《Freedom》 Prologue: Introducing the gang & the game ¡°What do you want in life?¡± Good question. I want to have fun, hang out with my friends, meet a cute girl, and simply enjoy the good things in life. These are not answers that my counsellor is looking for. I am sitting in a small office with the student counsellor to discuss my future prospects. Soon my history studies of five years will be finished, so the meeting makes sense. Studying history is fun, that is why I started studying it in the first place, but it provides little in terms of job prospects. I always like how history seems mythical at first; based on a number of clues from the past you can reconstruct the shaping of civilizations, landscapes and cultures. It is interesting to study the battles for supremacy, the rise and decline of cities, and spread of religions, technologies and ideas. However, what is most intriguing is people. That is what I like to do; placing myself in the mind and situation of a person living in those circumstances. Then I imagine how I would react to external changes. Many people do that, but from the perspective of the history department it is of little value. As one of my professor used to say: ¡®History is about change, and it makes sense to concentrate on the biggest change-makers. Yes, all people are equal... but to suggest that therefore everyone¡¯s story or achievement is equal, and of equal interest, is ludicrous.¡¯ [1] In my thesis I tried to turn it around; recreate the thought processes, the experiences and enabling environment to review what makes a normal person into a change-maker. My thesis advisor was interested, but considered it futile to try. I used the subject anyways, but got stuck in the amount of work that is necessary to review even one historical character. The amount of work was too much and I had to tone it down, making the whole report mediocre. At least it will be sufficient to pass I hope. ¡°I see that I gave you food for thought.¡± Sighs my counsellor impatiently. I have been stuck in my thoughts for a while now. ¡°You know that these are things that you should have been considering for some time already. I fear that you are vastly unprepared for the current job market. You need to have your objectives fixed, monitor the related companies and their recruitment pages. The longer you wait after graduation, the worse it will look on your resume. Time is not standing still as you well know.¡± He continues to lecture me for a good 10 minutes. That takes me back to my intro class five years ago, when he also rambled for ages on and on. ¡°I will make a plan sometime soon.¡± I say He is hardly convinced ¡°Make sure to send it to me at the end of this month. If you do, then I will give you some recommendations and possibly connect you to some alumni of mine, depending on your wants.¡± I get up to shake his hand. With a curt ¡®thank you¡¯ I leave his office. Outside I relax, releasing the breath that I did not know I was holding. Thinking about the future sucks. I grin, considering that history students have supposedly been educated on the opposite thing. Not entirely true, of course. - I shrug and continue on home. It is Friday afternoon, so it¡¯s time to grab a beer and enjoy some free time. At home I find my roommate, Alex, lying on the couch. He is watching some tv-program, but jumps up when he sees me. ¡°About time you came home, you wanker.¡± He says accusingly ¡°I was about to starve to death.¡± Laughing, I say ¡°Right, I think you got fatter recently.¡± Alex pales and sprints to the mirror in his room to inspect his belly. He is kinda conscious, but proud, about his body. A few moments later he struts back into the living. ¡°Haha, joker. My abs are still in tiptop shape. Now let¡¯s go grab some food.¡± ¡°Sure, let me drop my stuff first.¡± I throw my bag on my bed and we walk to the mini-market around the corner. We make some easy pasta dish, chill on the couch, then go out to meet some friends at a pub. It¡¯s early so the place is almost empty when we arrive. Alex¡¯ friends are sitting at the bar and two cold beers are already waiting for us. They are my friends as well by now, but just like Alex they study Economics. We are all in our last year, about to finish our studies. A few months ago we decided that we are so awesome together that we should get an apartment after finishing. At first Elisa, the only girl in our group, was very doubtful about living with three guys. We solemnly swore to respect her privacy before she agreed. Alex, Sam and I rejoiced, because we would have someone to keep the apartment clean. Cleanliness was something that our current place lacked. Plus, Elisa is a cool chick. She proves it just now by downing another beer in one go. We cheer as the bartender brings us another round. The bartender, is an old woman in her sixties, grabs a pint as well and sits herself on her side