《Titans Online: Immersion》


 Prologue - King for a Day

    Prologue - King for a Day


    Alex sat upon his throne stroking his thick brown beard. The crown above his head glistened as the sunlight filled the room through the castle windows in the throne room. He looked at the man in front of him whose clothes were tattered and frayed.


    ¡°How long have you been a resident here?¡± Alex asked the man.


    ¡°Let me think...two, no, two and a half years, milord,¡± the man answered him.


    Alex nodded. ¡°And for those two and a half years, you have been farming the same plot of land on the outskirts of the kingdom, yes?¡±


    The man pondered the question for a few seconds and spoke. ¡°Yes, that is right. We¡¯ve been lucky to grow the farm in recent months, but still the same farm on the same lands.¡±


    He nodded again. ¡°And in those two and a half years, a monster has never stepped foot on your farm, correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct your majesty--err, until today, that is,¡± he confirmed.


    ¡°Until today.¡± Alex repeated, still stroking his beard. He paused for a moment, still eyeing the man. Alex stood, straightening his girdle, then continued to speak. ¡°It appears something is causing the creatures of the Darkwood to flee the woods. Most of my men are north protecting our border from the threat of the Guldar, but we can¡¯t have one of the kingdom¡¯s very own suppliers of food lay under siege.¡±


    Alex pointed at a man clad in heavy armor standing to the side of the throne room.


    ¡°My dear friend Robert and I will personally head down to your farm and eradicate the dark wolves that have infested it. It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve traveled outside the kingdom. I could use the fresh air.¡±


    Robert turned and faced him. ¡°Are you sure you should be traveling outside the safety of the kingdom?¡± he asked.


    ¡°With you at my side, there is no threat we can¡¯t handle, Robert. Besides, the farm rests just outside the southern gate,¡± he assured him.


    ¡°Many thanks, my king!¡± the man said before turning around and leaving the castle.


    King Alex and his knight Robert walked into the armory and equipped themselves for the fight ahead; Alex picked up his broadsword and examined it in detail. A few bolts of lightning could be seen shooting out from the hilt and down out of the tip of the blade. The sword had been named ¡®Thunderguard¡¯ for its longstanding use of protecting and guarding the kingdom. Robert grabbed two long swords from the weapon rack and sheathed them by his sides. The duo walked outside the castle gates and into the nearby stables.


    ¡°Do we really need a steed for this?¡± Robert asked.


    Alex chuckled. ¡°Need? Of course not. But seeing as I¡¯ve not rode on horseback in almost a year, I think we¡¯ll be doing just that! Besides, night is already upon us. The faster we take out the dark wolves, the better.¡±


    Robert nodded as the two saddled and mounted their white stallions and strode out of the stables and down the cobblestone streets of the kingdom. A few moments later they reached the southern gate. As their horses stepped through the gate and outside the safety of the kingdom, a message window appeared in the center of their view.


    You are leaving the safety of Lionhaven


    and entering a dangerous zone.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    They both gave a quick nod as the prompt faded away and they continued out of the kingdom. Once they were clear of the kingdoms protection, a string of characters popped up above their heads.


    Lord Alex                           Robert


    <King of Lionhaven>      <Knight of Lionhaven>


    Level 112                         Level 92


    Alex noticed Robert¡¯s level and gave him a glare. ¡°You¡¯re...STILL...not level one hundred?¡± he asked.


    Robert responded in an annoyed tone, ¡°You have NO idea how hard it is after level ninety. You had the pleasure of defending an entire kingdom from an onslaught of monsters to gain your levels. I, on the other hand, have been confined to the lands south of Lionhaven. There¡¯s not much experience to be gained there.¡±


    ¡°You know I keep the western and northern gates closed for good reason. A massive titan has set up home in the West, and the Guldar could siege us from the north at any moment,¡± the king said.


    Robert simply nodded. ¡°You are the king,¡± he said.


    Alex erupted in a loud chuckle. ¡°You got that right!¡± he laughed.


    In the near distance, a large standing windmill and a cottage began could be seen.


    ¡°There is the farm,¡± Alex said, grabbing the hilt of Thunderguard.


    They slowly approached the farm, keeping an eye out for the dark wolves. When they reached the windmill, they climbed off of their horses and tied them to a nearby post.


    Alex began inspecting the ground for pawprints the wolves would have surely left in the dirt all around the farm.His search found nothing, however.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check the cottage,¡± Robert said as he opened the cottage door and stepped inside. After a couple of minutes the cottage door flew open and Robert stepped back out. ¡°No wolves,¡± he said. ¡°But I found something. You¡¯ll want to see this.¡±


    Alex gave Robert a puzzled look as he stepped towards the cottage. Robert opened the door and they both stepped inside.


    Inside the cottage on a large wooden table sat a large cask labeled ¡®Grinfire Ale¡¯.


    ¡°Is that...Grinfire Ale? I thought there was none left in all the world!¡± Alex shouted happily.


    ¡°That was my belief as well,¡± Robert said. ¡°Care for a drink?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right I care for a drink!¡±


    Alex walked over to the table as Robert opened a nearby cabinet and retrieved two mugs, and then joined Alex at the table. They both unsheathed their weapons and placed them on the table before sitting down. Robert twisted a knob at the spout of the cask and fiery red ale began to pour out. He quickly filled both mugs and handed one to Alex.


    ¡°To the greatest king the world has ever seen,¡± Robert said.


    Alex chuckled at him. ¡°How would you know? I¡¯m the ONLY king you¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    The two laughed as they tilted back their heads and poured the red liquid from their mugs and into their mouth.


    ¡°Another?¡± Robert asked, already filling his mug with more of ale.


    Alex thought about it for a brief second, then nodded. ¡°Ah hell, why not. This stuff is too good to pass up!¡±


    As they both finished their second mug of ale, Alex slammed his down on the table.


    ¡°And with that,¡± he said slowly, ¡°Your king now has to piss.¡±


    Robert laughed and began pouring himself another mug of ale. Alex walked towards the cottage door then stopped, looking back at Robert.


    ¡°You know, I never realized how realistic that is. In the real world, a couple drinks in and your bladder felt like it would explode. It¡¯s no different here. Maybe that¡¯s a constant in ALL worlds. Alcohol equals innate necessity to urinate.¡±


    Alex continued out of the cottage and stumbled over to a nearby stream that ran by the windmill. He unclasped his heavy girdle and let it drop to the ground as he wiggled out of his heavy leggings.


    Alex was midstream when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand. He turned around to see his very own broadsword aimed at his neck, lightning crackling out of the tip. A notification popped up in front of him.


    Your ally Robert has


    declared war on Lionhaven.


    ¡°When I toasted to the greatest king the world had ever seen¡­¡± Robert said before plunging the Thunderguard into Alex¡¯s neck, sending lightning bolts throughout his entire body. ¡°...I meant myself.¡±

 Chapter 1 - Rememberance

    Chapter 1 - Rememberance


    David stumbled into the bathroom as his head began to throb so hard that his vision began to blur. He placed his virtual reality headset on the counter and flung open the doors to a large medicine cabinet in the corner, revealing a keypad and a screen that simply read ¡°Enter 4 Digit Passcode¡±. David began to cough heavily, specks of blood ejecting from his mouth onto his hand. Still coughing, he quickly punched in his passcode, ¡®1337¡¯ of course, causing the safe inside his medicine cabinet to unlock. He flew open the door revealing a single syringe filled with a bright blue liquid with the word ¡®IOLAUS¡¯ stamped in bold black letters on the side. He immediately grabbed the syringe and shoved it into the side of his neck and injected the entirety of the blue liquid into his bloodstream. In an instant David¡¯s coughing began to subside and a few seconds later his headache went from a pounding throb to a dull ache, and a few seconds after that was gone completely. He walked over to the sink and washed the bright red blood from his hands, then grabbed the VR headset off the counter and exited the bathroom.


    Now able to regain his senses, David could hear a voice emitting from his headset.


    ¡°DAVID?! You there man? I thought FOR SURE we had him that time and then you just stopped fighting. These repair bills aren¡¯t cheap!¡± the voice shouted.


    David walked across his room and grabbed a glass of water already sitting on the desk near the VR Machine that was wirelessly connected to his headset. The VR machine emitted a bright green light, indicating it was powered on and ¡®Active¡¯. The machine, called the Hermes, had released just five years ago by the world¡¯s largest technology conglomerate Moirai Technologies. It was the single most exciting technology advancement for video games in a long time. The Hermes featured truly high definition graphics and extremely accurate interpretations of movements and actions to create the most realistic virtual reality experience by far. Perhaps even more importantly, it connected to Moirai Technologies servers via their own private worldwide wireless network. This meant no lag and a 99.99% connection uptime other than their brief fifteen minute weekly mandatory maintenance that would automatically disable the Hermes and its headset to deploy any necessary updates.


    David took a large gulp of the water, sat the glass back on the desk, and put the VR headset on.


    You have been killed by Kalyxius.


    Would you like to revive at the nearest graveyard?


    YES          NO


    He tapped a button on the right side of the headset that toggled the built-in microphone back on.


    ¡°Hey Drex, sorry man. Had another Hydra fit¡­¡± David explained.


    ¡°Ah damn man, you alright? Do you have any meds for it?¡± Drex echoed out of the headset.


