《Darkness: My Bitter Enemy》 Prologue Prologue - Mr Average It was just another boring day in the life of just another boring man. After all, nobody could ever question the fact that David was boring. At 25 years old, David had achieved little of note in his life. He graduated from college with three average A-level results. He went on to study at an average university, where he obtained an average degree in English language. All in all, his academic life could be accurately summarised in one simple world ¨C average. On top of this, David had few interests to speak of. There was a time when he loved video games, anime and books, and would spend hours each day immersed in these fantasy worlds, shutting himself off from reality for hours at a time. Perhaps it was these largely sedentary interests that led to David becoming the size he is today, with an immense 300lbs on his six foot 3 inch frame. Should you bring this up with him, David would simply offer a self-deprecating smile, and with the well used laughter lines around his dark brown eyes crinkling merrily, he would explain, ¡°I managed to lose around 30lbs, but I just can¡¯t seem to shift the rest of it.¡± The truth was, David cared little about his appearance. He was employed as an English teacher, and had been teaching in Japan. He knew that he needed to look presentable, and so he was normally well groomed, trimming his nails, shaving and going for haircuts on a regular basis. He also showered twice daily, a necessity in the humid climate that he had been living in. David plodded through life, living day after day in abject apathy, neither caring nor desiring to care about anything or anyone. It had been this way for years; David didn¡¯t blame anyone for the way he was. It was true that he had had something of an abusive adolescence. From the age of 13-23, his mother had found a man that made both of their lives miserable. Daily screaming matches that lasted for hours combined with violence against himself and his mother, as well as the destruction of household items on a regular basis, must surely have impacted his psyche to some degree, he supposed, but he did not blame it on anyone else. His mother suggested that he should talk to a professional about his problems, but David had no desire to do this. He was who he was, he didn¡¯t need pills and he damn sure didn¡¯t need some stranger¡¯s opinion of his life. The only remarkable thing about David was his intelligence. He received average grades in his academic life for one simple reason, he was lazy, and he would be the first to admit that. He had never studied for a test in his life. He did the bare minimum in any and all situations. Often, when he scored particularly highly in an exam, he would jokingly think to himself, ¡°I wonder how well I could have done if I actually put any work into that.¡± What the academic grades didn¡¯t even begin to hint at, were some of David¡¯s other skills. Perhaps as an unintended benefit of his apathy, due to his abject lack of emotion, David could analyse a situation objectively and find the easiest, solution to almost any problem. These kinds of ¡®problems¡¯ included other people. He had made a couple of friends throughout his life, but nobody that could be considered a close friend. Throughout his university life, he had been considered a loner, sitting by himself in lectures and never even contemplating the idea of attending any of the seemingly endless parties that were thrown week after week. He would attend classes, and then shut himself in his room, emerging only to use the bathroom, or shop for groceries. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. As an expert at reading other people, David was nevertheless unsure on how to read himself. His job in Japan had ended a few months earlier, so now at 25 years old David found himself back in England, living with his mother, not exactly the situation he would¡¯ve hoped to find himself in, if he¡¯d thought about his future life, while he was at university. He had no real interest in the future. While looking for a job, it seemed that the negative of any possible career jumped out at him instantly, and he couldn¡¯t really see any positives. But, of course, he would find something, and do the bare minimum to receive his paycheque each month. There was only one thing that David really wished. He wished that he had been born 2000 years earlier. He wished he had lived in a time when people could simply fight to see who was the strongest. When people could train and go on epic adventures together, to achieve something that truly mattered. He wished that he could achieve the thrill of battle, the joy of victory, the pain of defeat. He wished, above all, that he could cast off the shackles of a 21st century world. The laws, the rules and the regulations that governed every part of his life. The social expectations that hung like a noose around his neck. Little did David know, his wish was about to come true¡­ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you spot any mistakes with grammar, or any typos, or any coding mistakes, as I''m a total novice there, please feel free to let me know. I know this chapter was essentually just character building, but I think that''s important in a story, even moreso with the main character. Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¨C A Strange Meeting It was a rare, beautiful day in the North East of England. Birds chirped merrily in their trees, under which you might find young couples sitting side, by side, or talking softly to one another. Lakes gleamed invitingly in the sunshine, and the laughter of children could be heard throughout the town. However, if you were to search carefully, you would find there was one man with no interest in any of this. The man in question could be found in his room, curtains closed, lying on his bed, with his face glued to a laptop screen. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now¡±, muttered the man to himself. ¡°Come here you tricky little¡­SON OF A B**CH!¡± To any potential spectators this would be an amusing sight. A 25 year old man struggling with obesity, jiggling around in his bed with sweat pouring from his face as he screams at his computer screen. Sadly, for David, this was a typical Sunday afternoon. There are many names for people like David. You could call him a shut-in, an otaku, a NEET, and he was aware of all of these terms. However, he took no pride in what he was. He was not some paragon of geek culture, looking to brag about his love of computer games and anime. The reason he spent this time alone is that he is simply ashamed to go outside. He hears the whispers, sees the girls his age look at him and laugh, notes the pity on the face of those with kinder hearts and it hurts. IT FUCKIN¡¯ HURTS! ¡°Wait¡­? What is that¡­?¡± David thought to himself, ¡°This isn¡¯t like any pain I¡¯ve ever felt before. It feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest¡­uhhhh¡±. ¡°David, what¡¯s all that shouting about? David? What the hell are you doing in there? David?? Oh my god, David! What happened?! Hang in there, I¡¯m calling 999, David, can you hear me?! David?!¡± David¡¯s world faded into darkness. The shrill, panicked screams of his mother crying his name reverberated through his mind as he felt his consciousness slip away. Game over ¨C You lose! ¡°What the hell is this?¡± cried David as a message built from bright red letters suddenly appeared in the darkness. ¡°Sorry, just my little joke their dear,¡± replied an ancient caring voice. ¡°Who are you; where the hell am I?¡± screamed David, ¡°Show yourself.¡± ¡°Calm down dear, I¡¯m right here,¡± the voice replied patiently. With her words the blackness faded and David found himself standing on the summit of a small grassy hill. Right before his eyes, a shape started to take form, beginning with a shimmer in the air, and slowly forming the body of a small, elderly woman. ¡°Who are you?¡± David asked again. ¡°I suppose I am what you would call a god,¡± the woman replied, ¡°and as for where we are, well, it seemed a shame to spend such a beautiful day inside. You really should get out more, you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I was asking,¡± replied David. ¡°Where are we and what have you done to me?¡± he demanded. He tried to keep his voice from shaking. This was too weird. It had to be a dream, right? The last thing he remembered, there had been an awful pain in his chest. Had he passed out? That would make sense wouldn¡¯t it? Maybe this was some kind of weird fever dream? Hadn¡¯t he read on the internet that they seemed to be real while you were in them? This felt real, very real. He¡¯d even tried subtly pinching his leg through the pocket of his jeans while they spoke, and his leg still stung. ¡°Well, we¡¯re currently in a place of my imagining,¡± replied the woman, ¡°and as for what I did to you, well, that¡¯s quite simple. To put it in a way you would understand, I saved your life. You know, you¡¯ve spent almost every day of your adult life doing the same thing day after day. You work, you eat, you go on your computer and you sleep. What kind of life is that? ¡°Well I ¨C¡° stammered David in surprise. How could she know these things about him? ¡°Well, you need to taste life for what it really is. You need to see it as the wonderful, unique experience that it is, not drowning in self-pity, while self-medicating your depression with food. Look at what you¡¯ve done to yourself! What have you achieved? What have you accomplished?