of the bar. We all call her Gran. Gran is missing a tooth, has an endless number of stories, is quick with a joke, and even quicker to scold misbehaving students in her pub. We all can remember that one time that she threw one or two of us out. She grabs you by the ear or in your neck and pulls you towards the door. Each time we would go back the next morning to apologize, hangover or not. The last guy is Samuel. He is tall, skinny, has blond hair and is laidback. Alexander is quite buff with black hair and a handsome face. He likes sports and chasing girls, has rich parents and can be quite rash. On the other hand, he is hilarious and a kind guy once you know him well enough. Me? I am Manfred, or Manny, or The Man. History student with little thoughts about the future. I am quite tall, with brown-red hair, brown eyes and a big mouth. Elisa says my mouth is like a black hole, swallowing both food and light. The mood is good, some song from the early 2000¡¯s is playing on the background, a classic. Suddenly Alex calls out to Gran to turn down the music and turn on the telly. There are still no other people, so she passes him the control. He gets up and switches through the channels. At one he stops and turns to us. ¡°Alright, guys and gal, pay close attention, because this will be awesome.¡± ¡°You are too liberal with the word ¡®awesome¡¯¡± Elisa comments ¡°Oh?! OH?! Maybe I am, but not this time, my love.¡± Alex wags his finger in front of her face ¡°This will blow your mind.¡± ¡°So what is it? This looks like a game channel or something.¡± ¡°You will find out soon enough.¡± Alex yells excitedly ¡°Ah! It is starting. Shut up Manfred!¡± I tilt my head ¡°What? I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± - On the tv screen the commercials fade away and we see a studio. One side of the table we see a broadly smiling man that welcomes us back. He must be the host. Next he introduces his audience to the two men sitting opposite of him, both suited up neatly. ¡°And welcome to our honoured guests today, Mr. Ritterhoff and Mr. Chen from the company Endless Gaming.¡± They acknowledge him. The first has a strong German accent, while the other sounds distinctly American. ¡°For those who don¡¯t know; we will talk about the most anticipated virtual reality game in years, called Freedom. My guests are two of the leading developers and here to shed some light on its features. If you are not watching, then you must live in a cave, isn¡¯t that right gentlemen?¡± The German frowns ¡°Well, Freedom is very unique. It is something that we are very proud of, yes. However, as my colleague can attest, this is not a game for everyone.¡± The host eagerly asks them to elaborate. The Asian-American Mr. Chen continues ¡°Yes, yes, that is very true. Our game will develop as the players take actions, which is common in a lot of the current games. We all know the advances of AI have allowed for complex worlds. Our new product diverges considerably from the mainstream VRMMORPG¡¯s. We will reveal only a little today, right?¡± He looks at his colleague. The host looks like he ate a rotting apple ¡°Only a little? Surely you jest, Mr Chen.¡± Ritterhoff interjects ¡°The main aspect of this game is that players will have to figure everything out by themselves. When players start out, there will be no NPC¡¯s in their starting area, there will also be no system windows appearing to give them information.¡± ¡°No NPC¡¯s and no system windows? How will people know where to go or do things?¡± ¡°That is up to them.¡± Ritterhoff says curtly Chen is more cheerful as he states ¡°That is what freedom is. There is noone telling you to do that or this in order to learn something. There are no classes that limit you. As long as you know what to do, then you can do it. For example, you want to hunt using a bow. To do that you do not need to do some quests for a NPC to get the archer class. What you do need is a bow, proper arrows and practice. However, some people might practice and not get anywhere. You should do things properly.¡± ¡°Freedom is something that you have to earn. We suspect that the majority of the interested players will not continue playing after the first few days. You will start with absolutely nothing, only those that are dedicated, smart or stubborn will survive. Otherwise you will die and die again. How do gamers call it again?¡± Ritterhoff pauses. ¡°Ah yes, this is hard core.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Unbelievable!¡± The host says ¡°You say that most people will not have a chance to survive! How will Endless Gaming be able to finance this game if only a few are playing?¡± ¡°Simple, the people that continue playing can eventually create a safe zone, like a town for example. There people can safely start their in-game life. As the player civilization grows, it becomes more and more comfortable to start out. The realism in Freedom is the highest of any game yet released, so we are sure that people will want to join, whether it¡¯s sooner or later.