《The Nexus - A LitRPG Story》


 Chapter 1 : Breaking and Entering

    In an old casino town every downtown building has a back alley. It gives you a good place to throw out the trash and break Johnny¡¯s fingers when he doesn¡¯t pay has gambling debt. The old casino building that the Nexus had set up in was no different. While the front entrance of the building had been a testament to the company¡¯s wealth and image, the back was anything but. The company seemed to have abandoned the reconstruction project before it ever started, the building sported the old casino¡¯s neon sign from the 60¡¯s and the smell of the grease trap still permeated the ally. On top of the grim and filth Jason could see specks of old throw-up splattered on what he was sure had once been a relatively nice brick paved road. Alan seemed to be stepping increasingly closer to it as he paced back and forth down the dark alley.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re driving up, you¡¯re supposed to already be here, you¡¯re supposed to have been here for hours.¡± Alan shouted into the phone. His friend was always like this. The man skipped strait passed worry and landed in fury.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that Tommy, I don¡¯t have time for another one of your games.¡± Alan actually stepped through the old vomit and Jason took a tiny involuntary step back expecting another plethora of explosive words, yet his friend kept going. ¡°No, no, no no no, you don¡¯t get to tell me to calm down. You know what Tommy, I¡¯ll calm down, I¡¯ll calm down once I dunk your head down this grease trap? How does that sound? I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll -.¡± With a confused expression his friend took the phone from his ear and looked at the screen. ¡°Huh, he hung-up on me.¡±


    ¡°You know, People tend to do that when you threaten to dunk their head down a grease tank?¡± Jason didn¡¯t mean to say it in such a flat tone, it just sorta came out that way.


    ¡°What, now you¡¯re telling me to calm down.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I know an effort in futility when I see one.¡± Jason replied


    Alan looked conflicted his brown eyes shifting from his phones screen back to Jason before he started speaking again


    ¡°there¡¯s been a slight change in plans.¡±


    ¡°I figured out that much¡±


    ¡°It turns out Tommy isn¡¯t here yet.¡± Alan said. The look on Jason¡¯s face must have been enough to make the man realize how bad that actually sounded and he barreled on through the rest ¡°He still has a way of getting us in, it¡¯s just going to take a little longer¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the most important days for the Nexus and one of their employees happens to be running hours late?¡±


    ¡°Look Jason he said everything was fine.¡± Alan tried to reassure him. Yet, Jason could feel the pounding in his chest start to increase.


    ¡°How much has the plan changed?¡±


    ¡°He hung up on me before I could get that far.¡± Alan admitted


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this. I mean, we haven¡¯t even started the illegal part and the plans already going haywire¡±


    ¡°For the last time Jason, there is nothing illegal about what we¡¯re doing here.¡±


    ¡°Breaking and entering, theft of a system. This all sounds pretty illegal to me.¡± Jason replied, there was that flat tone in his voice again, he really had to get it checked. It always gave off a troubling symptom of making him seem like a self-absorbed jerk all the time.


    ¡°For the last time, it¡¯s not illegal if a company employee is letting you in.¡± Alan argued


    ¡°That¡¯s like saying it¡¯s not illegal to rob a bank if the teller hands you the money¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make sense¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant¡± Jason said


    Look, can you please just give it a minute, nothing ever goes exactly as you plan it. Think of the money. When are we ever going to get the chance to make 10 Million Dollars. Actually, think about the steady income, when are we going to get another chance at a job that pays 7 dollars an hour.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t get anything if we go to jail¡± Jason muttered to himself. The uneasiness he felt mounted a little higher and it felt as though the feeling gathered in his chest, each second making it a little harder to breathe. When it became too much for him to bear he grabbed his phone and checked the time. 2:30, If he left now he could walk back home without taking the bus. They were charging way too much for a ticket these days and every dollar counted when everyone in your family was unemployed in a market with no jobs.


    Besides, he was never comfortable with a machine hooking into his brain to begin with. He should have never let Alan talk him into this. His brain wasn¡¯t some hard drive that any random company could use and alter. It only made it worse that the person that was supposed to hook them up just so happened to also be a flake. Right?


    Yet, each time when it felt like he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and he was about to tell his best friend that he was leaving, he would check the phone again and wait one more minute, somehow another thirty had passed. Jason had finally had enough.


    ¡°Look Alan I appreciate ¡­¡± Jason said, his words cut off from a new voice entering the alley, the man grabbed both his and Alan¡¯s attention.


    ¡°This place smells terrible!¡± He was holding his blue shirt over his face in a futile attempt to block the smell. The man was skinny, lanky even, with brown hair that should have been cut a week ago. Jason could see that bits of it had started the process of covering the tips of the man¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys wait outside of the alley? I can assure you it smelled much nicer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe because someone forgot to mention they quit and we had to wait for them to drive here. What¡¯s going on Tommy¡± Alan grumbled.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Quit, what did he mean the man quit. He never mentioned the man quit before.


    ¡°Calm down Alan¡± Tommy said in what Jason assumed was the man¡¯s most reassuring voice ¡°everything is going to be just fine. You worry too much. The plans still in motion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that, you need to start talking.¡± Yet Tommy ignored Alan¡¯s comment completely as the man shifted his focus on Jason


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you I¡¯m Tommy, it looks like we will be seeing a lot of each other in the next week.


    ¡°Ya, it¡¯s nice to meet you too I¡¯m Jason. I¡¯m sorry but, I¡¯m more than a little confused about what we¡¯re doing here because I was told you were opening the door, from the inside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable¡± Tommy said, the man seemed to be measuring Jason, he didn¡¯t want to know what he decided. ¡°It turned out an extra capsule had an unexpecting opening, which has opened up a wonderful opportunity for me to join you.¡±


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t part of the deal Tommy.¡± Alan said before Jason could respond. Alan wasn¡¯t taking the news very well, and to be fair neither was he.


    ¡°We never really had a formal deal Alan. Beside you both still get to join in, nothing changed there. Now, I get to join in with you, it¡¯s a win-win for everyone.¡± Tommy said, the fake cheer in his voice emphasizing his sarcastic tone. Jason hated that term, there was no such thing as a win-win. Only rich people used that phrase when they did you over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think for one second we¡¯re going to tie ourselves to someone as unreliable as you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have a choice at the moment¡±


    ¡°The Nexus is all about free choice.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks to you my brother has been in the Nexus for the last 8 months. He¡¯s told me all about the fun little tests the Nexus puts you through before you get to join the game.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, he would have been kicked out if he told you anything.¡±


    ¡°I never said that he wasn¡¯t¡± the matter of fact tone seemed to shock Alan, but he didn¡¯t really understand the big deal.


    ¡°You kicked your own brother out of the Nexus, so you could get a spot¡±


    ¡°He kicked himself out, I¡¯m just making the best of a bad situation.¡± Tommy sighed ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind I would rather like to be done with you insulting me so we can get back to the plan.¡± Tommy walk past them toward the Trash-bin that hugged the wall behind Alan.