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Now, David had no delusions about who he was. But who the hell did this woman think she was? Was she just another part of his sub-conscious whom his own twisted mind had thought up to torment him more, even when he was unconscious? ¡°Am I really this much of a masochist?¡± David thought. ¡°Now dear, I¡¯m not a figment of your imagination you know. I can¡¯t just be in your mind, because I¡¯m afraid that for all intents and purposes, you are dead; so even if I wanted to be, there simply isn¡¯t enough of your brain left to accommodate me.¡± ¡°Wh-what? What do you mean?¡± exclaimed David. ¡°Exactly what I said dear¡±, stated the woman wearily. ¡°You had a massive heart attack. That¡¯s what eating nothing but crisps, soda and smoked meats will do to you I¡¯m afraid. The oxygen to your brain has been cut off, and at this point, you¡¯re only being kept alive by a machine. You have rather ironically become the one thing that could have prevented this, a vegetable. ¡°What the fuck?! How the hell is that even possible? And what¡¯s with that vegetable crack? Do you think that¡¯s funny? Do you have any idea how messed up a joke like that actually is? What the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°Enough,¡± growled the woman menacingly, making David cower with the force of her glare. ¡°I am Aphrodite, I imagine you¡¯ve heard of me. Just to be clear, I¡¯m not the goddess of love, like the fools on your planet like to believe, I am the goddess of benevolence. When I see one that is worthy of my pity, I take the time to guide them back onto the path-¡° ¡°Pity?! The fucking goddess of pity?! You want to pity me?? Is this a goddamn joke?¡± ¡°SILENCE,¡± thundered the self-proclaimed goddess.¡± Enough of this. You have one chance to return to your life, and one chance only!¡± ¡°Ok, ok, what the hell. If this is a dream I may as well just go with it,¡± David muttered to himself, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Now, you will enter my world. I want you to live as you wish, I want you to become one of my children, but be warned I will be watching you every step of the way. I will monitor your every move; your every action. Should you cross me, you will be punished, and I warn you now, you will rue that day for an eternity.¡± ¡°Ok, ok. Can we get on with this already?!¡± ¡°Foolish child, but very well. Have it your way. You may begin now. But, before you go, I offer you one last piece of advice, remember, when you really think about it, life is nothing but a game we all play.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, ok.¡± Said David sarcastically. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll see you around, alright?¡± Oh no child, you won¡¯t be seeing me for quite some time, thought the goddess to herself, but, I will be seeing you sooner than you might think.
Just a couple of short chapters to get things started. They will be getting two or three times longer soon, but for now I''m just trying to gauge the interest in the story. Although there isn''t any so far, haha. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¨C Welcome to the New World Time had lost all meaning. David floated in the blackness, feeling nothing, seeing nothing and hearing nothing, except for what sounded like an occasional sob or moan. So this is what it¡¯s like to be dead, thought David. It¡¯s not so bad I guess. It¡¯s peaceful at least. And I still have my memories. It could be worse. Suddenly out of the nothingness came a calm, professional sounding male voice. ¡°Mr Peterson, I¡¯m Dr Patel. I¡¯m part of the team that has been monitoring you since you came to the hospital, over fifteen years ago, and we¡¯ve noticed that recently your brain activity is showing a small change. This is very unusual after such an extended period of time, and as a result, we¡¯re going to try a rather unorthodox procedure. Your mother has already signed the relevant paperwork, and as of later today we¡¯re going to be hooking you up to a Virtual Reality gaming pod. Now, don¡¯t worry, the pod has been modified so that it can be used with all of the medical equipment you need. Most of it has even been built into the pod, as this specific model is only used in hospitals, for patients with terminal diseases, and those that are