    David and Drex had been gaming together for half a dozen years now, primarily in Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG¡¯s). Unfortunately, they lived almost 4,000 miles apart and never had the opportunity to meet each other in person. Since last year they had been playing the hit new MMORPG ¡®Lands of Kaulm¡¯ together. Lands of Kaulm was the first MMORPG to make full use of the Hermes to allow most of the game world to be streamed seemlessly in realtime 24/7 to those who either couldn¡¯t afford a Hermes, or simply didn¡¯t have the time to play a MMO, but had the time to watch others do so. It was the perfect game for David and Drex as it focused heavily on a two-person ¡®bonding¡¯ system that allowed you to get stronger and unlock new skills and combos by slaying enemies with the same person. Since its release, they had bounced around in the top five rankings of Lands of Kaulm¡¯s leaderboard based on boss progression. They had never reach the #1 spot, though, as it seemed to be permanently occupied by two Japanese gamers, Hiro and Villen. You couldn¡¯t help but give them credit for the obvious name choices.


    ¡°I had one IOLAUS left, thankfully. I swear the attacks are getting worse¡­¡± David responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been lucky, haven¡¯t had an attack in a couple weeks. The headaches get bad here and there, but I haven¡¯t had to take much IOLAUS since my last Hydra examination. If you need an extra--¡± Drex began to offer, before being interrupted.


    ¡°Shit!¡± David said panicking, ¡°Hermes, what¡¯s my local time?¡±


    It is currently 3:12 PM local time.


    ¡°Sorry Drex, but I have to head out. Thanks for the reminder, my Hydra exam is in less than an hour! We¡¯ll get Kalyxius down tonight my man I promise.¡±


    ¡°All good! Let me know how it goes!¡±


    David powered off his Hermes, removed his headset, and walked back into the bathroom. He quickly stripped down and jumped into the shower.


    ¡°Shower On,¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Accessing Local Clean Water Storage,¡± a speaker in the bathroom responded.


    A few seconds later a small stream of water began to trickle out of the showerhead.


    Four years ago astronomers detected a mysterious object soaring through space between Mars and Earth. Every calculation by all of the world¡¯s best equipped to anticipate the projected path of the object indicated it would miss Earth by about 10,000 miles. The object, estimated to be nearly two miles wide, was projected to be so close to Earth that everyone would be able to look up in the sky and see it soar through the sky, but not nearly close enough to have any worry as far as it colliding with the planet. So, on March 14th, 2072, seemingly the whole world stood outside and gazed up at the sky as the object neared Earth.


    But their projections were wrong.


    The object got bigger and bigger in the sky before erupting into flames and spewing small debris in all directions. The smaller debris slammed into various cities across the world, causing structural damage and fatalities . That paled in comparison, however, to what happened with the large object itself. It slammed into the Pacific Ocean at nearly 70,000 miles per hour, exploding an impact crater 30 miles wide on the ocean floor, and created tsunami¡¯s as high as 300 feet that swallowed coastal cities. An estimated twenty percent of the world¡¯s population died that day due to the various smaller debris impact zones and the massive tsunamis. This event would later be referenced as ¡®Incursion Day¡¯, with the reasoning that the randomness of outer space was to blame for the ¡°attack against Earth¡±.


    The next day experts quickly tried to rationalize the objects sudden change of direction. Another object hidden behind it that struck it and changed its path or a massive solar flare with enough projective force to disrupt a two mile wide objects projected course...none of it sounded possible. In the immediate aftermath of the event, experts claimed ¡°we were lucky¡± and that ¡°a direct land hit could have wiped out an entire continent¡±.


    In the next several months the world had realized the worst had yet to come. The large object from space decimated the Earth¡¯s ozone layer, increasing the amount of ultraviolet light that reached the surface from the sun. Just a half an hour out in the sun during a hot summer day could cause intense sunburn. The number of people with skin cancer and cataracts skyrocketed. To make matters worse, much the world¡¯s vegetation was destroyed and a special kind of greenhouse had to be used to facilitate plant life, making food even harder to find. The lack of an ozone layer also caused a drastic drop in the population of plankton in our oceans, making clean and safe drinking and bathing water an extremely rare and expensive commodity.


    David finished his brief shower and quickly put on his clothes. Fortunately, it was January, so he did not have to wear his special UV-Resistant clothing. He grabbed his cell phone off the desk by the door as he stepped out into the sunlight.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    David glanced at the clock on his cell phone: 3:31 PM.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can make it to the Hydra clinic in half an hour on foot, ¡°he muttered to himself. ¡°I guess I¡¯m traveling by capsule.¡±


    Just months before Incursion Day, Moirai Technologies released a new systematic transit system powered by an advanced fuel source they had created by exploiting water with nuclear fission. The fuel, called Hydrofission, powered a small capsule in an underground network of tubing that would propel at speeds as high as 3,000 miles per hour.


    The closest capsule station was four blocks away, so David dashed down the sidewalk towards the station.


    When he arrived at the station, he was disappointed to notice a pretty sizable line at all four of the kiosks for purchasing a capsule ticket. He checked his cell phone for the time: 3:40 PM. The ¡°capsule voyage¡± as David liked to call it would take less than a minute to get to the capsule station nearest the Hydra clinic, but the time to stand in line to get a ticket and wait for his designated capsule would be cutting it close. While typically cutting it close for an appointment wasn¡¯t a big deal for David, Hydra examinations were another matter. These mandatory appointments required you to be on time. If 4:01 PM hit and he wasn¡¯t signed in for his examination, his exam would automatically be cancelled and he would be automatically charged a hefty fee for the ¡®cancellation¡¯. The fee, while tedious, wasn¡¯t the bigger concern. Hydra Clinic¡¯s were extremely outnumbered by the amount of people requiring a Hydra examination. It could take as long as three months before David could be rescheduled for the exam, which meant three months without medicine.


    ¡°Oh well...nothing I can do about it,¡± David thought to himself. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll call Sarah and see if I can get some wiggle room!¡±


    Sarah was a childhood friend of David¡¯s. Her family and his had lived next door to each other, and often participated in vacations and trips together. To say they were close would be an understatement; Sarah was like a sister to him. Four years ago, they became even closer. Their parents were both away on vacation in Long Beach, California on Incursion Day. David and Sarah both missed out on the vacation as they were finishing their final exams for high school that week. Neither of them could ever had known that them missing that vacation would end up saving their lives. Sadly, the same could not be said for their parents.


    David punched in Sarah¡¯s phone number on his cell phone while he stood in line behind Kiosk # 3 in the capsule station.


    RING! - RING! - RING! -RING!


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve reached Sarah with Moirai Technologies. I¡¯m probably busy trying to save the world or something, so leave a quick message and I¡¯ll get around to it as soon as I can! Priorities! Beep!¡±


    David hung up and tucked his cell phone back into his pocket. ¡°No sense in leaving a voicemail, ¡°he thought to himself. ¡°It would more than likely be too late before she got around to listening to it and responding.¡±


    After a few moments David was second in line at his kiosk. He pulled out his phone for a quick time check: 3:47 PM. The man in front of him grabbed finished his transaction, grabbed his capsule ticket, and slid out of the way. David quickly stepped up to the kiosk.


    ¡°Welcome to the Albany Central Capsule Station. Please enter your credits card,¡± the speaker on the kiosk requested.


    Moirai Technologies and their technology had become a part of everyone¡¯s everyday life, so they created a special card that you could purchase credits on to use to pay for anything with their name on it. Most employers would even allow your pay to be automatically disbursed onto your credits card. It was essentially the new dollar.


    David reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. His credits card was conveniently located in the front so he took it out and slid it into the kiosk.


    ¡°Hello David,¡± the kiosk greeted him. ¡°Are you headed to your Hydra examination scheduled for four o¡¯clock PM?¡±


    A big green button labeled ¡®Yes¡¯ appeared on the left of the screen of the kiosk, and a big red button labeled ¡®No¡¯ on the right. David quickly tapped the green button.


    ¡°Great, David! Your registered Hydra clinic is located two blocks from the Glenmont capsule station. A capsule ticket from this station to the Glenmont capsule station is...two hundred and seventeen credits. Your estimated travel time via capsule is...forty seconds. Your estimated wait time for the next available capsule is...fifteen minutes. It doesn¡¯t sound like you will make it to the clinic in time! Would you like to purchase expedited capsule retrieval to push your capsule to the front of the queue for just five hundred credits more?¡±


    ¡°Five hundred more?!¡± David shouted at the inanimate kiosk. ¡°That¡¯s over double the cost of my transit alone!¡±


    David paused for a second, assessing the situation. The current dollar to credit ratio was 10 credits per dollar, meaning the transit cost was about $22, but the ¡®expedited capsule retrieval¡¯ would cost an extra $50 on top. After pondering the situation, David came to the conclusion that he had no option. He once again tapped the green button on the kiosk screen.


    ¡°Your purchase is being confirmed...Confirmation complete. Your credits card has been debited seven hundred and seventeen credits. Please remove your credits card and collect your capsule ticket from the ticket dispenser under the screen. Safe travels and thank you for traveling via Moirai Technologies innovative capsule technology!¡± the kiosk instructed.


    David collected his capsule ticket and credits card, placing the card back into his wallet. He checked his cell phone again for the time: 3:51 PM. He dashed towards the capsule retrieval zone and inserted his capsule ticket into a machine against the wall. The screen on the machine lit up showing the path the capsule would take on the transit system to get from David¡¯s current location, Albany, to his target destination, Glenmont. Under the map on the screen was a flashing ticker that stated ¡®Estimated Transit: Forty Seconds - Capsule # 7¡¯. Behind David were a dozen doors, each labelled one through twelve, all currently with a red light illuminated above them. A few seconds later the light above the door labeled seven began flashing green and the door opened automatically, revealing an elevator. David stepped into the elevator and pressed the only button inside that simply said ¡®Proceed to Capsule¡¯.


