《Transcend: Online》 Prologue "This is Logan Myers for Gaming Insight. Where you get your freshly squeezed news regarding anything about gaming under the sun! We just found out the multi billion dollar company VitalEXE Corp has launched something that will blow your mind, people. We all know who VitalEXE is, but for those who don''t here''s a bit of background. VitalEXE Corp was founded by a group of scientist spearheaded by Professor Elden Rydalch, a renowned scientist known for his research in neuro implants. They revolutionized communication with their release of VitaGear 1.0, the very first real virtual reality technology the world has seen. No more expensive long distance calls, video conferences, or lengthy emails. You can just be there with your friends, family or colleagues even when they''re thousands of miles away. Just put on the VitaGear helmet and you''re all set. Next they began their domination of the market with Face2Face, and the social networking scene was never the same. You talk, you play, you dance, you do just about anything you can think of with your friends without even leaving the comfort of your couch. With the release of VitaGear 2.0 upgrade, full immersion is on the table. Emulating the sense of taste, smell, and touch to the program, software developers flocked to the company as new boundaries are opened. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.And now VitalEXE along with top game developer GameBrain, gives you the next logical evolution. What we, gamers, have all been waiting for!!! The first virtual reality game ever!!! VRMMORPG!!! It''s HERE!!! Transcend: Online!" "Pant, pant, pant" "Logan, breathe slowly" [Studio Manager] "Sorry folks, the excitement got to me. And before I log in. (cough) I mean sign out, just a few words from the developers: Live the Life you choose... Transcend: Online!" Chapter 1: Worst day ever!!! Eric Lemarque: [RRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG.....] I looked at my old fashioned alarm clock. It''s six am. I turned it off and gave a big yawn. "Ahhhh... This is gonna be a great day!" I said to myself. I got up and head towards the bathroom, when a compact figure dashed and overtook me. "Hey!" "G''morning to you too slowpoke. Hahaha." Said the little dynamo before closing the bathroom door. That was my sister Jacquie. A junior in highschool, but still acts like a kid sometimes. Of course you will never see her like that in school. As one of the more popular kids in school, she is the image of poise and intelligence there. At 5 ft flat, with shoulder length chestnut hair, and sparkling hazel eyes a lot would say she was a pocket sweetheart. But don''t let her appearance fool you, she''s a firecracker when you get on her nerves. Since I''m only a year older than her, even though we''re very different, she being very outgoing and has lots of friends and me a bit introverted preferring to read books to partying, we were still very close. We fight as all siblings do but at the end of the day we usually make up. Usually... With a dark look at the bathroom door, i turned away and went downstairs to see what''s for breakfast. Hmmm... Smells good. Blueberry pancakes! Mom must be home. I turned to the kitchen and saw my mom cooking and dad reading the newspaper. A very typical family scene. Sadly, not very frequent here in our household. Sophia Lamarque, that''s my mom. She looks very much like Jacquie. At 38 years old, she takes care of herself well, and is often mistaken as Jacquie''s sister when they go out together. She really gets a kick out of it. As a defense attorney often times she is very busy and comes home late. She seldom has the time to cook for us. But when she does. Hmmm... Looking at my dad, Adam Lamarque, at 40 he is still well maintained. With brown hair with a bit of gray and his gray eyes, I''m sure he still has some moves. "Good morning sweetheart" said mom. "Morning Eric" said dad. And that is me. Eric Lamarque. Your average guy. Not too tall, not too short at 5''9. Nondescript brown eyes and black hair. And yes, I don''t look anything like my parents. I''m adopted. They never hid it from me. My mom was diagnosed infertile due to an accident. They decided to adopt me and a year after, a miracle occurred and she had my sister. No dramas here, even with my sister in tow, I was well taken cared off. I''m very grateful to them. That is why I try hard to always get good grades in school. They never ask for it, but for me, it''s how it should be. "Morning guys. I''ll just run for a bit. Maybe when I get back the squirt would be done in the bathroom" They just smiled at that. A recurring scenario in the Lamarque household. "Well slowpoke is as slowpoke does. Hahahaha." My dad laughed as I went out. I breathed in the fresh morning air. Bathroom scenario withstanding, I feel this is gonna be a great day! ********************************************************************************** Finally dressed for the day. Okay, pencils? Check! Pens? Highlighter? Check! Notes? Check! Today''s the last day of the exams. Gotta make sure to focus. DON''T DROP THE BALL!!! I say to myself. Of course after the exams it will be time to celebrate. To cap the day, I have date with my gorgeous girlfriend, Nadene Gardner. I really don''t know what I did to deserve such a great girl. She''s beautiful, funny, and just plain great to be with. We met a couple of months ago at the library. I was in my usual spot just skimming over a book when I saw a slightly muddled girl. I decided to ignore her since I really don''t know her. After a bit, I looked up and saw her almost in tears looking at her notes as if it was an alien artifact. I really don''t normally talk to people I don''t know, but she was just that pitiful (and yes, just that cute as well). "(Cough, cough)... Is... there... maybe... anything, I can help you... with?" I kinda brokenly asked. She looked at me with sparkling blue eyes. "Would you?" She asked. And from then on we would meet at the library. I would help her with her homework, we would talk and she would joke around. And finally one day I got up the courage to ask her out and to my surprise she said yes! There folks is the epic history. Can''t wait to see her. ************************************************************************ "Eric, I''m breaking up with you." I just stood there looking at her. Stood there in front of the school. In front of dozens of student. And I don''t know how to respond. I felt the multiple eyes on me. Emotions ranging from pity, excitement, and some just plain malice. A stray thought came to me. Of all the people complaining that their lovers broke up with them through text, phone call, email... Let''s exchange situations! Nadene still looking at me, waiting for a response. When it was clear that at the moment my brain seems to be lagging, she added some more. "Eric, I''m sorry. It''s not you, it''s me" She said. What the hell?!?! Is that straight out of how to dump your boyfriend 101?!?! "Uhhhmm..." I finally managed. Not so articulate I know, but can you blame me? Nadene looked at me still waiting for something. I really don''t know what. She exploded suddenly with. "You know what it''s not really me. It''s really you! At first I thought how cool would it be to have a nerdy boyfriend to help me with home works and projects, but now it''s just getting old. I mean look at you, then look at me. We just don''t match. No. Please don''t say anything. I''m leaving. Goodbye Eric." She walked away. I want to say I maintained a stoic expression. Got a handle on my emotions and didn''t let it leak out. In truth I was just in a daze, I couldn''t show any emotion on my face even if I wanted to. I just stared at Nadene walking away. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.People started to scatter as the show was over. Me? I went on autopilot, went to my locker, fixed my things, got to my desk. Pulled out my pencils, mechanically sharpened them. And just stared out the window. Numbly I just received the test booklets and stared at it. Next thing I knew. "Okay guys, times up. And that''s it for the exams." The proctor said. I looked down and I saw my name on the test booklet. Just my name, nothing else. No answers! Shit! What the hell!?!? "Wait! Sir, let me just..." "Again, Mr. Lamarque, times up." The proctor apathetically said. With no choice left I stood up and walked out of the room. Oh my god! What did I do? I completely zoned out. I reached my locker and as I was opening it, something hit me from behind, almost stumbling when I caught myself. I looked up. Oh, great. Edmund Furstenberg. A bigger asshole you can''t find. I really don''t know what he has against me, but ever since we were kids that guy has been after me. I try to ignore him as much as possible, but these days, it''s getting more difficult as his clique is joining in on his fun. "Heard you got dumped royally." Edmund sneered. "I''m not really in the mood Edi." I responded. I know he hated being called that. He insisted to be called his full name. Edmund shoved me back. "Don''t call me that!" He spat. "Serves you right getting dumped, you really thought a girl like that would stay with you? Keep on dreaming, twerp!" With a final shove he left with his cronies laughing along the way. I turned back to my locker. "You alright?" I looked back. "Yeah..." I answered. Lyla Karhoff. A transfer student, she just transferred a while ago. I was tasked to show her around the first day, and we hit it off. I was surprised to say the least. She was very easy to talk to and despite her beautiful face we can easily discuss any subject be it science or literature. Really can''t judge a book by it''s cover. Speaking of looks, she is one of the top beauties in this school. Red hair reaching past her shoulders, soulful green eyes, slim athletic build (yeah I notice her a lot, I''m not dead. I just know she''s out of my league). She usually hangs out with a lot of people. Always smiling, always charming, always easy going. But sometimes when I look at her, that smile doesn''t really reach her eyes. Or maybe it''s just me. "What''s with you and that guy?" Lyla asked. "Honestly, I really don''t know. He''s been like that ever since we were kids." "I heard, about Nadene... Are you going to be alright?" There was a trace of pity and empathy in her eyes. But at the moment I can''t really appreciate it. My emotions are too raw. For now I just want to be alone. I just nodded. "If you ever need someone to talk to..." "I know. Thanks." I interrupted her before she can finish. She pat my arm and went on her way. I fixed my things inside my locker. I tried to cheer myself up. When life gets you down, there''s no way but up anymore. Wish I can believe that. I sighed. At least things can''t get any worse, I thought to myself. And then it did. "Hey Lamarque!" A rough voice called. I slowly turned around and was met by a big guy... A very big angry guy, glowering at me. Holding flowers in his hand. Flowers! I