unable to leave the premises. Now, the patterns that we found in your brain waves suggest that you are still in there. So, to try and prevent you becoming a prisoner in your own body, we¡¯re going to introduce you to a game. The game you¡¯re going to be playing is called ¡°Age of Immortals Online¡±. It¡¯s a VRMMORPG that takes place in a medieval setting. Hopefully, this will help to increase your brain¡¯s activity, and there is no risk of any harm coming to you while in there. Good luck! The doctor¡¯s footsteps faded away. Fifteen years¡­ Seriously? How could I possibly be in a coma for 15 years? I was braindead? How could they keep me alive for that long? I¡¯m surprised that the machine wasn¡¯t turned off after a few weeks. Sobbing interrupted David¡¯s quiet reflection. ¡°Oh David, I knew you would come back to me!¡± wailed a familiar voice. ¡°They tried to shut off the machines, but I wouldn¡¯t let them! I knew that you would come back! I knew that you wouldn¡¯t leave me!¡± Well, it looks like that¡¯s the answer to that then, thought David. No wonder they gave up on shutting off the machines. If my mother was wailing like that, I¡¯d have given up too. ¡°Excuse me Mrs Peterson, we¡¯re here to set up the virtual reality pod. Could you step outside for a moment while we install it and relocate your son?¡± ¡°Y-yes of course¡±, hiccupped the plump middle aged lady, ¡°David honey, I¡¯ll be right outside! I knew you¡¯d like this; you always used to tell me how you liked to play with swords. Well, in this game, you can play with them all you want!¡± Jeez mum, still embarrassing me, even now huh? I mean, it¡¯s true I wondered what it would be like to be a warrior, and live a life based on strength and skill, but that was a long time ago. I know the real world. I¡¯m totally aware that something like that is just a dream, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a child. Tuning out the sounds of the people in his room, David began to ponder exactly what he was going to do. So a VRMMORPG, huh? And there¡¯s even something called a gaming pod now? Technology really does advance quickly. Last I heard, they had only just managed to make Virtual Reality headsets, and those were full of problem bugs and glitches. Yet, in only fifteen years, they¡¯ve somehow managed to make something that someone in my condition can use? It¡¯s truly incredible. ¡°Welcome to Age of Immortals Online, please select your username¡± chirped a young female voice. David had been so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn¡¯t even noticed that the nurses had finished setting up the large silver machine, and had gently manoeuvred his body from the bed, into the pods soft interior. ¡°What the hell?!¡± This is what she meant by her world? ¡°Or was that just a dream after all?¡± ¡°Hey, you know it¡¯s not every day that a guy like you gets spoken to by a girl like me, ya¡¯know?¡± The least you could do is pay attention!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry I- Hey, wait. What the hell do you mean by a guy like me?!¡± David replied indignantly. Turning around he noticed a young woman of 20 or so stood before him. However, what made this woman unusual was her bright blue hair, and the tiara that was seemingly made of a bright metal perched upon her head. In all other features, she appeared to resemble a human, except for one thing. She was hovering a few inches from the ground. ¡°Oh, nothing, nothing calm down. Anyway, I¡¯m the beautiful and benevolent Aphrodite, the goddess of this world! My creators gave me free reign over everything that happens here; so don¡¯t be surprised if you find something different to other, more traditional games!¡± the girl stated smugly, noticing David¡¯s stunned expression. ¡°Aphrodite. So, it is you. You were that old woman I met?¡± Asked David in amazement. ¡°Old, who the hell are you calling old brat?!¡± screamed the girl enraged. ¡°I remember every single person that entered my world, and a worthless shut in like you definitely wasn¡¯t one of them!¡± ¡°Well then, who the hell are you?¡± Said David exasperatedly. ¡°Helloooo, genius? It¡¯s a VRMMO, I¡¯m the AI in charge of everything. What kind of rock have you been living under?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°For your information, I haven¡¯t been living under a rock, I¡¯ve been in a coma for over 15 fucking years, so excuse me if I don¡¯t know anything about this stupid game!¡± ¡°Woah, seriously? Exclaimed the girl in amazement. I¡¯ve met a few people that have been in a similar situation, but never for longer than a few months! ¡°Yeah, well. Lucky me...