    The elevator door closed automatically and the elevator began to descend. David looked at the walls of the elevator which were littered with various Moirai Technologies advertisements. The first was an image of a man with a big smile swiping his credits card at a grocery store. The text read ¡°Introducing Moirai Technologies payment solutions. Make your customers happy.¡±


    David looked at the smiling man in the image and said aloud, ¡°Who in the hell is that happy to be swiping their credits card?¡±


    The other advertisement caught David¡¯s attention. It was a man standing outside of a building with a Moirai Technologies sign, removing his UV resistant jacket. He held a newspaper that was dated April 2155. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue and in it was a futuristic looking hovercraft. The text read ¡°We¡¯ll find the cure for Hydra eventually. Why not take a nap until then? Introducing Moirai Technologies new stasis technology. Call 1-888-MST-ASIS for details.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± David blurted aloud. ¡°Stasis technology?¡±


    David thought of the prospect of no more Hydra. No more severe headaches...no more bleeding from orifices...no more IOLAUS injections. He thought back to the time before Incursion Day.


    The world was...easier...back then when there was no Hydra. It took several months for doctors and scientists to realize that the uninvited space rock that slammed into the ocean brought with it a deadly disease.First people started complaining of headaches and coughing up blood. Doctors wrote the symptoms off as congestion of the sinuses and inflammation of the nasal passages due to all the debris kicked into the air by the impact.


    Once the entire world seemed to have these symptoms, Moirai Technologies formed a new division designated to diagnosing the cause of the symptoms and eventually treating it. Eventually,they deployed what they thought to be a cure. Weeks later, however, those who received the cure started developing new fatal symptoms in mass numbers. Paralysis, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Multiple Organ Dysfunction and eventually comas and death.


    The media began calling the disease Hydra due to its likeness to the greek mythological many-headed serpent. Cutting off a head, or in other words treating a symptom, often caused two more heads, or symptoms, to appear. Moirai Technologies shifted their focus from finding a cure to researching a form of treatment that would negate and slow the growth and evolution of Hydra. After six months of research, they released their solution, IOLAUS.


    The damage from Hydra had already decimated over sixty percent of the world population that had survived Incursion Day. In an effort to stop the seemingly rapid approach of humanity¡¯s extinction, the world government passed a law requiring everyone to visit a Hydra clinic--created specifically for the treatment of Hydra--every six months for a Hydra exam. The examination would determine the current stage of Hydra that had infected a person¡¯s body and prescribe the proper IOLAUS injections to treat the disease until the next exam.


    The elevator screeched to a halt and the elevator door opened up. In front of David was a white ball-shaped capsule. The door to the capsule was open. A message echoed from the capsule.


    ¡°Hello, David! This capsule is scheduled to take you to the Glenmont capsule station. The current time is 3:53 PM. You will reach your destination by 3:55 PM. Please enter the capsule to begin your transit.¡±


    David heaved a heavy sigh and crawled into the capsule.

 Chapter 2 - Lucky

    Chapter 2 - Lucky


    It was very dark inside the capsule until a monitor turned on in front of David. A video began to play that provided instructions on how to secure oneself inside the capsule. A harness of sorts descended from top of the capsule, extending in front of David. It then began to regress back towards him, securing him snugly into the seat of the capsule. There was a clicking noise indicating the harness had locked securely in place, and the monitor changed to an overhead map showing the transit route.


    David swore he could hear what sounded like bubbling water followed by a faint hissing sound. Suddenly it felt as if gravity was pushing David back into his seat. The feeling was so heavy it literally felt as though it was somehow pushing through him. After a few seconds, the force released and David felt almost weightless, though still secured by the harness.


    The extreme speeds of the capsule could cause intense discomfort and unpleasant nausea, so the transit system used centrifugal force to simulate motionless for the passengers in the capsule.


    Sure enough, the blinking red circle indicating David¡¯s capsule location slid across the designated transit route on the monitor. In less than a minute, David felt the force of gravity pushing into him again. Once again, lasting only for a few seconds, before it came to a stop.


    ¡°Welcome to Glenmont¡± a voice echoed through the monitor. ¡°The local time is 3:55 PM. Thank you for traveling via capsule.¡±


    The monitor flickered off as the harness extended outwards from David and then up into the top of the capsule. A door opened to his left, and David peered out at another elevator. Even though he couldn¡¯t tell he had just been soaring underneath the landscape of eastern New York at 3,000 miles per hour, his body could. He was a bit dizzy and noticed as he stepped out of the capsule that he was stumbling to the left, for some reason. He stumbled into the elevator, the door closing behind him. As it closed, David noticed a black dot in the center of the wall in the elevator. A narration spoke in the elevator, ¡°If you are finding yourself dizzy or nauseous, simply stare at the black dot located on the wall as the elevator takes you to the capsule station above.¡±


    David slouched against the wall of the elevator and peered at the dot on the other side. His eyes seemed to adjust as he stared at this simple dot on the wall until the elevator came to a stop and the door opened. He stepped out of the elevator door and noticed that sure enough, the dizziness was completely gone. He pulled out his cell phone and checked the time: 3:56 PM.


    He dashed through the capsule station as fast as he could, doing his best to dodge around others as they hurried throughout the capsule station themselves. He quickly ran outside of the station and was greeted by a large sign that read ¡®Hydra Clinic - 2 Blocks This Way¡¯, with an arrow pointing to the east. He continued to sprint down the street in the direction the sign was pointing.


    David approached the steps that led up to the Hydra clinic and for the first time in two blocks slowed down as he climbed the steps and opened the door. He walked inside and noticed the clinic was unusually more crowded today. The lobby of the clinic was separated into two separate sections: an isolated area for those that were seeking an emergency visit based on escalated symptoms, and those that were there for their scheduled exam. David entered the area designated for scheduled exams and approached the check-in counter.


    ¡°Hello!¡± a middle-aged woman greeted him. ¡°Are you here for a scheduled Hydra exam?¡±


    David nodded. ¡°Yes, I am. David Anderson. My Hydra exam is scheduled for four o¡¯clock.¡±


    The woman turned away and looked at a clock on the wall behind her. ¡°Right on time!¡± she told him before standing up from the check-in counter and grabbing some paperwork off the table beside her. ¡°Has any of your information changed in the last six months since your previous exam?¡±


    David shook his head. ¡°Nope. Been a pretty normal six months other than my head occasionally feeling like it¡¯s being stepped on by an elephant.¡±


    The woman looked at him and forced a smile. ¡°Heh. Alright David, go ahead and have a seat. As you can see we¡¯re a bit busy at the moment but it shouldn¡¯t be too long before we can get you checked out.¡±


    David nodded in agreement and walked towards and empty chair in the corner. David took note that a majority of those currently in the waiting room were in the emergency area. David pulled out his cell phone. No missed texts or calls. He opened up his texting application and started a text to Drex.


    ¡®Just barely made it in time for my exam.


    Sorry again about having to bounce unexpectedly...you know how it goes.


    Anyone downed Kalyxius yet?¡¯


    A moment later his cell phone vibrated in his hand. He looked down at a new text from Drex.


    ¡®All good bro...and not yet.


    Doesn¡¯t look like Hiro and Villen are online right now.


    Hurry up and get back so we can world 1st this bitch lol j/k¡¯


    David grinned as he read the text from Drex. Even though they had never passed Hiro and Villen on the leaderboard, being the first duo to kill Kalyxius would have been huge for him and Drex. Not only would they get a boost on the leaderboard, but most of the community agreed that Kalyxius was without a doubt the hardest encounter yet. Many players begged that the encounter be nerfed or made easier, but the developers declined to do so until she had been defeated at least once in her current state. Moirai Technologies had also placed a 100,000 credit ¡®bounty¡¯ on the head of Kalyxius, to be split evenly between the duo that was the first to take her down. 50,000 credits would be a big deal to David in his current financial situation.


    Twenty minutes or so passed by as David continued texting potential strategies for the Kalyxius encounter back and forth with Drex. Finally, a woman emerged from the door beside the check-in counter.


    ¡°David Anderson?¡± she asked, looking around the waiting room at everyone before making eye contact with David. He stood from the chair in the corner of the room. ¡°Right this way,¡± she said.


    David followed the woman back into a small room that was used to weigh and measure the height of the patients. After recording the information, she spoke. ¡°Six feet and one inch, one hundred and sixty pounds. That¡¯s down seven pounds since your last examination. Any lifestyle changes this could be attributed to?¡±


    David pondered the question for a moment. He hadn¡¯t necessarily noticed the weight loss before now, but thinking back it certainly seemed accurate. David used to have a bit of muscle but in the past couple of months noticed less tone throughout his body when getting in and out of the shower.


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± he said. ¡°The headaches brought on by every Hydra attack seems to be a little stronger than usual, and as such I may not be eating as much on the days it hits me. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve probably been using my Hermes more often than usual in recent months as well.¡±


    ¡°Extended periods of no activity can certainly cause loss of muscle mass,¡± she said, still looking through his medical history. ¡°We¡¯ll take a look at everything though, just to make sure. Either way, you should certainly make an effort to take breaks from the Hermes and do some routine exercising. Let¡¯s go on back to your examination room.¡±


    David smirked. Exercise? Yeah right, he thought.


    The woman walked out of the room and David followed. They walked down the hall and into a larger room labeled ¡®Examination Room 3¡¯. Once inside, she closed the door behind them.


    ¡°This is clearly nothing new to you, but do you have any questions regarding your examination today?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Do you still have to do the damn tap?¡± David asked her.


    She let out a snicker, nodding her head. ¡°Unfortunately so. It¡¯s a crucial part of the examination, really. It¡¯s the best way to determine with accurate precision the stage of Hydra throughout your body.¡±


    David hated that part. Even though technology and pain relief medication had come a long way, having a large needle extract fluid from your spinal canal was still not pleasant.