looked up. And up. And up. This is not good. Chance Morano. Our school''s local tough guy. Built like a tank. Doesn''t talk much but with a glare like that he doesn''t need to. But flowers??? That''s new. Either this guy is proposing to me or that''s gonna be my funeral wreath (poetic much?) Either way I''m screwed. I waited and thought back, trying to remember if I did something that would make me a target for this guy. I''m drawing a blank. I just stood there. Suddenly I was shoved back against my locker with the flowers, with a glare he mumbled something under his breath. Damn, is that his batman voice?!?! I just stared at him, waiting. He mumbled again. Something about jack shit?!?! With a final glare he stormed away. I was left there staring at his massive back holding a bouquet. Gulping. I hear a few people murmuring within themselves. "How unlucky can you get, first getting dumped in the morning and the getting a death notice from Morano in the afternoon. Ouch!" "Wouldn''t want to be him." "What''s with the flowers?" "Probably Morano''s new MO, flowers for the funeral." "Poor guy... Better stay away from him, bad luck can be catchy." "I pity the fool!" "Shut up Fred." I can only turn around and ignore those murmurs. With the way things are going, I better get home, who knows what might happen next. I got my things and rushed home. Chapter 2: When I grow up, I wanna be… Jacquie Lamarque: "I wanna go home..." I softly murmured. Ahhhhh... I''m going bat crazy here. Right now I''m surrounded by a couple of people I don''t really know. Argghhh... I should have know better than to let Jen and Ash drag me to this party. "Hey babe, wanna dance?" I looked at another Justin Bieber wannabe for the umpteenth time tonight. Despite my boredom I really don''t want to offend anyone. With a practiced smile, I flatly rejected him softly. I turned around and looked for somewhere to park my derriere. OMG... Really gotta get outta here. New updates finish today, just wanna login. With this boredom, I can''t help my thoughts running away from me in all sorts of direction. Hello. My name is Jacquie Lamarque, and I''m an addict! I can''t get by without my daily fix. It''s currently 11 hours 22 minutes and 17 seconds since my last fix. But who''s counting? Arggghhh... I feel a cold turkey coming on. My hands are shaking and my body is starting to shiver. Goose bumps develop on my skin. The air feeling so cold and sharp cut onto my skin. Drops of liquid on my forehead... Drops? Liquid? I tilted my face upwards. Sigh, the AC unit is right above me. No it''s not meth, coke, or even MJ. It''s the game Transcend: Online. I know... people say it''s just a game but they haven''t played it yet. So no offense people, play it first then we can talk, that is if you can tear yourself away, Bwahahaha. Thinking of my alter ego there. [Hellwinter] my level 12 mage. Just a little more and I will be level 15, then I can equip the loot I got from a boss, [wisdom shroud of the Lycan king]. Wonder how many mobs do I kill to level up? Speaking of mobs, doesn''t that guy look like a goblin shaman? With his beak like nose. "Hehehe" I snickered quietly. Oops, he''s looking this way. I turned away and zeroed in on another guy from the football team. Ohhh... Definitely an ogre. And that one''s a kobold. I looked around me and see this wave of mobs, just waiting for the slaughter. Offer yourselves to me, HELLWINTER MAGE OF ADLANIELL!!! BWAHAHAHA... A small sneer threatened to breakout of my calm facade. I felt some people are starting to look at me strangely. Sigh... I seriously need to get outta here. Where are those guys? Anyway, how did it become like this. Let''s do a quick flashback. I thought back to my younger days. ******************************************************************************** Ever since I was young I wanted to be a hero like the ones I saw on TV. Flying across the world, firing power beams from my hands, blowing up planets! I wanted to be a super saiyan! I even knew what to do. I just need some DNA and maybe radioactive materials... I was sure mom''s gonna be mad if I blew up a lab, so, no explosions. There is only one person who could do this... "ERIC!!!" I yelled as I ran to my big brother''s room. My big brother is the smartest man in the world, I''m sure he can do it! "Stop yelling, Jack! What do you want?" He was sitting in front of his computer studying. "IWANTTOBEASUPERSAIYANLETSGETSOMEDNAANDRADIOACTIVEWASTSESAND..." I gestured wildly to my brother. "Stop! Slow down!" I stopped and stared at my brother with pleading eyes. I started once again, this time slowly outlining my plan. "Sigh... Jack you really shouldn''t take those animes seriously. First... The saiyan race is extinct, their planet exploded galaxies away so we can''t get DNA. Second radioactive materials are expensive. We can''t afford it..." My brother gently explained to me with a slight quiver on his lips. I was heartbroken. I was about to cry. "Oh no! Jack don''t cry." My brother said in a slightly panicky voice. "Tell you what..." He pulled me towards him and we sat side by side on his computer chair. "Let me teach you how to play a game. This is called Eternal Dungeon Online. It''s an MMORPG. Here, you can choose to be whoever you want." I looked at the screen showing a couple of pictures of people in different outfits. My brother slowly explained each picture to me. "This is a crusader, they can equip the best armors and have sword skills, do you want this?" I looked at the picture of a man in a great bulky armor. "NO! It''s ugly!" "Okay. How about this. This is a priest, they have holy powers and can heal their friends." "He looks like a wimp! I want somebody strong that can blow up monsters!" "Ahhh... How about this. This is a wizard he can use magic. He makes monster go boom with magic!" He said with a smile. "Yay! That''s it! I wanna be a wizard!" I hugged my brother. He patiently taught me the mechanics of the game. And me? I fell in love with it. It''s all I can talk about at home and in school. Unfortunately as I grew up my friends started looking at me strange when I talk about these games. I don''t understand all they talk about is make up and boys. Boring! But I don''t want to argue with them, so I just don''t talk to them about it. It''s hard but I try to blend in. I tried to get used to it. Day in and day out. Question: How much time do you need to exhaust a topic? Answer: Apparently, talks about boys, accessories and make-up is inexhaustible. Sigh... Then one day, while hanging out in the mall with some of my friends. We passed by a gaming store. A promotional video of a game was playing on one of their large TVs. I stared closely at the monitor. Intently watching the action sequence. Two figures faced each other in a desolate location. Corpses of various races could be seen in the background. It was the scene of a war. On one side, a mass of hulking muscles can be seen, based on the tusks that protrude upwards from his mouth, I guess this was an Orc. He was wearing a rough metal armor complete with spikes on strategic locations on his body. He was holding a massive axe in one hand and a large sword in the other. His adversary was the one that caught my attention though. She was simply beautiful. An elven maid. Silver hair hung down to her waist. Her verdant eyes glowing, brimming with power. She was wearing a shimmering robe opened in front. Inside, the graceful and elegant sigils that adorn her armor can be seen where the robe doesn''t cover it. In her hand an oak staff with bands of gold. On top of it a crimson orb flared with intensity. She squinted her eyes as she prepared to attack. With a wave of her staff, dozens of fire balls flew towards her nemesis. The orc seeing the barrage of fireballs responded quickly. The hulking mass of muscles put his great axe in front of him and used it as a shield. The orc didn''t wait for the hail of fire to abate. With his axe in front of him he charged towards the elven wizard in a zigzag pattern, making it difficult for the maiden to accurately hit him. 3 meters away from the elven beauty, the orc suddenly jumped up. He raised both weapons above his head, staring intently at his adversary. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.His eyes filled with fiery hate towards his enemy, intent in her destruction. Focusing all his strength in his arms, his muscles bulged more and more, veins popped up, threatening to explode. Using his momentum and the pull of gravity, he brought his weapons down upon the seemingly frail elf. With a smirk on his face he knew he has won the battle. As for the wizard, a mysterious smile bloomed on her face as the orc bore down on her. [BOOM] A huge explosion blew dust and smoke all over the place, covering the whole screen. As the dust cleared, a lone figure appeared. Shaped like small mountain, arms raised in victory as roared towards the sky. Celebrating his kill. Not far from where the orc was standing, a figure flashed into existence. It was the elven maid! She was alive! Clearly she used one of the magic users'' most trusted skill in their repertoire. Teleport! She didn''t look any worse for wear. In fact she looks unmoved by the orc''s all out attack. The woman closed her eyes. Her lips, silently moving. A low chant can be heard. The words, indistinct but getting faster and faster by the moment. Abruptly she opened her eyes. Her pupils turning from green into red. Like crimson fire burning in her eyes making them shine like the sun. With practiced grace she swung her staff around, complicated pattern shimmering in air appeared with each swing and with a mighty wave she slammed her staff to the ground. "POWER OF THE ELEMENTS! HEED MY CALL! PASS JUDGEMENT UPON MY ENEMIES. VISIT THEM WITH THE MIGHT OF EARTH AND FIRE! METEOR!" With the sudden outburst from the elf, the orc turned around. Shock evident in his eyes as he saw the the wizard not only uninjured but also priming her attack against him. With a roar of rage, he gripped his weapons hard and prepared to bull rush the elf. As he prepared to attack, he suddenly looked up. His eyes widened. The clouds were swirling around a black hole. From the black hole an enormous rock emerged. Intense blue flames surrounded the meteor as it fell down from the sky. The orc knew there was no escape from that calamity. In bitter defiance of its fate, he stood tall and roared at his approaching doom. You can hear the bitterness from its voice as flames devoured his body before being ultimately crushed by the massive meteor. [BOOM] An ocean of fire and destruction covered the whole area. The figure of the elven wizard with her billowing robes and glowing eyes can barely be seen. Words slowly cascaded onto the screen. When the battle begins where will you be? The choice is in your hand. Live the way you choose... Transcend: Online. It was so beautiful, I almost forgot I was with my friends. Good thing they were busy checking out the hunky clerk. My eyes fixed to the monitor. It