable of exuding a dangerous poison, with can be fatal if introduced into another creature¡¯s bloodstream or ingested. Venomlings live in large underground cities and can be very hostile toward outsiders. Their diet consists entirely of meat and their sharp teeth can easily rip through flesh.


    Possible Sprite Elements: darkness, fire, nature, earth


    Abilities: Poison Production


    Affinities: none


    Traits: Sharp Teeth


    <u>Centaur</u>


    These proud half-horse, half-human creatures live in large kingdoms across the world. They value honor and justice, exiling those who break their moral code. Because of their horse body, centaurs have extreme top speeds and incredible stamina. They often travel from city to city, defending innocents and villages they find along the way.


    Possible Sprite Elements: light, fire, earth, wind


    Abilities: none


    Affinities: none


    Traits: High Stamina, High Speed


    Walking down the last row, I ponder my options. The Slimekin and the Florae seem very interesting, but I''m not sure how helpful their abilities would actually be. Being a Centaur would be useful if I''m planning on long distance travel, but these underground cities and the poison abilities of the Venomlings really interest me.


    Inspecting the last couple races, I let my gaze sweep over the white space, checking to see if I missed any races. Hmm, wait, what''s that?


    In the distance stands a lone figure, a mere speck on the white horizon. I probably wouldn''t have noticed it if I hadn''t been looking. I begin to walk toward it, marveling at its features as they come into view.


    It''s unlike any other race I''ve seen. It stands a bit taller than the average human, but instead of normal hair it has long brightly coloured quills, which curl down and back along its head like those of a porcupine or hedgehog. Its ears are slightly pointed, similar to those of a half elf, and its skin tone is a shade or two lighter than even my naturally pale skin. Two conical, obsidian black horns poke out of its forehead, which although small, seem razor sharp. Its teeth and nails are pointed, like those of a wild animals, and emerging from the base of its spine is a long thin black tail, at the end of which is a diamond shaped blade. Razor sharp just like the horns, it seems to absorb any light that touches it.


    This isn''t what set it apart from other races though. Unlike to the other races, it seemed to exude an oppressive aura of dread. Its eyes seemed to shine with an intelligence and realism that the other races lacked.


    I bring up its description.


    <u>Thorn Fiends</u>


    A race of secluded warriors, these creatures possesses incredible combat abilities and senses. Feared and hated for their unparalleled strength, speed and brutality, these Fiends once terrorized the entire wasteland, but their reign was abruptly ended with the creation of the Sprites, when their weakness was finally revealed. Any form of magic can easily incapacitate and kill the Spriteless Thorn Fiends. Nowadays, Thorn Fiends are believed to be extinct, but the world still remembers their fearsome abilities.


    WARNING: choosing this race will bar your entrance from all large cities. Natives fear and detest members of this race, players will be permitted (and encouraged) to kill Thorn Fiends without consequence. You will not receive a Sprite companion.


    Possible Sprite Elements:


    Abilities: Combat Sense, Enhanced Senses


    Affinities: none


    Traits: Greater Strength, Greater Speed


    Weaknesses: Magic


    Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. No Sprite companion, whatever happened to giving every sentient creature a Sprite friend?


    ¡°Oren.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Brian?¡±


    I hadn''t seen or heard him walk with me, but suddenly he was hovering over my shoulder, uncomfortably close.


    ¡°Why doesn''t this race get a Sprite? Didn''t Evian say that every sentient race was gifted Sprite companions?¡±


    I take a step away and turn to face him. Straightening his suit jacket, he clears his throat.


    ¡°Yes that is correct. Sprites were created for every creature that gained sentience. These Fiends however, are an exception.¡±


    ¡°Exception?¡±


    He gives a rueful smile.


    ¡°I''m not permitted to say anything further. I can however, congratulate you for finding this race. Only thirteen other people have found it so far.¡±


    That reminds me, ¡°Why is it so far away anyways? It seems to have more negatives than benefits.¡±


    He smiles again.


    ¡°I think you can figure that out on your own.¡±


    I look back to its description. It really doesn''t seem any good. The lack of magic and entrance into cities seems to remove 90% of the game, there''s no way that the developers would include a useless race though, right?


    I was hit by a wave of curiosity. Every other race had seemed pretty balanced so far. Surely there must be something about this race that they were not telling us. After all, if it was a perfectly normal race, they wouldn''t have hidden it so far away.


    ¡°Hey Oren.¡±


    ¡°Yes Brian?¡±


    Looking back up to the figure of the Thorn Fiend, I quietly say, ¡°How many of the people who have found this have chosen it as their race?¡±


    Oren chuckles, ¡°None yet.¡±


    ¡°I guess I''ll just have to be the first!¡±


    With a grin, I tap the description window.


    Are you sure you wish to choose the race: ¡®Thorn Fiend¡¯?


    (Yes / No)


    Yes.

 Chapter 3: The Beginning of the Beginning

    I''m stuck.


    Well, not really. More like stumped. I look back up to the figure, at the many sliders and colour pickers floating around it. I''ve spent the past couple minutes customizing my character. Now its quills are a bright blue-green, getting lighter at the tips, and I''ve changed its eyes so that they''re not droopy like mine, but instead they¡¯re sharp and intelligent. Bright, icy blue irises surround its slitted pupils which stare back at me with an unblinking stare.


    Now that I''m thinking about it, the lack of eyebrows is pretty creepy, but makes sense due to it having quills instead of hair.


    Anyways, back to being stuck. A blue box hovers in front of me.


    Character name: _________


    The part I dread most about character creation. Naming.


    Since I''m basically going to be living a second life in this body, I might as well use my real name, right?


    Error. In order to ensure privacy, real names not permitted.


    Nope.


    So now I''m stuck. I want a name that I''ll know to respond to, but it can''t be my real name. I ponder what to choose as I look up at my character.


    I''m going to be a Thorn Fiend, so how about a name that goes with that. Thorn? Spike? No, those are horrible, plus I''d never remember that they''re my name. Hmm¡­


    Oh! That''s perfect!


    Character name: Briar


    Briars - thorny plants which existed pre catastrophe. It''s only a one letter difference from my actual name and yet it fits so perfectly.


    Confirming my selection, I look around as everything in white space fades to match the white background. I notice Oren isn''t here anymore, he must have left once I started customizing my character.


    I''m hit by a wave of nausea as I look down at my body, which has also faded to white, making it appear as if I was invisible. I close my eyes, willing the nausea away as I relish the soothing darkness. Suddenly, I feel the air around me change. I''m not in the white space anymore.


    My vision swims as I open my eyes, and I''m hit by another wave of nausea. I''m slightly taller than before, not by much but definitely by a couple inches. I kneel down to the ground, waiting for the nausea to pass. I touch the smooth marble floor, my nails aren''t short and chewed like they used to be, but are instead long and sharp. I bring my hand to my head. Instead of my curly hair, quills, each about 15 cm long cover my head. They''re hard and flexible, and make a soft clattering sound as I move my head.


    Ouch!


    Without thinking, I had gone to move my hand from my quills to my ears, dragging my hand against my horn in the process. I look down at my bleeding hand, instead of bright scarlet, the blood seeping from my wound is a dark, somewhat muted, purplish blue. I press the cut against my white clothing, dying it blue as I look around the room.


    I''m in a tall marble hall. Gold trimmed pillars line the walls and disappear up into the ceiling. Light fills every corner of the room, but has no source. To my left and right, the pillar lined hall stretches far into the distance before disappearing from view, and in front of me looms a giant metal door. Engraved in the door is an incredible scene of people and Sprites fighting against beasts, it looks remarkably similar to the goddess¡¯ drawing but much larger and more detailed.


    Much more detailed. Each person is eerily realistic, their skin is textured with pores and even their hair has each individual strand carved into the metal. At the top of the door, in tiny text ¡®Fate¡¯ is carved.


    Wait.


    How could I possibly see that?


    I rub my eyes and look up again. I can definitely see it. It must be hundreds of meters above me yet I can see it as if it''s only a couple centimetres away. Maybe this is what ¡®Enhanced Senses¡¯ does?


    I continue inspecting the door, trying to imagine how the battle it depicts might have played out. I saw Sprites flinging spells, people swinging weapons, the beasts were losing, but then, with a surge of strength, they would turn the tide of battle in their favour. As I looked, I noticed something off. Not a single Thorn Fiend was in the battle. I looked and I looked, but I couldn''t find the signature quills of the Fiends.


    Ahem.


    I spin around in shock as a familiar voice rings out through the halls. There stands the goddess, Evian.


    She crosses her arms and doesn''t make eye contact.


    I''ve been sent to apologize, and to complete your introduction. So uh, I''m sorry.


    ¡°Hmm what¡¯s that?¡±


    I''M SORRY OKAY? She suddenly ''shouts'', making eye contact for a second before looking away, beet red. Trying to calm her down, I speak up first.


    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea what you did wrong. If anything, I should apologize for flustering you. Sorry.¡±


    I rub my neck as we stand in awkward silence, avoiding each other''s eye contact.


    ¡°Well!¡± - I clap my hands - ¡°let''s finish the introduction, shall we?¡±


    Evian takes a long deep breath then shaking her head she finally looks at me.


    Alright. So, this is the Door of Fate, it leads into the Elemental halls. Normally, this would be where you and a Sprite would be drawn to each other to form a bond. But because of your race choice, you won''t get that pleasure.


    Unfortunately, there is no other way to enter the world of Di, so you''ll have to pass through the Elemental halls anyways. I wish you the best of luck.


    She snaps her fingers and the large doors begin to slowly open outward, filling the hall with a deep grinding rumble. I turn to face the doors, but look back at Evian.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    With a smile, she places her hand against my back and pushes me toward the door. Without looking back I walk through the door, grinning with excitement as it shuts behind me.


    Wait. *sigh*


    I forgot about my hand.


    I was gonna ask her to heal it, but¡­


    I look down at my hand. The skin around the injury is still dyed blue and clumps of dried blood are still stuck to my skin, but the injury itself has been healed.


    Stretching and rubbing my hand, I tried to think back to the events in the marble hall, I hadn''t even noticed it happen. I shake my head, enjoying the clattering feeling of my quills. I should really try to pay more attention.


    With that in mind, I look around my surroundings.


    I''m standing in a hellscape, quite literally. Rivers of glowing lava flow through the deep red rock, and fire dots the craggy landscape. Above me, the rocky walls curve up to form a jagged ceiling, from which long crooked stalactites hang. Bright drops of lava drop from their tips, sailing through the air to hit stalagmites below. In front of me, a slightly elevated path stretches forward, leading to the opposite side of the chamber, where in the distance I can see another large pair of metal doors. Bits of ash and ember float gently through the air, and a large cloud of smoke hangs by the roof of the chamber.


    I take a deep breath. Immediately, I bend over coughing as foreign particles attack the inside of my nose and lungs. The smell is overpowering, I can taste the sulphur and smoke in my mouth as it sucks up any lingering moisture. I gasp for breath, only to be forced into another coughing fit. I bring my shirt to my mouth and nose, desperate to block out some of the smell.


    It works, kinda. The smell is still horrible, but at least the choking smoke is being filtered out. With my free hand I rub my tearing eyes, waiting to catch my breath.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Damn ¡®Enhanced Senses¡¯.


    *giggle*


    A childish voice catches my attention. I look up to see two fire Sprites, floating up in the air in front of me. They look at me then giggle something to each other, their voices are childish, but are underlaid with the sound of a crackling and sputtering fire. Seeing that I notice them, one of them sticks out its tongue, forcing another burst of giggles from the other before they both zip away.


    Still holding my shirt over my face, I begin to cautiously make my way forward on the path. As I walk, I notice more and more fire Sprites floating in groups around the chamber. Even amongst the crackling of fire and the bubbling of lava I could hear their whispered giggles.


    The further along the path I walk, the more intense the heat grows. Quickly becoming an overbearing force that presses down on my shoulders. As I walk deeper into the chamber, the laughter of the Sprites grows more fevered, their gazes more frequent. I pay no heed and focus on crossing the chamber. One foot in front of the other, I focus on the path, trying not to let the heat or their giggles get to me.


    A thin jet of fire brushing past my cheek breaks my concentration. Panicked, I pat my face and shoulder, making sure it didn''t catch me aflame. I look up to see a large Sprite doubling over in laughter. It points at me, calling over another group of Sprites as it shoots another jet of flame, this time straight at my head.


    Ducking and swearing, I make a dash for the exiting door. Behind me I can hear the group of Sprites bursting with laughter, and two more spouts of flames come flying after me. I lean forward as they sail past my head, hitting the path to my left and right.


    As I begin to near the door it slowly starts to grind open, I''m only 30 meters away, 20, 10...


    I''m at the door now, but it''s only opened enough to get my arm through. I turn around and press my back against the opening. I watch as the horde of fire Sprites rushes toward me, shooting gouts of flame which narrowly miss me as I stand shock still.


    I close my eyes, push myself against the slowly growing exit, and count the seconds that pass by.


    1


    2


    I can hear their giggling as they begin to draw nearer.


    3


    4


    The door shudders against my back as a burst of flame explodes above my head.


    5


    6


    I hold by breath and lower my shirt from my face.


    7


    8


    Flame scorches the side of my face as an explosion goes off next to my ear.


    9


    10


    *pop*


    I fall through to the chamber beyond, hitting the ground with a hard thump. In a panic, I flounder about, trying to put the fire out as I hear the door grinding shut behind me.


    The fire finally out, I open my eyes, trying to asses the damage.


    The whole right shoulder of my shirt was burned off, and the skin underneath is red and raw. I bring a hand to the side of my face, a white flash of pain courses through my skin as I touch the charred flesh. It seeps blue blood and covers my already bloody hand with a fresh layer of viscera. If I had hair, it would be burned clean off.


    I groan and lean against the door, resting my head on the cool stone. What in the world just happened. I was under the impression that Sprites were just friendly little elemental creatures, not whatever demons just chased me. Was it because of my race selection? Grr, that hurt.


    I slide down to the floor, letting the cold stone quell my burns. The cooling stone feels blissful against my scorched face, and it slowly starts to lessen the pain. I lie there until it fades completely.