    David let out a small sigh and nodded in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s get that over with then.¡±


    The woman opened the door and walked out for a brief moment before returning with another nurse. ¡°Anastasia here is going to do the lumbar puncture, also known as the spinal tap.¡±


    ¡°Hello David,¡± Anastasia said while putting on latex gloves and opening up a large kit she had brought in with her. ¡°As usual I¡¯ll be injecting a local anesthetic before the tap. We got a new form of anesthetic in the last three months so if you haven¡¯t been in for any reason in that timeframe, you¡¯ll be happy to know the response time and pain nullification is even better than your last visit.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Sounds like Christmas came early,¡± David said.


    Anastasia laughed as she walked over behind David and lifted his shirt revealing his lower back area.


    ¡°Just a pinch,¡± she said before injecting him with the anesthetic.


    Sure enough, there was just a pinch, but a second later nothing at all.


    ¡°Wow,¡± David said. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± He looked over at Anastasia has she retrieved the large needle from her kit. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s just a pinch.¡±


    She giggled and turned to him. ¡°Without anesthetic, you¡¯re exactly right. But with it, this will probably hurt less than that pinch.¡±


    She procured a small tool from her pocket and used it to poke the area of David¡¯s lower back.


    ¡°Do you feel that at all?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Feel what?¡± responded David.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± she said. A moment later she began inserting the large needle into David¡¯s spinal canal. The vial on the needle quickly filled with a cloudy yellow liquid. Before Incursion Day, a normal spinal tap would be mostly clear in color. A cloudy yellow color often indicated a form of infection. Now, however, cloudy yellow was the unfortunate normalcy.


    A few moments later Anastasia removed the needle from his back and began placing a large square bandage coated with healing gel on it. ¡°All done!¡± she said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad, huh?¡±


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t, David thought. ¡°No, not at all,¡± he said. He remembered having a headache, an aching back, and feeling lightheaded after the tap from his last exam. That wasn¡¯t the case, this time.


    Anastasia thanked David for his cooperation and walked out of the room with his spinal fluid.


    ¡°Anastasia will run the quick tests on your fluids while we take the body scans,¡± the other nurse told him.


    In the room was a large cylindrical machine with a glass window facing the exam room. As part of the exam, patients were required to step into the machine as it rotated around them as a series of non-invasive lasers and frequency rays bounced through the patient to create an image of their internal systems.


    ¡°Of course,¡± David said as he slowly walked towards the machine.


    The woman walked over to a computer terminal next to the machine and began typing. A few seconds later a door opened on the side of the machine.


    ¡°Go ahead in whenever you¡¯re ready, David.¡± she said.


    David climbed into the large metal cylinder and looked out the window at the nurse. She began typing on the terminal again and then looked up at David.


    ¡°Just like last time,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll take a scan, rotate the scanners a little, and take another scan. We usually take about a dozen scans to get every angle of your body as possible to build an accurate depiction of what¡¯s going on inside.¡±


    David peered out of the window and nodded. The nurse pressed a button on the side of the machine and an inner layer of the cylinder began to rotate turn before coming to a stop behind David. She pressed another button and a series of small lights lit up on the part that was just moving inside the cylinder. David heard what sounded like a series of high frequency buzzing sounds before the lights went off. The nurse pressed the first button again causing the inner layer to rotate again before stopping at a different angle behind David. This continued ten more times as the machine scanned every angle of David¡¯s body.


    When it was done, the nurse began typing on the terminal again, causing the door to the machine to open up. ¡°All done, David!¡± the nurse said. ¡°A Hydra Specialist Doctor is looking at that body scan already and should have the results in no time.¡±


    David climbed out of the machine and walked towards the middle of the room before pulling himself up on the medical bed and sitting down on it. He couldn¡¯t help but think just how routine this process was. It shouldn¡¯t be routine, should it?


    As David sat there, pondering the current state of the world in terms of its Hydra exams, a bright red phone on the wall began to ring, startling both David and the nurse. She walked over to the phone and picked it up off its receiver.


    David sat awkwardly on the table as the nurse talked on the phone.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±she said, looking at David. ¡°I see. Alright. I understand...Okay, I¡¯ll let him know.¡±


    She hung up the phone and turned to David. ¡°Err--that was the doctor. He¡¯ll be here in just a moment to talk to you. About your results. Thanks, David. Just stay there,¡± she said before quickly dashing out the door.


    David could have sworn he¡¯d heard a locking sound, but why in the hell would she have locked the door? He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time. 4:41 PM. ¡°Damn,¡± he said aloud. ¡°By the time I get home it will be six o¡¯clock or so. Can¡¯t really afford to waste credits on a capsule again. Drex is going to be pissed.¡±


    He opened up the texting app and sent a text to Drex.


    ¡®Hey dude, literally just finished the exam.


    Waiting on the results.


    Shouldn¡¯tbe too much longer.


    If you¡¯re still down to spank Kalyxius I¡¯ll be online right after I eat some dinner.


    Docs say I need to eat more or stop using the Hermes.¡¯


    A few seconds later his cell phone vibrated as he received a new message from Drex.


    ¡®Lol yeah right, like that¡¯s going to happen.


    All good man, I¡¯m down!


    Shoot me a text if I¡¯m not online when you get on, but I should be.


    Doing Tairo runs with Kev atm lol.¡¯


    Kev, short for Kevin, was a friend of Drex¡¯s who just recently got a Hermes as well as Lands of Kaulm. This text alone was proof that Drex was a good friend because doing Tairo runs were long, boring, and would have been non-beneficial for Drex as his character¡¯s gear was far superior than anything Tairo would drop.


    David had placed his cell phone back in his pocket when he heard another clicking sound come from the door. The nurse HAD locked it, he thought. The door flew open, but neither his nurse nor his doctor walked in. Instead, three men walked in. Two were wearing full military gear, assault rifles in hand, and the third was an old man with a full white beard wearing a long lab coat. That man spoke.


    ¡°Hello David,¡± he said.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± David asked.


    ¡°I have good news David,¡± the man said. ¡°My name is Doctor Rufus Gailo. I¡¯m a chief doctor on Moirai Technologies¡¯ new stasis program. Are you familiar with it?¡±


    David thought back to the poster he saw in the elevator at the capsule stationand nodded his head slowly.


    ¡°I uhh--I¡¯ve heard of it, yes. Well, kinda. Saw an advertisement for it, but that¡¯s it,¡± David said. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your lab results and body scans have proved promising, David,¡± Doctor Rufus began explaining. ¡°Your body seems to entering a new stage in its battle with the Hydra disease. The public is not really aware of this, but in extremely rare cases the body seems to stop fighting the attacking Hydra disease, and, well, though this may sound strange...it seems to try and reason with it.¡±


    What?! Reason with a disease?! Surely this old man was crazy.


    ¡°Why have I never heard of this before?¡± David asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Doctor Rufus started, ¡°there lies the problem. In most cases, the patient whose body is attempting to reason with the disease ends up overworking itself and causing a sort of ¡®overheating¡¯ of their central nervous system. The only cases in which this hasn¡¯t happened are the patients who have entered our stasis program until we can further understand this new relationship our bodies can create with the Hydra disease.¡±


    David was focused on listening intently to the doctor and did not realize the nurse from earlier had come back into the room, and just injected something into his arm.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± David asked angrily as he stood up from the medical bed and jumped backward.


    ¡°We have no way of knowing how far along the process is, David,¡± Doctor Rufus said. ¡°The nurse just gave you a temporary neutralizing agent that will prevent your nervous system from overheating while we transfer you to the stasis center.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± David argued. ¡°When did--did I--when did I agree¡­¡±


    David¡¯s vision began to blur and his mind felt as though it was clouding. He struggled to form words before completely blacking out and collapsing to the floor.


    .oOo.


    When he awoke he was being rolled down a hallway on a medical bed on wheels. His head still felt cloudy and he couldn¡¯t seem to move a muscle. Not only could he not lift his arm to pull himself up, when he went to speak his mouth just wouldn¡¯t move.


    After a moment or two of going through door after door that led to another hallway, he saw a set of large double doors with a sign above them that read ¡®STASIS CHAMBERS¡¯. He heard a buzzing noise followed by a click, and the double doors swung open and he continued rolling forward on the bed before coming to a complete stop.


    Several men wearing lab coats and surgical masks lifted him up out of the bed and carried him across the room. They placed him down in a bath-like contraption that looked like a futuristic tanning bed without the top half. He instantly felt the feeling of cold water hit the entire backside of his body.


    ¡°Am I--naked?¡± David thought to himself. Not that he could say it out loud, even if he wanted to. A few seconds later a glass panel slid down from above David¡¯s peripheral vision as if it was sealing him inside the contraption. A man walked in front of David¡¯s view and leaned down, peering inside the glass panel. It was Doctor Rufus.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, for this David,¡± he said. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to let you die. You may very well be the cure to saving us all, you know.¡±


    There was a beeping sound and Doctor Rufus grabbed a pager that was clipped to his side.


    ¡°Who the hell still uses a pager?¡± David thought. ¡°THIS guy is the real victim, here.¡±


    Doctor Rufus checked the pager before turning his gaze back to David. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not the only special one today,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when you wake up!¡±


    As Doctor Rufus walked away David could feel the cold water under him began to bubble as a heavy frosty white mist began to fill the chamber he was in.


    David knew that in that very moment he was supposed to feel pissed. And he certainly was. But more so, he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. Guilty about the fact that because of him, Drex would be waiting up tonight with hopes of them killing Kalyxius and gaining the fame and small fortune that came with it. That would never happen now, he thought. Not with him at least.


    David began to felt incredibly sleepy as the tremendous feeling of guilt washed over him. But then, the guilt was replaced with a different feeling; The feeling of pain as what felt like a large needle slammed into the back of his head.