    With a grunt he attempted to pry it away from the wall, for a moment nothing happened, as if the bin was fused the ground under it. Yet, in another few seconds he could hear the screech as the can slowly moved inch by inch, revealing an old timey master lockbox set onto the back of the can. The thing was ancient with manual dials and its own little pull levers, it didn¡¯t look to have an ounce of software attached to it. He had seen tons of them in old movies, but never in real life before. The thing must be worth a fortune.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they made things like that anymore.¡± Alan said examining the lockbox over Tommy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°They don¡¯t, it came with the building, I and our contact are the only ones that know about it.¡± The smug tone in Tommy¡¯s voice should have been reassuring, yet it only put Jason off-balance¡±


    ¡°So, you convince Jeremey to let us in.¡±


    ¡°No, Jeremey was fired shortly after you left.¡±


    ¡°Jeremey was a great guy and great at his job. There is no way he got himself fired.¡±


    ¡°Ya he was, strait as an arrow, and that was kind of a problem when you¡¯re doing something against company policy. ¡°


    ¡°You got him fired.¡±


    ¡°He got us both fired¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a jerk¡±


    ¡°I made an executive decision in order to keep the integrity of our plan. Now can you leave me alone, so I can get this lockbox open?¡±


    ¡°Then who¡¯s letting us in¡±


    ¡°The new gal that replaced you is the one hooking us up.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re only telling me this now.¡±


    ¡°Stop acting like you wouldn¡¯t have done it yourself.¡± Tommy said Slamming the lockbox back onto the can.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem¡±


    ¡°I think my contact sent the wrong code over, I need to make a call.¡± Tommy said walking away from the group


    And that was it for him, the final straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. The weight that was too heavy to lift. Breaking the law was bad, but this, this was insanity.


    ¡°Look Alan I¡¯m done¡± Jason said ¡°this clearly wasn¡¯t thought out well and I don¡¯t really feel like going to jail over something as stupid as a videogame¡±


    ¡°Come on Jason just one more minute.¡±


    ¡°Nope, sorry I hope it all works out well for you, I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll call you later.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a videogame Jason, this is 10 million dollars and you need this just as much as I do. Once he and I get in without a fuss you¡¯re going to look back on this and regret not going in, because I can¡¯t help you again after today.¡± Alan said, Jason could see Tommy walking back from behind him a dark blue shirt in hand.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t Answer¡±


    ¡°without a fuss¡± Jason said raising his eye brows looking at Alan. The gesture seemed to irritate Tommy.


    ¡°One of us is going to need to go through the front door, and since he and I worked here before it¡¯s going to be you.¡± Tommy said pointing at Jason


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to do anything, and I certainly don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    ¡°Alan and I will do the rest, but you need to help yourself here. It¡¯s time to put on your big boy pants and pull your own weight around here.¡±


    "No, I¡¯m leaving you two have a great time with the whole failed plan.¡± Jason said pushing past Tommy.


    ¡°Did you tell your dad yet?¡± Alan said


    ¡°Did I tell my dad what?¡±


    ¡°That you got fired yet?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get fired I got laid off¡± Jason said whipping around to face Alan, his hands balled into fists.


    ¡°Do you think that really makes a difference? There aren¡¯t any jobs and you don¡¯t have a degree. Even if you did you would just be replaced like your last job.¡±


    ¡°Well at least I won¡¯t be in jail.¡±


    ¡°Jason, come on man, right now I¡¯m the only change you¡¯ve got.¡± Alan said grabbing the shirt from Tommy. ¡°Look just put the shirt on, if there¡¯s any sign of trouble you can just turn back, and we¡¯ll call it a day¡±


    ¡°and that¡¯s it. we all just walk away no questions asked.¡± Jason replied


    ¡°and that¡¯s it¡± Alan said nodding his head.


    ¡°that sounds bogus to me.¡± Tommy added


    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s not holding up to their end of the bargain, not him. If he thinks we can¡¯t get in, then we can¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look, anything to get out of this alley I guess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirt, now let¡¯s get going, this places smells like month old puke.¡±


    ¡°Then you should probably watch where you¡¯re standing.


    ¡°What oh, oh no.¡± Alan said holding his hand over his mouth


    Jason let out a nervous chuckle as he had his way out of the alley.


    ¡°Before I forget, her name¡¯s Stacy, she¡¯s the only one with red hair. Can¡¯t miss her.¡± Tommy yelled


    Jason didn¡¯t reply.

 Chapter 2 - Improvise

    Chapter Start


    The shirt was oddly comfortable, it moved like silk with each step, but had the nice texture of comfy cotton. It didn¡¯t make sense to him, but hey he would take it. At least if this all went sideways he could pop the sewed-on badge of the large red X and put in something like ¡°I went to jail and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.


    The outside still boggled his mind. The building was massive and one large fluid screen lined the front completely. The view seemed like a portal that provided a hidden peek into the world of the Nexus. Previously the view had been of a king in a throne room. That was now gone, and in its place was a video of a man riding a griffin over an on-going castle battle. He could see men on the top of the walls throwing little orange balls, of what Jason could only imagine was fire. At that moment his traitorous mind actually wished he was there, he would be there soon enough whether he liked it or not.


    The line outside of the Nexus had been long before he had arrived, and it hadn¡¯t seemed to have gotten any shorter in the time he, Alan, and Tommy had been arguing in the alley.


    The plastic railing created a zig-zag effect making it almost impossible for anyone in the middle to be able to ever get-out. He hated lines like this, it made him feel claustrophobic, like he was trapped in a cage and no one had the key. He could tell his shoulders were sagging again, they always did that when he didn¡¯t feel exceptionally confident about his ability to succeed. It wasn¡¯t time to doubt, he would square his shoulders, slap a smile on his face and act like just another gear in the chaotic machine before him. As casually has his shaky legs allowed him Jason walked up passed the smelly hoard of hopefuls, up to the front.


    From what Alan had told him the Nexus would test each person and twelve of what seemed like two hundred people before him would get to join the game. There were over a million-people jacked-in to the Nexus, and 12 was all a city like Reno would get.


    The two men standing in the front of the line were short and skinny, thin enough to be able to stand side by side in a line meant to be single file. They seemed to be brothers, the younger one was a couple of inches shorter than the older, but both sported the same disheveled look and black messy hair. The bags under their eyes told him that these two had been camping out for the last few days. The look of impatience on the older brother¡¯s face made it seem like he had been waiting for the last week. From what Alan had told them it didn¡¯t really matter how long they waited, all that mattered was how well they did on the test.


    With a deep breath and a clearing of his throat he got the attention of the two men. ¡°if you two don¡¯t mind I kind of need to get in.¡± The younger took a small step back bumping into the person behind him, which caused a small, yet useful opening for Jason to slide under the rail.


    ¡°Why should I let you pass.¡° The taller one said


    ¡°Read the shirt, I work here.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t, I¡¯ve been sitting out here for the last four days, four days I tell you, and not once have I seen your ugly mug go through that door. Now, a half hour before those doors open all of a sudden you pop up, I¡¯m not buying it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to buy anything, all I need is for you to let me pass.¡±


    ¡°I already told you I¡¯m not going to.¡± The man said, Jason didn¡¯t know what to do next and silence took its usual space in the awkward moment.


