《Path To Infinity》


 Chapter 1: New Beginnings

    Here''s the start of my new story. Critiques, criticism, and suggestions all welcomed and encouraged.


    Chapter 1: New Beginnings


    A new character appeared in the center of the city square. He looked around at the new world he had just entered with a look of amazement and joy on his face. Everything was much more real than he had expected. So this is a VRMMO? Not too shabby.


    Having played several massively multiplayer games in the past he had a certain amount of expectations, but this game was supposedly different; and none of the ones he had played were VRMMO games. Advertised as the first VRMMO to be truly immersive and open-ended, Infinite Realms? was supposedly exactly what he had been waiting for. The earlier VRMMO games sounded exciting but were expensive ¨C and therefore out of his price range. After years of saving, he finally was able to afford a capsule ¨C but he had found that if he waited a few more months he¡¯d have enough money to buy a release-date deluxe capsule combo that included the brand new game Infinite Realms?. Deciding it had sounded like the type of game he enjoyed he decided to do a bit more research. All of the current VRMMO¡¯s were around $300 a month subscription fee. People were willing to pay due to two factors: there was a 4:1 standard time dilation effect that the capsule employed and the games were such a leap ahead of the previous generation of technology that there really wasn¡¯t any comparison. The new game purportedly planned to subsidize itself through the in-game economy and real-world currency transactions. Being able to start on release-day, the promises/hype for the game and no monthly fees had made him decide this was path he would take.


    Looking around the in-game city¡­ he finally realized something. [There¡¯s no user interface at all! Guess that¡¯s what they mean by immersive. While all of the current VRMMO''s had user interface elements, Infinite Realms? was the first one to completely do away with a user interface in favor of providing all functionality through in-game effects. Neat! He proceeded to run around a bit to get a feel for his new body ¨C and promptly fell flat on his face. Huh?! He looked at his body and noticed it was covered in a thick coat of fur. Everything except his torso appeared to be very dark, almost midnight black in color. His torso was covered by a lighter color fur that was shining silver in the light. Examining his hands they had less fur on them and were similar to normal human hands, but a bit rougher - and they had claws which extended from the fingertips instead of fingernails. The only clothing he wore was a ragged pair of pants that went down to mid-calf before terminating in shreds. Apparently I¡¯m not human¡­ humans are pretty boring anyways. Standing back up carefully, he realized that his proportions were slightly off from his real life body. So that¡¯s why I fell. He walked around carefully before working himself up to jogging in a circle around the square. He was watching carefully where he was going, but a shimmer appeared directly in his path and then he collided with something solid and fell down again.


    "Oh!" The muffled voice came from underneath him. Hurriedly levering himself up a bit, he took a look at the ground beneath him. A very cute girl was beneath him. She had slightly pointed ears and a fair complexion that was beginning to turn a bit rosy as she realized the situation she was in. "W-would you mind?" she stammered a bit. Coming to his senses he tried to gently disentangle himself and stand up before offering the girl a hand. "Sorry about that, guess running around here isn''t the smartest idea." He grinned and gave a shrug of his shoulders. He decided to introduce himself, "My name is¡­" Hmmm, I forgot to come up with a name before logging in ¨C and the name I always used in previous games for some reason doesn''t seem to fit. "Well, you can call me Scion." The girl gave a shy smile before responding "I¡¯m Ary." Man she¡¯s cute¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s some sort of friend system in this game¡­ "Would you like to be friends?" He asked her. She looked briefly into his eyes, before quickly lowering her head and looking at the ground. "S-Sure," she hesitantly replied. Well¡­ no notification or anything¡­ not sure how this is supposed to work.


    "Uh do you know if there¡¯s a friend system or how to activate it?" Another player nearby overheard and interjected, "There¡¯s some kind of items you need to get in order to have a friend-type system, allowing telepathic communication and such." Ah, I do remember reading that items, spells and effects would replace most of the traditional UI elements. "Thanks! My name is Scion." Smiling and offering a hand to the new arrival (who was a male human with a pretty average look to him). "I shall be known as Shadow!" He exclaimed with vigor grabbing Scion¡¯s hand and pumping it vigorously. "Nice to meet you, ah I gotta go though ¨C been waiting for a couple friends to show up and they¡¯re over there." Looking over in the direction Shadow had indicated, Scion saw a small group of three people looking expectantly in his direction. "Alright, well¡­ see ya around I guess!"