    Stretching and sitting up, I feel more refreshed than I have in ages. Carefully, I bring my hand to my face. Whatever strange properties the stone has seems to have healed my wounds completely, and now the only indications that I was ever injured was the dried blood and my burnt shirt.


    Using the door to stand up, I look around the chamber. It kinda looks like a combination of the white space and the marble hall I was in before. Tall, completely golden pillars flank the gold path that stretches out in front of me. Light seems to fill every nook and cranny, making the shining gold almost painful to look at. Beyond the pillars, pure white light seems to stretch on forever. I look up, the golden pillars stretch up as far as I can see, even with my improved vision. Hovering in the middle of the air, high above the centre of the pathway, a giant orb of pure light floats. It does not move, but it seems to pulse with a warm healing glow. I am standing on an elevated stone platform just outside the door, large steps lead down to the golden path and gentle notes of light float through the air and mark the way.


    Carefully this time, I take a deep breath. Contrary to the last room, the air in this chamber is sweet and pleasant. Although beneath my feet the stone is cold, the air is warm against my skin, like a comfy blanket or sweater.


    I begin to make my way forward, keeping an eye out for any Sprites along the way. I don''t want a repeat of last time. As I walk and look around, I feel my muscles relax in the calming light. Boy am I lucky that this healing room is after that room of hell. I don''t know if I would have made it if it was anything different.


    I''m about halfway across the path before I finally see a sign of the Sprites, well more like hear a sign. The very faint, almost silent, sound of whispering catches my attention. Twisting my head toward the source, I only see the tail end of something bright disappearing behind a pillar. The whispering suddenly stops and the room goes completely still. Cautiously, I begin to make my way forward again, I feel like I''m being watched.


    After a couple steps, the whispering resumes, still just barely audible. This time I spin around. A dark black shape darts across the edge of my vision. With a surge of adrenaline I reach out and grab it, pulling it toward me.


    *sigh*


    I did it again.


    I shout as I grab my tail, pulling painfully on the base of my spine and once again cutting my hand on it''s sharp diamond-shaped blade.


    Freezing in embarrassment, I hold my own tail awkwardly as the gentle light heals my wound. I release the tail that I forgot I had and wipe my hand on my ruined shirt.


    How could I have forgotten that I have a whole new limb? Now that I''ve thought of it, I can''t get it out of my head. Strangely, I have no difficulty controlling it as I practice waving it around. When I wasn''t paying attention, it seemed like it just kinda went on autopilot, swinging naturally in response to my emotions. If I ever actually wanted to do things with it, I needed to focus on what I wanted it to do. It wasn''t particularly challenging, but I wouldn''t be able to use it as a weapon in a fight. At least, not without practice.


    I snap myself out of my momentary distraction. What was it that I said about paying more attention to my surroundings? Right, I should do that more.


    I look back up to my destination, the door which leads to the next chamber. Or at least I would, if a brightly glowing Sprite wasn''t blocking my way.


    I jump back in surprise. Likewise, the Sprite¡¯s eyes seem to widen as it darts away behind a pillar. The whispering grows louder as I continue forward, but nothing else happens as I make my way to the door.

 Chapter 4: A Breath of Fresh Air (Or Two!)

    Urg.


    All the muscles in my body stiffen as I fall forward through the doorway to the next chamber, a smouldering scorch mark left on my back from a lucky bolt of lighting.


    Struggling to move, I pull myself forward into the room as the door grinds shut behind me. Letting my muscles relax, I catch my breath and search my body for new injuries.


    I look over the scratches and bruises on my arms and legs which have accumulated throughout the last couple of chambers. They throb with a dull pain as I flick away a piece of dirt that''s clung on since an encounter with a couple of earth Sprites. Luckily, passing through the air Sprites¡¯ room was pretty harmless, but my clothes are still thawing from the ice Sprites chamber. A red itching rash has spread across my left leg from a close brush with some nature Sprites, but no other notable injuries from them. Apart from these more minor nuances, a couple of new scorch marks dot the back side of my arms. Nothing as bad as the burns from the first room though.


    I sigh and lean my back against the wall as I finally turn my attention to the chamber that I just entered. This room is darker then any of the others that I''ve seen so far. Shadows, which almost seem tangible, drip down the cave-like walls and collect along the floor. The door to the next chamber is just barely visible as the darkness heavily obscures my vision. According to the possible Sprite elements that I saw during character creation, this should be the second last chamber.


    I take my first step forward carefully, the darkness flowing and squishing like syrup beneath my feet. Walking further into the chamber, I warily look out for any Sprites hiding in the shadows. I make it halfway through the room before a streak of movement catches my attention. Spinning to face it. I get a glimpse of a grinning Sprite before I¡¯m hit directly in the face by a glob of inkey darkness.


    The shadow clings to my face like plastic wrap as I fall back in surprise. The foreign liquid(?) stings as it enters my eyes and mouth, and I flounder in a panic to get it off. I can''t see, and worse of all, I can''t breathe.


    I scratch at my face, desperate for a fresh breath of air, but my claws only seem to pass through the viscous shadow. I feel a layer of fog enter my brain as the oxygen deprivation kicks in, and I shake my head in futile panic.


    Calm down and think Brian, THINK. There has to be some sort way to get it off, floundering like that will only make your muscles use up what little oxygen you have faster.


    I still my movements and focus on my situation. The shadow is like a liquid right? So what if I¡­


    I take my hands and attempt to squeegee off the darkness. Letting out a small grin, I flick away the shadow that came off with my hand and repeat the squeegee motion. It worked! Sort of¡­


    Now able to breath, I begin rubbing my eyes as I stand up, waiting for my vision to return. With a frown, I blink. The darkness still hasn''t left my eyes, and I still couldn''t see anything at all. To make matters worse I hear a chatter of frustration from the Sprite as it notices my improved condition.


    At that moment, two things happen at the same time. First, I feel a sort of twitch in my gut, a nudging feeling pushing me a bit to the left. Then a pair of sharp claws strikes the right side of my face as I hear the Sprite dash forward with a cry.


    Another nudge tells me to duck and I comply, just narrowly missing the Sprite that I hear go flying past me. With a rush of adrenaline, I begin running blindly to where I remember the door being. Hoping that, by pure luck, I am going in the right direction.


    You know, I''m really noticing a pattern here. Almost every single time it¡¯s been enter chamber, get attacked / ridiculed by Sprites, run for my life. It really shouldn¡¯t be surprising me anymore.


    A nudge breaks my musings telling me to turn to the left, but before I can react the Sprite slams me face first into a wall. I reel back from the impact. If I could see right now, I''m sure my vision would be swimming. But I can''t, so I instead turn and run along the wall with increased haste.


    The grinding sound of the door opening fills the air as I feel I another nudge and twitch in my stomach, telling me to stop. Oh come on, why would I stop? The door is right there! I ignore the feeling and double my speed toward where I can hear the door.


    BAM!


    Another sharp bloom of pain hits me in the back of my head as the Sprite charges into me once more, sending me tumbling from the impact. Guh, I should really learn to trust my gut more... Heh.


    This time, a wave of dizziness hits me as I stand up. I''m honestly surprised I haven''t passed out yet. Something to do with my race choice maybe?


    I take the last few steps and, (after a nudge notifies me to duck) fall forward through the door¡­


    ¡­And right into a face full of sand. The door slams behind me as I sit up and brush myself off. I blink as my vision starts to clear, the darkness dissipating after leaving its room of origin. Scooting back against the door, I rest my head in my hands as I start to calm down.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    That was by far the worst room yet. The fire Sprites were painful, but this? I shudder. The feeling and panic of not being able to breath is not something I ever want to feel again. What in the world is with this game!?


    The pain, the panic, the adrenaline, heck, even the fear. It all seems so real. If it weren''t for the obviously fantasy scenario, I wouldn''t even be able to tell that it¡¯s a game.


    I shake myself off. Now isn''t the time for that. I need to finish this last chamber before I log out. Then I can spend some time reevaluating my in game choices.


    Setting my doubts about the game aside, I think back to the events of the last chamber. A lot of things happened there, and if it weren''t for my race choice I don''t know if I would have survived that. Then again, it was my race choice that caused this in the first place.


    Based on what I¡¯ve seen so far, It seems like I do in fact have a weakness to magic, (the fire from the first room hurt), but it also seems like I have an increased physical resistance and endurance? The physical attacks of the shadow Sprite didn''t seem to do as much damage as they should have. That many hits to the head should have at least sent me unconscious.


    And that weird nudging feeling, it seemed to indicate the best actions to take? I only managed to follow it once, but that was the one time the Sprite didn''t hit me. Was this how the developers introduced the ¡®Combat Sense¡¯ feature of the Thorn Fiends? It was certainly something that I¡¯d need to get used to, seeing as I''ll probably be fighting more in the future.


    Well, hopefully I won''t be needing that ability again too soon. With any luck, this chamber will go by as smoothly as the second one did.


    Speaking of this chamber, I (once again) finally turn my attention towards it. I''m standing on a short stretch of beach that leads downwards into a deep blue-green body of water. Even with my enhanced sight, the water seems to continue on forever, and the fresh smell of salt in the air seems to indicate it''s some sort of ocean. Looking around, I see the door I just came through standing upright and alone in the middle of my island, but I don¡¯t see the other exit. Looks like I''m going to have to pick a direction and swim.


    Nervously, I approach the edge of the beach and dip my toes in the water. *sigh* This is going to be a problem. You see, on the station water is a precious commodity. And to collect enough of it in one place to actually swim? Well that would be beyond wasteful. So as you can imagine, I haven''t exactly had the chance to practice.


    Ever so delicately, I begin to wade deeper, shuddering at the foreign feeling of water around my legs. As the water creeps higher and higher, I feel my pulse quicken and my breathing grow more erratic. I know swimming was a popular recreation pre catastrophe, but every inch of being seemed to be screaming that it is unnatural and unsafe.


    My muscles feel tense and unwilling as the water passes my shoulders. I just can''t shake the feeling that I''m forgetting something.


    A splash of water hitting me in the back of the head reminds me with a cold shock. Right, that was it.


    I turn to see a giggling Sprite who, with a cheeky grin, points to the water underneath me.


    Confused, I follow its direction. The water is clear, but I don¡¯t see anything under the surface except for my legs and fine white sand. I glance back up to where the Sprite is- er, was. The Sprite is no longer anywhere in sight. Either that was one of the most harmless Sprites yet, or-


    My thoughts are cut off as a strong undercurrent suddenly sweeps my feet from under me. I only manage to take a small breath before the torrent of water drags me beneath the surface.


    The currents pummel my body as I¡¯m thrown back and forth under the waves. I desperately kick my legs in an attempt to get some semblance of control, but I only manage to slam them into the ocean floor.


    As I feel my lungs cry for air (come on, again?), the water around me begins to move in a different way. While before its currents were rough and erratic, they now seem to be swirling in a more controlled circular motion. Despite every part my mind saying I shouldn¡¯t, I force open my eyes in order to see what¡¯s going on.


    Just as I felt, all the water around me is spiraling, funneling and disappearing down a¡­ drain? A dark, pitch black pit about two meters in diameter sits in the middle of the spiral. The empty abyss seems to swallow all that enters it, even light. That can¡¯t be good.


    With more adrenaline than ever, I flail my legs and arms trying to do anything I can to escape the vortex. It¡¯s all futile though. In horror I watch as I rapidly approach the pit. With nothing else I can do. I squeeze my eyes shut and hope that wherever I end up, I¡¯ll be able to breathe.

 Chapter 5: A Strange Place

    Beep


    Beep


    Beep


    I wake up to the sound of a heart monitor? Still half asleep, I crack open my eyes. I don''t remember having a heart monitor in my room. Letting out a sigh of relief, I relax as I see the familiar inside of the TVR pod. That¡¯s right, I was in the middle of playing. But I don¡¯t remember logging out?


    I freeze, through the smokey plastic of the pod¡¯s lid, I didn''t see my familiar grey walls. Instead, bright white lights shine down from a stark white ceiling. In the distance I can hear muffled voices speaking. Not in the universal language used on the station, but in something I could understand nonetheless.


    ¡°Status report?¡± A regal but icy voice reverberates through the walls of the pod.


    ¡°Yes Ma''am. Seventeen out of the first twenty units are fully grown and ready for transfer. There has been slight complications with the eighteenth, but the caretakers are in the process of sorting things out.¡± This voice is definitely male, but very soft spoken, especially when compared to the voice of the woman.


    ¡°Good,¡± the woman curtly replies, ¡°and what of the twenty first?¡±


    ¡°Ah! You''ll be pleased to know we expedited his process. He''s been fully constructed, and is currently in the middle of transfer!¡±


    ¡°And who told you to begin the process?¡± Her voice is now firm, and even colder than before.


    ¡°I- I just assumed-¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± She cuts him off. ¡°Send him back. It''s much too early to begin the project.¡±


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am¡­¡±


    A pair of sharp footsteps exit into the distance as I let out the breath that I was holding. What in the world was that? I''m not still in the game am I? A wave of shakiness hits me as the adrenaline fades. And a second later I feel my body collapse as my consciousness is suddenly tugged away.


    ---


    Darkness.


    No? More like nothing.


    Void perhaps? Yeah, that''s more apt.


    I wake up in a void. It''s as if I have no physical form, as if I''m just kinda here. Wherever here is...


    I don''t think I''m supposed to be here. It''s like when you glitch out of bounds, or the loading screen to the next area breaks while playing some old video game. You''re not where the developers want, or even expect you to be.


    A translucent blue window, not unlike the ones my holoprojector uses, pops up in front of me and confirms my thinking.


    Loading (12/272)


    Definitely a loading screen.


    More windows pop up in rapid succession. Giving me barely enough time to read each one.


    Searching for suitable safe-protected spawn point


    ERROR: no suitable safe-protected spawn points available for race chosen


    Searching for suitable spawn point


    Suitable location found


    Loading ground (0/67)


    That can''t be good.


    As the most recent window started counting up, splotches of worn dirt and stone started to form beneath me. Leaving strange empty holes where I assume other objects will eventually reside.


    Loading sky and weather (0/36)


    The void abruptly turns into a dark grey expanse. For a second I think that I spot two brilliant suns before a thick cover of clouds blocks any view that I had of them. A thick eerie mist forms, hanging just over the newly created ground.