    ¡°Come on Mac, he¡¯s got their company shirt on. He must work here.¡± The younger brother had filled the void of silence giving Jason a moment to collect himself. Why did he always jump into things without thinking? All he had to come up with was one line, one line to unbalance them and he would have been home free, but no he had to just rush in. He was a moron.


    ¡°Look I understand you want to get in, everyone wants to get in, heck I want to get in myself, but no one and I mean no one is going to be able to join unless you move away from that door and let me do my job.¡±


    ¡°Just let him pass Mac, I don¡¯t want to get kicked-out of line after waiting here for days. Even if he¡¯s cutting in line, I¡¯m sure there will be more spots then just one¡±


    ¡°Ya, but you don¡¯t know that, no one knows that.¡± Mac said leaning against the screen.


    ¡°Twelve.¡±


    ¡°What¡±


    ¡°There are twelve spots not counting the two that are out of order right now. You both will have a spot, but if you don¡¯t let me through I will personally make sure that your spot will go to someone else.¡± Jason said crossing his arms in a manner that he hoped seemed like annoyance.


    ¡°Ignore my brother please, he¡¯s just a little stir-crazy right now, 6 people have tried to cut us in line in the last two hours. ¡°


    ¡°it¡¯s not a problem as long as he moves to the side and lets me do my job.¡±


    The fluid screen opened, distorting the battle raging on the wall. The now open-door smacked into the back of Mac¡¯s head.


    ¡°If I have to tell you two not to lean on the screen one more time I¡¯m sending you to the back of the line.¡± A woman¡¯s voice said


    Mac was rubbing his head vigorously and hunched down. Yet, both Jason and the woman standing in the doorway had already dismissed the man from their memory. The woman matched the description of the person he had to meet, red hair and all, but the confused look on her face made him second guess his assumption.


    ¡°and who are you¡±


    ¡°See Grant I told you that he was trying to cut in line.¡± Mac chimed in


    ¡°be quite before I send you to the back of the line¡± Jason said


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that¡± Mac protested


    ¡°do you really want to test it. Anyway, you must be Stacy, my name is Jason from the Tahoe Nexus, I¡¯m here to replace Tommy and help with integration for today since your shorthanded.¡± Realization hit her face, and it was in the shape of a scowl.


    ¡°Thank you for your offer, but I really think we will do just fine with Tommy¡¯s replacement helping¡±


    ¡°Really, I must insist, you¡¯re not trying to get me fired are you. I can¡¯t really afford to lose this job. I¡¯ll tell you what just let me in, and I¡¯ll see what we¡¯re working with. If were ok I¡¯ll leave, but I¡¯ve got to give my boss something.


    He didn¡¯t wait for her to reply and he didn¡¯t listen to her protests as he slid past her in the door. Jason swung the door shut behind him.


    The inside looked just like the outside. Along the walls were the giant fluid screens, each encompassing the whole wall, even the floor and ceiling had the screening giving the effect that you were physically standing on a plank floor, on top of a tower that over-looked a barren plain. The battle he had seen before raged on below.


    Jason turned to face the red headed woman. It seemed like at any moment she would throw him out of the building on her own.


    ¡°You and Tommy had a deal and Tommy had a deal with myself and my friend.¡±


    ¡°What deal, there never was a deal. I¡¯m not getting fired because three creeps want to skip the tests.¡±


    ¡°Look, you can talk this out with Tommy, this thing is between you two, not me.¡±


    ¡°There is no thing!¡±


    ¡°Can you please just point me to the back, I don¡¯t think we have much time before those guys start banging down your door.¡± Jason sighed ¡°Look Stacy, I¡¯m sure you have a very valid reason to act the way you do and I can assure you that I want to be in this situation just as much as you do, so if you can kindly point me to the back door we can get this whole thing resolved.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to resolve, you¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great plan, can you point me to the back door.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going out the back door. You¡¯re going out just the way you came.¡±


    ¡°I see that I need to find it myself. Are the employees at Nexus always so helpful?¡±


    ¡°When someone is trying to break our company policy this is exactly how they should be acting. Hey! Stop! I¡¯ll call security!¡±


    ¡°This place doesn¡¯t have security¡± Jason said, he didn¡¯t actually know if this place had security. He also didn¡¯t know where in the world the door was, but he had his best guess and went to the screen with a picture of a door and hoped he wasn¡¯t about to make himself look like an idiot. He suspected he was about too. Technology never knew when to stop. Why couldn¡¯t they keep anything sacred, for example doors.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    He tried pushing and swiping on the screen, but nothing happened, he then tried saying open, please open, open sesame and even tried knocking for good measure, but still nothing. He was about to give up and ask the uptight Nexus employee, but she seemed to have left the room, presumably to get the security she so kindly threatened him with. The tower no longer felt freeing, but like a really big cage. In a last-ditch effort, he tried grabbing the fake door latch and to his surprise the door actually opened up, to his disappointment it led to a broom closet.


    He was done for, his fleeting confidence had all but drained during his experimentation and he was very sure at any moment some burly six-foot five man named Bruce would come out and show the line outside how many human bowling pins he could knock down when he physically sent Jason flying through the front door.


    He was already sitting down on the ground awaiting his punishment when he noticed an odd pattern on the floor that was under him. While most of the floor was the average old worked wood, the piece he was sitting on was brand new, a small picture had been carved into the wood of a broom and dust pan, which was in his mind the nationally accepted symbol for a broom closet.


    None of the other boards however, matched the new pristine board under him. The only two that were somewhat different was one that looked like a diving board off the tower, which Jason was pretty sure was not the right area, the other oddity wasn¡¯t a board, but rather a lack of one, as if the plank was ripped right off the tower. He had been trying that one for the last five minutes with no success. The place didn¡¯t come with an instruction manual and no matter how many times he swiped, poked, and prodded nothing happened.


    He gave the other door the same treatment. The last door was themed, so it was only logical that this door would be themed as well, right? That logic seemed sound. After thinking about his options for a couple of seconds, he sprinted and leaped off the fake diving board smacking strait into the wall. Jason was holding his head when he finally noticed Alan, Stacy, and Tommy standing in the room with disgusted, amused and surprised looks on their faces.


    ¡°So, your friend¡¯s an idiot?¡± Stacy said


    ¡°Exactly, he¡¯s a complete idiot, an utter moron.¡± Alan added


    ¡°I¡¯m not a moron.¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯re not Jason, logical people jump at solid walls all the time. It¡¯s the only rational thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Alan, I don¡¯t want to hear another word out of your mouth.¡±


    ¡°See that¡¯s why I never tried being your friend Alan, your temper is contagious¡± Tommy added


    ¡°Just open the door Tommy.¡± Alan snapped back


    ¡°Alright, alright, Open middle door¡± Like magic the door slid open revealing another screen walled hallway. It was so simple. For a moment Jason actually wondered if he was an idiot. Tommy and Stacy both entered the hallway and were halfway down before Alan had the decency to lend him a hand up.