    And, once again, David blacked out.

 Chapter 3 - Alive

    Chapter 3 - Alive


    Moirai Technologies researcher Sarah Collins sat back comfortable in her computer chair, rubbing her left temple.


    ¡°It makes absolutely no sense¡­¡± she said quietly. She sat for a moment, before looking up at her computer screen to check the time. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock? Where has the day gone?¡±


    She quickly saved the report she was typing up on her computer, titled ¡®Visible Triggers of the Hydra Evolution - None¡¯. She powered down her computer before standing and opening a drawer on her computer desk. She reached in and retrieved her cell phone, which indicated had a missed call.


    ¡®MISSED CALL - DAPPER DAVID (1) - 3:41 PM¡¯


    She giggled as she read the notification. A few nights ago she and David had met at his place to watch a classic psychological science fiction horror movie named ¡®Donnie Darko¡¯. When she his house later that night she got a call on her home phone from David, informing her she left her cell phone at his house. She realized this was the first time she had heard from him since that night, and couldn¡¯t help but find amusement in the fact that he had apparently changed his contact name from DAVID to DAPPER DAVID.


    She clicked the button on her cell phone to return the call, but it immediately went to David¡¯s voicemail.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached David. I have literally no clue what I could be doing that is preventing me from answering this call, but whatever it is I¡¯m doing it. Or my phone died. Leave a message.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for it to go straight to voicemail when calling David. He always forgot to charge his phone, it would often die on him without realizing it. Sarah figured it best to leave him a voicemail though.


    ¡°Hey there DAPPER DAVID,¡± she started, giggling. ¡°Not sure what you need earlier but it was a super busy day and I lost track of time. You know how it goes. Or do you? Anyway, I¡¯m leaving for the night so call me back whenever you recharge your phone lazy bones. Love ya.¡±


    Sarah walked across her office and collected her coat and bag from a table and dropped her phone inside her bag. She put on her coat and flicked the light switch to off before heading out.


    As she exited her office she noticed three security guards standing in front of the elevators. One of the guards noticed her and began to speak.


    ¡°Hey Ms. Collins,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry but I got some bad news. The whole research division is on lockdown for two weeks. The kitchen has been fully stocked and the dorm rooms prepared for an extended stay.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± asked Sarah. ¡°Lockdown, why? And two weeks? That¡¯s absurd. I actually have very important matters to attend to tonight.¡±


    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t have that information, Ms. Collins. And as you are well aware, your contract with Moirai Technologies has a clause for this specific situation which you willfully agreed to.¡±


    Realizing the truth in his statements, Sarah nodded in affirmation to the guards and turned to return to her office.


    ¡°They might not know what¡¯s going on,¡± Sarah thought to herself, ¡°but someone certainly does.¡±


    .oOo.


    David slowly began to feel as though as we waking up. He tried to open his eyes, only to realize his eyes were already open. He had assumed his eyes were closed, because all he saw was darkness. After a few seconds he saw what looked like lines of white text in the very far distance.


    Translating to primary host language¡­


    Calculating realistic scenarios¡­


    Scanning memory and experience architecture¡­


    Integrating host anatomy and design¡­


    Loading Titans Online¡­


    Initiating Immersion.


    As the text faded away, a voice began to speak as blurry images materialized in front of him showing a beautiful and fantastical world.


    ¡°Hello, player David, and welcome to Titans Online. The world you see is your new home. Think of it as a new beginning. Your people call this world Elios and while it is certainly beautiful, it¡¯s also dangerous,¡± the voice said.


    ¡°My new home?¡± David thought to himself. ¡°Damnit, I¡¯m not actually awake. This is one HELL of a dream.¡±


    David began to recount the events that took place up to this point. Going to his Hydra exam, being drugged and taken to a Moirai Technologies facility, placed in a strange stasis chamber. And that incredibly painful feeling that shot into the back of his head.


    ¡°If Moirai Technologies was actually telling me the truth, this must be a potential side effect...a deep sleep dream of sorts. Usually, when I realize I¡¯m dreaming, I wake up,¡± David thought. Before he could continue pondering the situation further, the image of the world in front of his eyes faded away and the image he saw was a human body, wearing only tattered rags for clothing.


    ¡°Is that--that¡¯s me!¡± David exclaimed, realizing the body he saw was his own. Of course, this creeped him out as it seemed as though he was viewing himself from a third person perspective.


    The voice continued, ¡°It is now time to decide your lifestyle, David. Titans Online is unlike any game you may have played before. Seeing as this is your new home, you must choose not only a combat class, but a job as well. The amount of choices for both may seem a bit overwhelming, but the plethora of options is crucial to giving you and your people the freedom of creating a world as you see fit. Furthermore, additional classes and jobs may become available to you as the world and your own personal endeavors progress.¡±


    ¡°Me and my people?¡± David thought. ¡°This dream is turning strange really quick.¡±


    Suddenly an interface phased in around the model of himself.


    NAME: David


    AGE: 20


    SPECIES: Human


    CLASS: Undecided


    JOB: Undecided


    FACTION: None


    GUILD: None


    David stared at the interface for a moment before deciding to try and interact with it the same way he would in a VR game on the Hermes; using his hands.


    He noticed the fields labeled Name, Age, Species, Faction and Guild were grayed out, and trying to select them did nothing. He then selected the Class field and the model of himself updated to be wearing what looked like a type of leather armor. The interface changed to show details on what he assumed was the default class. A voice read over the text as it appeared in front of him.


    CLASS: Berserker


    Description: One of the original classes of Elios, Berserkers originated from the sheer will to destroy foes with great force. Berserkers start by wielding a heavy two- handed weapon, but as they gain expertise with their class unlock the strength to wield a heavy two-handed weapon in each hand. Their ability to do massive damage, however, is countered with their inability to negate and mitigate damage. Their proficiency in wearing light armor does provide some light damage absorption.


    David had always loved the idea of playing a class in a VR game that charged into battle with massive weapons and proceeded to just slash and smash through enemies, but his preferred play style and outright strengths when it came to roleplaying games seemed suited more towards ranged classes. David enjoyed making use of the ability to strategize a fight from afar and adapt accordingly based on what he saw.


    After looking at over fifteen class choices, David finally found one that piqued his interest.


    CLASS: Beastmaster


    Description: A newly found class to the world of Elios, Beastmaster¡¯s harness an innate ability to recruit the wildlife of the planet to join the Beastmaster in battle. While current Beastmaster¡¯s have only been able to tame smaller primitive creatures of Elios, many believe someone truly exceptional in the arts of beast mastery would be able to larger creatures that roam the lands and perhaps...even titan¡¯s themselves. A Beastmaster allows their companion¡¯s to do the up close fighting while they aid from a distance with their ranged weaponry.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± David thought. ¡°Tame a titan? That just SOUNDS cool. He looked at a couple more classes before backtracking to the Beastmaster. ¡°This sounds right up my alley.¡±


    He chose the Beastmaster as his class, then selected the Job field.


    David couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the enormous amount of jobs that were available.


    ¡°Damn. I wish I wasn¡¯t dreaming,¡± he said. ¡°An online RPG with this many options sounds insanely fun.¡±


    The possible job choices seemed endless: Alchemist, Woodsman, Explorer, Miner, Blacksmith, Herbalist, Armorsmith, Trader, Carpenter, Diplomat, Enchanter, Mason, Entertainer, Musician, Researcher, Artist, Entrepreneur, Innkeeper, Physician, Banker, Chef, Fisher, Astronomer.


    That was just a fraction of the choices. David originally hadn¡¯t noticed as he cycled through each possible job and glanced over their details, but under each job title was a series of stars ranging from one to five.


    As David continued looking through his job options, a particular job caught his eye. It was simply titled ¡®Leader¡¯, but had a gold glow around it which none of the other jobs seemed to have. Intrigued, he cycled over to it and read the description.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    JOB: Leader


    ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    Description: A true leader puts the care of his friends and allies before the care of himself. Their commanding presence and ability to lead others allows them to provide extremely useful buffs and perks to allies both in combat and out of combat. Leaders early in their job path may only be able to lead small parties of allies, but eventually they can lead large raid groups and even command armies to fight titan¡¯s and other threats. A successfully leader may even find themselves as King of their own kingdom some day.


    NOTE: This job is not available to everyone and has been unlocked for you specifically based on your initial scan. You are extremely qualified for this job as is depicted by the five star rating below the job title. Leader¡¯s are extremely rare in Titan¡¯s Online, so it¡¯s recommended that you do not share this knowledge to anyone other than those close to you until you have increased your level. After all, people may specifically target those who may someday challenge them.


    David reread the text one more time to fully understand what it was saying. Him? A leader? This essentially confirmed to him that he was currently dreaming. Leadership roles didn¡¯t typically present themselves to David. He had never been a leader in any format throughout his many jobs, and had not led a guild or even a raid group in any of the games he played.


    Despite what he believed to be inexperience as a leader, the thought of being a leader intrigued David. He thought it over carefully before choosing Leader as his job. He then saw a bright green button appear in the bottom right corner of the interface labeled ¡®FINALIZE¡¯.


    Text flashed in front of David as the interface and model of himself faded away.


    Character Profile Completed.


    Welcome to Titan¡¯s Online.


    It seemed as though the world began to materialize around him. First the bright blue sky with a large pink sun high in it. Followed were the large trees all around him. Last came the dark green grass below him.


    David opened his mouth and inhaled a huge amount of air into his lungs. It felt oddly fresh compared to what he was used to breathing. For a dream, this was as realistic as it got. He looked down and noticed that for the first time since he had been dreaming, he could see his arms and legs. He tried to lift his right arm and nearly scared himself when it actually moved into the air as was his goal.