¡± ¡°I see. Truly innovative, haha!¡± Gran arrives with a new round, as Sam say ¡°It looks like an interesting game, Alex. What does it have to do with us?¡± Without looking at me Alex replies ¡°We are going to play it of course.¡± I remark ¡°It looks like a pain in the ass. Even if you start later, will the first players really allow the newcomers in their hard-earned safe spots?¡± The program also touches this point. On screen they talk about monsters, beasts and animals. The host is thrilled as the two developers show images of some of the ones that will exist in this game world. ¡°Man, it must be great to hunt these animals. And you says that there are no drops, but if you want you can use every part of their bodies in one way or another.¡± Mr Chen nods ¡°You can try to use parts of hunted animals as you like.¡± Then he grins ¡°Whether you can make something useful of it is up to you.¡± The dreary man next to him warns us ¡°There are limits on player behaviour as ethics dictate. Continuous cruel behaviour will be picked up by the machines and can lead to exclusion from playing and even judicial punishment in real life. We recommend people to work together, instead of against each other. Purposeful torture of other players or virtual characters will be reviewed by the psychological department. In addition players have the option to report others. Our website will have more information.¡± ¡°Wow, I guess those lawsuits against some of your fellow companies have made you cautious.¡± Ritterhoff snorts ¡°This is about our human values in the entertainment business. We do not condone people entertaining themselves by hurting others.¡± Chen lightens the mood by saying ¡°Of course, we are lenient to a certain extent. It is a game after all. We are just concerned about the mental wellbeing of our customers. Role playing is allowed, and it is not impossible to start wars between player factions or against NPC factions. By the way, you can only play if you are 18 years or older.¡± ¡°That is good to know. I am sure our viewers will be very responsible.¡± The host obviously finds the topic uninteresting and changes the subject ¡°What everyone wants to know is this. How do you get strong? Is there magic or something else in this game? And what happens when you die.¡± ¡°I can be cheeky and tell you that you will have to figure that out by yourself¡± Chen smiles ¡°But I can reveal that getting stronger is possible by training your body, but also by using mana. Players can think of their own training schedule for improving their body. Using mana, or magic so to say, will require you to detect the mana, gather or form it, then use it in a way that you want. It is very complicated, and in the testing during the last few months only a couple managed to achieve very little. About the rest...¡± Chen looks to his partner. ¡°Players will all start as the same race. No, not humans. How you come into this world will be shown when you enter the game for the first time. They are a race that is based around a soul, while the body just forms around this soul. Dying means that your soul is forced out of our body. It will take some time for you to restore your soul at a soul stone. In that time you will be logged out. Anything that you were carrying is left at the spot of your death. You will not lose levels or skills, because those do not exist.¡± ¡°No levels?! How is that possible?¡± ¡°Did you not listen to my colleague? You get stronger by training your body, learning things for yourself, using tools that you can make, et cetera. Your soul is central in everything you do. This is freedom to do what you want, as long as you enable yourself!¡± ¡°How fascinating! So there will also not be stat points, titles or classes. When can we expect the official opening?¡± Chen replies ¡°In more or less 6 weeks. The opening is on the first day of the summer vacation. Haha, we wouldn¡¯t want people to blame us for their bad grades or job reviews!¡± ¡°Indeed, indeed! I can¡¯t wait to see more of the actual game, but just like the viewers I will have to wait 6 long weeks.¡± The host turns his full attention to the camera. ¡°We will bring you the latest news and in-game footage right here on the #1 Game channel. Make sure to tune in regularly for our show!¡± - ¡°Right?¡± Alex says to us ¡°It looks awesome, no?¡± ¡°There are lots of games. Why this one?¡± Elisa asks ¡°Did you not listen?¡± Alex gasps ¡°You can explore however you want, it is like building your own world. Who wouldn¡¯t want that? Especially you, Manny, this should be perfect for a history freak like you. You can experience for yourself what is like to start from scratch.¡± I snort ¡°First of all, history freak? I resent that.