    ¡°Why do you tech people always make things so needlessly complicated.¡±


    ¡°I thought you knew?¡± A look of mock confusion crossed Alan¡¯s face ¡°To mess with people like you.¡±


    ¡°You should all be sent back to the middle ages, deprived of your tools and tech devices.¡± Jason replied in a half-hearted nature


    ¡°We would be considered wizards before the week was out.¡±


    ¡°Nope, actually bad idea, that would just go to your already oversized head.¡±


    ¡°well give me thirty minutes and we¡¯ll be in the closest thing to it¡±


    ¡°You suck, you know that right¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but I do know how to pick a good partner. Decent job getting us in.¡±


    ¡°How did you convince her to let you in.¡±


    ¡°That was her and Tommy¡¯s deal, not mine¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I told her, she didn¡¯t seem to believe me¡±


    ¡°well Jason you aren¡¯t really the most convincing person¡±


    ¡°Shut up Alan¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say my friend, whatever you say.¡±


    The hallway, like every other part of the building showed the same battle, this time from the prospective from the ground. The carnage was dizzying. It was as if a small line was made between the armies pressing against each other.


    ¡°Where did you guys get this video from, it¡¯s amazing.¡± Jason couldn¡¯t help it, and he circled as he watched the show in front of him. He was geeking out and he knew it.


    ¡°The video is from inside the machine, from about a month ago. About two months from now every TV across the world will be filled with videos of the Nexus.¡± Stacy said over her shoulder


    ¡°That¡¯s neat, so we get to choose if we want to stream.¡± Jason said


    ¡°No, no by being in the Nexus you have already agreed to let them use your stream.¡± Stacy replied


    ¡°They get to sell part of my memory for monetary gain.¡±


    ¡°only the parts that have to deal with the Nexus¡±


    ¡°Hey Alan, did you hear anything about this when you worked here¡±


    ¡°News to me¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think this isn¡¯t such a good idea¡±


    ¡°You think everything¡¯s a bad idea, you should lighten up.¡± Alan said


    ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like the idea of selling my mind¡±


    ¡°Why, you¡¯re not using it anyway¡± Alan said


    ¡°You¡¯re a jerk¡± Jason muttered


    ¡°So you¡¯ve told me time and time again, you really should start thinking of a new catch phrase.¡±


    The hallway ended in an old wood door, the dust made it look like it hadn¡¯t been opened in centuries. The rusted giant door knocker held the image of the Nexus¡¯s giant X logo. It was very showy, and Jason couldn¡¯t deny his heart started to race at the sight of it. Any gamer knew on the other side of a dusty old door held the best loot, or the worst monsters, Jason still hadn¡¯t decided which this was.


    ¡°and this is where the magic happens. It¡¯s time to prepare yourselves for an experience of a lifetime¡± Stacy¡¯s voice had taken a theatrical tone as if she was about to reveal the best kept secret in the world. In truth, it kind of was and Jason could appreciate the effort she took.


    ¡°stop being dramatic we¡¯ve all been here before.¡± Alan¡¯s flat tone completely ruined the mood. The man was very good at making the extraordinary feel common place.


    ¡°Well ya, but he hasn¡¯t been here before.¡± Stacy retorted


    ¡°Save it for the people outside Stacy¡± Tommy threw in his own two cents. Jason couldn¡¯t tell why these two didn¡¯t get along. Personally, he thought they seemed almost identical. Then again that may be a problem with two conniving hot heads.


    ¡°You know, he¡¯s right, your both jerks¡± Her frustrated smile was cute in the dim lighting


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone agrees with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not much better¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡±


    Without any other fanfare Stacy voice-commanded the door to open with the phrase ¡°into the abyss¡± Jason thought that that may have been a little cheesy, but he let it slide under the circumstances. The door revealed a room filled with evergreens aglow by dim moonlight. Lining the room were 15 pods, the pods were made of a jet-black metal with the glass tops tinted to close out any light from entering the unit during usage.


    According to Alan the rest of the 12 pods had been in use for over a year. Apparently, you had to pass some sort of test in order to continue in the system for another year. He wondered how many people actually passed. Other than the pods the room was completely devoid of life and the four of them walked through the sea of black cocoons until they finally reached the back, where two pods were open.


    ¡°Let me just get one more open. I didn¡¯t really expect three of you here. Actually, expect isn¡¯t the right word, want, want is the word I¡¯m looking for. I didn¡¯t want any of you here, but that isn¡¯t really an option now is it.¡± Stacy said moving to a back table that held a tablet


    ¡°OK so you two should remember the drill, if either of you ever paid any attention when you worked here, but we have a few waiver forms for you to sign essentially they release the company of any and all liability if the needle they stab into your brain does something horrible. Normally, I would say you all would need to read the document thoroughly before you sign, but we don¡¯t have time for that. So just scribble the tablet.¡± Stacy said handing the tablet to Tommy who scribbled something unintelligible and handed it back to Stacy. The process continued until the tablet finally landed into Jason¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel comfortable signing this unless I read it¡±


    ¡°Tough, I don¡¯t have time for you to start reading a 60-page document, I have to open the doors for the other customers in¡± Stacy looked at her watch¡± 15 minutes, and it¡¯ll take us ten minutes just to hook you three up¡±


    ¡°Just sign Jason, I¡¯ve read the thing over fifty times now, there¡¯s nothing in it that¡¯s too alarming¡± Alan said


    ¡°You saying that doesn¡¯t make me anymore reassured. Never trust a man who puts mayo on his pizza¡±


    ¡°That was one time and it was because you told me it was ranch.¡± Alan shot back


    ¡°Semantics.¡± Jason scribbled the document with something that look nothing like his name and handed the tablet back to Stacy. Hopefully that would provide him with some kind of protection if this whole process went horribly wrong, which was how everything seemed to be going today.


    ¡°alright shirts, jewelry and electric items are to be taken off and placed at the box before you enter the machine, Alan we are starting with you, then Jason.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know It was that kind of party¡± Jason said


    ¡°Shut up that¡¯s the only way to hook you up to the machine. Alan far left machine¡±


    ¡°Alright, Alright, I¡¯ll be right there. Don¡¯t chicken out on me Jason, we¡¯re a team.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll be there right behind you I promise, I came this far didn¡¯t I.¡±


    ¡°Ya you did, thanks man¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s what friends are for¡± Jason said uncomfortably, he was never good with the mushy, feel good stuff. No that sounded wrong. He wasn¡¯t good at showing his appreciation to his friends and family.


    The process of hooking Alan in took around 3 minutes. It took a lot less time than he expected considering it was ,you know, literally neural surgery. Jason didn¡¯t hear any screams which was reassuring, just a little.


    ¡°Alright Jason, Your next.¡±


    ¡°No Stacy, let the new guy take a moment to get his bearings, look at him his hands are shaking the poor thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a jerk Tommy¡± Stacy said


    ¡°That may be so, but at least I¡¯m a jerk in the Nexus¡± Tommy stated settling into the pod


    ¡°We should really let Jason go next¡± Stacy said


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you can hook him up first¡± Truthfully, he was thankful for the delay. Three minutes had passed again with no screaming.