took me a moment to recover. Wow! It was so real. What game is this? I looked at the displayed merchandise. What I saw made goosebumps rose up on my arms, my almost popping out. I feel the excitement flowing through my body. It was a a helmet. Not just any helmet. It was VitaGear 2.0! I can see the elegant prints on the box: Transcend: Online Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer RPG 90% Immersion! I couldn''t believe it. Is this really true? I pinched myself hard. Ouch! Note to self. Don''t do that again! I wanted to jump for joy, but restrained myself. This is it! A chance to be whoever or whatever I wanted! No more holding myself back! No more giving in! This is my chance! I rushed my friends out of the mall and went home in a flash. For days I stalked my parents. I begged, nagged, appealed, coerced. In the end they finally gave in. With double the chores and a promise of stable grades from school they bought it for me. I was on top of the world. That night I finally hooked it up and logged in. Welcome to VitaGear Please wait as we configure VitaGear for first usage Registering VitaGear 2.0 please wait... Loading plugins please wait... Downloading Resources please wait... Logging in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Here we go! Goodbye old world and HELLO NEW WORLD!!! **************************************************************** "Jack! Jack!" A somewhat out of breath voice broke my reverie. I turned around an saw my two bff''s. Jenna Fay, blond and blue eyes, somewhat of an airhead but always nice and pleasant. Ashlea Folmar, a feisty brunette, her Asian heritage evident on her almond shaped eyes. "Thank god, you''re finally here. I''m really dying here." Grateful now that they''re here. Maybe we can finally go home. I looked at the two again, there seems to be a weird vibe coming from them. "Anything wrong guys?" I hesitantly asked. My two friends looked at each other and then at me. They started to tell the story circulating around the campus. "SHE DID WHAT?!?!" My ears already turning red from anger. "HE DID WHAT?!?" I turned around rushed home directly. Chapter 3: Peace out brother… Eric Lamarque: "I still love you, Marco" The beautiful woman declared. "No! No, Gina. It''s over between us." With a look of pain, Marco turned away. "I can''t accept that! Don''t you remember how happy we were? How hot the nights were?" Gina intoned. "You were the one that left. You turned you''re back on us..." Marco brokenly answered. "I made a mistake. It''s all in the past now." Gina said softly. Marco slowly turned towards Gina. "Damn you, Marco. Stay strong! She doesn''t deserve you!" I roared to the TV. Sigh. What am I doing getting bent out of shape with Marco and Gina''s escapade in That Mad and the Beautiful. It has been 2 week since the "INCIDENT" happened, and I''m still having trouble coming to grips with it. I can still remember Nadine''s words. How she looked while publicly dumping me. How she just turned away. Countless scenarios flashed before me through the days. Me saying something something cheesy making her stay: "Don''t go! I love you! We''ll make beautiful babies together! I''ll do anything, just don''t go!" I would plead. "Oh, Eric. I was just waiting for those words. Hold me baby! Let''s never be apart again!" She would then run to my arms. Or maybe, an edgier me: "Eric, I''m breaking up with you." "You''re breaking up with me??? NO! I''M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!" What about something classic: "Eric, I''m breaking up with you." "Frankly my dear, I don''t give a damn!" With a dramatic flair I would turn around and walk away. Sigh... Sadly those will forever stay locked inside my head. Thinking back through the week. I was just going through the motions. Everyday, I wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, go home and zone out in front of the TV. And that''s where I am right now. Watching soaps. "Don''t you dare give in Marco! Be a man!" On the edge of my seat, my eyes intently waiting for the next scene. "Gina..." the screen goes black. "What the hell!!!" I turned around and saw my sister holding the remote. "I was watching that!" Glaring at her. "Eric. I can''t take this anymore. I hate seeing you like this. Mom and dad are getting worried too." She started. "All you do is go to school and watch TV! You don''t go out anymore, you don''t touch your computer, and I heard you''re even spacing out in school." I was silent. I understand what she''s saying. Hell, I hate seeing me like this too. "Look Jacquie, I know what you''re saying. And I agree with you, just give me some time." I tried to placate her. She stood there staring at me. She sighed. "Look bro, I know how you feel, but..." "No you don''t!" I cut her off immediately. I stood up. For the first time in days, I felt something aside from numbness. "How can you?!? The girl I thought loved just broke my heart! That hurt, but I can accept that. But that she did it it in the most public way possible. Can you just imagine how small I feel right now? People stare at me whenever I pass by. They talk behind my back. All they see when they look at me is a loser! And all my "friends" just keep saying, they know how I feel as if saying that would help. As a matter of fact it doesn''t!" "I''m really sorry bro." She said in a small voice. Her lower lip was starting to tremble. Damn, I know that look. I quickly went over to her and gave her a hug. "I''m sorry squirt, I shouldn''t take my frustrations out on you." "S''okay. [Sniff] You''re not angry at me right?" Now I''m really starting to feel guilty. "[Sigh] Of course not. I was just acting out my frustrations. Its not fair to you. I just feel so helpless. Ever since Nadene... I feel like I lost something, and it''s making it difficult for me to talk to people." I tried to explain. "What do you mean?" My sister asked. "I don''t really know myself. It''s just when I see the people around me, even my friends, I feel a sense of insecurity. I know, psycho mode" trying to lighten the mood. "Boiling that bitch in oil is too good for her. Seriously bro, this isn''t good for you" "Yeah, psycho Eric is bad. Sigh...Right now I wish I can be someone else. Somewhere different." Wonder if the feds still have witness protection program? My sister froze up. "What if you could?" She looked up at me and asked. "Well... I''d have to witness a crime or something." I answered. Wait, did she just read my mind? She grabbed my head with a growl. "Focus Eric! I meant, what if you could be someone else." "What do you mean?" "Transcend! You can be anyone there." She is now glowing. "The game? C''mon squirt it''s just a game. I have tons of games on my hard drive." "It''s not just a game. You don''t move your mouse or controller to walk, to fight or to cast magic, you just do it yourself. It''s a completely different world. Think about it. It''s like starting a new life!" She was now grinning like a maniac. She was looking at me intently. I''ve played a lot of RPG''s in the past, so I was intrigued by the concept. And the thought of playing in a virtual environment is almost akin to entering a new reality. Thinking about it more, it might not be a bad idea after all but... "And how much did yours cost?" I tentatively asked. "$3500! I got a discount for being one of the 1st hundred people who bought the unit. Hehehe." She was proudly tittering. "$3500! What the hell! That''s discounted?!?" Way to burst my bubble kid. Thinking of my finances, I probably have a couple bucks stashed somewhere, but definitely not enough. "Look, unless you have a couple of thousands lying about... Where am I gonna get the cash to get the hardware. It don''t think it grows on trees" "You can ask..." "And no! I''m not gonna ask mom and dad for it." I interposed quickly. She was subdued only for a moment. Then a dangerous gleam entered her eyes. "How much money do you have?" She asked. Thinking a bit. "I guess about $900, give or take." I hesitantly answered. "Why?" "Hehehe. A friend of mine was actually selling a unit. I think he said one of the older ones but still can be used with T:O. I think we can get it for $1000." I really don''t trust that smile. I know I''ll regret asking but... "And why is your friend selling it for that price?" She suddenly took a keen interest on the lampshade behind me. I just waited for her answer. Finally she looked at me disgustedly. "Fine! It''s actually a friend of a friend deals." She answered. "And....???" I urged her to continue. " I think he said it fell from a truck." Jaquie gushed out. "You mean it''s stolen!" I exploded. "You are sooo paranoid. It might really have fallen of a truck, you know." She defended "We can get in a lot of trouble with this. If mom and dad found..." "Look, do you want it or not?" She cut me off my tirade. Decision time. On one hand we could be buying a possibly stolen product or worse something defective, but on the other hand it might be just some guy selling a product with mundane reasons and wanting to spice up his story a bit. Arggghhh... Why am I even thinking about this. It was really a no brainer. I don''t know why whoever this was is selling his unit and at the moment I don''t care. What I know is that I don''t wanna stay here moping and avoiding people everyday. At least if I bought it, it might give some different perspective or even a measure of peace. And you know what? That''s enough for me. "Let''s do it!" **************************************************************************************************** I spent my days researching about Transcend: Online. There wasn''t a lot of information as it was still basically a new game. Bugging Jacquie yielded no results. She was tight-lipped about it, saying she doesn''t want to spoil the experience for me. Sigh. I didn''t have a choice but to search for some info online. I got some basic info from it''s wiki page. Not a lot, but enough to spur my imagination. Basically it was a typical fantasy MMORPG. You get to choose your race from the 4 basic races. You can choose different kinds of jobs or classes by looking for a master. Right now the known jobs are just your basic vanilla set, knight, mage, ranger, priest, and merchant. According to the developers there are tons of jobs out there you just need to find them. Hmmmm... Should I be a knight? I close my eyes. I can see myself already. Decked in light armor, holding my trusty sword in my hand, rushing towards my enemies. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.I thrust my sword through one. Instant death! Kicking the corpse to free my sword. I swung high, decapitating another. Not waiting to complete the motion, I delivered a kick to the belly of another, taking a moment to regain my balance, I then drove my blade through its skull. I raised my head looking for my next target... "Mr. Lamarque!" "Huh." I started. I looked up and saw my teacher glaring at me. Uh-oh. I forgot I was in class. "Did you have a nice nap?" His voice dripping with sarcasm. "Apparently, my lesson isn''t scintillating enough for you." "Of course not sir!" I quickly rebutted. Then thinking about it. " Err... I mean it was or..." " If that''s the case, please get out of the room and stand in the hallway!" I thought of giving an excuse, but looking at man, I doubt he''s inclined to listen. Mr. Homer Cole, or as we call him, Hammer Cole. The biggest pain in the neck in our school. Seems He doesn''t like anything made in this century, extremely old fashioned. I silently put my things away and went out. Now, where was I? Swordsman, huh? Maybe something else... How about a mage? Harnessing the power of the elements. Materializing balls of fire and ice and throwing them at Eddy Fustenberg''s head blowing it up. I''m sure it''d be an improvement. I smiled at that idea. Feels good to smile. "Hey, you." I turned towards the voice. Still holding my smile. "Hey, Lyla." My smile froze a bit. "You''re looking better." She beamed at me. I don''t know why, but I suddenly started feeling a bit nervous. "Thanks." I tried to think of anything else to say, but coming out blank. "Uh... You''re looking good too." I lamely offered. "Thanks." She was looking at me expectantly. C''mon brain, think of something to say! "I...ah... Uhm..." Thank you brain for being so articulate! Yeah, I think being sarcastic to yourself is probably a bad sign. Lyla was starting to look at me strangely. "Well, nice talking. See you later." With a pat to my arm, she sauntered off. Awkward much? I looked at her back as she walked away. I felt strange. I never had trouble talking to Lyla before, she was very easy to talk to. But today, seems like the switch is off and nobody''s home inside my head. Before I could analyze this, I was shoved back to the wall. "Hey, Twerp!" Edi said with a sneer. Sigh, and today was going so nicely. "Seems like you never learn. Seeing as you''re always on the student top list, I thought you were smarter than this. Let me help you understand. I''ll speak slowly." He pointed a finger at me, "STAY. AWAY. FROM. LYLA." He punctuated each word with a stab to my chest. "Just saving you the heartache, Romeo. She''s out of your league." And with that, he turned away. Geez... As if I didn''t know that already. I walked away as well. Choosing to just forget about it. I have more important places to be. [Ring, ring] I looked at my phone. Jaquie! "Hey, squirt, what''s up?" "Attention, agent Lemarque, the mission is a go! I repeat, the mission is a go!" "Huh?" "Mission brief will be sent via a secured channel. Good luck agent!" [Click] Did mom drop her on her head when she was a baby? ************************************************************************** Damn! I was running late. I was supposed to meet Jacquie 15 minutes ago in a cafe nearby. Okay, no biggie. It''s just around the corner. I entered the cafe. I looked around for Jacquie. I don''t see her. Where is she? She wouldn''t just go home, right? I walked around trying to find a vacant table. [Psssttt..] Huh? I looked back. Trying to see if I recognize anybody. Nada. "Over here!" I turned towards the voice. What the... "Jacquie???" "You''re late!" She sharply said. "What are you wearing?" I couldn''t help but ask. She was wearing a tan trench coat with a fedora hat complete with dark glasses. "Oh, this? Well duh... This is so I''m not inconspicuous. Sit down already and do try to blend in." She said as if explaining to an idiot. With a mental face palm, I sat myself down. "Okay, so where''s this friend of yours?" I asked. "He''ll be here, he already sent me a message." We waited another 5 minutes before a thin man sat down across from us. "You the buyer? You got the cash with you?" He asked. He was nervously looking around. "Lemme see the goods and I''ll show you the green." My sister said in a low voice. She''s plainly enjoying being in character too much. "Huh?" "She meant, we would like to see the unit." I explained. Thin man put a battered box on the table and opened it. Inside is the VitaGear helmet, but unlike anything I''ve seen before. The helmet was blue-green all over. It has a transparent visor. The design was very minimalist almost incomplete. There wasn''t even a logo of the company. "Hey, you''re not trying to con us, are you?" I lift an eyebrow. "None of that sir. This is genuine, bonafide VitaGear helmet. Probably an older model, but tried and tested. You can check if you want," I put on the helmet and turned it on. Welcome to VitaGear Please wait as we configure VitaGear ... Searching for network Please wait... Updates available... Initializing... Downloading updates Please wait... Flashing ROM Please wait... Dumping bios... Please wait Integrating with OS version 2.0.0 Please wait... Integration successful Registering VitaGear Prime VitaGear Prime? First time I''ve heard about it. It seems it''s compatible with the updates for the VitaGear 2.0. Probably a legacy model that''s compatible across the board. I turned it off and removed the helmet. I looked at the thin guy again. He really does seem nervous. "We''ll take it." I finallly said. Jacquie handed over a brown envelope. "Remember, if there''s anything else do not contact us, we will contact you." I''m kinda lost with how Jacquie''s mind work. Oh, well. We watched the guy slink out of the cafe, occasionally looking around. "That is one weird guy." The weirdo beside me said. We immediately went home with our booty. Chapter 4: Hello new world... Finally! Alone at last. Jacquie was so excited, you''d think it was her unit we were setting up. I literally had to shove her outta my room. I looked at the helmet in my hand. I was growing to like the barebones look. No ostentatious designs, no obnoxious bells and whistles, just the elegant lines of the unit itself. Well, enough of that. Let''s get the ball rolling I got on the bed trying to find a comfortable position. Okay, Eric. Breathe in, breathe out. I put the helmet on. Here goes nothing. Welcome to VitaGear Configuration set Ready for usage VitaGear Prime Loading plugins please wait... Downloading Resources please wait... Logging in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Suddenly an intense light shone out erasing the text in front of my eyes. Dizzying patterns displayed itself in my field of vision. Then everything disappeared! I felt myself falling. "Eeeeeekkkkkkkk!!!!" My "manly" roars of rage resounded all over the environment. Then I felt a force underneath me. I wasn''t falling any more. I slowly opened my eyes. Oookay, that wasn''t so bad. I found myself floating in mid air. I looked down and saw the floor was just a feet away. I extended my leg to the ground and the force let me touch down. I looked around and saw nothing but space. It was eerie. It feels like I was the only person in the planet. Please don''t let me get stuck here. Please don''t let me get stuck here. Please don''t let me get stuck here. I repeated like a mantra. "Welcome to the Loading bay. Please state your name." I jumped a bit as, a voice suddenly sounded out. I tried looking around but saw nobody. Sigh, better just go with the flow. "Eric Lamarque." "How would you like me to address you?" "Just Eric." "User Eric, would you like to review the tutorial for VitaGear?" "Not at the moment. Just answer a couple of questions. First of all. What is this place?" "This is the loading bay. It serves mainly as your lobby. This will be your starting point whenever you login with your VitaGear. This is also functions as your app repository. You are able to designate location and visuals of downloaded apps. You are free to customize the environment to your taste or load preset environment packages. Additional items for customization is available for purchase." Perfect. I was getting tired of the empty space scene. "By the way, do you have a name?" "Default designation is Lilith. User Eric is free to rename this unit." "No need. Lilith, bring up preset environment packages." "Loading preset environment packages..." "Woah..." Floating windows surrounded me. Each with pictures of set backgrounds. Hmmm... Now what will it be... Roman coliseum? I don''t think so. Medieval throne room? Nah. Strip joint?!? Hmmm... That''s a possibility. I hovered my hand in front of the window and dragged it closer. The picture inside the window started to move much like watching TV. Oh, yeah. Look at the girl with the big b... "A cautionary warning user Eric. Guest will be able to view your loading bay anytime you answer or make a call. Please choose with caution." I immediately pushed the window away. Oh my god! I feel like I just dodged a bullet there. I don''t even want to imagine what Jacquie''s reaction would be if she saw that. Whew. I quickly picked the most common room I could find. I didn''t even want to look at the others anymore. "Lillith, load man cave environment package." "Loading environment preset package man cave" The whole place lit up like a Christmas tree. I couldn''t help grinning like a fool. This is more like it. I looked around my man cave. A wall mounted 65" TV was the center piece. 3 smaller monitors on each sides of it completed the setup. A coffee table with various snacks was in front of it. A massive leather couch was behind the table. I also see a fully stocked mini bar and a fridge. On the other side of the room was a pool table and a bookshelf. I turned the tv on. Apparently it gets live feed from outside. I went to the minibar and looked at the selection. I grabbed a frosty soda and took a gulp. What the... It tastes like water. I opened a different one with the same result. "You need to purchase items from the VitaStore to take advantage of the full sensory immersion feature, User Eric." Sigh, I knew it was too good to be true. I went to the bookshelf. Strange, there''s only 1 book. I grabbed the book from the shelf. Transcend: Online This must be my app repository. Good thing I noticed, I almost forgot what I was supposed to do. "Lilith, how do I load up my apps" "You can manually open the book in your shelf or verbally deliver your order." I opened the book. The pages shimmering with light dancing in the air. With a flash of light a shimmering portal appeared in front of me. Cool! With a final look at my man cave. I stepped forward. A bright light shone out, momentarily blinding me. When I regain my vision, I was standing in front of an altar. I leaned forward, to study the altar. Various runes were inscribed on it. "Congratulations mortal, you have transcended!" A disembodied voice boomed out, making me jump. "A new land awaits you. A land filled with wonder and magic, but also filled with danger and chaos. The world of Terestia! And you will write its history. Whether a hero or a devil you shall be, time will tell. To prepare you for this journey. I, Junos, father of the gods, grant you a boon! I allow you to choose the vessel you will harness in this new world. May wisdom guide your hand." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Jeeze... thanks a lot for the scare. With a rumble, four large mirrors emerged from the ground. I abandoned the altar and inspected the mirrors. I studied the one nearest to me. I can see my face and the outline of my body is the same, but I was wearing a different outfit. A homespun tunic underneath a leather vest adorned my upper body. Simple brown trousers and leather boots for my lower portion. I reached out to touch the surface of the mirror. A window appeared beside it. Human The youngest of the four main races but also the most common. Although, without the benefits of being graced with the natural endowment of the other races, humans'' adaptability bring them their edge. Choose Human Yes / No I withdrew my hand from the mirror. Hmm... I better check the other options before deciding. I walked over the other mirrors checking one by one. I was now green, with bulging muscles, and dressed only in loin cloth and rough hide boots. "Grrrrr...." Baring my teeth. Heh. This might be fun. Striking a pose and flexing my reflection''s muscles. I touched the mirror in front of me. Orc Bestial and savage, orcs are paragon of physical might. With a culture based on the survival of the fittest, they are blessed with extreme strength and constitution. Their only deficit is their shockingly low intelligence. Choose Orc? Yes / No This would have been good if not for the tusks coming out of its mouth. Imagine the drool. Ugh. I went over the next one. I was now wearing a green chaleco, leather pants, and boots with tassels. I never knew I was such a pretty boy. Aside from the long ears, my face was clean shaven and smooth as a baby. Elven The eldest race. Elves are long lived, hence incredible amount of knowledge are available to them. Although cursed to be physically weaker than the other races, they offset this with their high intelligence and natural affinity with the elements. Choose Elven? Yes / No I moved on to the last one. I dunno about this one. I was now 4 feet tall, with a wide compact body. Not fat but heavily muscled. I was also now sporting a great beard that goes down to my chest. Just looking at it made me scratch my cheek. Dwarven Dwarves are an old, hardy race living in their underground cities. With the extreme environment forging them, dwarven constitution is superlative, making them highly resistant to the elements, diseases, and even poison. Choose Dwarven? Yes / No I don''t think so. Too short. I went back to the human mirror. If I''m going to spend a lot of time with this I better just choose the body I''m most used to. "I choose Human!" [DING] Cosmetic Alteration available I was already chomping at the bit to play and I''m really not that concerned about appearance. "No need." "Record your moniker, hero. It will be entered in the Annals of heaven!" Junos'' booming voice resounded once again. A tablet floated in front of me. looking at it closely it was actually a keyboard! "Myst." I typed in the name I usually use with my games. " A noble name fit for glory. And now hero, go forth and make your mark in this new world!" [RUMBLE] "Woah!" The world around me shook. Cracks appeared everywhere. "Oh shit!" I frantically looked around. I wanted to run but there was nowhere to go. "This isn''t real. This isn''t real. This isn''t real." I felt the tremors growing worse. I crouched and covered my head. I closed my eyes. My heart racing. "This isn''t real. This isn''t real. This isn''t real." [BOOM] I felt the shock of the explosion. I kept expecting my body to be torn to pieces. Surprisingly, there was no pain. I waited for another minute, making sure it was over. [Giggle] "How long are you gonna stay like that?" A coquettish voice full of suppressed mirth said. I opened my eyes. I looked around me. I was in the middle of a square. Lots of people around. Amused glances towards me. Great. Just great. I left one world because I didn''t want to be the center of attention and here I am again. Sigh. I straightened up. I looked at the girl in front of me. She was an orc, about 2 meters tall. I was dazed with the disparity of her voice to her appearance. She smiled at me. If you can call it a smile. "Don''t worry about it. We''ve all been there. Probably just the developers'' way of welcoming us." "Yeah. I think, I''d rather be unwelcome." I grumbled. "No need to be embarrassed. It happened to all of us. I once saw a guy bawling his eyes out and crying for his mommy." I started feeling better about myself. "Really?" I beamed at her hopefully. "No, not really. I was just trying to make you feel better." She laughed. "Anyway, welcome to Terestia." She turned and walked away. Nevermind. I looked around me, trying to process my surroundings. Everything felt so real. So alive! The bustling people, the town, even the animals. I got near a boy and a puppy playing. The puppy was so cute, I couldn''t resist touching it. I looked at the boy asking for permission to pet the puppy. He just smiled at me. I went down on one knee to pat the puppy''s head. It licked my hand. I couldn''t help but smile and scratched behind its ear. It whined in appreciation and laid down to show me his tummy. A wide smile split my face. I started laughing. This is soooooooooo cool! I stood up and started running. Greedily taking in the sights. Various people busy inside the shops. Shopkeepers taking inventory of their wares. Customers haggling with them for some items. And even some people just window shopping. I took a deep breath and noticed mouth-watering smells wafting from nearby food stalls making my stomach grumble. I stopped a bit to take a look at some. Various finger-foods were being offered there from kabobs to even pizza. And then there were the soldiers armed with their spears and swords patrolling around the area. Kinda reminds me of mall cops. I ran towards a large gate with tall guard towers on either side. Soldiers armed with bows and arrows manning them. After a while a wide prairie full of grass and flowers unfolded before me. Oh my god. It was so real. So full of life. I even saw a graceful deer prancing about. And those cute bunnies bouncing about with their bushy tails. Just begging to be hugged. I went near them. Chasing them around and laughing like a loon along the way. "HAHAHAHAHA." I noticed one that was bigger than the others. It was about as big as a medium sized dog. Awwww.... Look at him with his wound red eyes and wittle button nose. I pounced at it and grabbed it. "Hiya there wittle bunny. Whose a cute wittle bunny? Whose a cute wittle bunny?" I crooned at it. Big and fluffy. I hugged it to my chest. This is sooo coooool! [SNIKT] "Hello new worl..." I exclaimed, as I raised my arm with the bunny. Are rabbit supposed to have claws? "Yaaaaahahahaharrrrgggghhh....." You have died... Chapter 5: This means WAR!!! I never understood why people go to war. I mean, I know that people have different ideals or different circumstances. Oppression, loss of freedom, religion, money. I understand that. What I didn''t understand was how leaders decide to go to war. How do they decide to wage war knowing that thousands if not hundreds of thousands lives would be lost on both sides. Was it easy? Or did they lose sleep over their decisions. I closed my eyes. Scenes of blood and gore filled my vision. Desperate pleas for mercy fell onto deaf ears. A cold shiver ran down my body. I could still smell the stench of blood and hear the never ending screams of hopeless agony. And then, silence. I felt my hands shaking as I covered my eyes as if trying to erase the cruel spectacle burned onto my mind. My nerves were shot. My emotions all over the place. Fear. Desperation. Hopelessness, and at the fore, rage. RAGE! My hands clenched tightly into fists as I recall those scarlet, blood thirsty eyes staring at me. Eyes without an ounce of mercy. Eyes intent on slaughter as its claws come down again and again to extinguish all remnants of life. I cringed at the thought. With a deep calming breath, I summon up the image of my nemesis in my mind once again. Truly a figure of awe and fear. Constructed for only one purpose. Destruction. My thirst for vengeance rocketed up. I understand now. I understand now how people decide to go to war. They do so because they knew if they didn''t, more blood will be spilt. They do so to protect lives. For Peace. For their way of life. I too have made my decision. There will be war. Blood will be spilt, but this time, not my own. I''ll take back my peace and my way of life. "I will fight! No matter what the odds, I will fight! And God save your furry souls!" I roared. [SLAM] The door opened up suddenly. "Damn Bro! What''s with the yelling this early in the morning?" Jacquie questioned. "And why''s it''s so dark here?" I heard some rustling and then light poured in as Jacquie drew the curtains open. She came near the bed where I was. Staring at me with a smile full of mischief. "So what''s up doc?" She queried. I flinched at that. "Not funny." I grumbled. Sigh. I knew it was a mistake talking to her about that "calamitous event". Unfortunately, I had no one else to talk to about it. "I don''t know what you mean..." She tried to feign innocence and she would have pulled it off but for the flash of unabashed mirth in her eyes. "Thumper." She fell on the bed laughing. "Ha-ha. Just laugh it up and get it out of your system." I grouched. "You have to admit it''s kinda funny. not even an hour from your login and you got pwnd. Bad. By a Rabbite." She finished with a snicker. I wish I could refute it, but alas, I couldn''t. I think I would have laughed as well (maybe even harder) if not for the fact that it happened to me. Arggghhhh... It''s all that rabbit''s fault. Damn his cute and huggable hide. "Hah. If you must know I already have a plan of action against those hairy critters." I blustered. "Yeah, I know. Holding up under your bed covers for a couple more days while cringing in terror. I can see the effectivity. You haven''t been killed by a bunny rabbit for these past 2 days." She interjected with a giggle. I winced at that. I wasn''t able to make myself login for the past few days. The memory of me dying was still fresh. To be truthful, death there was no big deal. It was the events leading to my death that was. I knew it wasn''t real. I kept repeating that to myself, but still, seeing a rabid animal going at you, claws sinking through your flesh, add the astonishing realism with full degree of immersion in the system, and you got a recipe for a lifelong trauma. "I''ve decided that I won''t let this setback to drag me down. And as for those rabbites, they will have their day. Mark my word." I said with a trace of false bravado. I rose from my bed and got my helmet. I struck a bold pose. Trying to infuse the confidence in my speech to my heart. My sister stared at me and started cracking up falling once again on the bed. "Do you want wittle sisters help?" She asked with a giggle. I threw her a dirty look. "No, thanks." Before she could say anything I put the helmet on and logged in. *********************************************************************************** "Welcome back user Eric." "Thanks, Lillith." "The minibar has been stocked, as per your order, user Eric. Receipt will be sent to your mailbox." I went directly to the minibar and got myself a soda. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Ahhhhhh... Maybe something stronger? I grabbed a different bottle. I have been to my mancave a couple of times in the past few days. I stared at the bookshelf as many times as well. It''s just no matter what I did, I couldn''t bring myself to login to T:O. Everytime I tried touching the book, I froze. Well, that all changes today. WIth a determined stride, I went to the bookshelf and grabbed the book. Before I can even have second thoughts, I opened the book. I closed my eyes, already anticipating the flash of light. When I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of the square once again. It was bustling with activity like before. I looked around me. Now that the initial wonderment has faded, I tried to familiarize myself with the place. Various people went about their business as before. It was actually difficult to tell which were NPC''s and which were players. I mentally marked some places of interests like shops that sells items and equipments. I went to the side first. I should take a look first at my stats. "Display stats." A window opened before me. ________________________________________________ NAME: Myst JOB: Freeman HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 LEVEL: 1 FAME: 0 STATS: STR: 10 AGI: 10 ATK: 10 CON: 10 DEF: 19 INT: 10 CRT: 1% LUC: 10 Gold: 0 ________________________________________________ SKILLS: Observe (Displays basic information on the target) ________________________________________________ "Display Equipment." ________________________________________________ EQUIP: WEAPON: 1H Rusty Sword (ATK + 5) ARMOUR: HEAD: Straw Hat (DEF +1) BODY: Rough Tunic (DEF +3) - Straw Belt (DEF +1) LEGS: Patched Trousers (DEF +2) FEET: Worn Boots (DEF +2) ________________________________________________ "Items." ________________________________________________ Bag: Wheat Bread x 10 (Restores 20 points to HP) ________________________________________________ As a level 1 newbie, I''m no better than a beggar. Sigh. Better forget about the shops for now. Well no need to cry over something I can''t change at the moment. First thing''s first. Recon! I need some info on how to fight those critters. With a mental slap for encouragement, I went towards the gate. Time to start the ball rolling. I saw a few people heading out as well. Most of them already had their own groups. I decided to follow one of the groups. Safety in numbers. Right? I walked behind a group of five adventurers discreetly. There wasn''t much differences between our garbs. Probably newbies like me. I would have loved to join the group but I really didn''t what to say them. With my ego in the dumps, it was really hard talking to people. Sigh. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.After a while, they found a group of rabbites grazing around the meadow. I felt my hands go clammy. I immediately grabbed the sword at my waist and resisted the urge to draw it from its scabbard. Okay, Eric. Just relax. We''re not here to fight just to watch. I placed my hand on my chest to calm myself. I felt my heart beating like crazy. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. I looked at the rabbites once again. There were at least a dozen in the group. Hmmm... They''re not as big as I remember. Well, rabid animals tend to look bigger when they''re in your face and trying to kill you. I looked at the group of people I followed. They didn''t seem worried. The two groups charged at each other. Whew. Good thing I didn''t follow too closely so I didn''t get the agro with them. Not even a minute passed and I was left with my mouth hanging open. The group of rabbites were slaughtered with ease. I looked at the adventurers. All of them were using the same basic equipment that I am. What the hell?!? They didn''t just fight the rabbites they massacred them! How the hell did they do that? I didn''t notice any special skills being used. Come to think of it, this is supposed to be the beginner area for newbies. Logically speaking, the enemies here should be canon fodders for players to farm. I saw another group of rabbites charging the adventurers. I focused on one and used my one and only skill. "observe" A window appeared beside the creature. ________________________________________________ Rabbite LV 2 HP 35/35 A common vermin infesting the farms in nearby areas. Their meat is treated as local delicacies and their furs are used by local artisans. ________________________________________________ That''s what killed me?!? A nd I thought my self esteem couldn''t get any lower. Oh my god. Kill me now. Uhm. Wait. Scratch that. Those nasty critters just might. Well, no wonder Jacquie''s been laughing her head of at me. I think it''s time to test the waters. I separated from the group and went my own way. I walked a bit and tried to find my own mobs. I saw a lone rabbite not far from me. Silently nibbling some sort of leafy vegetable. I smirked and drew my sword. Silently, I approached my unsuspecting victim. "Hello my pretty. You will have the honor of being my first conquest." I stalked my prey slowly. "Don''t worry. This won''t hurt. Much." My eyes probably glinting with deadly intent. With some sort of sixth sense the rabbite suddenly looked up and stared at me. There we were. Man versus beast. Staring at each others eyes. Waiting for each others first move. I squinted my eyes and gripped my sword tighter. [SNIKT] With the sound of its claws emerging from its paws serving as a signal to start. It suddenly charged at me. As for me, the sound served to call a very unpleasant memory. I couldn''t help myself as it flashed before my eyes once again. It made me freeze in my tracks. And when I came to, the rabbits was already in front of me. A sense of overwhelming panic engulfed me. I screamed! "Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh..." With a 180 degree turn, I scrambled away. I looked back only to see the crazed bunny on my tracks. I tried to squeeze all the speed I had and continued to sprint away from it. Unfortunately that led me directly to another group of those beasts. I veered away from them. I almost cried when I spied at my back. I inadvertently agroed them. "Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh..." I miserably screamed. I was in a panic and didn''t know where I was going. It seems every turn I make I meet more friends of those critters. As it was, I was being chased virulently by more than a dozen rabbites. I didn''t really know how long I''ve been running by now and it seems the more I run the more rabbites are added to my menagerie. I was really getting tired but I wasn''t crazy enough to stop. I was now in an area with some players present. They didn''t dare come near me with the multiple rabbites on my ass. But that didn''t stop them from talking. "Dafuq is the nutcase doing?" "Serves the noob right. He was probably pulling a train and it backfired on him." "Hahahaha. What a loon!" "Hehehe, Wanna bet how much longer he can run?" "Hehehe. Sure, I''ve already been here for more than an hour and I think he''s been running since then." "C''mon guys. Shouldn''t we at least try to help the poor guy?" " You do it then." "..." "How much are we betting again?" Goddamn heartless people. I didn''t even have enough energy to cry about it. After a while I was almost at the end of my rope, when suddenly I saw some thing that made a broken laugh erupt from my throat. SALVATION! I saw the gate to the city not too far from me. With one final burst of acceleration I made a break for it. "Pant, pant. C''mon. Pant. Lamarque. Pant. You. Pant. Can. Pant. Do. Pant. It!" I dove towards the last meter to the gate. [TWANG, TWANG, TWANG, TWANG] I heard some unfamiliar sounds coming from above. I rolled over to my back and looked up to see the guard towers raining arrows towards the hapless rabbites. "Serves. Pant. You. Pant. Right. Pant." I closed my eyes trying to regain some energy. I felt myself about to faint at any given moment now from exhaustion both physically and emotionally. [DING] I opened my eyes and a window was right in front of me. What the hell?!? NOTIFICATIONS: +2 AGI FOR CONSTANTLY RUNNING FOR EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME TITLE AWARDED! Faintheart of the Yellow Belly Legion gained for consistently retreating from enemies continuously. +5 AGI, -5 STR, -5 INT, -2 FAME Congratulations! And that was the last thing I saw before I lost my consciousness. ************************************************************************************** ________________________________________________ NAME: Myst JOB: Freeman TITLE: Faintheart of the Yellow Belly Legion HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 LEVEL: 1 FAME: -2 STATS: STR: 10 (-5) AGI: 12 (+5) ATK: 8 CON: 10 DEF: 19 INT: 10 (-5) CRT: 1% LUC: 10 Gold: 0 ________________________________________________ SKILLS: Observe (Displays basic information on the target) ________________________________________________ EQUIP: WEAPON: 1H Rusty Sword (ATK + 5) ARMOUR: HEAD: Straw Hat (DEF +1) BODY: Rough Tunic (DEF +3) - Straw Belt (DEF +1) LEGS: Patched Trousers (DEF +2) FEET: Worn Boots (DEF +2) ________________________________________________ Chapter 6: Introducing Sir Faintheart! [YAWN] I stretched out my limbs pleasurably as I gave a big yawn. "aaahhhhhmmmmmnnnn..." Enjoying the sensation. This is probably the most relaxed I felt in days. Recently, I have been having problems sleeping. Everytime I closed my eyes I remembered what happened in my first foray in Transcend: Online. Not a pretty picture. But today, strangely enough, I fell refreshed and energized. Almost like the feeling after a satisfying workout. I stretched some more keeping my eyes closed as I didn''t want to get up yet. Luxuriating from the sensation. "Ohhhhhh..." I let out a deep groan as I felt some of my joints pop in place and the stiffness in my body melting away. I felt a cool breeze brush by my body. Brrrr... It''s kinda drafty today. Did I forget to close my window last night? Well, I''m not getting up to close it! I turned over on my my bed reaching out with hand and trying to find my blanket. And kinda noisy as well. I could hear people talking. The voices amused but somewhat indistinct. I don''t really care enough to listen. Jacquie must have the volume up on the tv. I gave up trying to find my blanket and curled up in a fetal position. [Poke, poke] And, here comes Jacquie waking me up. "5 more minutes, squirt. hummm..." I entreated. "Ehem, ehem." sounded out accompanied by another series of pokes. I turned over and opened my eyes. "Oh for godsakes, Jacquie. What ar..." I couldn''t finish as my eyes widened in shock. A truly horrifying face was at present watching me as