¡± and with some extra thought I say ¡°We don¡¯t start from scratch, we already know a lot. Also, we can exchange information with other players outside the game. Lastly, players are not so concerned with the survival of others as ancient people used to be.¡± ¡°See, you are smart. I need you with me on this adventure!¡± He gets a harsh look from Elisa and Sam ¡°and I need you two as well. Of course!¡± Sam is in for everything and he played a few VR games already, so he is joining for sure. Still, I see him smiling as he teases ¡°You are a rich boy, Alex. Can¡¯t you just use your daddy¡¯s money to go on a real adventure?¡± ¡°In this world of us? Everything has become boring, organized, and safe. Maybe if we could go to some other planet or something.¡± He is passionate about this. Alex continues ¡°Talking about money; my parents are willing to get us four brand new VR machines plus a yearlong subscription fee for this game. We will get them when we move into our new apartment together. It¡¯s their treat to us for finishing university.¡± They really know how to throw with money. ¡°Fine¡± I say ¡°, but we will not play entire days. It¡¯s summer, so we should enjoy the weather. I also need to find a job, go to interviews, and... Alex, listen, you twat.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, you said yes.¡± He waves, now arguing with Elisa to make her join in. He is acting like a big child. Laughing I call to Gran for another round. ¡°You kids. Aren¡¯t you too old for games?¡± She scolds me ¡°In my day...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gran. We will still come to pester you.¡± I smile ¡°You do that, or I will drag you here. I have lost enough customers because of these hip machines.¡± ¡°No one says hip anymore¡± ¡°Hipper-di-hipper-di-hip¡± She chants ¡°Still want your beer?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± ************************* [1] This quote comes from the Introduction of the book A History of the World by Andrew Marr. It''s a great book, if you like to read about history. Author notes; Thank you for reading this first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! So this was the prologue. The story is undetermined, but things that I¡¯d like it to have are these: - Normal people; the MCs have not studied 1001 martial art forms, they just have their personal talents and personalities. - Goals; characters that just want to become strong for the sake of being strong is kinda boring. A more logical goal is to do something ¡®just for fun¡¯ - Clever actions; characters need to think to progress. Sometimes you power through a problem, sometimes you need to think. As opposed to some things that I don¡¯t like so much: - Dramatic goals; there will not be some overdramatic reason to play, like revenge, injured family members, excessive debts, a.o. (of course there can be some payback or something in the game) - Hidden game mechanics; MCs will not discover some hidden class after doing 1 quest. If they figure something out, then it will be through their mental/physical efforts. - Romance/harem; not to say that there will be no romance in the story, but it will limited. There will also be no romancing NPCs by any of the main characters. The game will be as described in the tv interview. It will start out as a survival game, after which players can build their own towns, or not. It depends what players do. There will be no NPCs, no stats, no skills. Wisdom or intelligence just depend on how smart the player is in using the game world. Strength or vitality can be gained by training the body, and eventually some players figure out how to strengthen their body with magic, etc. This ¡®imaginative¡¯ game has no numbers for any of this, unless a player successfully builds an apparatus to measure ****************** Chapter 1: Ready, set, go! Another chapter. I wrote it one go, so there are probably some errors Alex slumps down beside me ¡°We should prepare.¡± He is talking about the game, again. I look up from my laptop ¡°Yes, we should.¡± His eyes widen ¡°Yes? Yes! Finally you are listening to me, mate.¡± ¡°We should prepare for the oral defence of my thesis.¡± I finish with a smirk. ¡°No, no, no!¡± He cries dramatically ¡°Aren¡¯t you already finished?¡± ¡°Almost, but a certain someone keeps interrupting me¡± I say, knowing that I won this case ¡°Ugh, alright. How much time do you need?¡± He sighs Without saying anything I send him an email. He checks his phone to see the invitation for my presentation one week from now. He gets up again and shortly gets ready to leave. ¡°After I am done, we are first going to celebrate. Ok?¡± ¡°Of course, I am not so crazy that I would throw away this chance for a good party¡± He grins ¡°Aight, I am off to chill with Sam and Eli. You have fun being boring!