    ¡°Alright into the pod.¡± Stacy said, Jason moved closer to the opening. He couldn¡¯t see the needle, but he knew it was there and at that moment he wanted nothing more then to walk out that door and never turn back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to enter if you don¡¯t want to Jason.¡± Stacy said in a reassuring voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel comfortable I¡¯ll take you outback and you can be on your way.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine I¡¯ll get in, but if I start screaming shut the machine off ok.¡± He wanted to take the offer he really wanted to, but his family needed the money and family came first.


    ¡°will do Jason, will do¡± After placing his cloths and phone in the tiny drawer under the pod, he settled himself inside. The cold leather sent a chill up his back.


    ¡°Jason you¡¯re going to be fine, I¡¯ll be here while you go in ok.¡±


    ¡°Thanks again Stacy¡±


    The pod closed at the same time the anesthesia needle entered his vain. The world was consumed by black.

 Chapter 3 - The Itch

    There wasn¡¯t a character creation screen, there wasn¡¯t a class option, there wasn¡¯t even a welcome sign. In one moment he was in Reno having brain surgery performed, and the next he was well, who knows where.


    He was on his back staring up at a sky that was picturesque blue, the kind photographers would have to enhance for hours to get just right. One lone cloud lounged in the blue, it¡¯s white fluffy form unchanging in the days light wind.


    The only thing that seemed to be out of place in the peaceful setting was his clothes, and the fact he didn¡¯t have any outside of his underwear. The grass under him had started to produce an annoying itching sensation across his arms and legs.


    He tried sitting up, but his legs felt dead, no numbing sensation, just dead. he wasn¡¯t able to move anything but his upper body. Inside he started to panic. His mind jumping to conclusions with the little information he had. It didn¡¯t seem all that unlikely that the pod had poked into the wrong part of his brain. No brain surgery operation should take three minutes. The dead weight of his legs made the task of sitting up take longer then he would like to admit, when he finally did nothing was around. It was just him, a small hill and miles of flat grasslands with no one as far as the eye could see. The nausea started to settle in.


    No, He couldn¡¯t focus on that yet, it was probably part of the game, a loading screen. Stacy had to go through all of the testing before she could let him in with everyone else. There was absolutely nothing to worry about, right? No, everything was fine. He still had the same arms and legs and his hair still felt shaggy as it ever was. He even had the two scars on his index finger from his botched cooking attempts. They hadn¡¯t turned him into a hideous ogre when he was knocked-out, well at least no more than he already was.


    The silence stretched on, his only company the slight wind that blew every so often, rustling the tall grass around him. Seconds turned to minutes and the minutes turned to what felt like hours. As each moment passed his boredom inched ahead of his concern.


    Maybe he was already in the trial, and this was all part of the test. he could just start crawling, see where it led. Anything was better than the itching and waiting. Yet, as he tried to move his arms to crawl his body wouldn¡¯t respond, as if everything went dead. His boredom turned into blinding fear and he raged inside to gain control.


    ¡°I would stop struggling if I were you, Mister Morris. It¡¯s not going to help you in anyway.¡± The voice sounded nasally to Jason. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to give you control of your upper body. Don¡¯t do anything stupid. There¡± He felt his upper body again and he shot up to look at the man before him. The man was dressed in puffy embroidered purple and yellow clothing. The kind overly dramatic people would wear at renaissance fairs. The cap on his head had a large grey feather that protruded towards the sky. Yet, Jason found he could only focus on the man¡¯s face and his dismissive look, as if Jason was useless, lower then the dirt he sat on.


    ¡°Good, now that we have that¨C ¡°


    ¡°Where am I¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re the type that asks obvious questions that have obvious answers.¡± The man sighed ¡°Why do I always get stuck with the stupidest players. You didn¡¯t even have the decency to ask me my name before getting into the questions, which is Jerry by the way, not that you care. To answer your last obvious question, you¡¯re in a game and I¡¯m your administrator. it¡¯s very rare to meet an admin. In fact, you should count yourself lucky, or rather unlucky depending on your prospective. Actually No, in your case definitely unlucky.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Jerry¡¯s movements were erratic as he spoke, his arms and hands making gestures with each exclamation, as if he was a presenter at a circus. Jason wondered if it was part of his act, or if the man was truly eccentric, by which he meant crazy. Very, very crazy.


    ¡°so, this is like a tutorial.¡±


    ¡°No this is not ¡°like¡± a tutorial. This is the part of the game where individuals who are so stupid that they don¡¯t think we can find people entering into our game illegally get punished.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡±


    ¡°Yes oh, how stupid can you be? Did you really think we wouldn¡¯t notice not one, but two of our old employees entering the system? Needless to say, Tommy, Alan and I have already had this conversation.¡±


    ¡°So what, you guys are just going to keep me here until security throws me out of the machine.¡±


    ¡°No, that would be much too expensive. Do you know how much it cost to place someone in the system? I can give you a hint?¡± the man continued in a whisper ¡°it¡¯s more than you¡¯ve ever made in your life. Which isn¡¯t saying much if I¡¯m being honest. I should know, I checked! See it¡¯s right here.¡± A flash of blue light appeared by Jerry¡¯s hand, as it faded away in its place was a scroll. ¡°yes, let¡¯s see, no job, no education, average, strike that below average grades. You are well and truly a waste of space. Completely and utterly unremarkable. No wonder why you sneaked in. Your perfectly below average, and we don¡¯t even accept perfectly average, which makes you perfectly useless to us.¡± The man¡¯s self-satisfied smirk infuriated Jason and if he could move he was sure he would have smacked it off his face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t-¡± Jason started


    ¡°Mr Morris, please do shut-up and let me finish. There are over 600,000 of your betters starting today, and I really don¡¯t have a lot of time to talk to some petty vagabond.¡±


    ¡°Vagabond, really¡± Jason replied raising his eyebrows


    ¡°Yes vagabond, it means you uncivilized ¨C ¡°


    ¡°I know what it means the word¡¯s just a little dated don¡¯t you think? Who in the world uses the word vagabond nowadays?¡±


    ¡°That is now the third time you have interrupted me. One more time and the first experience you will have in this game is being dropped into an active volcano. I¡¯ll make sure you feel each second of it. And vagabond for your information is the perfect word to use here. Look up, look around this isn¡¯t exactly your world and your era anymore Jason.¡±


    ¡°Your taking this all a little too seriously don¡¯t you think, this is just a game after all.¡±


    ¡°If you think this is just another game then you should have never joined. With that attitude you don¡¯t have any chance at actually becoming king of this land and winning the ten million dollars. Which you¡¯re going to desperately need to do because we aren¡¯t going to pay you a dime while you¡¯re in here. ¡°


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that! As long as I¡¯m working here I¡¯m an employee!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the contract said. Section six, subsection four clearly detailed this portion. You did read the contract, didn¡¯t you? Who am I kidding of course you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then let me out. If you¡¯re not paying me let me out.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to do that. The contract states you have to stay here a year, which is about two in game time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what your contract said you can¡¯t keep me here without paying and you can¡¯t keep me here against my will!¡±


    ¡°While it is true in our contract that any player may leave at any time, if said player has not fulfilled their end of the obligation the Nexus has reserved the right to sue, specifically you, for the amount it cost the company to perform the surgery. If you think your broke now, well I¡¯m sure you get the picture. I probably should remind you I have the right to kick you out of the game at any time, at which point the company will sue you.¡± Jason stared at the man biting his cheek to hold back the retort that tried to spill out.