    Loading plants (0/134)


    Some of the strange holes that were left are suddenly filled with large conifer trees that tower above me. A blanket of grass grows across the empty ground and disappears under the ferns and lichens that cling around the bases of trees. Thick layers of moss seem to hang floating in the air, giving hints of what sort of other things will be spawning in.


    Loading buildings (0/12)


    Underneath the hanging vegetation, crumbling stone ruins form. I seem to be standing in the middle of what used to be some sort of grand hall. The cracked bricks that make up the ruin walls reach higher than should be the possible for the condition that they''re in, blocking nearly all view of the trees outside. Shattered stained glass shards litter the ground, shining like jewels under what little light makes it through the heavy clouds. In the centre of the ruins a circular stage-like platform raises up out of the ground, and a small ruined staircase leads up to its top.


    Loading misc (0/1)


    Atop the platform appears a dark jutting pole that sticks out of the crumbling stone from a weird angle. It appears to be some sort of spear or other polearm, but it¡¯s made out of a strange material. Not metal, not wood either. Whatever it is, it¡¯s so dark it looks as if it¡¯s consuming all light that touches it, reminding of the void I was in earlier. But the really unnerving thing about it is the bizarre aura it gives off. It gives off an intense feeling of dread, not unlike what I felt from the Thorn Fiend avatar during character creation. Strangely though, something felt familiar and nostalgic about it- as if it were some sort of long lost possession that I¡¯ve finally found after years of searching.


    I try to make a move towards but my strange ethereal form doesn¡¯t find any purchase on the floor beneath me. Resigned to wait for everything else to load, I look down to see the next loading window appear.


    Loading creatures (0/253)


    The previously still air is filled with the sounds of buzzing insects and distant birds. Large dragonfly like creatures buzz to and fro, and a bush poking out from the cracked stone floor suddenly rustles as a rodent jumps out from within, darting to whatever hidey-hole it makes its home.


    Loading enemies (0/1)


    Uhh.


    Ignoring whatever window pops up next, I frantically spin around trying to get any glimpse I can of this impending threat. I stumble in surprise as my feet are suddenly tangible against the ground, and I look down at myself to see the alien body of my avatar, now clothed in a rough cotton pressed tunic and pants. A small leather pouch hangs from my belt, but I have no sword or other means to defend myself.


    Crouching low, I continue searching for the yet unseen enemy as I slowly make my way over to the strange spear. Keeping an eye on the ground as to not trip over any invading plants or loose cobbles, I creep my way up the shoddy stairs to the top of the platform.


    Grabbing the polearm I pull it from the ground. It feels comfortable in my grip, and I give it a couple test swings. As I do, the strange nudging feeling that aided me during the Sprite chambers returns, guiding me into a natural flowing pattern of attacks, the last of which swipes downwards through the air with a sharp whistle.


    I freeze, checking to see if the noise attracted whatever enemy lurked nearby. After a good thirty seconds of silence, I deem it safe enough to loosen my guard and look down at the spear to give it a closer look. The weird light-absorbing material feels cool against my hand, even after holding it for some time. It''s smooth but not slippery, and unlike anything I''ve ever seen before. Whatever it is, it''s strangely light for how sturdy it feels and it seems perfectly straight and balanced. When holding it next to me it stands nearly as tall as I do. If I''m correct I''m assuming my avatar is just over six feet, than I¡¯d guess this spear is pretty much exactly six feet long.


    No- it''s not a spear. Upon closer inspection, both ends of the pole are flattened, meaning it''s more of a staff than anything. Gripping it tighter, I sigh. It''s better than nothing, but almost any sort of bladed weapon would have been easier to use than this. Theoretically, anything sharp can do damage if you hit the monsters with the pointy end, but this will actually take some skill to use. Without my racial combat sense, this would be more of a glorified walking stick than a weapon.


    My inspection of the new weapon complete, I turn my gaze outwards, once again surveying the room around me. Through the empty window frames and cracked walls I see hints of the forest beyond, but still no sign of whatever enemy spawned in. Deciding that I''m probably safe here (at least for now), I finally turn my attention to the blue windows hovering in the edges of my vision. They had probably popped up some time since I spawned in, but I was to focused on what I was doing to notice.


    The windows shift to where I can easily read them as I focus on them. The first few boxes are your typical ¡°Welcome to the game!¡± and ¡°Here''s the backstory again but this time in text!¡±. Skimming through them, I quickly pick out the only important message out of them all.


    New commands unlocked!


    Say or think ¡®menu¡¯ in order to see the in game menu. There you may access your status, friends list or any other options you may need.


    For quick access to any of the menu features, you simply need to think about opening whatever section you wish.


    Happy to see my new options, I quickly bring up the menu.


    Status


    Passives


    Inventory


    Friends list


    Options


    Help


    Logout


    Out of habit, the first thing I do is open up the options tab.


    Unlike most games, there aren¡¯t any options to change resolution or graphic qualities. After all, the inherent nature of true VR means that it has to be as realistic as possible for it to work. Likewise, there was no audio related options either. Most of the controls seemed to be related to when the blue windows would pop up, where they would appear, and how they would notify you of their appearance. Changing a couple things, I made sure they wouldn''t appear so often as to annoy me, but hopefully enough that they could be of some help.


    Other than that, there are a couple settings to do with player interaction. Whether you wanted to receive friend requests and all that, but I mostly just ignore those.


    Finally I see one last option.


    Immersive mode: ON


    Curious, I flip it off, wondering what it did. For a second, I don''t notice anything different, but then I spot a barely noticeable circle in the corner of my vision. Focusing on it caused it to expand into two bars. A long red one, and a slightly shorter green one. The red one must be my health bar, but I wasn''t sure what the green one was.


    A little annoyed, I close the options window. Why would that be off by default? It seems like the kind of thing that everybody would want on. Good thing I checked the options.


    Moving on, I open up my status.


    <u>Status:</u>


    Name: Briar


    Race: Thorn Fiend


    Level: 1


    Health: 110 / 110


    Stamina: 43 / 45 (max: 45)


    Str: 13


    Agi: 16


    Con: 11


    Vit: 9


    Per: 15


    Luk: 6


    Aff: 0


    Glancing it over, it seems pretty normal, at least until I got to the final line. I don¡¯t know what ¡°aff¡± is, but zero? I assume it''s because of my race, but still... Other than that, I recognize most of the stats. Just to be sure though, I click on the little information button that¡¯s been flashing at me since I opened the window.


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    <u>Status information:</u>


    Name - That''s you!


    Race - Helps to determine your starting stats


    Level - A measurement of your overall abilities and power. You can level up by completing certain achievements and quests, or by slaying monsters. Each level you gain gives you points to spend on upgrading stats.


    Health - An indication of your body¡¯s well being. Taking damage reduces your health and when it reaches 0 you die. You regenerate health slowly over time.


    Stamina - An indication of how much you can / have exerted yourself. Stamina is used when exerting yourself in combat or during travel. Your maximum stamina also decreases over time (1 per hour), and can only be increased by resting and eating. Your stamina regenerates slowly to its current max over time.


    Str - Strength, a measurement of your physical abilities and prowess.


    Agi - Agility, a measurement of the nimbleness and speed of your body and fingers. Your speed.


    Con - Constitution, a measurement of your ability to take hits and stand back up again. Your defence, also affects your health.


    Vit - Vitality, a measurement of your ability to exert yourself of long periods of time and without rest. Affects your stamina.


    Per - Perception, a measurement of your ability to notice things and pick up on small details.


    Luk - Luck, exactly what is seems. Also affects your critical hit chance.


    Aff - Affinity, a measurement of the bond you have with your Sprite, and your command over its abilities.


    Sifting through the giant wall of information, I skip over the things I already know and focus on the couple of weird stats. Seems like I was correct in my assumption, there''s no reason for me to have any points in affinity without a Sprite. Other than that, most everything else made sense. I find it funny that there are no mental stats (intelligence and wisdom) like in other games, but I figure that''s because there is no actual spellcasting, which is usually what those stats are for.


    The one thing that I do find a little strange is the stamina mechanic. I had to reread it a couple times to understand it, but I think I get it now. It basically just promotes taking proper in game breaks and rests to eat and freshen up, probably to make things a little more realistic. After all, you don''t just spend three days straight fighting monsters without ever needing to sleep, rest or eat.


    The inspection of my status complete, I move on to the next tab of my menu.


    *shhhhk*


    I snap my head up as a sort of sliding sound resounds through the air of the empty hall. The screens I had open fade and retreat to the sides of my vision as I warily survey my surroundings, searching for the noise¡¯s source.


    The ruins around me appear unchanged, but a dash of movement catches my attention as something green scurries out through a nearby window. I didn''t see it long enough to tell what it was, but whatever it was looked pretty big.


    On edge, I grip my staff tighter as I listen for any more sounds. I''m sure that thing knows I''m here. Tense and combat ready, I stand shock still for a good minute before¡­


    Nothing happens. Whatever creature lurked around me didn''t seem too keen to face me head on. I guess that''s a good thing. If it needs to rely on surprise attacks to take down its prey, it''s probably not too physically tough.


    Keeping an ear and an eye out, I slowly turn some of my attention back to my menu screens and bring up the Passives screen I was going to look at earlier. Thinking about it now, it''s weird that this game doesn''t have any abilities or skills like other games have. I ponder this for a minute before a new window pops up, obscuring my view.


    <u>About: Combat</u>


    Combat in the Di Game is unique. Because of the nature of True VR, it is up to the actual skills of the player to determine what is possible in game. There are tutoring guilds in every major city available at all times to learn new skills and abilities, but players must actually put in the efforts themselves. We acknowledge that some players may be upset with these features. But through testing we have found that this system enhances combat, and promotes skill over long hours of grinding.


    - The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    I''m beginning to see why Thorn Fiends have so many negatives. The ¡®Combat Senses¡¯ passive virtually eliminates the learning curve of combat. Speaking of the ¡®Combat Senses¡¯ passive, I wave away the newest window and look at the passives screen.


    The screen is disappointingly empty, occupied only by the couple of racial abilities that I saw during character creation. Now though, I could bring up their descriptions.


    First I tap on the one I was most curious about.


    <u>Combat Sense: (passive)</u>


    Thorn Fiends have a unique ability to ¡°feel¡± the best courses of action in combat. Your stats don''t necessarily let you keep up to its prompts though.


    Interesting, but not very helpful. Didn''t tell me much apart from what I already know. I give another quick glance around before tapping the next ability.


    <u>Enhanced Senses: (passive)</u>


    As a thorn Fiend your senses (eyesight, smelling and hearing) are much keener than any other race.


    This ability was the most noticeable thing when I first started the game, it makes everything seem so much sharper. It''s as if I''ve been living my entire life in low definition. I don''t think I could have heard the creature earlier without it. And I definitely wouldn''t be able to hear it as I do now.


    I freeze as I hear the same soft shifting and sliding sound I heard earlier, this time directly behind me. From the sound of it, it¡¯s still 4 - 5 meters away and approaching slowly. I don''t think it¡¯s even noticed that I''ve heard it yet.


    Clutching my staff, I pretend as if I haven''t noticed it, and go about navigating and ¡®reading¡¯ my screens. Really I''m just hitting random buttons as I focus my attention on whatever creature was growing closer.


    As I said earlier, it moves with a sort of sliding sound. Maybe some sort of snake than? No, I''ve watched hundreds of nature documentaries from the pre catastrophe archives, not once did I ever hear a snake that sounded like this one. No, this sounded more like a thick rope being dragged slowly across the ground.


    As I listen closer I notice a couple sounds that I hadn''t before. As it moves, a quiet, rhythmical clacking of claws against the cracked cobbles breaks the sound of the dragging rope. Making a sort of percussive melody as the beast draws nearer.


    Being able to hear the sound of its heavy breath gives me a good indication that it''s gotten plenty close enough, and I whirl around to strike my glorified stick against the creature¡¯s head.


    It hits the creature¡¯s long toothy snout with a satisfying crack, momentarily stunning the creature as I get my first chance to look it over.


    The creature is some sort of lizard, but it doesn''t quite look like anything I''ve heard of before. The closest comparison I could think of was if a gecko grew to the size of a coffee table, then some mad scientist came along and slapped on a crocodile¡¯s snout and thick curled claws. Large brown vines curl around and drape off of its forest green body, and twisting roots seem to bulge underneath its skin. Those must be the source of the dragging sound.


    As I finish my brief inspection a short name tag flashes over the creature¡¯s form.


    Creeping Vine Lizard - Lvl 2


    Huh. Not a very creative name, but accurate I guess. Pondering the name, I whack the lizard across the snout again. I wish it had a cooler name than just ¡®lizard¡¯ though.


    The hit seemed to snap it out of its surprise, and it skittered backwards in an attempt to get some more space. A nudge in my stomach notifies me to chase after it as it leaves the range of my staff, I lean forward to comply but before I even start to move strong vines shoot from the ground to grab me. Following my combat senses, I knock one out of the air and step back, but three other vines begin to latch themselves onto my legs.


    Tearing my legs away from the vines, I look up to where the lizard was. Then to where the lizard is currently scurrying towards a window to the outside.


    Oh no you don¡¯t! Leaping after the lizard, I jump up and slam down the staff on the lizard¡¯s tail. The large reptile lets out a sharp hiss as my staff pins it to the floor, but as I''m about lift my weapon up to hit it again, the tail suddenly disconnects from the lizard¡¯s body as it darts up and out the window.


    Out of breath, I glance at the status bars in the corner of my vision. Luckily, I didn''t take any damage during that encounter, but my stamina bar looks like it''s only half full.


    I lean against my staff as I glance down at my prize. The lizard¡¯s dark green tail lays limp on the ground in front of me. Taking a closer look at it, all the vines and roots that were previously sewn throughout its flesh seems to have either disintegrated or been pulled out when the tail disconnected, leaving dark oozing wounds. The scales that cover its skin are actually very fine and soft. That must be why it relies on ambush tactics.