¡± They all finished a few days ago. I wish I was already done. I steel myself and start changing the colours of some figures and tables. That Friday I leave the aula as a graduate, well theoretically, because the paperwork is not finished yet. Finally I get my freedom back. Ha, it¡¯s ironic since it is also the name of that new game. My parents are there to congratulate me. They invite me, my friends, and some more family members for diner at a local restaurant. In the evening, the old people retire at a nearby hotel, while we make our way to some nightclubs. On the way we stop by Gran to tell her the good news (and do some celebratory shots). The night was kinda embarrassing and hazy. The last thing I remember was Elisa pulling me somewhere because I ¡®just had to see this...¡¯ - My head hurts as a ray of light finds its way past the curtain and on my closed eye. I shift in my bed, slowly waking up. As awareness sets in I feel sweaty. Soon I also smell the alcohol, and other unpleasant odours. Some vague memories return to me, but now I feel the strong urge to pee. I stumble out of bed, into the bathroom. It is hot in the apartment, summer has officially arrived and a glance at the alarm clock tells me it is well after noon. Maybe Alex can tell me more, although somehow I doubt it. I plan on waking him up, since he should share my pain now that I am awake and suffering. I drum on his door, before entering ¡°Alex!¡± I yell ¡°Get up, you lazy swine.¡± Then I freeze, because instead of Alex, it is Elise who sits up from the bed. She looks absolutely terrible. Her eyes are half closed as she tries to look at me. ¡°Shut it, please¡± She mumbles, before falling back on the pillow. ¡°No-no-no-no-no-no-NO-NO!!¡± I shout ¡°This can¡¯t be happening! How can you do this to us? Why do you two try to ruin our group?!¡± She just waves her hand above the sheets. Where is Alex? ¡°ALEXANDER!! I am going to kill you!¡± Suddenly I hear scratching noises. I go back to the living and it comes from the front door. I open it and in falls Alex. He must have been slumped against the door before. ¡°What the-¡± Guess they didn¡¯t sleep together. I poke him with my foot a bit. He rolls over and opens his eyes. ¡°Manny, is that you?¡± comes a hoarse whisper I have relaxed and decided to sit on one of the couches. My headache is coming back, stronger this time. ¡°Yeah, you can come in now.¡± He looks visibly relieved. ¡°Thank god, I thought I was going to piss myself.¡± and he rushes to the loo After a few minutes he comes back in, looking pale but awake. ¡°Man, what a night.¡± He says ¡°Want some breakfast?¡± My stomach feels unstable, but I take the gamble and nod. He starts to shuffle around in the kitchen, which is open towards the living. ¡°Why were you outside the door?¡± ¡°What do you think? I got thrown out by that monster.¡± He points towards his own room. ¡°Aha-ha¡± I snigger ¡°Oh, can you make me some coffee?¡± ¡°Who do you call a monster?¡± Elisa appears in the door opening, looking annoyed. Alex grimaces and I hold my laughter ¡°You must have misheard, beautiful.¡± She eyes us with suspicion, but eventually she relents. Instead she demands some clean clothes and a towel. I tell her that she can pick whatever she want from our closets. She gives another sharp glance, steals away a piece of bacon and shuts herself in the bathroom. We eat breakfast, and then shower as well. We smell badly according to Eli. I call Sam over to our place. He apparently hooked up with someone. Man, I really should remember more. Now we are sitting outside, sunglasses protecting our fragile eyes from the sun. Alex has opted for a beer to remedy the hangover. For me, the smell alone makes me nauseated. We fill each other in on the details of last night. I danced on the bar without my shirt. Elisa pulling me away to show me something was apparently to look at Alex dancing with a woman twice his age. After a while we just sit there in silence, until Alex opens his mouth again: ¡°Manfred, my man, it is time to fulfil your promise to all of us.¡± I open one eye ¡°What may that be?¡± ¡°Preparation! We are going to prepare ourselves for this game.¡± ¡°Ok, ok, but not now please.¡± Sam and Eli agree, but only several days later the four of us are sitting in our living again. Alex has somehow procured a whiteboard and is standing in front of us. We have gotten some snacks and drinks and are sitting down on the opposite couch, waiting for him to start. He paces in front of us, hands on his back, like a military commander of some sort. ¡°Silence¡± He barks ¡°Stop that! Stop sniggering!¡± He acts ridiculous and we laugh harder and harder, as he shouts for order. Finally he laughs as well. ¡°Fine, have it your way.¡± and he sits down, faking his dismay. Elisa grins ¡°Aye, captain. Why do we need to prepare anyways? I thought they said that we had to figure everything out when we get there.¡± Alex explains ¡°We do know something important. That is that we do not start with anything. We have to build everything on our own.