¡± muttered David to himself. He was really starting to get sick of this girl¡¯s preppy attitude. ¡°Ok, since it¡¯s your first time in a virtual world, let me explain how it works! I am the AI in charge of this world. That means, for all intents and purposes, I am what you would call a god!¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny¡±, grumbled David, ¡°you¡¯re the second woman called Aphrodite to tell me the exact same thing recently.¡± ¡°The second to¡­? Never mind. Anyway, I am the god of this world. Now, in the older games that you¡¯re used to, NPCs were simply lines of code that could only give automated responses, or perform scripted actions. In my world, one NPC is infinitely more complex than an entire game, at least that you¡¯re familiar with. Any NPC in my world is as unique and intelligent as any human beings in yours. ¡°Probably more intelligent than some,¡± remarked David, remembering a certain boyfriend his mother had once had. ¡°Exactly so,¡± said the girl beaming at him. ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand. Well, now that that¡¯s out of the way, let¡¯s get started. So, what is your username? ¡°Ah, Hell. Let me think a moment. Ok, the username Hell is available. Secondly, pick a starting location.¡± ¡°Wait, hang on a moment. That¡¯s not my username, I was thinking! And what do you mean a starting location? Shouldn¡¯t I be picking a character first!?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly. You don¡¯t get to choose your character. What would be the fun in that? The pod automatically scans the dimensions of your body, so you will simply start with the body you¡¯re used to. And you clearly told me your username. I¡¯m sorry, but it can¡¯t be changed once chosen. Please contact customer support if you have a problem¡± ¡°And how exactly am I supposed to do that in my condition?! Screw it, I can live with the name but how do you expect me to do anything? I¡¯m 330lbs for crying out loud. The most heroic thing I can do is walk to the supermarket and back!¡± cried David in frustration. ¡°Really? It says here that your body is only around 180lbs, although your muscle is a significant percentage below the rate for an average male of your size.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± David groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve been lying on a bed and fed through tubes for a decade and a half. My body may have shrunk, but I have no muscle whatsoever.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, I would suggest that you pick a starting point inside of a city. You don¡¯t want to become a meal for a hungry monster out there, without even having a chance to fight back!¡± ¡°Gee, thanks for the advice,¡± David responded sarcastically. ¡°So, if everyone keeps their own body, then that means everyone in the game is a human?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, that would be no fun!¡± smirked the girl mischievously. ¡°There are ways to change your race, but only three people have found them so far. The classes that have been found are dwarf, elf and goblin, but trust me, there are hundreds more to be found!¡± ¡°What about classes?¡± asked David curiously. ¡°Classes can also be found. There are thousands of different classes available in my world; all you have to do is find them! So, choose a starting location already. I don¡¯t have all day ya¡¯know!¡± ¡°Ok, ok. Fine, I¡¯ll choose this town here. It seems nice enough.¡± ¡°Ok, great choice! So, are you sure you want to begin in the country town of Dawnside?¡± ¡°Yes¡±. ¡°Ok. You adventure will begin in a moment. Here, because I feel bad for you, I¡¯ll give you a small gift. Something that might mean the difference between life and death in the future!¡± David stood in silence as the idiotic girl babbled on and on about her gift. He¡¯d had enough. It was bad enough that people used to pity him for his size. Now, the only two people he had spoken to in 15 years had decided to pity him too. He would not be an object of pity. He would not let other smirk and laugh at him behind his back. So, his name was Hell, huh? Perfect, he thought to himself with a laugh. Hell he may be and Hell he would bring with him. The last thing the girl noticed as she transported her new citizen to his chosen city, was an odd red tinge to his eyes, that for some reason, shook her to her very core.
Well, the writing might not be my best, as I''ve written chapter 1 and chapter 2 between 1:00am and 6:00am, which is the time now, but hopefully it''s ok! Please let me know of any mistakes, or feel free to leave feedback on the story! I would appreciate it!