    Grabbing my first piece of loot, I weigh it in my hands. It¡¯s about the length of my arm and feels pretty heavy. As I pick it up a label pops up notifying me that this is indeed a ¡®Lizard¡¯s Tail¡¯! Who would have guessed...


    Looking around for somewhere to put this, I glance at the pouch at my waist. Oh! That¡®s right, I forgot to check to see if anything was inside! Reaching my hand in the pouch brings up a new window, showing what¡¯s inside. I let out a small grin. Looks like I already have some items!


    The new screen is arranged in a grid. The first couple squares already have pictures of items along with a small number telling me how many there are. Glancing through, I take a quick count of what I have. Three loaves of bread, a medium size waterskin, and a spare set of clothes. A small section in the lower corner also tells me that I have 12 gold, not that it¡¯ll be of any use to me though.


    Across the bottom of the window, a small message tells me to think about what I want to take out, and try to pull it out of the bag. Following its instructions, I imagine the waterskin as I remove my hand from the waist pouch. Sure enough, there in my grasp is a full leather waterskin.


    I take a quick sip and toss it back in the bag, trying not to think about how something larger than the bag could possibly fit inside of it. At least this way I didn¡¯t have to lug the tail around.


    Walking back to the raised platform, I slide the tail into the pouch. Maybe I¡¯ll have a use for it someday. But for now, I figure it¡¯s about time to log out. A lot of crazy, weird and questionable things have happened to me since logging in, and I was well overdue for a long reflection on today¡¯s events.


    Bringing up the menu, I tap the logout button.


    ERROR: That function is not available at this time.


    Uh oh.

 Chapter 6: Lizard Hunt

    I can''t log out..?


    A wave of panic overtakes me as I stare blankly at the error message. That''s not possible. If I''m stuck in here what will happen to my body? What happens when I need to eat or drink? Humans can only last three days without water, could someone save me by then? What will happen to my apartment!?


    Calm down Brian. There must be a reasonable explanation for this, something I''ve just forgotten. My mind reels, trying to find any possible thing I''ve overlooked. Maybe it''s just a small bug? It is launch day after all. If that''s the case it should be fixed pretty quickly. But what if it''s just me? So far my experience in the game hasn''t exactly felt like an ordinary player¡¯s.


    My knees begin to give out as I lean back against the ruined platform. There''s gotta be some other reason. My eyes hopelessly scan the room, as if that would provide some sort of solution to my situation. I find no answer in the shattered glass, nor in the cracked stone, or even in the crawling vegetation. But the empty window where the lizard just exited catches my attention. That''s it! My body relaxes as I let out all the built up tension in a long breath of relief.


    Some games don¡¯t let you log out when enemies are nearby, that way nobody can cheat death and log out in the middle of combat. That must be what¡¯s happening here. The error message about it could have been clearer though...


    All I have to do is defeat the lizard, then I should be able to log out. I slide down to the floor and tilt my head back against the side of the stage. After that roller coaster of emotions I need a moment to calm down.


    I can¡¯t just get a break, can I? First the demonic Sprite rooms, then whatever that place was before the game loaded, and now this. It feels like whatever evil deity controls this game¡¯s world was really out to get me. Maybe I should have just picked a normal race, instead of Thorn Fiend.


    I groan and rub my face. No. This was my decision and I''m sticking to it. I saw the warnings and choose to ignore them, so I''m entirely the one to blame. Anyways, I''m sure there''s still something about this race I haven''t figured out yet.


    Still a bit shaky, I use my staff to pick myself up off the ground. I have a lizard to kill.


    Making my way to the window, I take a quick glance at my status bars. My health is still full, and my stamina was only down a couple points from the max. It seems like that short rest helped quite a bit, and I''ve mostly recovered from my last encounter.


    Focusing back on the window, I glance outside to see if there was any trace of the lizard. It couldn''t have gone far if the game¡¯s still preventing me from logging out. Searching the ground, I notice a couple of indentations in the ground that stand out to me for some reason. Squinting, it''s hard to tell exactly why, but they feel very prominent and important. I just can''t get them out of my head. Weird.


    Wanting to take a closer look, I pull myself out through the empty window frame. My feet land with a soft thud on the other side. Immediately I am hit my a new barrage of sensations. The fragrant scent of pine drifts through the air with the sound of swaying branches, both carried by the wind. The dirt ground is soft and slightly bouncy beneath my feet, a stark contrast to the cold hard floors of the station. The air is cool against my face, and a blanket of humidity clings to my person.


    And the trees. Oh man- the trees! They''re unlike anything I''ve ever experienced before. Of course I''ve seen plenty of images of trees in the archives, and even when loading they didn''t seem all that different. But now, standing in front of them left me awestruck. They gave off such a presence, a feeling that could never be conveyed by images alone.


    I let my head roll back as my gaze follows their massive forms up to the sky. Letting my senses open to take in these wonderful new sights and sensations, committing them to memory. For a moment, I let myself forget about all the strange and weird stuff that''s been happening, and just enjoy the moment.


    But all good things must come to an end. The sharp snap of a twig and the rustling of branches tears my focus away from the sights. Glancing in the direction of the sound, it appears to be just another rodent scurrying away from me. But nonetheless, it reminds me that I have a more pressing matter to attend to.


    Crouching down, I take a closer look at the indentations I saw earlier. They appear to be tracks of some kind- the lizard¡¯s tracks presumably. Glancing up in the direction they lead, a small trail through the underbrush stands out to me in a similar way that the tracks do. Well, that''s convenient.


    Using my staff to push the dense branches and ferns out of the way, I slowly begin to follow the trail, being sure to keep an eye out around me as I walked. I don''t want to be surprised by some other creature.


    After a couple of minutes of walking, the forest parts into a small clearing. A small trickling brook cuts through the centre of the space, winding through pebble-laden riverbanks and collecting in a small pond off to the side. The lizard tracks lead right to the back of the clearing, where a tall rocky cliff covered in vegetation stretches up toward the sky. Looks like I have a climb ahead of me.


    Following the claw prints up to the base of the cliff, I glance up to the top of the rocky wall. It rises a good four or five times my height, and stands at a nearly vertical incline. I don''t see this ending well.


    Tucking my staff into the crook of my arm, I grab two large handfuls of the thick vegetation that covers the cliff face and take a deep breath, resigning myself to my task.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Launching myself up, I reach as far up as I can and brace my foot against the wall. Or at least I tried to. Instead of meeting the solid cliff face I was expecting, my boot burst through the vines into an empty space beyond. Tangled in the plant matter, my leg twists painfully as I hit the ground with a hard thud.


    I untangle my leg from the vines and carefully stand up. Wincing as I put weight on my injured leg, I take a quick glance at my health bar.


    *groan*


    I haven¡¯t even found the lizard yet and I¡¯ve already taken eleven points of damage. On top of that, my ankle looks like it¡¯s starting to swell. Using my staff as a crutch, I search through the vines for where my foot broke through. I just have to defeat the thing. I¡¯m so close, dammit.


    Pushing aside a large clump of plant growth reveals the entrance to a narrow cave that splits the cliff face. Glancing down at the tracks, it looks like the lizard fled in here, not up the cliff.


    Cautiously, I hobble forward into the cavern. Barely any light makes it through the curtain of vines at the entrance, but my fiendish vision pierces the darkness as if it was lit by a full moon. After the narrow entrance the cave opens up to a somewhat larger room. The ceiling is surprisingly high and many ledges and outcroppings jut out from the walls. I still my breath, listening carefully for my target.


    Taking full advantage of this opportunity, the lizard, previously hidden on a ledge above the cave entrance, launches forwards with jaws agape toward the back of my neck. Following my instincts, I lean to the side, avoiding the fatal blow but taking the full weight of the lizard straight to my back.


    The impact sends me flying to the ground, pinned under the massive gecko creature. Its sharp curled claws tear into my back as I frantically try and escape its grasp. Straining every muscle in my body, I manage to just push it off me, its talons leaving a trail of blue blood as I jump back to my feet.


    As it rights itself and spins to face me, I take a hurried glance around the room. Some time during the struggle my staff had been knocked from my hands, and now lays abandoned in front of the cave entrance.


    Dashing for my weapon, I nearly tumble back to the ground as my already injured ankle twists painfully under me, caught in a root that rose from the ground seemingly of its own volition. More roots and vines launch from the ground to wrap themselves around my legs. Seriously, is that all this lizard can do? My staff back in hand, I let out a small grin as I start whacking the roots away once again. I know how to deal with these.


    Apparently not though, as a nudge in my gut tells me to quickly look up. Just in time too, as the lizards massive jaws once again launch themselves straight toward my head. Bringing my staff up defensively, I flinch as its gnarled teeth gnash around my weapon, slamming together mere inches from my face.


    Shaking the creature off my staff, I take a quick glance down at the roots around my legs. They''ve been slowly creeping farther up my legs and have started encroaching around my waist. Keeping an eye on the lizard, I swipe at the roots trying to separate them from my legs. Futilely, the blunt staff bounces off the tough tangle of roots and vines. Dammit, if only I had a blade!


    Following my combat sense, I quickly whack the lizard who was once again launching toward me, sending it spinning to the ground. I have to get these vines off. Trying to kick them off, I bring my staff down on them once again.


    *slice*


    The roots fall limp at my feet as they are suddenly severed by my strike. Wait, what? I stand stunned, staring at my staff. Did that just..?


    The gecko creature tackles me again, snapping me out of my confusion. Its jagged teeth clenching down on my injured leg, sending fresh, more intense spikes of pain up through my spine.


    Slashing my staff / spear thing down on the lizard, I pierce the newfound blade down into the creature''s head, right where its skull meets its spine. The lizard instantly goes limp, collapsing into a dead pile of flesh and scales. Well that was anticlimactic.


    Bringing the bladed end of the staff closer to my face, I watch in shock as the newly formed dark jagged blade warps and melds once again into a blunt, flattened end. Rubbing my temple, I sigh. I have had more than enough mysteries for today. I really don''t want to deal with another.


    Glancing back down at the lizard''s corpse, I notice a fine green mist-like substance evaporating off of it. For a second I thought I saw a glimpse of an annoyed looking sprite, before all the vines and roots throughout the lizards body suddenly dissipate, fading to nothing.


    Bending down to the creature''s body, a new window pops up in front of me.


    Would you like to loot the Creeping Vine Lizard? (Yes/No)


    Tapping the yes, the gecko thing suddenly disperses into motes of light, leaving behind in its place a small pile of materials. I count four large lizard scales and three haunches of lizard meat, along with a couple of scattered gold coins. I quickly pocket the items, hopefully they''ll be of some use later.


    Standing back up, I wince as putting weight on my injured leg sends sharp white flashes of pain through my head. How much damage did I take anyways?


    Glancing up at my status bars, it looks like I had just under a third of my health left and I was nearly out of stamina. Limping up to a wall, I take a seat and sip from my waterskin, watching idly as my bars slowly refill. I notice a couple of new windows hovering at the edges of my vision, but I ignore them. I''ll check them out next time. For now, I just open my menu and log out.


    Successfully this time.

 Chapter 7: A Night Out

    The lid of my TVR pod slides open with a soft hiss. Blinking back to consciousness, I let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the dull grey walls of my games room. Shakily, I pull myself from the capsule. Everything seemed so dull now. Even the posters and objects that littered the room seemed muted compared to the colours I saw in game. On top of that, I feel so incredibly weak. My vision, my muscles, everything seemed inferior compared to the abilities of my avatar.


    Pulling up a hologram, I check the time. It looks like I only spent about four hours in game, but I already feel mentally and physically exhausted. Dragging myself to the kitchen, I order up another coffee and collapse into the couch. Pushing the dirty mugs from this morning to the side, I rest my feet on the coffee table and lean back into the cushy pillows.


    Sipping the warm drink, I reflect on the events of today. The technology behind True VR is astonishing. It''s far beyond anything humans have ever accomplished. Everything in game was exactly as it would be in real life, or at least as I imagine it to be. After all, I don''t exactly know what oceans and trees are supposed to be like.


    But then while amazing, I''m not sure how good the realism really is, at least from a gameplay standpoint. I mean- that felt like real pain. What would it feel like if somebody lost a limb, or got cut in half or something? I shudder at the thought. People typically play games to have fun, not to suffer.


    At the same time though, the potential of taking catastrophic risks and winning against all odds has some sort of forbidden alluring feeling about it. The thrill and adrenaline while fighting is something I can see many people getting addicted to. Including myself.


    And what about my race choice? I think back to the white space of character creation, was it really the right decision? So far it doesn''t seem too bad, I mean, I haven''t died yet. But I was pretty lucky with my first real enemy, if the lizard used actual damaging magic I''m not sure I would have won. The Sprite rooms were terrifying, but I shouldn''t have to ever pass through them again.


    What really scared me about my experience in the game so far though was whatever happened before I loaded into the game proper. I try and cast my mind back to that moment. To when the space outside of my TVR capsule wasn''t my home, but an unfamiliar white place.


    Was I still in the game then? If that''s the case, it could''ve been a bug or glitch, but why would the Erta have even programmed that area in? It doesn''t fit anything about the game I''ve seen, plus the fact that I was in a TVR pod makes it kinda hard to believe. From what I understand, they''re trying really hard to make the game immersive. So whatever it was, I really don¡¯t think I was supposed to see it.


    Alright, let''s assume that it was all real. If that''s the case, where was I? How did I even get there? It''s not like they moved me while I was in game, I''m home now and I haven''t noticed anything out of the ordinary in my apartment.


    I sigh and rub my head. Let''s not focus on that. There''s nothing I know that could give me any answers. Instead, I try to remember the conversation I heard.


    They mentioned something about growing units, twenty of them. Were those some sort of plants or something? But then they also mentioned the twenty first, and to send ¡®him¡¯ back. Could they have been referring to me? If that''s the case, those units aren¡¯t plants¡­


    Doing nothing but raising more questions, I take a deep breath and pinch the bridge of my nose. One thing''s for sure, the only way I can get answers is to keep playing.


    Suddenly a hologram pops up and bleeps, interrupting my next thought. I quickly scan over the message.


    Hey! Damian and I are meeting at the usual spot in about an hour, wanna join us? Bring your notes on the new game, we¡¯re thinking of getting the guild back together!! Order of Atrophy, ASSEMBLE!!