¡± ¡°So? How is that different from what Eli said?¡± Sam asks ¡°What I think he means to say is that we should look for ways to survive when you have nothing. We can think about the essentials we need and how to get those. We don¡¯t know what situation we end up in, but there is general tactics.¡± ¡°Exactly¡± Alex says, already cheerful again ¡°I knew it was a good idea to invite you guys. It would be stupid to improve your strength or try to get that mana thing working, before we have a solid supply of food and safe shelter. Fortunately our history nerd can exactly tell us what the order of business was for surviving in the Stone Age. Once we reach that objective, then we can look again for ways to improve our situation effectively. Before long we will build a small airplane or ship and explore the world!¡± We laugh and Sam says ¡°Haha, idiot. You don¡¯t know anything about flying or sailing.¡± ¡°Ok, fair enough. So, what should we start with? We would need food and water, if we are anything like humans at least. What else is a primary necessity? Shelter is important.¡± ¡°Yes, shelter and protection from predators, although we have no idea what those may be.¡± I think a bit more and grin ¡°For species reproduction is also important.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t think we should concern ourselves with that.¡± ¡°No, but maybe we should think about whether we let others into our group. Can we trust others? Should they be capable and provide their own water and food? We should also consider some foods to be poisonous and how to deal with injuries...¡± I continue to lecture them about survival techniques from different tribes and environments. After 20 minutes Sam is snoring, while Elisa is looking out the window. Only Alex is still paying attention, sometimes writing on the whiteboard. He claps his hands. With a shock Sam sits up straight. ¡°Are we done?¡± He asks. Alex scowls ¡°We were, but you were sleeping. So Manny is going retell everything.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon! Isn¡¯t it enough that you two know the plan?¡± ¡°Just kidding, mate. Check out this plan we made for when arrive.¡± Eli looks at the board again and says ¡°We are basically stealing what others were doing. I was thinking we can also use the players around us to see what works and what doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good idea! To summarize what Manfred just said, we first have to...¡± We discuss it some more, until Alex is satisfied. He grins and tells us he got us a present for putting up with him. ¡°Presents? Super Alex! I thought this afternoon would be a waste, hehe.¡± Elisa says happily ¡°What is it? Gimme, gimme!¡± He hands us all a wrapped book. Eli is the first to tear off the paper and looks shocked. I open my own present and see the title ¡®The Complete Survival Guide¡¯ ¡®Indispensable for Anyone Exploring the Unknown¡¯ ¡®by dr. B. ?ring¡¯ ¡°You should all read up before the game starts next week.¡± He dodges the book that Eli throws at his head and continues ¡°Also, I talked to our new landlord and we can move in the day after tomorrow. I have the contract here, so sign it and don¡¯t forget to go to the municipality befow- Eli, stop that! Stop kicking me!¡± Two days later we move our stuff in. The place was bought by Alex¡¯ parents, but we all have to pay rent, including Alex himself. The bedrooms are quite small, and Elisa claims the biggest room. We have two bathrooms, a living and a kitchen. In addition we have a small balcony and an extra room that we can use as study area and where the new VR machines are standing. Sam and I also bought a gaming console for in the living room, while Eli insisted on having some karaoke program as well. All in all, we have found ourselves a very nice place. I am just worried that job hunting will suffer. I had made a flimsy plan that I handed in to my professor, and got some suggestions back. Haven¡¯t looked at them since, really. In the next days I do look at the suggestions and I find a few job openings that are relatively interesting and one that I quite like which is a job as research assistant. I take my time to write some well-balanced application letters and email them. Fingers crossed! This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Alex is still raving about the upcoming game, and it is getting to the rest of us. We looked online and the company only released a minimum amount of in-game footage. However, there are forums full with theories, guides(?!), and people trying to already start guilds and parties. Most of it was useless to us. Eventually the day of release was there. We had all gone running in the morning, showered and had a healthy breakfast. Eli, Sam and I were standing up straight, while Alex marched in front of us. He got in my face, asking a question about our plan. Only after giving a long reply was he satisfied. What a drama queen. He yells again ¡°Oi, listen up. In a minute you will all man your machine. The time for bathroom breaks is over. Time in the game seems to pass three times faster. So if you maggots want diner at 7 tonight, then we have 18 in-game hours to get into a safe spot. We will be allowed to start together, but where we will end up is unknown. We look for each first. Got it?