    He began to stand up while taking in his surroundings. He was in an open glade in what looked to be a thick forest. He noticed at his feet was a small wooden shortbow, a small quiver filled with arrows, and a tattered brown loincloth. David looked down again and realized the intent of the loincloth.


    ¡°Aw hell!¡± he said angrily. ¡°I¡¯m naked!¡± He quickly picked up the objects at his feet and realized with each object he picked up, a notification box popped up in the bottom right corner of his vision and scrolled upwards before disappearing.


    You have obtained a Crude Wooden Shortbow.


    You have obtained a Small Quiver.


    You have obtained 12 x Crude Arrow.


    You have obtained a Rugged Loincloth.


    It as at this moment that David realized an unobtrusive interface that surrounded his vision. Various buttons were visible that all seemed incredibly useful: Character Profile, Inventory, Equipment, Class Info, Job Info, Quest Log, and a handful of other buttons that simply said ¡®Unavailable¡¯.


    He also noticed in the top left of his view was what appeared to be a three bars. He glanced over the three bars and read the small text beside them.


    Health Points: 14/14


    Energy: 5/5


    Experience: 0%


    ¡°Pretty standard by most roleplaying game standards,¡± David muttered to himself. ¡°Wait, fourteen health? That doesn¡¯t sound like a lot!¡±


    David remembered he was naked and decided dream or not, he should probably put that loincloth on. He wasn¡¯t quite sure exactly how it happened, but he just thought of browsing his inventory and sure enough his inventory window popped up. He looked at the slot holding the loincloth and it appeared in his hands along with a popup window.


    Rugged Loincloth


    Armor Type: Light


    Armor Slot: Legs


    Quality: Common


    Effects: +1 Armor


    Description: Pants. Well, sort of. More of just a cloth that covers your backside...and frontside.


    David wrapped the loincloth around his waist as a notification in the bottom right scrolled across the screen.


    You have equipped Rugged Loincloth.


    He reopened his inventory and looked over the other loot he had just picked up.


    Crude Wooden Shortbow


    Weapon Type: Ranged Bow


    Quality: Common


    Effects: +1 Damage on successful arrow hits.


    Description: Some would call this a shoddy bow. Others would call this a twig with a very thin twine wrapped around its ends.


    Small Quiver


    Accessory Type: Quiver


    Quality: Common


    Effects: Holds up to 20 low quality arrows.


    Description: A simple small quiver that gets the job done, which is holding some low quality arrows.


    Crude Arrow x 12


    Ammo Type: Ranged Bow


    Quality: Common


    Effects: +1 blunt damage on successful arrow hits.


    Description: A small twig with a small sharp rock attached to its end.


    David found the humor in how even in his dream game he had to start with the absolute worst equipment possible, which was common in the roleplaying games he played. He equipped everything


    You have equipped Crude Wooden Shortbow.


    You have equipped Small Quiver.


    You have placed Crude Arrow x 12 in your Small Quiver.


    Right after equipping the low quality equipment, a notification flashed in his view.


    You have obtained a quest: Learning the Ways


    As David read the name of the quest a window popped up revealing the details of the quest while also reading it aloud.


    Quest: Learning the Ways


    Description: A rabid small wolf has wandered nearby, and isn¡¯t looking to make friends. Use your newly found equipment to slay the rabid small wolf.


    As the quest dialogue finished, David heard a rustle in the woods behind him and quickly turned around. Sure enough, a small rabid wolf walked slowly out of the woods,showing its mangy teeth and dripping drool as he let out a low growl.


    David instinctively reached his hands behind his back, grabbing his newly acquired shortbow. He reached into the quiver and nocked an arrow and pointed it at the wolf while slowly backing up. David stared at the wolf, trying to anticipate its plan.


    The wolf lunged at David and he released the crude tension on his shortbow, firing the crude arrow at the wolf. The arrow struck the wolf the side of its head and then snapped in half. Though the arrow didn¡¯t pierce the wolf¡¯s skin, it did disorient it and cause the momentum of its lunging towards David to halt. David noticed a series of red text scroll above the wolf''s head.


    Small Rabid Wolf received 2 points of damage.


    As David reached for another arrow the wolf snapped forward at him, swiping his left arm that held the shortbow. It ripped open David¡¯s skin and a little bit of blood oozed out. He noticed the health points bar in the top left of his vision drop change from 14 to 12and then realized the scratch hurt like hell.


    ¡°Holy shit! That hurts, it burns!¡± David screamed at the wolf, looking as a little bit of blood continued to dribble out of his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never experienced pain in a dream,¡± David thought to himself. He assumed the stasis had created a dream state so deep that even pain could be felt. It didn¡¯t really make sense, but how else could he explain it?


    The wolf growled ferociously at David and he quickly decided he didn¡¯t have time to interpret what was actually going on, but told himself that dream or not what was happening felt so real that he didn¡¯t want to risk getting bit by the damn thing.


    He jumped backward while grabbing for another arrow and aiming it at the wolf¡¯s eye. He released and sent the arrow flying at it as it continued to growl. The crude arrow slammed into the eye of the wolf before bouncing to the ground below it. A bit of blood poured from its eye as it let out a loud whimper.


    Small Rabid Wolf received 4 points of damage.


    ¡°Well, that was better,¡± David said aloud.


    The wolf dashed in David¡¯s direction and he quickly tried to jump out of its way. Unfortunately for David he wasn¡¯t fast enough and the wolf¡¯s bit into the David¡¯s calf. Two large puncture holes appeared and blood began to seep out of them. David¡¯s health points bar dropped from 12 to 7 and David felt a surge of adrenaline surge through him.


    David turned towards the wolf and slammed the one end of it down onto the wolf while reaching for another arrow.


    Small Rabid Wolf received 2 points of damage.


    As David lifted the shortbow back up into the air he placed the arrow into position, aiming at the wolf¡¯s injured eye. He released the arrow quickly and watched as this arrow slammed into its eye and rip a couple of inches into the wolf¡¯s head. He wasn¡¯t sure if that arrow was somehow sharper than the rest, or if the wolf¡¯s eye was damaged from the previous attack, but he was happy to see it work. The rabid wolf instantly fell to the ground. A flutter of notifications filled David¡¯s vision.


    Small Rabid Wolf received 6 points of damage. You have killed the Small Rabid Wolf.


    You have gained three experience points.


    You have completed the quest Learning the Ways.


    David noticed his experience points bar had changed from 0% to 14%. ¡°Not too bad,¡± he thought to himself. He decided he wanted to open his his quest log to see if it indicated how to actually turn it in, when he heard a loud wailing noise.


    David turned to see another wolf, but instead was saw a humanoid looking creature stumble from the woods and fall to the ground face first. Though the creature looked humanoid in appearance--two long legs, two feet, two arms, two hands--David realized its skin was light blue and even a little translucent.


    David was intrigued by the creature that lay before him, so he walked over to it slowly.


    ¡°Uhh, hello? Are you okay? Sir? Err--thing?¡± he called to it quietly.


    When David reached the body of the creature, he reached down to try and roll it over. Doing so revealed that the head on the creature had three narrow indentations into the top of its head that almost looked like gills on a fish. As David touched the creature to turn it over it let out a loud wail and a vision appeared in David¡¯s view.


    David saw what looked to be hundreds of creatures much like the one he had just touched. They were underwater and appeared to be swimming around with each other. It looked as though they were playing a game. Some of them were the same size as the creature he just saw--probably adults--while others were smaller and looked to be children. The vision faded out as another one filled his view.


    The creatures climbed out of the water onto a shore. The planet in this vision was lush with bright red plant life, and had plants and trees unlike anything David had ever seen. The creatures seemed shocked and excited that they were able to breathe successfully above the water and began jump and even seemingly dance in excitement. One of the younger looking creatures walked over to a bulbous red plant and grabbed it. The plant exploded, blowing off the arm of the creature. All of the creatures panicked and wailed as they grabbed the young one and then quickly ran and jumped back into the water. Once again the vision faded out and another filled David¡¯s view.


    This vision seemed to be much later than the events he had seen so far. There were now tens of thousands--maybe even more--of the creatures underwater. Not only were there many more creatures than before, but they had large underwater homes and structures that they swam back and forth between. David wasn¡¯t sure how to explain it, but they no longer looked happy. Rather than dancing and playing, they were cruel to each other. They arguedand even appeared to get into physical altercations. The vision faded out andthe final one entered David¡¯s view.


    What looked to be explosions rippled in the distance as destroyed underwater homes and thousands and thousands of body parts from the creatures filled his vision. As David began to realize what had happened a bright red bulbous plant seemed to sink into the water from above and exploded right in David¡¯s view, ending the vision.


    As David seemed to snap out of the vision, he quickly let go of the creature that was lying on the ground in front of him. He couldn¡¯t explain it, but he felt disgusted...angry...and most of all, scared. He took off running through the woods from the creature as a mix of emotions engulfed him. He could¡¯ve sworn he felt a tear stream down his cheek as he ran through the forest. What did he just see? Why did it feel so real to him. So personal, even?


    As David ran through the woods, not really knowing why he felt this way or why he was running, he didn¡¯t see that he had approached a cliffside. As he realized he tried to stop but it was too late and David began to fall. The ground was at least thirty feet below him, now. For a second, he thought, ¡°At least I¡¯ll wake up from this dream. You can¡¯t die in your dreams, right?¡± But as he fell, he realized everything about this dream seemed very very real. He quickly felt a rush of panic as the ground rapidly approached from below him.


    He slammed into the ground as the bones inside both of his legs snapped and jutted outwards through his skin.