    Looking back towards Ary, he smiled "Any idea what to start with around here?" Seeing a shake of her head, he shrugged "Well, I guess maybe we¡¯re just expected to wander around and figure it out then." He noticed some people were already heading towards the city gates while others were talking to NPC¡¯s (which were only discernible by the much higher quality of their clothing). I¡¯m certainly not going hunting without some sort of weapon. "I want to try to find something to arm myself with ¨C what are you going to do?" Ary gained a thoughtful look on her face for a few minutes as she looked around. Her face suddenly took on a determined look, "I¡¯m going to go read." She headed off towards a large building on one side of the square that had a sign that consisted of several stacks of books.


    Rushing after her a bit, Scion yelled ¡°Hang on a sec, do you want to plan to meet up later at all?¡± Ary paused for a moment before slowly turning around. "Umm not sure how long I¡¯m going to be, but I¡¯ll probably have to get off before too long¡­ so I guess we can just see each other around?" Well, guess I shouldn''t expect to have any better luck with girls in games. "OK, sounds like a plan!" He tried to respond enthusiastically despite the feeling of disappointment he felt. Although now that I think about it¡­ my race was randomly chosen for me, I wonder if gender is random too¡­ I¡¯m glad I didn''t end up as a girl! Maybe it¡¯s for the best that I keep my distance ¨C I don¡¯t want to end up in a relationship with another guy. He gave a bit of a shudder over the thought; though he wasn''t homophobic he was definitely straight. What he didn''t realize was that this particular game starts players as their gender and the only way to change it is a high-level spell that wouldn''t be available to anyone for a long time since the game was just released.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Well, time to get going I guess. Scion wandered around a bit until he saw what he was looking for ¨C a bit of smoke rising above the roof-line of the nearby buildings. Cutting through a dimly-lit alley which was filled with questionable piles of refuse, he saw the target of his search: a forge. Figuring even without money he may be able to get a quest that would give him a crappy sword to use he strode over to the young boy who was standing at the counter of the shop portion of the blacksmith¡¯s. "Excuse me would there be any way for me to earn myself a weapon?" The kid¡¯s face went from bored to amused, "You think this is a charity?" Hmmm, guess it¡¯s not that easy. "I¡¯m willing to work for it, I¡¯m just new around here so¡­" The kid chuckled, "The work is for the apprentices ¨C and to become an apprentice is a privilege that must be paid for. If you really think it¡¯s for you, maybe go take out a loan at the bank." Crap, so even this game has a debt system. I spent years in real life getting out of debt; no way am I starting that here. "Er, thanks for the info." The boy at the counter went back to what appeared to be carving some designs into the counter top with a small knife.


    Maybe I¡¯ll just see if I can find myself a branch or something and make a staff out of it ¨C can¡¯t be that hard right? Better hurry as it¡¯s starting to get a bit dark. Remembering how to get back to the square, Scion proceeded carefully out the nearby gate. Seeing some players running around a field trying to catch rabbits and foxes with their bare hands made him chuckle a bit. It doesn''t seem worth it to try to catch something so quick ¨C especially without a weapon. A tree line nearby attracted his attention and he wandered over to try to find a decent sized branch on the ground. Finally finding one that was the right size (and dried out enough that the bark came right off) he picked it up and tried a few moves with it that he had seen in the movies. After whacking himself in the head the branch clacked loudly against a nearby tree. A low growl emanated from the nearby bushes and two orbs of red light were visible through the rapidly darkening forest.


    Crap, maybe if I run back to the gate quickly the guards will kill it for me. Remembering his experience with other MMOs it was common to ''kite'' an enemy that was too strong over to guards. If you were skilled you could get the loot and experience while the guards did all the work. This¡¯ll work ¨C just gotta move quickly. He spun away from the bushes and headed back towards the field as fast as he could. Feeling the beast¡¯s presence on his heels he began to panic a bit. THWAP! His branch had struck a tree right at the edge of the field and the shock caused him to drop it and collapse to the ground, his breath momentarily knocked from his chest. He closed his eyes in pain, and he felt a pressure on his chest as the growls began to come from directly in front of his face. Well, that was a short life.