¡± ¡°¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡± We shout ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started then.¡± He says giddily We sit in our machine. When I lie down, there is a quick scan of my body. I registered before, so it just recognizes me. When I close my eyes, it shows me the available option. I mentally select Games -> Freedom. It¡¯s the only game I have on my account. Once selected, the logos of Endless Gaming and of the Freedom appear with underneath a timer. 40 seconds left. As the seconds pass by I become more and more excited. It really is like stepping in the unknown. The last second ticks away, for a short lull the timer shows 00:00:00, then I am fast-forwarded through space, lights shooting past me. I slow down considerably and start to home in on a planet. It is distinctly a planet, but not quite like Earth. This must be the game world. The seas are generally blue, but I notice a pitch black sea somewhere. There is also land with bright red hues and some of the cloud formations do not seem natural in the slightest. I feel a tuck and get sucked closer to the planet. Suddenly a large hole appears in the outer atmosphere and some figure shrouded in black smoke emerges. I can¡¯t see whether it is a human figure, but it does seem to raise a gigantic arm before throwing it down towards the surface. Black stones are released from the black smoke and hurtle towards different points of a small continent it seems. Before I can look twice, the force sucks me down again and soon I see one of those stones again, standing tall on the border between beach and sea, waves crashing into it. Then I enter the black stone and everything becomes black - The next moment I feel the familiarity of having a body creeping back in, at the same time my newfound body is thrown around. I realise I am in the water, but not before gasping, allowing salty water to enter. It hurts, as I struggle to gain control of my limbs another wave smashing in on me, pushing me deeper. I open my eyes and feel the salt grit on my eyes. Noticing the area that is light I clumsily move my arms and legs trying to swim upwards. Soon I breach the waters¡¯ surface throwing up the salty water and trying to inhale some air this time. Half a second later another wave crushes down on my head. I am pushed deeper, but now I feel calmer. When I get up this time around, I quickly look around and spot the beach. Behind me I see another wave approaching, so I dive to let it pass. Swimming carefully I get closer to shore. The currents try to pull you down when you don¡¯t expect it. Additionally I try to help out some of the other players that are appearing around me. Feeling exhausted I crawl onto the beach, coughing up some more seawater before looking around. Everywhere players appear. Some are lucky and materialize on the beach, while others struggle in the rough sea. I have no clue where the other three are. No player looks human. We have legs, arms and a head, with a body that has more or less human proportions. I think we are slightly taller than normal, but it hard to say because I can¡¯t compare it to anything I know. A closer look at the people nearby tells me that no one is wearing clothes. We are all white and pale beings, with maybe a black or grey spot here and there. On the head dark spikes are growing backwards, giving a false image of hair. The eyes are red with a black pupil. You can distinguish the women by a swell in the breast area and on average slightly wider hips. No one has anything between their legs, fortunately! We are definitely not human, but I have no clue what we actually are. I remember the plan and start to move again. We knew that there would be tons of other players logging in at the same time, so we decided to group at a high point, wherever we would arrive. Alex would stand there, taking a body builder pose. We had some kind of standard conversation thought out beforehand to ensure we know it is us. We even had some hand signal thought out in case we couldn¡¯t talk, you never know. Fortunately I hear people around me talking, although it sounds gritty. We probably have to get used to talking, similar like using our limbs. The highest point I think. I doubt Alex would climb on top of the black stone. The other option would be to head away from the sea, towards some kind of forest. The forest perimeter looked to be far away. Some people are already moving that way, while other stick around the