    ¡°Look at the fire in your eyes, it¡¯s wonderful. Get mad, get serious, it¡¯ll be great for the streams.¡±


    ¡°Alright that¡¯s everything. I will be watching over your development as time passes. As always, we hope you enjoy your time at the Nexus and have a great day.¡±


    In a cloud of blue dust, the man disappeared. Jason tried to get up again but fell to the same result. He still couldn¡¯t feel his legs.


    ¡°How do I get out of ¨C¡± and then he was gone from the field as well

 Chapter 4: Part 1 - No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem

    He reappeared for the second time that day in a small pitched tent, the kind he had seen in his grandpa¡¯s old movies. He had never seen one in person before. Nobody went camping unless they were rich nowadays anyway. Land was either used for houses, offices, or farming. Well unless you count the Amazons, but no one wanted to camp in the Amazon anymore, at least no sane person.


    There wasn¡¯t anything in the tent, he was lying on dirt ground, still in his boxers mind you, and he could feel dirt moving into unpleasant areas, never the less he crawled out of the tent with his thankfully movable legs and was graced with the sight of the same forest that he witnessed when entering the pod. If he had to guess his pod was located in the same spot that his tent was. In the middle of the area was a man dressed in a bright blue military uniform which made him stand-out in the lush green forest. The man looked to be eating a sandwich of all things on a table filled with armor, knives, maces, swords, and bows, it was like a renaissance fair attendees dream. The only thing he could think of was that they looked violently sharp. The end of the table came into view and he noticed Alan and Tommy hunkered down on one of the benches. Both looked like they had just started a road trip cross country and just figured out that being in a self-driving car for 12 hours a day wasn¡¯t as fun as it was chalked up to be. The two were dressed in matching brown shirts and pants that looked like they belonged to a popper in the middle-ages. Tommy was playing with a small knife, even though there was a plethora of clearly more useful weapons around him.


    ¡°Did I miss anything¡± His voice caught the attention of his two companions and both turned to face him


    Tommy instantly burst out laughing and showed no signs of stopping ¡°You came out naked, I can¡¯t believe you left the tent naked.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t time for this Tommy we need to catch him up¡± Yet, Jason could see the suppressed smile that his friend was trying to hide.


    ¡°There were no clothes in the tent.¡° He defended


    ¡°So you just left? Oh, oh man Alan I can see why you keep this guy around¡±


    ¡°There were no clothes in your tent?¡± Alan said, his mirth now gone and replaced with his normal serious expression ¡°everyone else had a box of starting items in their tent.¡±


    ¡°It may have been the admin, we didn¡¯t really get on well.¡±


    ¡°So he caught you too. I was hoping you weren¡¯t going to be noticed.¡± Alan said


    ¡°it¡¯ll be fine¡± Tommy reassured ¡°my brother had to deal with these unusual little setbacks when we snuck him in last time, they were never that bad just minor pranks. They¡¯re probably in your tent right now.¡±


    Jason sat down next to Alan who reflexively scooted a little closer to the end of the table.


    ¡°You missed a lot, I mean a whole lot. We showed up here an hour before you arrived. The other players already left. Tommy thought you chickened out, but I knew you would show up sometime¡±


    ¡°To be fair you didn¡¯t see him shaking when I left.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in some sort of trial right now. We have to beat it and reach the end in one weeks¡¯ time.


    ¡°The trial supposed to resemble some old book, there are three stages a forest, which we are in now, snowy mountains, and a volcano. The less gear and the higher nerve sensitivity we have the better reward at the end.¡± Tommy said his face showing smug superiority at the information.


    ¡°And you know all this how?¡±


    ¡°His brother told him, it¡¯s the only reason we are keeping him around for now.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that hurts.¡± Tommy¡¯s face contorted into an expression of mock offense


    ¡°So far there haven¡¯t been any quest logs or skill trees, so I need you to talk to that guy over there to make sure you have the quest.¡± Alan said ignoring the man¡¯s remarkIf you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I told you already there aren¡¯t any slots for inventory, or quest logs, there isn¡¯t even a skill log. This is all very hands on. You have to figure everything out for yourself. Well you would if you didn¡¯t have me. There¡¯s only one bar in this game and that¡¯s for nerve sensitivity. This game is and always has been about realism.¡± Tommy said


    ¡°So how do I turn the sensitivity down.¡±


    ¡°Focus in front of you on the table. A little dial should appear, but don¡¯t turn it down we can¡¯t lose this bonus, we¡¯re already behind.¡± Alan said


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°You could have fooled me.¡± Tommy muttered


    Jason tried focusing on the table in front of him. The image in his mind was of one of the dials on a kitchen stove, but nothing happened. He tried instead to imagine a slider and this time it appeared on the table in front of him. Neither of his two companions mentioned seeing it so Jason assumed that neither player could. He considered turning it down anyway just a little, it was cold out here and it didn¡¯t particularly help that he didn¡¯t have any clothes on. Yet, in the end he decided against it. His family needed the money, he wasn¡¯t going to risk an important skill he needed to win because of a little cold.


    ¡°Alright I¡¯m heading over.¡±


    ¡°Get some clothes before you talk to the guy. No one wants to see that.¡± Alan said pointing in his general direction


    ¡°yes mother.¡± He muttered back


    With a sigh he pushed himself up from the table and made his way back to his tent. Sure enough, his shirt and pants where now in the tent. He put them on as quickly as he could. They were nowhere near as comfortable as the clothing that he had been wearing before entering the game. They itched almost as much as the ground, but that could have just been the dirt caked on the clothing. He searched around the tent hoping to find the same boots he had seen Alan and Tommy wearing, nothing else was there. He hoped the military guy would have a pair for him.


    He made his way over to the large man sitting at the middle of the table. To his surprise they were almost the same size, from a distance the man had looked like a giant. Mr. Military was still eating his sandwich which seemed to, with each bite, would magically appear back to its uneaten state.


    In his mind it troubled him that he already found a glitch. If this was his first hour in and there was already a noticeable problem, it didn¡¯t bode well for the coding. He didn¡¯t want to even think about what would happen if the game crashed while he was logged in.


    The man looked up from his sandwich with piercing green eyes that made him freeze. Literally, he tried to move, but he was under some kind of full body bind.