 Chapter 4 - Turmoil

    Chapter Four - Turmoil


    David wailed as he laid on the ground in excruciating pain. In the bottom right corner of his view was what looked to be an icon symbolizing a broken limb, and when he focused on it a tooltip hovered above it that simply read ¡®You have broken both of your legs. You cannot walk.¡¯ In the top left corner of his view he could see his health points bar flashing.


    Health Points: 1/14


    He grimaced in pain as he attempted to move his legs. The pain intensified tenfold as it shot up through the rest of his body.


    ¡°Nope, not happening,¡± he muttered in pain. ¡°How am I still dreaming? What sort of game, VR or not, breaks your legs from a fall rather than killing you?¡±


    David pondered the question for a moment before he began to realize the reality of the situation. He wasn¡¯t dreaming. This pain he felt was as real as anything he had ever felt before. So if he wasn¡¯t dreaming...where was he?


    A rustling in the woods caught David¡¯s attention, and as he turned his head in its direction a voice called out.


    ¡°Darius!¡± the voice shouted. ¡°Quickly, I see someone! He looks severely injured!¡±


    David¡¯s realized in this moment that his vision bad become extremely blurry--most likely due to the pain of the injury, he thought--as he tried to make out the figure from which the shouting came. As the figure approached him a tall and slender woman with blonde hair began to form in David¡¯s view.


    She glanced over David¡¯s injuries before shouting once again.


    ¡°His legs! It looks like he fell from the nearby cliff. I¡¯m going to try and cure him!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Cure me?¡± David muttered inaudibly.


    The woman grabbed a small wooden staff from her side and held it in her right hand while place her left hand just above David¡¯s broken legs. She looked down at the ground and seemed to be saying some sort of chant, none of which made sense to David. After a brief moment, David felt what could only be described as an intense warmth wash over him. It started with his face and spread down through his torso, and finally into his legs. As the warmth reached his legs it felt as though his pain started to subside, making way for the new warmth. David realized this and looked up at the woman. David noticed his health bar stop flashing and quickly increase in number.


    Health Points: 14/14


    ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± David said to the woman.


    She looked at David with a smile, but it quickly became somewhat of a frown.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet¡­¡± she said. ¡°I think you broke them. Both of them, in fact. Not much even my magic can do for broken bones. There¡¯s a doctor in Lionhaven town who can probably fix you right up, and an alchemist whose potions can help speed up the recovery. Unfortunately I don¡¯t really have the mana or mana regeneration to keep this cure spell on you, and once it expires the pain will surely return.¡±


    David frowned. ¡°Cure? Lionhaven? Where am I?¡± David asked her.


    Before she could answer a man¡¯s voice echoed from behind her.


    ¡°Ahh, you must be a newbie. Welcome to Elios, your new world.¡± the man said cheerfully.


    David noticed the man was now standing beside the woman, and had extended his hand towards him. The man was tall and bulky, clad in full heavy armor. He had a full thick beard that matched his long black hair. David slowly reached out his hand and shook the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°My name is Darius. This fine healer here is Tahli.¡± he said, pointing to the woman.


    David looked at them both and smiled. He hadn¡¯t realized it before, most likely because he was more worried about the agonizing pain he was in, but both of them had text above their heads.


    Darius


    <Citizen of Lionhaven>


    Level 22


    Tahli


    <Citizen of Lionhaven>


    Level 19


    ¡°My name is David,¡± he said. ¡°Can someone tell me what in the hell is going on?¡±


    Tahli giggled and Darius bellowed a hearty chuckle.


    ¡°Let me guess, you think--or at least thought, you were dreaming?¡± Darius asked. ¡°We¡¯ve both been in the same exact situation you have. I¡¯m never sure how exactly how to say this, but I will do my best. This is no dream. This is your new world now. Trust me, I know that¡¯s hard to believe, but it¡¯s the truth. We were all...chosen...by Moirai Technologies to be placed in a deep sleep via their stasis program. And, more importantly, we all opened our eyes to this new world.¡±


    David tried to process what Darius was saying, but still had a bit of lingering doubt. How could he wake up in a new world? And why did this new world seem like a VR game?


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to help you make sense of it all, but for now we should get you to a doctor. It¡¯s only about an hour to Lionhaven from here, but it may be tough to carry you if you¡¯re flailing about in pain.¡± Darius said.


    David felt himself turn red as he looked down at his broken legs and frowned.


    ¡°Oh, no shade intended there.¡± Darius chuckled. ¡°Anyone would be flailing around in pain with two broken legs.¡±


    Darius looked at the cliffside from which David had fallen from.


    ¡°Hell, I¡¯m surprised you survived that fall¡­¡± he said softly.


    Darius pulled a small knapsack from his belt and began to rummage through it. He pulled out a small vial full of a thick dark green liquid.


    ¡°This is a concoction created by an alchemist back in Lionhaven. It¡¯s essentially a heavy sleeping agent that should help you rest through the pain. It should last long enough for us to get you back to Lionhaven and have the doctor check you out.¡±


    Darius reached out in David¡¯s direction with the vial still in hand. A window popped up in David¡¯s view.


    Darius has initiated the following trade:


    You will receive: 1 x Shawn¡¯s Heavy Sleeping Agent.


    You will give: Nothing.


    David accepted the trade and received a new notification.


    You have obtained 1 x Shawn¡¯s Heavy Sleeping Agent.


    ¡°Its effect happens pretty quickly, ¡° Darius continued. ¡°But when you wake up, you should be feeling as good as new.¡±


    Tahli continued where Darius left off. ¡°And then we can fill you in on how this world works. It¡¯s pretty important to know that sort of stuff, especially when you consider this is your new home.¡± Tahli giggled as she nodded at David.


    David began to feel the warmth of Tahli¡¯s Cure spell start to wear off. The excruciating pain in his legs shot through the entirety of his body. He quickly opened his inventory window and found the newly obtained potion.


    Shawn¡¯s Heavy Sleeping Agent


    Consumable


    Crafted by Alchemist Shawn


    Effects: Inflicts ¡®Deep Sleep¡¯ on consumer.


    Description: This thick green liquid has the right ingredients to quickly put the person who drinks it into a deep sleep.


    David selected the potion in his inventory and it appeared in his hands. He swiftly moved it to his lips and consumed the entirety of the liquid.


    ¡°See you soon!¡± Tahli said excitedly.


    Within a few seconds David noticed his surroundings becoming blurry as his mind began to feel hazy, before falling into a deep sleep.


    .oOo.


    David woke to the sound of someone calling his name. He slowly opened his heavy eyelids and saw Tahli standing above him.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± she asked him.


    David yawned and stretched his arms. He realized the icon previous in the bottom right corner of his view that symbolized he had broken his legs was no longer there. He looked down at his legs and attempted to move them. They moved effortlessly, as if he had not just fallen off a towering cliffside.


    ¡°Oh thank god,¡± David said softly.


    He looked around and realized he was laying on a frail wooden makeshift bed. Much to David¡¯s surprise, he wasn¡¯t in a bedroom in some house or a type of hospital or anything, but rather a damp and empty cave. He looked up at Tahli and realized the text above her head had changed.


    Tahli


    Level 19


    ¡°Umm...Tahli, right?¡± David asked. Tahli nodded and David continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have some sort of title or the like when we were back in the woods? Citizen of something or another?¡±


    Tahli frowned as she continued to nod.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°Not anymore though.¡±


    Before she could continue, a voice echoed from the other side of the cave. David recognized the voice as Darius.


    ¡°Is he awake? We must get going, Tahli.¡± Darius echoed.


    Darius now stood beside Tahli and looked down at David.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking much better, friend.¡± Darius said. ¡°Should be as good as new. We¡¯re in a bit of a pickle here and have to be heading out right away. You good to travel?¡±


    David noticed both Darius and Tahli appeared to be disgruntled, anxious, and may even a little afraid.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± David asked as he attempted to slide his legs off the makeshift bed and stand up. He was pleasantly surprised that there was literally no pain in his legs. It was if the injury had never occurred. He hesitantly stood up and heaved a sigh of relief when his legs held the weight of his body with ease.


    Darius shook his head.


    ¡°Afraid not.¡± Darius responded. ¡°You were asleep for about eight hours, and a lot happened in that time. Not long after we got you to the doc¡¯s house back in Lionhaven, a notice popped up that the king of Lionhaven, Alex, had been killed. King Alex had been the king of Lionhaven for years. He had been responsible for building Lionhaven from nothing and keeping us all safe since we ended up here. A few disagreed with his recent decree that restricted us all to the low level zones in the area around Lionhaven, but it really was for the safety of us all.¡±


    David noticed that Darius no longer had his Citizen of Lionhaven title under his name either. Suddenly a notification popped up in his view.


    Darius has invited you to join his party.


    David acceptrf the invitation request from Darius and watched as a handful of small boxes displaying health and energy appeared in the bottom left corner of his vision. He was expecting to see just two boxes--one for each Darius and Tahli--but instead saw a total of five boxes pop up. He also noticed that both Darius and Tahli now had a health bar above each of them, both currently full and with a small 100% text indicator beside them.


    Tahli continued explaining the situation, picking up where Darius left off.


    ¡°We instinctively assumed King Alex was out fighting in a war or challenging a deadly raid boss at the time of his death, but we quickly learned that he was actually in Lionhaven all day. Lionhaven is a safety zone which means no one can be hurt or killed while within its borders, but the fact that he was there all day then suddenly died leads us to believe he was assassinated by someone close to him that lured him outside of the kingdom¡¯s safety zone. Assuming the worst, we grabbed you and fled the kingdom as soon as the doctor was done fixing you up.¡±


    Darius seemed to pull a map out of his inventory and begin inspecting it. He looked at it curiously for a moment, before putting it back into this inventory. He looked at David and smirked.