sea side. It is quite peaceful once you are no longer in danger of drowning. Some players are now helping other get out of the water. The sand is pleasantly warm and the sun is shining overhead, so it seems to be the afternoon. I make my way towards the forest, walking through the crowd of people on the beach. Exiting the crowd I see an odd sight. One of the players is hastily gathering sand, trying to build a hill of sand. I stand for a while in wonder, as after a while I see the guy standing on top of his tiny hill. I see his feet sink so far in, that he is practically barely higher. I laugh quietly as I walk towards him. He seems frustrated and starts scoping up more sand. While walking I practiced my voice a bit, but it still resulted in a crackling whisper ¡°Hahaha, the idea is good, Alex. Too bad it sucks in practice.¡± His head whips around and he inspects me. ¡°Manny? That you?¡± ¡°You guessed correctly. Do you want to exchange the secret greetings?¡± I ask him grinning. What luck to find one of our group so quickly! The developers of this game sure one upped the people coming with friends unprepared. ¡°Nah, I can recognize your miserable attitude no matter what you look like.¡± He says ¡°Besides, the greetings are a bit embarrassing.¡± He looks at his useless sand hill. Some guys came running through and now it looked it even more pitiful. ¡°I am going to propose something, and I want you to know that is only because you don¡¯t have your ding-a-ling.¡± I say ¡°You can sit on my shoulders and strike the pose.¡± It takes some time, but eventually I can stabilise myself with Alex sitting on my shoulders. As more players arrive, we move further up the beach, staying out of the crowd. We garner some curious looks and some people approach us to chat, before continuing. My shoulder are becoming sore, the sun light feels uncomfortably hot and my throat aches for fresh water. Finally I hear Alex speak ¡°I think I see Sam heading our way.¡± Surely a lanky, extra tall, guy pushes towards us. Within moments he stand before us smiling. Alex keeps to his pose and inquires ¡°Do you have something to say, stranger?¡± The guy, Sam, grumbles and clears his throat ¡°My, what big eyes do you have!¡± Alex replies with a straight face ¡°All the better to see you with, my child.¡± We all start laughing, and I decide to fall over, which elicits an indignant cry from Alex. Sam asks us about Elisa, but obviously we hadn¡¯t found her yet. Sam and Alex both had appeared on the beach, but it is possible that she was swallowed by the waves. That would mean she would have to wait another day in real life before logging in again. That¡¯s three precious in-game days as Alex repeatedly drilled into our heads. We hear a loud voice calling out. The crowd is in the way and this time Alex sits on the shoulders of Sam, rising to new heights. It seems one of the players tries to pray to the black stone ¡°... Almighty Lord, bless me with your power, so that I can serve you better...¡± We keep watch for a while. You never know what will happen, and we still hadn¡¯t found Elisa. The guy calling out to the black stone seemed to get no response and people started dispersing further. Alex is peering over the crowd, when he says ¡°Hey guys, isn¡¯t that an island over there?¡± I jump to see a black shape on the horizon. After a few moments, Sam says ¡°Alex, I don¡¯t think that is an island. It looks more like a storm heading our way.¡± ¡°Crap¡± He swears ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start moving towards the forest line for now. We will need shelter or we might not survive. We will keep looking for Elisa, but she knows the plan. She will move on her own if necessary and via real life we can eventually meet up somewhere.¡± Sam answers ¡°Yeah... I don¡¯t think she read the plan.¡± Alex begins swearing, cursing Eli and her insubordination. We reach the edge of the forest and look back towards the sea. The wind increased in power, and the first clouds covered the beach in darkness, waves leaping even higher than before. The people on the beach had already noticed the incoming clouds and were now rushing towards the forest as well. Rain and hail start pouring down; all the while new players keep on spawning near the black stone. Their chance of survival being next to nothing. We peer onto the beach, trying to look for Elisa. However the incoming stampede drowns our voices. Next thing we know a clump of ice the size of a cannon ball smashes into a tree next to us, almost destroying the thick trunk. ¡°Damn¡± Sam says dryly. The hail takes its toll on the fleeing mass. Every person hit, soon disappears in a shower of light, which seems to return to the black stone. ¡°Where is that cursed girl?! Damn her! And damn this hailstorm!¡± Alex shouts angrily, before proceeding to kick the gigantic tree that indicates the frontier of an endless forest.