    - Jack


    Chuckling at Jack¡¯s antics, I quickly shoot a message back. It would probably be good for me to go, take my mind off things, maybe get their opinions on my situation.


    Gathering my things, I quickly change into something a little more presentable, I''m still in my pyjamas after all. I send a command through my holograms to turn off the lights, and step out of my front door.


    ---


    An annoyingly long shuttle ride later and I''m standing in the bustling entertainment centre of the station. Bright lights flash in my eyes as I push through the crowd to my destination.


    Glowing storefronts line the streets, beckoning customers in to buy any and all of their products and services. Holograms with a huge assortment of advertisements hover just above the street, displaying everything from cleaning bots to the newest lab-made candies. Their bright colours and flashing images are easy to ignore though, as most eye catching things around are the people.


    Each person is adorned with unique augmentations and customizations. I see glowing eyes, hair and fabrics, strange combinations of shapes and colours, and hairstyles I never thought possible.


    The woman in front of me stands nearly seven feet in height. She sways side to side as she struts forwards on her giant stilts. Her high stacked hair wobbling precariously atop her head, only serving to add another foot to her stature.


    A man pushes past me, a hurried businessman desperate for some relief after a long days work. Although he¡¯s dressed in professional attire, I catch a glimpse of dully lit nano tattoos which spread across his face as if mapping his veins. They pulse to the beat of his heart as he rushes onwards.


    I continue wading through the crowd, trying my best not to get in the way of the more crazy fashions. After ducking for a man with large robotic wings and giving a wide berth to a woman with jets of flame for shoulders, I finally spot our meeting place.


    Arriving at my target, I smile up at the worn, beaten sign of Ye Old Arcade. Significantly less flashy and smaller than the buildings around it, this hidden gem of a store is where I spent most of my school-day weekends.


    The old fashioned push door jingles as I enter into the familiar space beyond. Behind a small bar and small sitting area off to the back left of the store, a lightly augmented man raises his hand in greeting. Giving him a wave back, I scan the room for my friends. Most of the area is stuffed full of antique pre catastrophe games and consoles, in front of which a few strangers linger in the corners, absorbed into their own games. The space is silent but for the quiet music of games, and of course the shrill bird like laughter of a familiar blond form.


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    Approaching the table where Jack and Damion are seated, I call out in greeting. ¡°Hey guys! What''s so funny?¡±


    Jack spins around, his spiked, platinum blond hair bouncing as he throws his arms up in excitement.¡°Brian! It''s been forever man!¡± His glowing green eyes spark with electricity as he jumps up and shoves a drink in my hand, leading me to the table. He stands a head shorter than me, but jitters with such an energy that it hardly seems to matter. His clothes are flashy and bright, matching his demeanour perfectly.


    Walking to our seats, he continues, ¡°I haven''t seen you since you since you moved out! How''s the new place?¡±


    I grin back at him, ¡°Good, much bigger than that dingy apartment. The old place is still a wreck, I assume?¡±


    ¡°You know it!¡±


    Sitting down at our seats, I give a nod of greeting towards Damion, who sits leaning back in his chair. His muscular dark olive arms are crossed sternly across his chest, and his brow is furrowed in his usual glare.


    ¡°So what were you guys talking about?¡± With how much Jack was laughing, I¡¯m honestly really curious.


    ¡°Just discussing the new TVR game. Wanna know what race Damion chose?¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, the cutest looking one available?¡±


    ¡°That''s the one!¡± Jack bursts out into another fit of laughter as Damion runs a hand through his shortly cropped black hair, trying but failing to hide an embarrassed smile.


    Despite his intimidating appearance, if you hang out with Damion for any length of time, you quickly learn that he''s actually very gentle. The blue eyed giant in question leans forward and speaks up.


    ¡°They¡¯re called the Mira. They live in small communities in the rainforest and they have really powerful digitigrade legs that let them jump really high.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re fluffy with big fox ears and tails!¡± Jack interjects, still giggling. Damion shoots him a quick glare as he continues.


    ¡°I bonded with a light Sprite, which means I''ll be our designated healer again. A good thing too, cause this guy,¡± he raps Jack on the head ¡°is too hot headed to do anything but fight.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jack exclaims, rubbing where Damion hit. ¡°It''s not my fault the game decided to bond me with a lightning Sprite. I''m just too naturally talented to waste my abilities healing.¡±


    ¡°More like too absent-minded. Healing actually takes concentration and effort, unlike charging recklessly into battle.¡± Damian retorts, crossing his arms once more.


    ¡°Well I-¡°


    ¡°C¡¯mon guys.¡± I interrupt their banter. ¡°Let¡¯s save the fighting for the monsters. Jack, what race did you pick?¡±


    He briefly sticks his tongue out at Damion before turning to face me, his usual grin back in place. ¡°I chose a Lacertilian. They¡¯re like lizard people with cool swords and armour and stuff. The city I spawned in is huge!¡± He waves his arms around as if it would give me some sense of scale.


    ¡°Anyways, what did you pick?¡± Damion questions, ignoring Jack.


    Scratching the back of my head, I let out a small guilty chuckle. ¡°You see, I''ve been meaning to tell you guys. I don''t know if we can do the guild thing this time.¡±


    ¡°Aww, what!?¡±


    ¡°What did you do, Brian?¡± Damion sighs.


    ¡°I sort of found a secret race, the Thorn Fiends.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Jack slams his hands down on the table. ¡°You always find the secrets!¡±


    Damion shushes Jack. ¡°How exactly does this prevent you from joining the guild?¡±


    ¡°Thorn Fiends aren''t exactly liked by other races. I''m not allowed into any cities and from what it sounds like I¡¯m basically kill on sight. Plus I don''t get a Sprite.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even choose them then?¡± Damion furrows his brows.


    ¡°Uh-¡± I falter ¡°I''m not entirely sure. Since it was kinda hidden away, I assumed that it would have some sort of hidden benefits.¡±


    ¡°Does it!?¡± Jack interrupts, leaning forward on the edge of his seat.


    ¡°Sort of? I don''t think I''ve figured out everything yet, but so far I have increased physical resistances and a cool ability that helps me with combat. It completely eliminates the need to go through training.¡±


    Jack groans. ¡°Lucky! We¡¯re not even allowed to exit our cities without finishing the basic training. And let me tell you, my teacher is cruel.¡± He winces at some surfacing memory.


    ¡°Do you know why they''re hated so much?¡± Damion pipes up.


    ¡°Not really. Their description said something about being hated and feared cause they once terrorized the wasteland, but I don''t really know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He frowns.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jack slams his hands down on the table again, nearly knocking his drink over. ¡°Have you heard the rumours that the Erta actually have their race as one of the playable ones in game? Nobody actually knows what they look like, so what if they''re hiding right under our noses!?¡±


    ¡°You''re suggesting that the Thorn Fiends are actually the Erta?¡±


    ¡°Then why would they be hated so much? They were the ones who made the game, wouldn''t they want to be well liked?¡± Damion growls, leaning back once more in his chair.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± We let out a collective sigh, trying to think of any reason for their strange actions.


    I swirl my untouched drink, debating whether I should bring up the weird place I saw while loading. Although logically it would be best if I let them know, something in my gut kept telling me it was a bad idea. And I did say earlier I should trust my gut more¡­


    Deciding to keep quiet, I take a sip of my still unidentified drink. Cola. Jack knows me well.


    ¡°Well!¡± The blond ball of energy suddenly claps his hands together. ¡°No sense theorizing over things we¡¯ll never know the answers to! How about we play some games, we¡¯re in an arcade after all!¡±


    Damion nods, guzzling his drink and standing up from his chair. ¡°In that case, I vote we play Skull Girls.¡±


    ¡°No way! If we¡¯re going to play a pc game, it''s gotta be Killing Floor!¡± Jack pipes up, following Damion to where the old computers are set up.


    ¡°Well if I get to pick, I''d say we play Civilization.¡±


    ¡°Definitely no.¡±


    ¡°That one¡¯s no fun. You always win!¡±


    ¡°You guys don''t try hard enough. You just need more practice!¡±


    ¡°Sure! And you need to stop playing without us around.¡±


    ¡°But then I''d lose my unfair advantage!¡± I mock horror, sparking a new round of laughter among our group as we take our places in front of our usual pcs. Eventually we settle on a game, and spend the rest of the day playing and sharing stories, old and new.

 Chapter 8: The Ascent

    I wake up once again to the steady, piercing beeps of a heart monitor. A bud of panic rising to my throat as I realize where exactly I logged back in to. Not the vine laden cave I logged out of yesterday, but the strange capsule in the foreign white room. A wave of terror washes over me as I freeze in place.


    Oh no. No no no no no. This is not happening again. Whatever this place is seriously freaks me out, and I want nothing to do with it.


    The beeps of the heart monitor quicken as my pulse rises but I don''t even register it as my panicked state rapidly begins spiraling out of control. I don''t want to be here. I want out.


    *thud*


    In a panic, I slam my fist into the side of the capsule sending white jolts of pain shooting up my arm. Gritting my teeth, I clench my fist, close my eyes, and take deep breaths.


    You''re being an idiot, Brian. You''re letting your panic and fear of the unknown get the best of you without even knowing enough about this place to be scared of it. Your actions are irrational, illogical, and stupid. Get a grip, and gather information about this place while you still can.


    Much calmer than before, I slowly open my eyes, scanning the small dim space for anything new while I try and reason out what I know.


    I¡¯m in a TVR console in a strange place, that''s for sure. The language that I heard used last time was foreign and unfamiliar. This means I am either in some part of the station where the universal language is not used (which I don''t think exists), or I''m not on the station. The only way I could find out is to get and out look around. Which is definitely not happening.


    I don''t want to move, and I definitely don''t want to leave the capsule. Right now, this small dark space feels safe, at least when compared to whatever strange place lies beyond the pod¡¯s walls.


    As if on cue, the soft murmur of voices and the sharp clack of footfalls starts to bleed through the walls of the capsule.


    ¡°... and here we are. Welcome to the core of Project Fire Lily.¡± This voice is familiar, belonging to the icy, regal woman I heard last time. ¡°As you can see, the first twenty units are complete, and we are well on our way to starting the project proper.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± An unimpressed grunt responds. ¡°And when exactly will that be?¡± The foreign man¡¯s gruff voice is lined with authority and tinged with annoyance.


    ¡°At the earliest, one week. But in order to ensure their full effectiveness, a month or more would be best.¡± Their voices grow louder as the footsteps continue to approach.


    ¡°Doctor,¡± the man growls through clenched teeth. ¡°You understand that they''re needed on the battlefield now. It''s a slaughter out there.¡±


    ¡°I understand General, but if we send them out too early they''ll be more harm than help.¡± The woman sighs, and I can hear a couple of bleeps as if she''s navigating a menu. ¡°If we really push it, the earliest we could have them to you is in five days. That''s including the time we need for training and the acclimation process.¡±


    The man sighs. ¡°Alright, it''ll have to do. Notify me when you begin the transfer process. I will be present for their training.¡±


    ¡°Very well. But we do-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± The General cuts her off, the footsteps abruptly ending. ¡°What is this? You said there were twenty units, not twenty one.¡± I freeze, it sounds like he''s standing right in front of my capsule.


    ¡°Ah, that one is¡­ more of a personal experiment of mine. It will be beneficial to our cause, but I will be personally in charge of his development.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, very well. Keep me updated.¡± The man¡¯s heavy footfalls stomp away, but I don''t hear the doctor move.


    ¡°That''s strange¡­¡± She mutters under her breath, leaning forward over my capsule.


    I freeze as she comes into view. Towering over the pod is a sleek, russet brown skinned woman. Her flecked amber eyes are sharp and intelligent, and her loosely curled black hair is cut short, nearly shaved on the sides but longer on top. She looks foreign, but in all senses human.


    Trying my best not to move lest I catch her attention, I stare in shock as she reaches for the wall behind me and presses a lit button with a small beep. For a second, I swear I can see her gaze shift downwards towards me with a knowing smirk, but it''s gone in an instant as she rights herself and walks off after the General.


    As her footsteps echo into the distance I feel my body collapse in relief and my hands nervously dart up to my teeth as my bad habit surfaces itself once again. As my nails touch my lips I stop, once again shocked. Looking down at myself, I see not my normal thin freckled arms, but the pale, long nailed body of my avatar.


    Then before I get another look, my consciousness is tugged away into the void.


    ---


    I wake up slouched against the cave wall, the same spot where I logged out yesterday. The world spins and swirls around me as I lay disoriented. Closing my eyes, I still my vision and collect my thoughts.


    That place was definitely not the station, nor any other station that I know of for that matter. There hasn''t been any conflicts or wars among humans for hundreds of years. And these units, are they some sort of weapon? With the way those two were talking, it almost sounds like these things are people. And speaking of people¡­


    I sigh and rub my temples. What''s with that doctor? She definitely looked human, but nothing else about her seemed to indicate that fact. She didn''t speak using the universal language and she talked of some sort of battle. Both of which are virtually impossible on any human station. Unless, of course, it''s some sort of forgotten human colony.


    That''s it! My eyes shoot open in realization as I formulate my theory. There have been records of colonies going missing or falling out of contact thousands of years ago. The language, the battle, it all makes sense when considering a colony that grew apart from a society. That still doesn''t explain how I got there, or how I could understand the language though. Getting frustrated by the lack of answers, I furrow my brows and let out a long sigh. No use theorizing with no ways to get answers. I don''t want my overthinking to ruin my time in game.


    Steadying myself against the rock, I slowly stand up, still adjusting to my avatars body and senses. Blinking into focus, I glance at my alien body. That''s right, I had the same body while in the strange place.


    Stop it. I shake my head. I already said to stop worrying about it. Just focus on the game and enjoy your time playing.


    Setting my distractions aside I look back at my legs. The injuries that had accumulated during my battle last time were fully healed, but I noticed my maximum stamina was down ten points. Searching for answers, I turn toward the windows that popped up with a ding, joining the few that I ignored yesterday.


    The front most window holds the answer I''m looking for.


    Attention player!


    Welcome back to The Di Game! While you were away, all previously sustained injuries have fully healed, and the time taken to heal has been subtracted from your maximum stamina. Enjoy your time in game!