    ¡°This cave were currently in--it¡¯s located in one of Lionhaven¡¯s four controlled zones, meaning it would be very easy for them to find us. If we head west we will reach the Weeping Woods, and through there will we be outside of Lionhaven¡¯s territory. Then, we can work on finding an ideal location to start building a kingdom of our own.¡±


    David was overwhelmed by everything that had happened recently; being placed into stasis, waking up into what seemed like a game, the visions when he touched the strange creature. But despite all of this, the gamer inside of him couldn¡¯t help but be intrigued by the thought of being part of building a kingdom. While MMORPG¡¯s were always his genre of choice, he also enjoyed playing simulation games that allowed you to build your own cities and even armies.


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Darius asked David. ¡°On Elios? In Titans Online?¡±


    ¡°Maybe fifteen minutes before you guys found me flailing around on the ground,¡± David responded.


    Darius let out a chuckle that echoed in the small cave. ¡°Speaking of which, I have to ask. I know being placed into a stasis chamber and waking up in what seems like a game world is very confusing, but how in the hell did you manage to fall off a cliff?¡±


    Tahli did her best to keep from laughing, but failed horribly. She looked at David inquisitively as if saying, ¡®Yeah, how did you?¡¯.


    He wasn¡¯t quite sure how to answer that question, but he did his best.


    ¡°I had just finished what I assume to the game¡¯s tutorial system. I fought a wolf in a glade, and upon defeating it heard a loud shriek. A humanoid looking creature with somewhat translucent blue skin and what looked like gills on his head stumbled out of the woods and fell to the ground.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, sounds like a Shale. A humanoid NPC faction that lives in the water. They don¡¯t normally come out of their settlements in the water, though. I wonder why it was in the woods?¡± Darius interrupted.


    David remembered his vision of seeing these creatures thriving in an underwater civilization before reaching their doom. He remembered how real the vision felt.


    ¡°I touched the...Shale...to try and see if it was still alive, and when I did I had these sort of...I don¡¯t know, visions?¡± David continued. ¡°I saw a bunch of these creatures living underwater, followed by more visions showing them being destroyed.¡±


    Darius and Tahli looked at each other before turning back to David.


    ¡°I uhh...I wouldn¡¯t tell anyone else about that,¡± Darius said. ¡°This is a strange world as it is, and that sort of information may paint a target on your back to other people.¡±


    ¡°Paint a target on my back?¡± David asked. ¡°Does this game have some sort of PVP system?¡±


    PVP, a popular gaming term, stood for player versus player. It meant that rather than only being able to attack and kill creatures and monsters in the game, you also had the option of doing battle against other players.


    Darius nodded. ¡°You could call it that. When a guild takes control of a zone, they are able to control the PVP status of that zone. There are several options when changing the PVP status of a zone. Safety Mode means there is absolutely no PVP allowed. Other options include immediately ¡°flagging¡± people for PVP as soon as the enter the zone, or giving players the individual option to flag themselves or not. The most popular choice, and how Lionhaven¡¯s zones are setup, is that anyone not in the guild that owns that zone are automatically flagged for PVP meaning members of the controlling guild and attack them on sight, while also choosing to stay safely out of PVP combat.¡±


    David loved how that PVP system sounded. While he typically stayed away from PVP, he enjoyed having the option if he wanted to dabble.


    ¡°That sounds like a great system, really. What are the rewards for winning in PVP and the penalties for losing in PVP?¡± David asked.


    Darius and Tahli looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before looking back at David.


    ¡°That¡¯s a tricky question...¡± Tahli whispered. ¡°Dying in this game, whether it¡¯s against a monster or another player, appears to be permanent. And, judging on the few deaths I¡¯ve witnessed, it¡¯s quite painful. That being said, it¡¯s almost as if this game world tries to motivate PVP. There are huge experience rewards and the slain player drops all the items he has equipped and in his inventory, including gold. This has led to rogue guilds dedicated entirely to ganking and killing other players.¡±


    David couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. Permadeath in an MMORPG? This was a practice typically reserved for extremely difficult single-player games, but it was unheard in an MMORPG. People invest a lot of time into their characters in MMORPG worlds, so the thought of having a character deleted was very unappealing.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty hardcore,¡± David said. ¡°What happens then? Do you have to make a new character?¡±


    Tahli began to quiver as she answered the question. ¡°We...don¡¯t know. Some assume you are given the option to create a new character, but no one has come across a new player that isn¡¯t playing their first character. People argue that perhaps the memory of previous characters is somehow ¡®wiped from our play history¡¯, so that we have no recollection of them. I think we can agree that¡¯s not a realistic scenario, though honestly it is probably the most appealing one. The other possibilities don¡¯t bode well for those that die.¡±


    David pondered Tahli¡¯s statements before realizing what she was trying to say. If players that died disappeared from the game completely, where did they go?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible those that die wake up from the stasis we were put in?¡± David questioned.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tahli responded. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s possible. But seeing as you just recently came to Elios, can you recall of anyone saying they had been in the stasis program, or experienced this world, or anything of the sort? Surely if someone was placed into stasis and woke up in this world, they¡¯d share their tale with the world when they woke up.¡±


    David realized in this moment exactly what Tahli was hinting at. Either players that died in the game also died in real life, or even if they did wake up it was possible Moirai Technologies silenced them. David had realized just how shady Moirai Technologies was when they forced him into this stasis program, so he wasn¡¯t placing this idea outside the realm of possibility.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± David started. ¡°That is super depressing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling us!¡± Darius chimed in. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for quite some time now. It¡¯s best you start seeing this world as your new reality, David. No matter what happens when we die here, it¡¯s safe to assume we¡¯re better off living. Besides, I saw your eyes perk up when I told you about some of the games features. If you are a gamer, you¡¯ll find no game better than this one.¡±


    David forced a smile as he nodded to Darius. Darius walked over to him and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to take in right now, but trust me, it gets better the longer you are here. We really have to get going, though.¡±


    Darius pointed to a small wooden box in the corner of the cave.


    ¡°I¡¯ve put some light armor pieces over there for you. Me and Tahli will head outside and give you a moment to equip them and attempt to take in everything. When you¡¯re ready head outside and we will introduce you to the rest of the group then head out.¡± he said.


    David thanked Darius and walked over towards the wooden box. Darius and Tahli opened the makeshift door on the cave and joined the others outside. David reached into the crate and picked up the several pieces of equipment that were inside.


    You have obtained Light Boar Hide Gloves.


    You have obtained Light Boar Hide Tunic.


    You have obtained Light Boar Hide Boots.


    You have obtained Light Boar Hide Pants.


    David quickly opened his inventory and inspected his newly found loot.


    Light Boar Hide Pants


    Armor Type: Light


    Armor Slot: Legs


    Quality: Common


    Crafted by Lorus.


    Effects: +3 Armor


    Description: A firmly snug pair of pants handcrafted from the hides of simple boars.


    Light Boar Hide Boots


    Armor Type: Light


    Armor Slot: Feet


    Quality: Common


    Crafted by Lorus.


    Effects: +2 Armor


    Description: A pair of leather boots made from the hides of a boar.


    Light Boar Hide Tunic


    Armor Type: Light


    Armor Slot: Chest


    Quality: Common


    Crafted by Lorus.


    Effects: +5 Armor


    Description: A fine piece of leather armor crafted out of boar hides.


    Light Boar Hide Gloves


    Armor Type: Light


    Armor Slot: Hands


    Quality: Common


    Crafted by Lorus.


    Effects: +2 Armor


    Description: A thin coat of leather gloves crafted of boar hides.


    David quickly equipped all of the leather armor pieces as three of the pieces were for armor slots in which he had nothing equipped, and the pants were a clear upgrade over the rugged loincloth he was currently wearing.


    You have unequipped Rugged Loincloth.


    You have equipped Light Boar Hide Pants.


    You have equipped Light Boar Hide Boots.


    You have equipped Light Boar Hide Tunic.


    You have equipped Light Boar Hide Gloves.


    David looked over his new armor. It wasn¡¯t the most appealing, but it was better than nothing. He opened his character status window to confirm he indeed now had an armor value of twelve. He also noticed small text under a field labeled Current Bonuses.


    You are currently faster on your feet due to a set bonus from a finely crafted set of boar hide gear. +5% Movement Speed.


    ¡°Hot damn!¡± accidentally shouted aloud. ¡°You can¡¯t argue with moving faster!¡±


    David looked in the bottom of the wooden box and noticed a small note at the bottom. When he picked it up a notification appeared on his screen.


    This is a private note left from DARIUS for DAVID. You are the recipient of this note so you can read it.


    He quickly read the note.


    ¡°Welcome again to Elios, David. While the doctor was fixing you up, we asked you your class and job, to which you responded Beastmaster and Leader. Thankfully, only me and the doc was in the room at the time. I can¡¯t stress this enough, but DO NOT tell anyone your job. Not yet, anyway. Especially after what just happened. People will single-handedly try and take you out to prevent future attempts to overthrow them, much like what happened in Lionhaven. If anyone asks, just tell them you¡¯re a trader. They have no true bonuses that you would be noticeable to the public eye until later levels. And dude, watch out for cliffs. When has fall damage ever been forgiving in an MMO?¡±


    David couldn¡¯t help but laugh as read the note. He deleted the message, seeing no reason to leave it there as he had already read it, and turned for the door. He hadn¡¯t realized it but he was excited for what the future held in this new world. He wasn¡¯t sure what exactly was going on, but it was exciting to him and worth going along for the ride.


    He opened the makeshift door to the cave and ran outside towards the group. He did so a whole five percent faster than he previously would have.