    ¡°Where are your boots traveler.¡± The man said


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t given any sir. I was actually wondering if you knew where I could get some¡±


    ¡°Your boots should have come with your tent.¡±


    ¡°There weren¡¯t any there when I arrived¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re in for a ride because you¡¯re not going to get any from me.¡± Mr. Military said ¡°Have you been informed of the rules¡±


    ¡°briefly, but I understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough answer. Next time you speak to me your answers better be a yes sir, or no sir. Do you understand me? If it happens again you¡¯re going to be walking through this game without any clothes.¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir¡±


    ¡°Good. You can take any item you want. However, you get less of an award at the end for whatever you take. Many travelers tend to forget everything that happens here is just as real as what happens out there. If it¡¯s cold enough you will freeze to death, if you don¡¯t eat you¡¯ll starve and if you get stabbed you will die and appear right back here at the start. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir¡±


    ¡°Then get out of my sight¡±


    With the man¡¯s final words Jason once again gained control over his body. He was starting to get a little annoyed about how easy it was for the NPC¡¯s in this game to paralyze him. Well at least he got the quest.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t have any boots¡± Alan¡¯s stated in a deadpan tone


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t give me any. I think I need some from the table, He said I wouldn¡¯t make it without them.¡° In truth his feet had been hurting for a while, each step was a mini agony from the little unforeseen pebbles that lined the camp.


    ¡°No, we go the way you are, it¡¯s not worth risking the bonus. There are some wolfs out there, we can use their fur to make some kind of make-shift boots then¡± Tommy said


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it works in the Nexus.¡± Tommy replied


    ¡°Well what if it doesn¡¯t. Did your brother have to make boots here?¡± Jason said ¡°Because, if it doesn¡¯t work I have to walk back here and get some. Then we¡¯re worse off than when we started.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure out something later Jason. According to my brother this is the most important part of the game, just suck it up it will be worth it in the end.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it man. We¡¯ll figure it out later¡± Alan said looking just as unsure as Jason felt about the whole situation


    ¡°Where Did you guys get the knives anyway¡±


    ¡°They came with the clothes and the packs¡±


    ¡°So, I have to go out there without boots, and without a weapon and just hope everything will be ok.¡±


    ¡°Essentially yes¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane, you¡¯re both insane¡± Jason

 Chapter 4: Part Two - Pain

    Yet, before the next hour was up the three had already started their walk through the trees, all be it at a slow pace. Even with his attempts at scanning the forest floor, there was no way to completely avoid the pain of an unexpected rock or thorn and the cuts and scuffs on his feet were a testament to his inexperience. There was no helping it, forests just had an abundant supply of them.


    He had read a million different books with forests in them, it seemed what people didn¡¯t tell you was that it was impossible to tell what was in front of you more than a couple of hundred yards. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly where they were and exactly where they had to go in all the overgrowth, but Tommy seemed to lead the way just fine for them.


    Jason had asked twice in the past four hours how the man knew where they were going, but Tommy stopped talking to him after the first thirty minutes of their trip. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t appreciative of his constant questions, nobody ever was. His mom always joked to her friends that she started a game of fifty questions with him when he was little, and the game never stopped.


    Truthfully, he had wished he had asked that question first, because the menacing look on Alan¡¯s face made him think the stick his friend had been carving this trip was being made for the specific purpose of beating Tommy to death. Alan had worn the look many times before in the past, but it seemed to intensify with a knife in hand.


    He was thirsty, and the canteens that Tommy and Alan had gotten with their starting shoulder pack hadn¡¯t lasted long between three people. There hadn¡¯t been any streams to refill at through their hike.


    They heard the first howl an hour before the sun was about to go down. His two companions seemed to unconsciously pick up their pace. A pace which his battered feet didn¡¯t allow him to match.


    ¡°I think that may be a wolf.¡± He said, having to raise his voice a little louder than he wanted to make sure they heard him, which brought about another howl from the wolves. He knew they both understood what the howl meant, but he wanted to remind them that he was still their lagging behind.


    Alan thankfully realized how much distance they were separated by and slowed down so he could catch-up, which forced Tommy to follow his example.


    ¡°We can¡¯t slow down here, we need to move fast.¡± Tommy whispered


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m moving as fast as I can¡±


    ¡°Then suck it up and move faster, we can¡¯t lose this distance¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you move this far through these woods without any shoes¡± Alan defended his friend


    ¡°Ya, well when we get killed by these wolfs we¡¯ll see how he feels when he has to do it again¡± Tommy said storming ahead, yet the man kept a slower pace than before.


    ¡°Do you have any idea where were going?¡±


    ¡°No, not a clue, I don¡¯t even think I could find our way back if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I. I really wish we didn¡¯t need this guy.¡±


    ¡°How are you holding up¡± Alan asked


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m just trying to wrap my head around all of this.¡±


    ¡°I know right now it seem so spectacular, but once you start working on them in real life, you start to realize these things are all just machines with code in them like all the rest.¡±


    ¡°See that¡¯s the problem, because I don¡¯t think anyone really understands how they work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the person who made it does. Anyway, I know right now it doesn¡¯t look like much, but at least it¡¯s something.¡± Alan said, handing him the stick he had been carving throughout the day. Now that he could actually take a good look at it he noticed it seemed like a half-finished quarter staff.


    ¡°I wanted to have it done before I gave it to you. All things considered I think it might be better to finish it once this is all over.¡± Another howl pierced the air. This time closer than before.


    ¡°Actually, I think that¡¯s an amazing idea, thank you¡±


    The level plain started to slope upwards onto a small hill. When they had started he had thought they would be the worst part about the day¡¯s walk, but strangely they turned out to be the easiest. For the first time in what felt like forever he could see the trees start to lessen. The trunks became fewer and further apart, little patches of overgrown grass took their place covering the dirt he had become so used to. Tommy seemed to have already crested the top of the hill. The man had stopped moving, as if he was enjoying the view of the hills edge. He was probably waiting impatiently for them to catch up, well at least he was waiting. The last thing they needed was for their guide to unexpectedly die because he didn¡¯t know the first rule of every scary movie.


    However, the closer they got the more they noticed Tommy¡¯s rigid stance, his knife was out of its side sheath. The day¡¯s last light shined on the blades steel edge. Both he and Alan quickened their pace. He ignored the stabbing pain the speed brought. Reaching the top of the hill brought into view two new figures, namely two oversized wolves that had been just below its curve.


    It¡¯s funny how your mind works when adrenaline is pumping through your veins. It was as if everything disappeared except the things that mattered most. The pain in his feet faded and the frustration of the day went with it. Only the wolves mattered now. Only their sharp white teeth registered in his mind and how deadly they looked.


    In an instant Alan pulled out his knife and moved nearer to Tommy. The lanky man hadn¡¯t moved a muscle, the wolves were a different story. They seemed to be inching closer slowly. Jason knew there must be more, he had watched enough TV shows to know that wolves always came in packs and two wasn¡¯t a pack. He also knew that they went after the weakest link, which at the time just so happened to be him.


    He looked behind expecting and finding the third wolf. The beast was larger than the other two. He chalked that up to the admin¡¯s special treatment. He could now see that the three wolves were trying to make a triangle around them, slowly boxing them in. They must have been hoping someone would scare and bolt. After all, one of them would be more than enough meat for the pack.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Jason backed-up, trying to join his teammates until he bumped into the two of them behind. It seemed like they had the same idea.