    - The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    That explains it then. At least I didn''t have to wait around in game for everything to heal. Waving the window aside, I focus in on the second newest window.


    Welcome all players, to the second day of The Di Game!


    We wanted to let you know that the first day of launch was a marvelous success, with over 50 billion players galaxy-wide! We are also pleased to announce a competition of sorts! By the end of the day tomorrow, the top strongest players will be receiving special rewards, specially designed to help each player. Train, learn and grow stronger. You may be one of the lucky few!


    - The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    Interesting! I feel a playful grin tug at the edges of my mouth. Maybe my race choice wasn''t so bad after all. After all, I must be leagues ahead most players, I''m not even sure if many have completed the basic training yet.


    With a new wave of determination, I pace about the cave as I glance through the last couple of windows. The ones I ignored yesterday.


    New Passive Gained: Tracking


    <u>Tracking</u>:


    You find it easier to spot and follow the trails and tracks of your prey. Trails become more obvious as your perception increases.


    Ah, so that''s why the lizard tracks stood out so much. Tapping my chin, I reread the description. It becomes better as perception increases, eh? That means that other passives might be affected by my stats too. I''ll have to keep an eye out for that.


    Dismissing the screens I gather my staff and stand in the centre of the cave.


    Dirt covered roots poke out and dangle from the ceiling and walls of the cavern. The outcroppings and ledges that cut into the stone are strangely flat and are all varying heights. Walking around the edges of the cave I check each ledge for anything interesting, finding only abandoned straw beds. Looks like whatever animals this cave was once home too are either long gone or dead.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Finishing my survey, I take a seat on one of the ledges and pull out my waterskin and a loaf of bread. Might as well as eat and restore my max stamina while things are peaceful.


    *Woosh*


    Pausing mid bite, I turn toward the source of the breeze, confused. The soft gust isn¡¯t emerging from the vine covered entrance, but from the back of the cave. Swallowing down the stale bread with a gulp of water, I stand and walk toward the rocky wall.


    The breeze slips through a narrow, previously unnoticed crack in the stone, producing a quiet, melodic whistling sound as it spills throughout the chamber. The wall is split from ceiling to floor, and the space is only large enough that if I turned sideways, I would barely be able to fit in. Glancing through, I swear I can see the smallest flicker of light from whatever''s beyond.


    Well, if that isn''t a call to adventure, I don''t know what is!


    I pace back and forwards in front of the crack. My curiosity telling me to check it out, but my rational mind worrying out about the tight space. What if I get stuck? What if there was no way out? Nervously, I inspect the opening, trying to think of any other possible solutions.


    There''s no way I could break the stone, and it''s not like I have a drone or something that I could check the space out before I go in. I test the narrow section with the length of my staff. It looks like it''s only about two feet long, but that''s still two feet of potential danger. But then, the light from whatever shines beyond is very tempting, and the only way to find out what it is, is to go in and check. So swallowing my reservations, I shimmy into the opening.


    Squishing into the space, I push and wiggle myself through the passage into the space beyond. The process is less than pleasant, and I nearly get stuck once as the diamond blade of my tail gets caught in a crack, but after some careful maneuvering I pull myself out to the cavern on the other side.


    The semicircle shaped room is small, only barely wide enough for me to stretch out my arms. Set into the flat back wall, a carved stone door stands lit by two burning braziers, the sources of the flickering light. The carvings in the door are simple, and seem to depict three differentreptiles sitting on the corners of a triangle. Curiously, I approach the door.


    Would you like to enter the Tri-Reptile Dungeon [lvls 1-4]? (y/n)


    About: Dungeons


    Dungeons are special pocket dimensions that are created randomly throughout The Di Game. Each one unique, they challenge players with puzzles and monsters that you might not usually find in the world. Players who complete dungeons gain loot and experience beyond what they would normally find during adventuring, but because of their unstable nature, dungeons often collapse once beaten. Higher level dungeons are much more stable, and can often last many completions before breaking. But low level dungeons are destroyed as often as they are created.


    - The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    Scanning through the message I let out a wide grin. If I want to try and get among the strongest players, then this is exactly what I need. Tapping the yes button, the door slides open to reveal an abyssal portal beyond. Unable to see any farther into the dungeon, I shrug and step through the doorway.


    The darkness fading from my eyes, I find myself in a medium sized trapezoid shaped room. The three walls in front of me are smooth and made of a light grey stone. Inlaid into each surface is a large stone door similar to that of the dungeon¡¯s entrance, each with a slightly different symbol engraved in the centre. In the middle of the room a small marble pedestal rises from the ground, unto which an unseen spotlight shines from the ceiling. Stepping forward, I notice three circular divots cut from the top of the marble. Something to do with the doors maybe?


    Slowly, I approach the leftmost door. The engraving within depicts a winged serpent, seemingly dancing through the air as it hunts down its prey. Curious, I push open the door and enter the next room.


    The chamber is tall and cylindrical. Two stone staircases curl upwards against the opposite walls of the room, meeting halfway up in a small platform before continuing towards the ceiling, where a large island like clump of dirt and stone seems to hang in the air. The floor of the chamber is flat stone, but as I step forward I feel a mysterious sourceless wind lifting up from under me, gusting up towards the ceiling. Scouring the walls and air, I see no immediate threats or enemies, so my staff at the ready, I begin making my way up one of the staircases.


    The stairs are narrow, and although stone, they feel at risk of crumbling under my every step. All the while, the bustling wind threatens to blow me off the stairs, sending me tumbling to the hard rock below. Gritting my teeth, I stick close to the wall and gingerly walk up the steps.


    One foot in front of the other, one step at a time I slowly climb the towering staircase. Reaching almost a quarter of the way up I pause and chuckle. See? It isn''t so bad after all! With newfound confidence, I take the next step a little quicker than the others before it.


    *crack*


    The step underneath me crumbles as my foot touches it, sending my leg shooting downwards, dangling underneath the stairs. A long moment of tension passes as I stand shock still, waiting to see if the other step would collapse and send me spiralling down to my doom. Ten long seconds later, I carefully remove my leg from the gap and shakily lean against the wall.


    That was close. Way too close. I should have been more careful, more cautious. I let my confidence get the better of me and I almost paid dearly for it. Waiting for my heart to steady, I rethink how I should progress.


    As I did before, I''ll stay close to the wall, thus avoiding the brunt of the wind. Now though, I''ll use my staff to test each step before I progress. It''ll take a lot longer but it''ll be worth not having that happen again.


    Tapping the next step and determining its safety, I carefully step over the new gap and continue upwards.


    The farther up I get, the stronger and more chaotic the winds become. They weren''t just coming from beneath me now, but whipped around my body in violent spirals. My progress slows to a near halt as I take time searching for cracks and hand holds in the wall, helping steady me against the gusts. After a painfully long accent, I eventually find myself only a couple steps from the floating island.


    That''s where I ran into a problem though. Three steps in a row crumble away beneath my staff, leaving a dangerously large gap to cross.


    I saw two options. One, try and climb across along the wall. The wall is cracked enough that I''d probably be able to find enough holds, but it''ll take a while and I risk being blown off by the ferocious winds. Two, I could try and jump across. This would be much faster, and I could probably time it for a brief pause in the winds, but I''d also need to pull myself up using only my arms, as the next stair is too high up to land on.


    Weighing my options, I swallow nervously as I realize which would be the better option. Option one felt safer and more cautious, but the factor of risk is entirely up to chance. Risking a particularly bad gust arriving in the middle of the climb is not something I want to chance. With option two, I have at least some say in the matter.


    Steeling my nerves, I shove my staff in my bag and lower myself down into a ready position as I wait for a lull in the winds.


    And¡­.. JUMP!


    Seconds stretch into minutes as I fly through the air, eventually hitting the step with a hard thump. Scrambling forwards, I manage to get my arms and elbows onto the top of the step. Leaving the rest of my body dangling in the cold air.


    Every muscle in my arms strain as I pull myself forwards, my fingers finding purchase in small cracks on the step to help anchor my weight. Using an upward gust to my advantage, I swing one of my legs up onto the stair, letting me roll safely onto the rocky surface.


    Laying panting on the stone, I feel an unstoppable smile curl up my face as I recover from my adrenaline high. I did it!


    Me, a researcher who''s never had to work this hard in his life, just managed to accomplish a physical feat that he would never have imagined. The rush, the feeling of victory. It was all still coursing through my veins, and it feels amazing!


    I slowly stand up using the wall, glancing at my stamina bar as my pulse begins settle. Just under half full, I watched as it slowly started ticking back up. That took just as much stamina as it felt like it had.


    Half exhausted (quite literally), I lean against the wall as I wait for my stamina to recover. Ten minutes and half a loaf of bread later, I tap the last couple of steps and ascend to the island.

 Chapter 9: Dungeon Snakes

    Rough, gravel-filled dirt crunches beneath my feet as I step out onto the floating island. The island¡¯s surface is mostly flat, but large, spire-like stones jut out of the ground at odd angles, looming above the small scraggly bushes that dot the open spaces. Wait, how could such vegetation survive without the sun? How is there even any light in here at all? I haven''t seen any torches or light sources¡­


    Waving it away as dungeon logic, I walk forward, farther into the forest of stone. The wind, which lessened only slightly as I moved onto the island, whips through the rocky spires, creating an airy, melodic whistle that resonates through the space. The ceiling reaches quite far above me, the tallest spires only barely reaching it.


    Arriving at the centre of the island, I step out into a small clearing, free of bushes and spires. My staff at the ready, I move to the middle of the clearing. So¡­ Now wha-?


    A slash of pain across my right cheek cuts off my thought as a silver blur and rush of air streaks past my head. Now fully alert, I duck to the side as my combat instincts kick in, quickly dodging the silver form as it aims for my head again. Spinning around, I get a quick glance of the creature before it darts behind a spire.


    Its long, silver, serpentine form is about the length of my arm, and seems to shimmer like mercury as it speeds through the air. White, feathered wings beat powerfully as it sails through the air, and a small fan of feathers adorns its tail. Above its head a name plate floats.


    Silver Amphiptere - Lvl 1


    Only level one? This shouldn''t be too bad.


    As I watch, two more serpents dash from out of the stone forest towards me. I spoke too soon, didn''t I?


    Throwing myself to the ground, I hit the dirt with a thud as the silver scaled streaks sail above me. Jumping back to my feet just in time for a nudge from my instincts, I whirl around and smack an approaching snake out of the air with my staff. Wasn''t this thing a spear earlier?


    Bringing the staff down on the quickly recovering serpent, the creature¡¯s writhing form is nearly bisected by its newly formed blade. I don''t know how this spear / staff thing works, but it sure is convenient.


    The immediate danger taken care of, I glance around me for the next foe. No matter what direction I look, flits of silver gleam out at me as the serpents dart from spire to spire. How many of these things are there?


    A twitch of instinct tells me to duck low as three more Amphipteres sail over my head. The wind that carries them along nearly sweeps me off my feet as they disappear once more into the stone forest.


    This was starting to frustrate me. Just dodging was getting me nowhere, and without knowing how many there are, I can''t risk running out of stamina before I¡¯ve taken them all down. Glancing at my bars, I¡¯ve already lost 15 stamina and 10 health points.


    Focusing back on my surroundings, I stand, spear / staff at the ready as I wait for the next wave. Feeling the wind pick up, I glance around as they approach. Good, there¡¯s only two this time.


    Letting my instincts guide me, I quickly swipe the blade of my spear at the first creature, sending it spiralling with a trail of black, ichor-like blood. In one fluid motion I spin around and knock the next snake down with the blunt end, twirling the weapon around to finish it with the blade.


    Righting myself, I look up just in time to see another serpent diving toward me.


    Instead of a small, silver snake though, I turn to face a large golden serpent. Its body is nearly three times the size of the others, and its wings are almost disproportionately large. With each powerful swipe of its feathered appendages huge gusts of wind spread out across the clearing, nearly knocking me off my feet. Long, dagger-like fangs gleam white as it charges at an impossible speed towards me.


    Golden Amphiptere - Lvl 3


    Unable to react in time, I barely move before its jaws clamp down around my shoulder. Crying out as a bloom of pain spreads from the wound, I swing my blade at the creature as it drags me off my feet.


    My muscles cry out as I try to separate its jaws, my stamina bar flashing as I reach the last few points. Too weak to escape, I helplessly fall limp as it pulls me into the air.


    The ground falls away beneath me as I am carried farther, leaving all but the tallest of spires beneath me. Please don''t say it''s gonna drop me from this height¡­


    It does. My gut churns as the creature releases me above a jagged, spike-like spire. Twisting in the air, I manage to avoid being impaled, but the sharp rock still slices my side, leaving spatters of blue blood in its wake.


    I hit the ground hard. My staff clatters to the side as my body bounces with a thud against the rocky dirt. Sitting up against the spire, I glance to my bars. My stamina is nearly gone and I have barely a tenth of my health left. If I don''t end this now I''m not going to survive.


    Gritting my teeth, I reach for my staff. Pulling it to my side I look up with grim resignation at the rapidly approaching foe. I instinctively start counting down.


    Three.


    Two.


    One.


    Now!


    *shhnk*


    With my last burst of strength I raise the bladed end of the spear straight into the open mouth of the charging serpent. Black ichor-like blood drips from the blade as it exits the back of the creature''s head. Straight through the brain.


    The heavy snake collapses on my legs as its body goes limp and I fall back against the pillar. Utterly exhausted, I lean back and try to collect my strength.


    That was¡­ an experience. The rush of combat and thrill of battle was both terrifying and exhilarating. I''m closer than I have ever been to my first death in this game, but the wave of triumph and accomplishment that overcame me as I actually won, made it well worth it.


    Feeling my strength start to return, I glance up at the new windows that hover in the corners of my vision.


    Congratulations! You have leveled up!


    You are now level 2! See your status for more details.


    Would you like to loot the Golden Amphiptere? (Yes/No)


    Tapping the yes button, I watch as, like the lizard did, the snake creature¡¯s body begins to quickly disintegrate into motes of lights, leaving behind an angry looking Sprite (which quickly disappears with the light), and small pile of loot.