    Feeling something warm and wet along his cheek, he cracked his eyes. What he saw was a small wolf pup sitting on his chest licking his face. Safe. That was too close¡­ I wonder if it likes me because it thinks I¡¯m an animal too. The animal appeared to have similar coloring to what he could see on himself. Well, this area is too dangerous ¨C I better get back to the city. Maybe hunting rabbits and foxes isn''t such a bad idea. He carefully got up shifting the pup off his chest and onto his lap, jumping slightly when the pup started to growl again. Even a puppy could probably kill me right now and I definitely don¡¯t want its parents coming after me. Wait a sec¡­ Scion let out a chuckle as he realized the wolf was nuzzling his chest and what he had heard weren''t angry growls but more of a happy growl akin to a cat¡¯s purr. The sound of people thrashing through the woods became clearly audible and a conversation could be heard "He has to be around here somewhere, we killed its parents and all the other pups¡­ it¡¯s got nowhere to go."


    Realizing that they were probably looking for the pup on his lap, he hurriedly scooped it up without thinking and ran out of the trees and back towards the city. The guards stopped him as he reached the gate, "What do you think you¡¯re doing bringing wild animals into the city?¡± The other guard let out a laugh when he looked at Scion, "But look ¨C it looks exactly like him¡­ maybe it¡¯s his kid?¡± He had a big grin on his face. Scion thought about it a moment. "This is my familiar, he¡¯s bonded to me." I have no idea if this game even has familiars, but hopefully that¡¯ll work. The guards eyes widened in surprise, ¡°A familiar, eh? We don¡¯t get too many sorcerers around here ¨C especially not ones that wear rags! I¡¯ll tell you what though; we¡¯ll let you through as long as you¡¯ll take responsibility for any trouble cause by your ''familiar'' there, deal?" Scion nodded in relief. "Thank you, sirs."


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 Chapter 2: Hunters

    Let me know if the format is okay, or if it would be better to spread stuff out more. This is the last chapter I have written at the moment, more will come soon!


    Chapter 2: Hunters


    The second guard dug in his coin pouch a second and pulled out a silver piece before tossing it to Scion. "I¡¯d recommend you go straight to the Hunter¡¯s Guild and get it some training and tags if you intend to keep it." Wow, didn''t expect something so nice from an NPC. "Thanks, sir I¡¯ll do that¡­ but where¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s Guild?" The guard nodded, "At least you¡¯re smart enough to ask for help. Go straight down this street and take a right at the city square ¨C the Hunter¡¯s Guild will be at the end of the street just outside the East Gate, can¡¯t miss it." He followed the directions and looked up in awe as there was a huge complex that overshadowed the street. The building was made of a black stone that had a pattern of glowing neon blue veins running along it that were slowly pulsating. Don¡¯t see that every day. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the Hunter¡¯s Guild¡­ now how do I get in? Despite finding it he couldn''t see an entrance anywhere, the street just ran right up to the wall.


    He walked up to where the door SHOULD be, but all he saw was the same smooth black surface. Running his hands over it he couldn''t feel any seams or any disturbances in the smooth surface at all. Sighing he walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat. After waiting for quite some time, a tall strange man walked right out of the wall ¨C appearing exactly where he had been searching for a door. Scion jumped up quickly and rushed up to the man before he got away. "Excuse me sir, this is the Hunter¡¯s Guild correct?" The man distractedly glanced down and realized that the man was TALL. Scion estimated himself to be around 6 feet tall in his current body¡­ if so the man must be around 8 feet tall. "Eh? Oh, yes, yes it is. Did you need something?" Scion gathered his wits and responded quickly while he had the man¡¯s attention. ¡°I would like to know how to get in.¡± For the first time the man seemed to notice the wolf pup in Scion¡¯s arms. ¡°Ah, I see ¨C well go on in!¡± Scion just raised an eyebrow and looked back at the man. "Oh goodness me, I forgot¡­ well getting in is the first test. But I¡¯ll give you a hint: You must be able to see without using your eyes. Here take this ¨C it may help you." The man pulled a few normal looking stones out of his pocket and handed one to Scion. "Uh thanks." "No problem, no problem. Now I really must be going. Good day and good luck!" With that the man hurried away without looking back.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t a whole lot of help¡­ what am I supposed to do with this? He set down the wolf pup gently and looked down at the stone in his hand, thinking it seemed like a normal rock. Thinking it may be a key of some sort he tried waving it around where he had seen the man exit the complex. I feel pretty stupid waving this around. He stopped and tried tapping, rubbing, and even throwing the stone at the wall. Nothing. Around this time it was starting to get dark enough he couldn¡¯t see very far. He picked up the stone and headed back to the bench to wait for someone else to come along so hopefully he could see the trick.