if waiting for the next entree. A pair of bloodshot eyes, flaring nose, and dual tusks coming out of either sides of its mouth was framed by a humongous green head. Then the beast smiled or grimaced, I really didn''t know. All I can focus on was its large teeth and the drool flowing out of its mouth. OH MY GOD! Its hungry! I tried to scramble up screaming along the way. "WAHHHHHHH.... MONST..." [POW] "Ugh..." I fell back down with the blow from the beast. "What were you saying?" A deceptively coquettish voiced laces with steel asked. The contrast between the voice and the face was disturbing. Then it hit me. I looked around. I wasn''t in bed! I was still logged in to Transcend: Online! I was still in my last location. There I was, just inside the large gate where I collapsed and again surrounded by a crowd of people. They weren''t even trying to hide their amusement as they guffawed at me. "Pffftttt... Chased by Rabbites! Hahaha." A buffed individual bent over laughing his head off said. "Hahahaha. Way to go kid! that was the funniest thing I''ve seen in ages!" One of the burly adventurer said. "Hahaha. I haven''t laughed this hard in god knows how long!" Another said. "Hihihi. Thanks kid you just made my day." A pretty lady said. "This is going to the message board! Imagine the views! Hahahaha!" I didn''t even bother looking for that one. I just stared up at them not knowing how to react. "Okay guys. Enough of that. Let''s give the kid some space to breathe." The orc with flirty voice said. With a final look the crowd slowly dispersed. "So how''re you doing?" She asked. "I think I''ll just go and get a shovel to dig a hole to crawl into." I mournfully said. "Hahaha." She laughed gently. "C''mon kid, it''s not that bad. We''ve all been there. It''s not really that rare here to see people get scared when confronted by the enemy, especially newbies. Once, I even saw a guy who peed his pants when faced with an enemy." "Really?" I asked hopefully. "Yeah, really!" She answered with a grin. I instantly felt a bit better about myself. At least I didn''t pee my pants. "Yeah. Those rabbites are deceptively fearsome in my opinion." "Oh. He wasn''t facing rabbites, it was a fire dragon. You''re the only one I know of that ran from rabbites." She said with a grin. Splat goes my self esteem. I hung my head down in shame. Maybe I can still salvage some from the floor. Oh, look there''s an itty bitty piece over there. "Sigh." I heard from the orc. Totally immersed in my depression I paid her no mind. "C''mon. Let''s go over there." She grabbed my arm and dragged me over a small shack. "Welcome to Elana''s Sunhine and Sundries!" She proudly advertised. "Elana?" I looked at her. "That''s me!" She beamed at me. Elana the Orc? I looked at her quizzically. The name of the orc in front of me that was built like a tank is Elana? "What?" She asked. "Nothing..." I''m not commenting on the naming sense of the big, scary orc. Nope, not me. Not even touching that with a ten foot pole. "By the way my name is Er... Myst, I mean. Nice to meet you." I changed the subject for my peace of mind. "Nice to meet you too." She answered, eyeing me weirdly. "So Myst, can I ask how long ago since you''ve started playing?" She asked. "Well, cumulatively, about an hour or two. This is my second login." I answered promptly. "Why do you ask?" She grimaced before answering. "Well you seem noobier than the other noobs." She answered frankly. My face fell. I really didn''t know what to reply to that. "Sorry. I''m really not trying to make you feel worse." She sighed. "Sigh. Man, I''m bad at this. Look, I just want to say don''t stress too much about having trouble fighting mobs. This is a new world for all of us. New frontiers and all." I looked at her, not getting what she was trying to say. "What I mean is, there are lots to do here aside from fighting. There are tons of quest that needn''t involve fighting. You just need to find what you want to do. No need to force yourself. I mean, isn''t that the point of all this. Choose your own way of playing or living in this world." It was like a light bulb suddenly lit inside my head. She was right! I looked back and asked myself. Why did I even start playing this game? It was supposed to be an escape. Escape from life. From stress. And here I am. Stressing over my stress relief. I internally laughed at myself. I looked out the window seeing the blue sky unfolded endlessly. The blindingly radiant sun framed by white fluffy clouds. I again marveled at the realism of this game and thought about all the possibilities that this new world could present me. Everything seems brighter now. I looked back at Elana with a grateful smile. "Thank you Elana. You don''t know how much this helped me." "No problem. Here." Her hand moved in the air. [DING] Friend Request Received Elana Yes / No I accepted her friend request in heartbeat. I looked back at her to thank her again but was surprised. Floating on top of her was her name in green. "Whoa!" I heard from her direction. "Huh? What''s up?" I Looked at her directly and asked. "You have a title! Wow, congratulations. It''s not easy to get one. Let''s see what you got... Fainthe..." She didn''t get far before she fell down laughing. "Bwahahahahaha..." I was puzzled at first and then a sudden memory flashed in my mind. No way. Don''t tell me... I quickly opened my status screen. ________________________________________________ NAME: Myst JOB: Freeman TITLE: Faintheart of the Yellow Belly Legion HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 LEVEL: 1 FAME: -2 STATS: STR: 10 (-5) AGI: 12 (+5) ATK: 8 CON: 10 DEF: 19 INT: 10 (-5) CRT: 1% LUC: 10 Gold: 0 ________________________________________________ "Faintheart... Of the... Yellow belly... Legion..." I inadvertently read out loud. It wasn''t a dream! "Bwahahahahahaha..." She laughed at my frozen expression. "OH MY GOD!" I suddenly yelled as images of people rolling on the ground with laughter, kids pointing at me while sneering, and even of monsters guffawing at me when I pass by. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO..." I slumped to the ground defeated. After quite a bit of convulsive laughter. She straightened up. "Oh, my. That was good." She wiped away the tears streaming from her eyes (and the snot from her nose) She then look at my lifeless form down on the ground. As if reading my mind, she crouched down and said. "Oh, don''t worry about it. Other players aren''t able to see it, just your friends." I let out a loud breath of relief. "Thank you god!" "Only NPC''s would know and talk and start rumors about you." She happily added. My world once again shattered. I summoned my status screen again and frantically looked for a way to unequip the horrid title. "Don''t waste your time. The only way to remove a title is by getting a new one. Then, you can choose which title to equip." She cheerily said. I slumped down. Sigh. There''s no help for it now. On the bright side, players don''t see it. So what if NPC''s can see it? I really don''t need to be concerned with what the NPC''s thoughts are about me. Right? With a new perspective, I straightened up and bade my goodbyes to Elana. "Just remember to stop by once in a while and buy your items here!" She grinned. I exited her store and went my way. Even with the discovery of the blasted title, I was still excited the idea of starting anew. With a new spring in my steps, I walked and just enjoyed the sights occasionally stopping by some places to appreciate them more. This got old after a while. Okay, time to start again and this timeon the right foot! I thought back to the past games I have played. Usually beginner players start the game by talking to predetermined NPC''s to get quests and accumulate experience before heading out themselves to hunt monsters. I winced at my actions up until now. Oh well, water under the bridge. Let''s not think about that again. Ever. I looked around trying to find an NPC to talk to. I saw people running to and fro going about their business. There''s a burly man hammering a sword on an anvil. Good a blacksmith! If I''m lucky I can probably score some equipment off of him. As I got closer. Hmmm... He looks familiar. Wait, wasn''t he part of the crowd laughing at me earlier? Wasn''t he a player? Or was he an NPC? Sigh. This is tough. I can''t even tell which were players and which were NPC''s. I can''t very well start asking each and every Tom, Dick and Harry that I pass by if he was a PC or an NPC . I saw one of the guards sitting down on one of the benches in the square. Probably on his break Aha, Success! Found one! Unless a PC started patrolling around the area regularly that definitely is an NPC. Or is he??? He put down a steaming wooden mug on the bench and started unwrapping a package. Imagine that. A doughnut! Well, there''s no harm in trying. I approached the guardsman. "Excuse me sir." He looked at me with a friendly smile. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it."Why hello there young man. How can I help you." He answered pleasantly. That''s a good sign. "Well, I''m actually new in this land and I was wondering if you can tell me more about this place." "Say no more, I''ll be more than happy to help you out. Since you''re new here, let me just say. Welcome to Grimsby. This is an outpost of Lerathiel and serves as a hub of activity for adventurers in this area. We are under the management of Count Marlton. As you can see this is quite a busy town with lots of places to go to. " He paused to take a bite of his doughnut. Munch, munch... "Now, where was I? Ah, places to go. If your looking for a place to stay and have a bit of harmless fun, you can go to the Bent Copper Inn." Munch, munch... "If your looking to buy some basic gear and provisions your best bet is Igor''s Emporium. For quality equipment you want to go to Lanry the blacksmith or if your feeling lucky the market square bazaar is always open. I heard some that even adventurers sell the treasure they find out there." Munch, munch... He looked at me briefly. "From the looks of you, you''re probably a fledgling adventurer as well. You should probably go to the adventurer''s guild first to register and get some basic survival tips." Munch, munch... "Talk to old Melchior in the quest registrar over there if you''re hurting for gold. Several townsfolk submit common requests there everyday. Just an advice, do your best to fulfill the requests to build up your renown. The better known you are the better the rewards and better requests will be available for you." He crumpled the wrapping paper and grabbed his mug. "That''s about it. There''s still a lot of places of interests but it''s more fun to find it yourself. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked as he stood up. "No, that''s plenty. Thank you for talking to me and your advice." "Well, my break is over. If you still have any question you can just look for me, my name''s Dagun." "Nice meeting you, Dagun. Thanks again." With that we both went on our separate ways. After a while a sudden thought came at me. I forgot to ask where the adventurer''s guild was! Arggghhh! **************************************************************************** An hour later I broke down and asked for directions and still got lost twice in the process. Why couldn''t they have given a map of sorts in the beginning. At last, I found myself in front of a medium sized building. The Adventurer''s Guild. Mentally preparing myself for whatever''s on the other side of the door, I went inside. With the way my luck has been going it could be anything, from a bar brawl to the building crumbling on top of my head. I opened the door and paused for a moment as I took a look inside. Well, this wasn''t what I was expecting. I looked at groups of people neatly lined up in front of various counters. It actually looked like one of those government offices, only better maintained and better staffed. I suddenly felt some gazes turned towards me and low voices started talking in whispers. "Look! It''s him." "Oh my god! It''s really him!" I looked behind me to see if there was anyone there. Nada. I have a bad feeling about this. "It really is him! Sir Faintheart of the yellow belly legion!" I almost tripped myself upon hearing that. "I heard he was seen being chased by a group of rabbites while crying!" "That''s nothing. I heard a five year old kid with a wooden sword asked him for money and he threw all his gold to the floor while yelling "Don''t kill me!" "You think that''s something? I heard he once saw a mouse, then a loud squeak was heard, not from the the mouse of course, as he scrabled up a tree!" Goddamnit! I''m right here, you know. And your whispers are worth squat. I just lowered my head in shame and tried to act like I didn''t hear them. Goddamn title! With watery eyes I proceeded to the registration counter, which thankfully was devoid of other applicants. A young eleven maiden sitting behind the counter gave me a funny look. "Welcome to the adventurer''s guild sir Fain... " "Please call me Myst." I quickly interjected. "Ah, yes. So Myst, I assume you will be registering." She looked at me for confirmation. "Yes, please." "Alright. My name is Maya and I will be assisting you with the process. First of all please fill in this form. We will be using the information that you will record there for your guild ID so please make sure all fields are answered accurately." She handed some forms and a pen in form of a quill. I filled in the necessary information quickly and turned the forms over back to her. "Okay, look over here please." She motioned with her hand. I put my hand over the counter to lean over and tried to see what she was motioning to when I felt a sharp pain from my right thumb. "Ouch! What the..." With a guilty smile she raised a bloody pin. "Sorry, we need a couple drops of blood from you." "You could have asked." I whined. "I actually thought about asking but with the stories about you..." She finished weakly as she applied the blood to a small stone tablet. Calm down, Eric, Calm down. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. "And... Done. Here''s your guild ID. It will automatically update as you finish quests and get stronger. Please do not lose it. If you do, please report the loss immediately. You will need to pay for the replacement as well. " She said as if reciting a well practiced line. I looked at the ID card that she gave me. It was gray about the the size of a credit card and was made of metal, iron I''m guessing. I scanned the surface of the card. _______________________________ Name: Myst Race: Human Lv 1 Job: Freeman Grade: Iron Rank: 5 _______________________________ I turned it over. _______________________________ Current Quest: None Status: Rating: Quests Completed: 0 _______________________________ "Let me give you a quick run through of some important points you need to know about the guild. Adventurers are graded and ranked depending on the number of missions they have completed and assessment coming from the quest givers. First, there are 5 grades in total: iron, copper, silver, gold and mithril. Each grade is divided into five ranks, 1-5. The higher your grade the more difficult the quests available to you are,but of course, also more rewarding. For you to advance a grade, you need to be to get the rank up to 1. You will need to visit the closest adventurer''s guild and submit a request for grade advancement, after which you will be supplied with a different ID according to your grade. Any question so far?" She asked. "Please continue." "Okay, let''s go over to how to raise your rank. You can raise your rank by completing quests. But that''s not all. After each quest whether it''s a success or a failure, the quest giver will be giving their assessment of your performance with the rating value from A-E. After meeting the quota for the number of missions and also meeting the required rating, the guild ID will change its color to blue, signifying that you have reached the prerequisite for advancement." She paused a bit and looked at me, silently asking if I follow. I just nodded. "As for acquiring official quests, you can get them from the quest registrar counter. Just talk to the attendant there." She pointed to another counter by the side. "Quests acquired from outside sources are not counted towards your guild rating but will still raise your FAME." Hmmm... So you can probably still get quests from NPC''s. "By the way monster subjugation quests start from iron grade rank 3..." She suddenly stopped and looked at me. "Ooops. I forgot, with the stories I''ve heard about you, you wouldn''t be interested in that. Don''t worry about it. I''ll also give you a hand out for information about the guild''s health benefits and life insurance as a bonus." She smiled slyly. I accepted the pamphlet glumly, deciding to look into it later. The sad thing was, I couldn''t refute it if I wanted to as I really wasn''t planning on meeting any monster anytime soon. With a heavy heart, I just nodded for her to continue. "Anyway, as I was saying. You can choose to apply for multiple missions but be careful, as some missions have time limitations. Failing to complete the mission on time will automatically give you a rating of E and it will also negatively impact your renown. Ah! I almost forgot. FAME is very important for an adventurer, the higher your fame the more missions are available for you to choose from. Sometimes you might not be able to apply for a mission even though your grade is sufficient due to the lack of FAME. Getting a good rating is a great way to raise so please do your best!" She paused one more time to give me some time if I had any questions. "Please go ahead." She smiled and bent over to get something from under her desk. "Very well. Congratulations on taking your first step as an adventurer. This is our welcome package for new adventurers." She handed me a package. As I slowly opened the parcel, she continued with her explanation. "Our welcome package contains some essential tools for adventurers. Let''s check if everything is in there. First you should see a small bag there." I took out a small belt bag. "That is a small bag of holding. This will enable you to carry items many time your weight and size. You can store up to 15 varieties of items. As a novice adventurer, I think that would be more than enough, but of course when the time comes that you will be needing more space you can either come back and purchase another or trade it in for a larger one for a minimal fee." I played with the magic bag for a moment before putting it down. I took out the next item. "That one is a geocryst, one of the most if not the most important tool for an adventurer. It records your path and generates a map by tracing the areas you have already visited and produce a floating image that also shows your position relative to the map. With this it will be difficult for you to get lost." Hahaha. Score! Hello my old friend automap! "You also get a small potion and a small ether. Lastly as a complimentary gift you also get a free training hall session coupon. Just show it to the training hall master to avail of the promo. You can also sign up for membership here you get 3 months for the minimal price of 5000 gold if you sign up today!" She happily finished. "Err... Not right now I think." I couldn''t even if I wanted to with my financial situation at the moment. "Suit yourself. Now is there anything else?" "Nope, nothing else. Thank you." "You''re welcome and have a nice day!" I happily left the counter and equipped my booty. Now, this is more like it! I put away my loot after a bit. Okay. What next? I think it''s about time I do something about the state of my finances. No matter where you are, be it in the real world or this world, it always comes down to one thing. Cold hard cash! So, the next step is... Get myself a quest! I remembered Dagun saying something about getting gold. What did he say? Look for old Melchior? He''s probably at the quest counter. I headed towards the said counter. I saw an old man busily filing some papers to seemingly random boxes. I approached him. "Excuse me sir. I''m here for..." "I know why you''re here for!" He cut me off abruptly. "And the answer is no! I won''t give a quest." What the?!? "Did I say or do anything to offend you sir?" I asked gently. "No." He answered without even looking at me. This old codger is really starting to annoy me. "Can you at least tell me why?" I said through gritted teeth. "Look kid, I''m doing you a favor here." The old goat''s crazy! "What favor!" My voice slightly raised an octave. He finally stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "From what I hear about you and your exploits, you are not meant to be an adventurer." "What exploits?!?" I exploded. Then it hit me. The goddamn title again! As I recall the effects of the title includes the reduction of my FAME by 2. I started with zero and now I''m in the red. I almost groaned out loud. "Look sir, everything is just a big misunderstanding." I tried to explain. "Looking at you kid, I don''t think you even have the backbone to complete the simplest quest." He snorted back at me. "If you just give me a chance, sir, I''ll show you I can do it." I pleaded. "Sigh... Tell you what. I''ll give you one chance." He relented. I beamed in response. He opened a drawer and retrieved a bunch of letters. "You need to deliver these letters to their intended recipients by the end of the day. Come back here when it''s done. If you can persevere and complete this request I''ll give you all the quests that you want." [DING} ___________________________________________________________ Quest Received Old man Melchior asked you to prove your perseverance by delivering the mail. Time limit: 6 Hours Rewards: Melchior''s trust, +2 FAME Accept? Yes / No ___________________________________________________________ What the hell? Did I just get an unofficial quest from the official quest giver?