    I quickly pocket the ten Amphiptere feathers and a couple of scattered pieces of gold, and with a grin, open up my status. Now onto the good stuff!


    <u>Status:</u>


    Name: Briar


    Race: Thorn Fiend


    Level: 2


    Health: 18 / 110


    Stamina: 13 / 41 (max: 45)


    Str: 13


    Agi: 16


    Con: 11


    Vit: 9


    Per: 15 ¡ú 16


    Luk: 6


    Aff: 0


    +2 Unallocated point(s)


    <u>About: Leveling up</u>


    As you gain more experience and battle more enemies in The Di Game, you slowly begin to get stronger and ¡®level up¡¯. Each level, one stat will be automatically raised based on what the system deems that you used the most, and you will be given two unallocated points which you may put into whatever stat you want. Spend these points wisely as you cannot change where you put them later!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.     -  The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    Reading through the new window, I tap the edge of my chin. Where should I put these¡­


    Affinity is useless to me, and my perception was already raised, so those are ruled out. Luck is tempting, but I''m not sure how helpful it would be to me right now. Looking over the remaining stats, I hesitantly add one to vitality, and one to agility.


    With more stamina I¡¯ll hopefully be able to fight for longer, and avoid another situation like this last battle. With more agility I¡¯ll be able to dodge more effectively, and thus take less damage. Plus, with a staff-like weapon I really need to emphasize speed over strength.


    Speaking of my weapon, I look down at the thing. Its blade had already formed back into a blunt end and the blood that once covered it has dropped off onto the ground around it like water off a hydrophobic material. Picking it up, I inspect it in my hands. Twice now it has transformed just when I needed it. I wonder if I could make it change out of combat?


    Focusing on the staff, I try to send a mental command towards it. I''ve been able to control everything else in this game with my thoughts, why not this?


    Sure enough, as I stare at its blunt end, it slowly starts to shift and stretch, pulling out into a long jagged spear tip. Excited, I quickly send a command to retract it, and then form it again. Toggling it several times, I practice until I¡¯m sure I can do it in a moments notice. This is beyond useful, and it completely eliminates my previous worries about fighting with a staff.


    If I can control it freely, I wonder why it always turns back into staff form after combat? Bringing out its blade once more, I watch it for a minute before, sure enough - the jagged edge begins to slowly retract once more. I guess the staff is just its default form? Chuckling, I give it a quick swing. Maybe it was to keep me from hurting myself.


    Setting it to the side, I glance up at my bars. They¡¯ve recovered a bit, but at this rate it¡¯ll take forever to fill back up. Annoyed, I click my tongue. Isn¡¯t there any way to make this faster?


    <u>About: Recovering Health and Stamina</u>


    After a long battle, your health and stamina is likely to be very low. Recovering these stats takes time, but the length you have to wait severely diminishes if you take a rest. Build a fire, eat some food, maybe even take a nap! You¡¯ll be back to fighting shape in no time!


    -  The friendly administrators of The Di Game


    Helpful! These ¡®about¡¯ windows really are convenient. Although I kinda figured some of this out already, it was nice to have it confirmed. Opening up my inventory, I frown at the sight of only half a loaf of bread left. Have I eaten that much already?


    Scarfing down the bread with a gulp of water, I glance through my other items. I do have three haunches of lizard meat, but I definitely don¡¯t want to eat those raw. I guess I could try to build a fire.


    My body aches as I stand up using the stone spire. Grabbing my staff, I hobble towards the clearing I was in earlier. It seems like the silver serpents are avoiding me now that I took out the golden one. A good thing too, I wouldn''t be able to handle another fight.


    Stepping into the clearing, I glance around at the battlefield. A few spatters of blood, both black and blue, dot the disturbed ground around the area where I fought most of the combat. Oh, that¡¯s right! I still have some creatures to loot!


    Looting the three corpses, I gather seven more feathers and a couple more gold, but sadly no food. A fire it is then!


    Using my newly found blade, I quickly cut down a couple of the scraggly bushes, gathering a small pile of fire materials. Luckily, everything up here is really dry, so they should light pretty well.


    Staring at my pile, I scratch the back of my head. How exactly am I supposed to start a fire? I mean, I¡¯ve seen plenty of pre-catastrophe survival shows and videos, but I¡¯ve never actually researched how to build a fire. Understandably, I never thought I¡¯d need to know how. Evidently, I was wrong.


    I try and cast my mind back to the long tv binge sessions. I have fuel, so I guess that¡¯s a start. Now what else? A fire starter I suppose. From what I''ve seen, when matches or a lighter isn''t available, there are really only two options. Find rocks that spark or start an ember with friction and wood.


    Of these two options, I remember noticing that the first one is easier by far, the real problem is having the right materials. All the videos I saw used a special striking stone and the back of a steel knife, of which I have neither. What I do have though is a strange staff of foreign material and an island full of rocky dirt.


    Looking around me, I gather a couple of interesting looking rocks and put them next to my pile. Now I just need dead leaves or something for the sparks to catch on.


    Walking up to a cluster of the small bushes, I scour the ground for any easily flammable materials. Finding not a single one, I frown at the plants. There weren''t many leaves on the branches, so I can assume most had fallen off. But they must have been carried off by the strong winds. In that case, they should be around here somewhere.


    Following the direction of the winds, I pass through the central clearing and find myself in front of what appears to be the tallest spire on the island. There, the wind picks up and spirals toward the ceiling, all of the gusts from throughout the room seemingly collecting at this one point. Thrown about in these strong winds, thousands of leaves dance in a flurry of oranges yellows and browns. Exactly what I''m looking for.


    Fighting through the winds, I stick my hand out into the tornado of dead vegetation and try my best to grab what I can. Most of the leaves just flit around my arm or are torn out of my hand before I can pull them out, but eventually I gather a good handful of suitably dried material.


    Heading back to my other piles, I toss everything I collected into my inventory and search for the least windy area I can to try and start my fire. Settling on a nook between three wide spires, I drop my materials and set out to chipping stones.


    Eighteen stones later and I finally find one that creates small, nearly invisible sparks. It''s a small jagged thing that has small veins of white running through it. Striking one of those with the blade of my staff, I manage to catch a small fire in the leaves, and with care, I soon have a respectable roar of flame. Strangely, throughout the whole process my staff hasn''t chipped or broken once, even though almost every rock I tried was left cracked or chipped. Whatever it¡¯s made of, I certainly don''t have to worry about it breaking.


    Pulling out a haunch of meat, I skewer it with my staff and set it over the fire. Then with a relaxed sigh, I lean back against the spire and stare into the fire, waiting for my meal to cook and my health to recover.

 Chapter 10: The Second Room

    Stretching and yawning, I kick out the last few embers of my fire. Just under an hour had passed since sitting down to rest, and my status bars had just finished filling up. The meat was¡­ strange. I haven''t had the opportunity to eat food like that much before, and it probably could have been prepared better than the charred thing I ate. Nonetheless, it did its job and filled my bars.


    Grabbing my staff from where I left it leaning against a spire, I begin to walk to the staircase down from the island- then pause. How am I supposed to get down from here anyways? I really want to avoid having to use those stairs again, there must be another way.


    Wandering around the island, looking for a way down, I eventually find myself back at the tallest spire, where the wind whips like a tornado around the pillar of stone. This must be it, I mean- it''s the most interesting thing on the island, and the developers wouldn''t put it here for no reason, right?


    Slowly, I begin walking around the spire, looking carefully for anything that might give away its purpose. Peering through the leaves, I notice something small, hidden even- that I hadn''t before. Spaced randomly throughout the rock, small, perfectly round holes lead into its centre. Using my staff, I fight through the vortex of wind towards the closest of the holes.


    It''s only a couple inches wide, and seems to lead into a larger, hollow space inside the stone. Pressing my face to the rock for a closer look, I notice a dull, whitish grey light seems to illuminate the chamber beyond. I¡¯m not sure if that''s just light from the other holes, or something else.


    Suddenly, I''m sent recoiling from the spire as a cold gust of air gushes out, stinging my eyes and blurring my vision. Blinking, I steady myself on the stone. There''s something beyond there, I''m sure of it.


    Circling around the spire, I search for a way in. Maybe there¡¯s a cluster of holes, or a thin spot in the rock that''s weak enough I could break through. Without any easy way down, this is the only place I could look.


    Testing the depth of each hole with my staff, I find a small area at the base of the rock that I might be able to break through. So bracing for pain, I swing my foot back and slam it forward into the rock.


    *crack*


    For a second, it''s hard to tell what broke. But as the pain begins to creep into my foot, I look down at the brittle, now shattered stone. That was a lot easier than I thought it''d be.


    Bending down and using my hands to push away the cracked chunks, I eventually clear a space large enough to where I can just squeeze through.


    The small space inside the spire is tiny, but relatively tall. Getting into a standing position, my shoulders just barely bush against the cold walls, and the ceiling is about an arms reach away. The wind whips and dances inside the space, whistling as it flies through the new opening I created. Looking up, most of the light in the space is from the circular holes, but at the in the centre of the ceiling a palm sized white gem glows with a grey light.


    Reaching up towards the gem, the wind grows stronger and stronger, to the point where I have to fight to push my hand closer. Whatever this is seems to be the source of the wind. Straining my muscles, I push harder through the relentless rush of air. This has to be my ticket off the island.


    With a last push of strength, I jump up and grab the gem. As soon as my hand touches it, the wind just stops. In fact, everything just stops, as my vision briefly goes dark.


    ---


    A flash of light. Steady piercing beeping. My thoughts feel sluggish, my consciousness weak.


    I look down to an IV in my arm. I look up to a white ceiling, no longer blocked by clouded grey, and to the face of the doctor.


    ¡°Hmm. Interesting.¡± She adjusts something on the wall behind me. My vision starts to fade. ¡°Don''t worry, everything''s okay. You just need to head back to sleep...¡±


    And I do.


    ---


    I open my eyes to the first room of the dungeon. Disoriented, confused, I shake my head. It''s like waking up from a dream. I could vaguely remember it, but the more I thought of it, the more I felt like I forgot. One thing''s for sure, that horrible heart monitor was there again.


    These episodes are getting more frequent, and stranger each time. I only hope they don''t pose me any harm. I just want to play this game, dammit.


    Speaking of the game, I look down at my hand, where I now clutch a cold, white, faintly glowing gem. Perfectly sized for one of the slots in the central pedestal.


    Stepping up to the marble podium, I gently place the gem into one of the divots, where it snaps into place with a soft, satisfying click. The white crystal glows brighter, but otherwise does nothing to indicate anything happened. It probably needs all three gems for it to do something. Shrugging, I move onto the next door, the far right one this time.


    Engraved onto the centre of the stone door is two chameleons. They mirror each other''s stance as they climb the same branch. After a brief inspection, I push open the door and step into the space beyond.


    Actually, I step outside? A lush green forest spreads out in front of me, and through the branches I can see glimpses of a bright blue sky. Vines and other vegetation hang off every branch, and wild flowers add splashes of colour to the green space. Wasn''t I just inside? I turn around, the door is nowhere to be seen. Worried, I step forward to where the door was.


    BANGUnlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    White pain flashes across my vision as my face slams into the wall. Confused, I step back. Waving my hands around, I feel a wall there, but visually it looks like the jungle just continues onwards. I fumble around and eventually manage to push the door open. As I do, I see the other room begin to appear before me. It looks like how opening a door normally would, but without the door...


    Dungeon logic. I shrug, and walk forwards into the jungle. There''s something eerie about the green expanse. But I can''t quite put my finger on what it is.


    Funnily enough, my question is immediately answered as I go to brush a cluster of vines out of my way. Instead of meeting the leafy vines, my hand passes straight through the vegetation.


    Stunned, I stare at my hand for a second. Did that just-?


    I wave my arm in front of me again, marvelling as my hand phases through the illusory vines. So is it just these vines that are weird or..?


    I kick a couple shrubs and swipe an arm towards a tree. To my satisfaction, they pass right through the strange illusions. Alright, so I''ve figured out why everything''s so weird. There''s no movement, wind, sounds or anything else you''d expect from a jungle. It doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m actually standing in a real environment. Everything about it is muted and dulled, as if I¡¯m seeing through a screen or hologram. I suppose that''s to be expected from illusions though. But, now what?


    I guess the only thing to do is to progress forwards. So, holding my staff at the ready, I walk forward through the forest of illusions.


    The experience of just passing through seemingly solid objects is quite strange, but so far this room has been a lot easier than the first one. Although that may seem like a good thing, it only proves to escalate my nerves. No ingame dungeons get easier as you get deeper. The only possible explanation would be that these illusions are hiding something dangerous.


    I pause mid step. If there really are dangers around, I ought to be more careful. I don''t want a repeat of last chamber¡¯s near disaster. More cautiously than before, I open my senses and use my staff to feel the ground in front of me. There''s really only two possibilities for what could be in here, monsters or traps.


    I freeze as an echoing crack rings out throughout the space, my staff colliding with something hard in front of me. Looking up at what I hit, it appears to be a tree, but it stands almost unnaturally straight and stretches up out of view. This doesn''t appear to be an illusion, at least not entirely. Hopefully that noise didn''t alert anything of my position.


    But just my luck, it did. A shift of movement on the otherwise still tree sends my instincts into a panic as something slams down onto my shoulder.


    All I see is a shimmer of movement as whatever the thing was suddenly retracts to where I saw movement on the tree. Something is there, and that something is definitely invisible.


    Spinning away from the tree, I run through the jungle back towards the entrance. If I can get the thing to move, I might be able to figure out where it is. Sure enough, I hear a skittering, slapping sound as the creature jumps from tree to tree.


    Looking around, it seems like there is a lot more of those weird trees then I had previously thought, and the creature sounds to be jumping between them as it chases me through the jungle. Being sure not to slam into one of those trees, I skid to a halt and try to pinpoint the creature''s location.


    There! Following my instincts I summon my spear¡¯s blade and hurl it towards a spot on the nearest tree. A shriek pierces my ears as a spatter of black blood sprays onto the tree, disappearing under the illusion. For a second the creature is visible.