    ¡°Just so we are all clear there is another wolf behind us.¡± He said, not willing to take his eyes off the big beast. For all he knew the thing might take it as a sign that it was time to attack. He holstered his make-shift staff like a club preparing himself to experience the games version of death.


    ¡°is yours also moving closer¡± Jason said


    ¡°Ya, he¡¯s about five feet away¡± Tommy replied


    ¡°Mine is about the same¡±


    The battle raged screamed shocked him and instinctively he looked behind. Alan had charged his wolf, knife at the ready and by the looks of it the man had already stabbed it once. That was about all he could take in before the forgotten hulking mass in front tried to leap on top of him. The strike had missed, but it still succeeded in throwing him to the ground, his staff flying from his hands. He could feel himself slam into Tommy from behind him and he thought he heard the man fall.


    He couldn¡¯t focus on that right now; the large angry wolf was once again trying to rip his face off. He kicked the wolf with his shredded feet, but the beast didn¡¯t seem to care. It almost seemed like a game to it as it tried to catch and bite his foot from out of the air.


    His hands searched frantically for the staff, his eyes never leaving the wolf. As his hand finally found the stick, the beasts mouth found his foot. He had broken his leg before, but the pain of the wolf¡¯s teeth entering his skin topped it all. It felt so real, this was a game how could the pain feel so intense. Even as his mind writhed in pain, his body moved on instinct as he slammed the club on the top of the wolf¡¯s head.


    At first the wolf¡¯s bite tightened, and with concussive force he struck it harder and harder until the beast finally relented and backed up. The pain somehow pushed itself to the back of his mind as he focused on getting to his knees. The beast seemed confused on what to do next, it¡¯s muzzle still set in a snarl. The hesitation didn¡¯t last long, as the wolf jumped for his throat. Jason shoved the wooden staff into its mouth, holding the beast in place. The wolf¡¯s teeth gnawed into the make-shift device. He could see the stick start to bend under the pressure. He tried pushing the staff as hard as he could at the wolf, yet his mind was focusing on other things like the wolfs claws raking into the tops of his thighs. He knew he would have screamed if the beast hadn¡¯t already taken his breath away with its constant assaults.


    Jason heard a scream behind him and for the briefest of moments he looked at Alan. One wolf was dead at his feet. Yet somehow Tommy¡¯s wolf had taken a bite out of Alan¡¯s right arm forcing him to drop his knife. Jason could see him flailing around trying to get the wolf off to no avail. Where was Tommy, did he book it in the struggle. He knew he couldn¡¯t trust him and now that was going to get them killed.


    The weight in front of him suddenly lifted. He looked at the wolf that had only moments ago been about to finish him off. A knife was now lodged in its back and its focus was now on a completely different person all together. To his left stood Tommy weaponless who now looked thoroughly ready to run, yet the man stood his ground.


    ¡°Can you stand¡± Tommy asked, his voice sounding shaky as if he was fighting to get the words out


    ¡°Ya, I think so, probably¡±


    ¡°Then can you do it already¡± Jason tried to stand, and he probably could of. However, the wolf took that moment to charge. He changed his momentum and slammed his shredded staff into the wolf¡¯s front leg. The wood let out a satisfying creaking sound with the impact. The monster sprawled face first into the ground giving Tommy ample time to grab the knife out of its back and finish it off.


    As fast as he could he staggered to his feet to help Alan finish the last wolf, the pain almost throwing him back on the ground. Instead he stood in shock. Alan had been able to somehow detach the beast from his arm. Yet, somehow the last wolf had almost doubled in size which made no sense to him. It was almost the size of a man. He tried taking the change in stride and prepared to attack the wolf. Which proved to be unnecessary as the gargantuan beast turned on its heels and bounded out of the clearing. As the beast turned Alan dropped to the ground.


    He tried to limp over to the man, but Tommy stopped him. ¡°We need to work fast. Can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡±


    ¡°That will have to do. In a mile from here you¡¯re going to find a spring¡± Tommy said while fishing through both his and Alans bags


    ¡°Fill these canteens both up and bring them back. We need the water to clear out these wounds before the infections set in. If the wound gets infected, he¡¯s going to poof back to the start.¡± Tommy Said kneeling over Alan¡¯s unconscious form. ¡°Help me get this shirt off of him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think water cleans out rabies¡± Jason said propping Alan up so Tommy could pull the shirt off. The wound was spurting out blood quickly through the puncture marks.


    ¡°Water cleans out everything in this game, just, just go do what I say. We don¡¯t have time for your stupid questions. And clean this shirt off so we have some fresh bandages¡± Tommy was putting pressure on the small deep marks on Alan¡¯s arms. He didn¡¯t bother arguing, he did what he was told. He took the shirt, his staff and the canteens, limping in the direction Tommy had pointed.


    He tried examining the staff as he walked, ignoring everything else. Nothing would make the pain in his foot worse than focusing on it and he was worried it was now broken. Nor did he want to think about the big wolf that went just this way not five minutes ago. The staff felt odd in his hands, a new large bump was now in the middle of the wood and as he turned the stick to inspect it he noticed a small tooth embedded in the wood. He tried pulling it out, but he couldn¡¯t grasp it, his hands too shaky as the adrenaline left his body. And it seemed the more he tried the further the tooth sank in.


    It took him a total of 10 minutes to reach the river and he almost collapsed once he touched its muddy shore. The two-people standing across from him forced him back to attention. The couple looked familiar. Then again that maybe because they were in the line that Jason had skipped. they were dressed in the same clothes. The man¡¯s long hair made him look like he had just come out of an 80¡¯s hair band concert. Jason decided now was the opportune time to take a risk


    ¡°Can you guys lend me a hand my friends and I got into a fight with some wolves back there. My buddy isn¡¯t looking so good.¡± The man seemed conflicted, the woman was anything but. She was already backing away from the river ahead beckoning the man to follow. In less than a minute they were gone. In his frustration Jason dismissed them.


    He decided to fill up the canteen and wash the shirt before washing his legs and feet. To his surprise once the water hit the fabric it instantly became clean, the blood that used to drench the clothing was now completely gone. The water wasn¡¯t so magical that it healed his wounds, yet he was still happy with the results.


    By the time Jason had walked back to the group night had fallen. A small fire blazed in the camp. Tommy had unrolled his and Alan¡¯s sleeping pack, a luxury the admin had taken from him. It was just one more reason why this whole thing was a bad idea.


    It seemed as though Alan¡¯s bleeding had stopped leaving a wound that looked red and inflamed, but not infected which was always good.


    ¡°Took you long enough, a moment more and we might have lost him.¡± Tommy snatched the canteens out of Jason¡¯s hands pouring one full bottle onto Alans wounds which instantly decreased the swelling. Tommy drunk the other one and handed the rest back. ¡°pour it on your feet.¡±


    ¡°Just drink it, I¡¯ll go get more water¡±


    ¡°No, the forest gets worse at night in. We can do that tomorrow.¡±


    He sighed, poured the water on his feet and settled down to sleep. They might as well kill him now, there was no way he was going to be able to walk six days like this