    Like the engravings on the door, this creature appears to be some sort of large chameleon. It''s scaly skin is a dark purplish black and streaks of blue glowing energy pulses underneath its skin. Its name tag flickers into view for only a moment.


    Nox Chameleon - Lvl 2


    The chameleon quickly disappears as my spear clatters to the ground. Running for my weapon, I groan as another shimmering form slams into the side of my arm. It feels wet and very sticky, nearly pulling me off my course as it returns to its place of origin. In the very opposite direction of where the other chameleon was. Of course there''s two of them.


    Grabbing my spear and turning on my heel, I dash through the forest once more. If I can draw one of them out I might be able to take them down.


    Breaking out into the clearing where I came in, I spin and hurl my spear towards where I heard movement. I mean, it worked once¡­


    And it worked again, as this time it hits the same chameleon straight in the side. It''s invisibility drops as it falls to the ground, landing with a hard thump. Its form flickers as it attempts to disappear and escape up the tree, but I''m already diving towards it to pin it down.


    Kneeling on the creature, I grab my spear from where it lies at its side as it struggles and screeches. I slash at it with my spear and it lashes its tongue, slamming the side of my head with the slimy appendage.


    Rolling off the lizard creature, my vision spins as we both struggle to our feet. A tense moment passes as I shake my vision into clarity and the creature flickers and fails to turn invisible. Tightening the grip on my staff, I lunge forwards to finish the creature off.


    Two things happen. First, the tongue of the second chameleon (which I had completely forgotten about) slams into my back, sending me flying forwards towards the first chameleon. Second, propelled by the impact of the blow, my spear plunges straight through the wounded creature''s side. It falls limp against the pillar.


    Spitting out a mouth full of dirt, I push myself to my feet just in time to see a shimmer of movement out of the corner of my eye. Pulling my spear from the  first creatures corpse, I swipe its blade out to intercept the second creature''s tongue.


    With a wet slap, a chunk of the chameleon''s tongue flops to the ground as it flickers into view for the first time. This one looks similar, but still very different from the other. Like the first chameleon, glowing streaks of blue pulses through its scales, but instead of a purplish black, this one¡¯s scaly skin shimmers a golden white.


    Lux Chameleon - Lvl 2


    The creature quickly vanishes and moves to change position. Trying my best to follow the shimmer of movement and sounds, I stand still as I formulate my plan.


    This creature''s tongue is too fast to dodge, especially not being able to see it. But once it hits me, it takes a second for it to unstick and retract. Maybe I could just cut it completely off, like I tried to do last time. That eliminates the creature''s weapon, but doesn''t actually take care of the lizard. Glancing at my status bars, my stamina is pretty low, but my health isn''t doing too bad. Either way, I need to finish this soon.


    Suddenly, the creature hits me hard in the shoulder. Urg, I wasn''t paying attention. As it hits though, my plan clicks into place.


    Reaching around, I drop my spear and grab the slimy appendage. The thing¡¯s tongue flails and tries to pull out of my grasp but I dig in my nails and pull as hard as I can.


    It''s not a pleasant experience, grappling this thing, but giving it a hard yank, I hear a thud as the creature falls to the ground.


    Dropping the tongue and grabbing my spear, I run toward the flickering chameleon. The fall seems to have stunned it, and a few well placed slashes of my spear quickly finishes it off. It doesn''t seem like these things had that much health.


    Holding my breath and glancing around at my surroundings, it doesn''t seem like there are any more of these things. And so with a triumphant grin, I kneel down to claim my loot.

 Chapter 11: A Talk

    Happily examining the two piles of loot in front of me, I quickly take inventory of my spoils. The Nox Chameleon dropped thirteen small black scales, its tongue (while kinda gross, it''s sticky saliva might be useful), and half of a gem much like the one I found in the last room, but this one glows with a pulsing purplish black energy. Similarly, from the Lux Chameleon I got fifteen small white scales, its tongue, and another half of the gem, this time glowing a yellowish white.


    As soon as I pick up the two gems, the illusory forest around me flickers and fades out of view, revealing the plain room behind it. Shaped like a giant cube, flat stone walls lead up to the high ceiling, where an identical surface hangs over the room. In random spots throughout the chamber, tall stone pillars reach up to the ceiling, those must be the weird trees. Otherwise, the room is barren. Hauntingly empty for its size.


    Dumping the rest of the loot into my inventory, I set the two half gems aside and pull out my waterskin as I pick a spot to rest while my stamina and health recovers.


    Overall, that battle went much better than any other so far. I didn''t take very much damage (at least compared to my other combats), and I actually feel like I might be improving. My combat sense doesn''t tell me so much as to what to do, rather how to do it. What muscles to use, how to turn my body, etc, it''s like having an expert instructing your every move. Powerful for sure, but I still have to work to follow its teachings.


    But then, I''m definitely getting better. There have been a couple times where I did something before my instinct¡¯s prompt, or without really thinking about it. I¡¯m in no means perfect, but it''s kinda unnerving how fast I¡¯m learning.


    Perhaps it has something to do with the game, or the nature of TVR itself? In the lab, we were never able to achieve anything close to this level of VR, but always theorized that if we were able to replicate neurological signals to the point where we could change what a person¡¯s senses are perceiving (and thus put them in a virtual world), it could be possible to completely teach them new skills, ¡®downloading¡¯ them into their brains. Of course, this opens up many scary doors, brainwashing, and memory erasure or replacement among other things. If the Erta truly have malicious intentions, there would be no stopping the widespread calamity they could cause. And there would be no way to know until it''s too late.


    If they do have such abilities, and are actually using them to promote their player¡¯s growth, then that brings up a whole new possibility for the strange place that I¡¯ve been seeing. It is possible that they''ve been altering my memories to make me remember such events happening? But why? To communicate? Then why didn''t they just talk to me? What¡¯s with the weird outsider''s perspective? Maybe they only altered some parts of it? Why was that woman human then? Did they just change that? Or maybe they changed nothing at all?


    My gut twists and wrenches. One way or another, there is no way to know whether anything has been changed. Or even if they changed any memories outside of the game.


    With shaky hands I navigate my menus. I have to get out of here. The longer I stay the more likely they affect me. The power they hold over their players is terrifying, and I want no further part in it. Hastily, I push the logout button.


    ERROR: That function is not available at this time.


    Great.


    I''m probably in the most danger I''ve ever been in my life, and this is happening again.


    With a growl I swipe away the window and jump to my feet. Every second I am stuck in here increases the risk that my brain is messed with, that my memories are altered or my will taken away. That is, if they haven''t been tampered with already.


    Pacing back and forward, I rub my temples. I try to think back to every precious memory. Every family occasion, event with friends, and random knowledge that I''ve accumulated. It all seems in order, but I wouldn''t know otherwise.


    My entire body is shaking, a combination of anger and fear coursing through my veins. I feel powerless and I hate it. There''s nothing I can do about this and it''s infuriating. This game is forcing me to just go along with it, and I''m helpless against it.


    With no other way to release my frustration, I slam my foot into the nearest pillar.


    BANG


    The white flash of pain stains my vision¡­ and doesn''t fade.


    I''m standing in a pure white space. No ceiling, no walls, just an infinite white expanse. Much like the one during character creation. A calming warmth fills the space, and I feel strangely weak and sleepy.


    A window floats in front of me.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Dangerous mental state detected. Moving to Room#0361


    Lowering myself down to the nonexistent floor, I stare down at my hands. Something in my gut tells me this is exactly what I was angry about- the game affecting my brain and the way that I think, but there''s no way for me to actually get mad about it. The warmth of this room is comforting, and rests on my shoulders like a heavy blanket.


    I sit there staring at my hands for what feels like several minutes. No matter what I do, think about etc, this room doesn''t let me build up my anger.


    Unable to do anything else, I call out into the white space. ¡°Excuse me, is there an Admin around?¡± It''s a shot in the dark, but maybe speaking to somebody can clarify what''s going on.


    Soft footsteps approach me, stopping several feet away. Looking up from my hands, my eyes meet those of the tall, silver haired goddess, Evian. Her eyes are filled with worry, and she looks almost nervous, sheepishly approaching.


    ¡°Brian? Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing to me?¡± I want to scream at her, to lash out, but the heavy room presses down on my consciousness, restricting my anger, changing my words into a similar but less angry question. It feels forced and monotone.


    ¡°Calming you down. We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Then talk. What have you been doing to your players?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Guilt flashes across her face. ¡°Well, nothing harmful.¡± She looks down, breaking eye contact.


    ¡°Specify.¡±


    ¡°Changing emotions here and there; enhancing fear, increasing dopamine after a battle, a level up or other accomplishment. Things to increase a player''s enjoyment, or the game¡¯s realism. No mind control. No memory tampering.¡±


    ¡°How do I know you aren''t lying? Telling me this to calm me down while you puppet us in the shadows.¡±


    ¡°You don''t. But the fact that we aren''t erasing your anger emotions completely should help. We aren''t allowed to do those things Brian. We just want the players to be happy.¡± Her voice wavers. She''s not telling the entire truth.


    ¡°Then what of this other place I keep seeing? The strange pod in the white room. The doctor. The general. The talk of war? Is that all not your doing?¡± At that her eyes go wide. Her lips press together into a thin line and she takes a step backwards.


    ¡°H- how¡­?¡± She manages to stutter out, still backing away. ¡°I- I have to t- tell the director.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary Evian.¡± A cold, familiar voice echoes through the space, as a familiar face steps out of a dark, floating doorway. The regal russet skinned doctor stands taller than even Evian, her long lab coat brushes the ground as she folds her hands in front of her. ¡°Let''s just keep this between us, yes?¡±


    ¡°Doctor Alting!¡±


    The woman ignores Evian as she steps towards me. ¡°Brian! It''s a pleasure to meet you, I''ve heard you caused quite the ruckus.¡±


    I scramble to my feet. ¡°Are you the one responsible for this?¡±


    ¡°For this?¡± She gestures around with her hands, ¡°No, you''ll have to thank the programming team for that. I''m simply responsible for the¡­¡± She trails off, glancing to the side as she searches for a word. ¡°Shall I say, visions? Yes, those are my doing.¡±


    A flood of questions, confusion, anger and frustration pours through my head, but I only manage to squeak out a single word. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, you heard right? We¡¯re fighting a war!¡± She waves her hands with an excited flourish. Scanning my face for any reaction, she sighs. ¡°Evian dearest, won''t you please turn off the emotional restrictions? It makes things oh so boring.¡± The sleepy, calming aura suddenly recedes, and strangely, takes a chunk of my anger with it. ¡°Oh, and I apologise for the anger, I suppose I''m also responsible for that, most of it at least. I wanted an excuse to meet you, you see.¡±


    I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths, trying to quell the last scraps of my anger. I''m not typically one to get angry, it clouds my decision making process and is quite frankly not very healthy. At this point I''m tired, I just want answers, then to log out. Shouting at her won''t do me any good.


    Seeing that I''m starting to calm down, the doctor continues. ¡°You don''t need to worry about the impact of the war on your kind, I''m sure they''ll barely even notice. As for you, you can consider it¡­ bonus content.¡± With a burst of movement, she sweeps around to my side and drapes an arm over my shoulders, leaning in close she whispers in my ear. ¡°You¡¯ll be seeing things no one else ever has before.¡± With a mischievous grin she releases me, and spins back to where she was before. ¡°Of course, you''ll have to wait for tomorrow to find out the details.¡±


    Sighing, I rub my face and run my hand through my hair- er, quills. I''m still in the body of my avatar. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°As the first player to choose such a horrible race, as well as one of only a few hundred who chose to keep playing as it, I find you quite fascinating.¡± She idly fiddles with her sleeve. ¡°Not to mention you''ve adapted to the combat instincts and to TVR in general much better than most players, something to do with your prior occupation perhaps?¡±


    My shoulders stiffen, even more than they had before. ¡°You know about my personal life?¡±


    ¡°Background checks are a must with stakes as high as ours. We needed to make sure you were suitable for the position. Unfortunately, I can''t tell you anything more than that, not yet at least.¡±


    Still tense, I take step a back as I ask my next question. ¡°Then what of the mind control, the memory tampering. Have you really done nothing harmful?¡±


    She lets out a stark laugh. ¡°Who do you take us for? The Fiends? No, we won''t do something so horrible to our allies.¡± With a wave, a bunch of official looking papers appear in her hands. ¡°If you really don''t trust me, take a look at these. You''re not the first to be worried about this.¡±


    Glancing through the papers, they seem to be specifying what is and isn''t allowed when relating to mental effects in the TVR pod. At the end of the document, over twenty signatures cover the page. Over half of which I recognize as station leaders.


    ¡°Your government made sure nothing of harm could come to your minds. The most extreme power we have is to lightly influence your emotions, which I''m sure you''re well familiar with.¡± A loud beep echoes as a window pops up in front of the doctor. Seeing the screen, a cold mask slides over her face. ¡°Ah, excuse me. I must take this.¡±


    With a couple taps of her windows, the doctor begins speaking out loud, at least that¡¯s what she appears to be doing. No actual sound escapes her lips. From the looks of it though, her icy demeanour and furrowed brows are still firmly in place.


    Glancing around, Evian seems to have disappeared while we were distracted, so I take a moment to organize my thoughts. These guys don''t seem to have any malicious intentions, but they''ve left a lot of things unanswered. What''s happening tomorrow? How does us having ¡®bonus content¡¯ affect their war? Who are they even fighting their war against?


    ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± The doctor sighs and scowls as she hangs up the call and drops her mask. ¡°I hate that guy. Always acting like he owns the place¡­¡± She trails off into irritated muttering, waving her hands around in some sort of imitation as she releases her frustrations. Snapping out of it, she claps her hands together. ¡°Anyways back to the fun stuff! I have time for one more question!¡±


    Only one!? Rushed, I stutter out the first one that comes to mind. ¡°A- are you really the Erta? You look human.¡±


    The doctor throws her head back and laughs. ¡°Are we the Erta? Heh, no. Not quite. As I''ve said before, everything will be explained tomorrow.¡± With that she waves her hands, creating a dark doorway out of the white space. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I must get back to the surgery. You''ve caught me at quite the awkward time.¡± She waves as she steps out through a dark doorway. ¡°Toodles! See you tomorrow!¡±