    Startling alert, he had begun to fall asleep ¨C but a bright white light had shone through his eyelids as soon as they had closed. Looking around in confusion, it was just as dark. Odd¡­ it was bright for a second. He closed his eyes again and saw the same light¡­ but this time he could tell it seemed to be coming from his hands. The stone!  By concentrating on the stone the light almost seemed to form a pattern. Eventually he could see a fuzzy shape of some sort and at the same time a minor headache developed. Opening his eyes he rubbed his head. Then he noticed even with his eyes open he could still see a dim light coming from the stone in his hands. Not nearly as clear as before, a dim shape was still emitting from the surface of the stone. Cool. He glanced around and noticed a similar glow coming from around the center of the door area. Walking over to it, he saw a single blue luminescent hand-print. Placing his hand over the blueprint it flashed and his hand disappeared into the wall. Woah. Here goes I guess.


    Picking up the wolf pup again he took a step through toward the doorway. Scion¡¯s head hit the hard stone of the wall and the wolf pup let out a whine as it got crushed between Scion¡¯s body and the wall. Scion glared at the wall angrily. This time, while holding the wolf he placed his hand onto the wall again and this time when it fell through he followed it. After a couple steps in absolute darkness he came out into a lobby-type area where he set the wolf down again. Walking up to a nearby desk he rang a small bell that was sitting on the counter. A loud crash came from a doorway behind the counter followed by a woman¡¯s voice. "One second, I¡¯ll be right there."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    After a few minutes a feline looking woman emerged. Oh, so they have cat girls here too! "Sorry, please wait just one more moment.¡± She pulled open a drawer and removed a ring, a large quill and a small jar filled with some kind of glowing red liquid. She handed him the ring as she walked to an oversize book that sat on a pedestal along one of the walls she opened it and turned to look at Scion. "Name?" He was thoroughly confused. "Uh, Scion" She dipped the quill in the ink and proceeded to write into the book. "All set, Scion. Please put on the ring and proceed through that door there."


    "Wait, what¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t you want to know why I¡¯m here?" The woman looked at him in surprise. "You mean you aren''t here to join the Hunter¡¯s Guild?" Scion shook his head, ¡°I just came here because I was told this was where I could register and train a pet.¡± He pointed to the wolf pup who had curled up at his feet. ¡°Oh my, nobody outside the guild ever registers pets here ¨C they usually just go to the town hall.¡± You mean I wasted all that time for nothing! A low growl escaped Scion¡¯s throat this time as he thought of all the frustration he went through. The woman continued without noticing, ¡°However, by passing the entrance test you''ve earned the right to apprentice into the Hunter¡¯s Guild¡­ which I''ve just signed you up for." She had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed at least. "What exactly IS the Hunter¡¯s Guild?" Scion asked. "Well, it¡¯s obviously not really a secret or anything ¨C but it is considered highly competitive. The selections only occur once every four years and the applications close at midnight¡­ which is in just a few hours." Hmmm, sounds like this might be a rare opportunity. Once every four years is once a year in real life. Guess I should give it a try. "Alright, I¡¯ll give it a shot I guess." The woman sighed in relief. "Go right through there, they¡¯ll give you more information and the tryouts should start shortly."


    Scion nudged the wolf pup and headed through the door the woman had indicated. After walking down a long featureless hallway he came to a set of stairs. Shrugging, he proceeded down the long winding staircase. As he came towards the end of the stairs he began to hear clanging and shouts coming from the other side of a heavy wooden door. Hesitantly he pushed the door and stepped through into a ring around a large arena where there were two fierce-looking men fighting with long swords. Looking around the outer edge, there were several people cheering as well as a small group of robed figures on the other side of the arena. Looking a little closer at the crowd Scion realized that everybody had weapons on them, and only then did he realize even his measly branch was left behind in the forest when he ran away. I really hope I don''t need a weapon to join.


    The fighting figures continued their contest, moving with great speed and precision. Scion found a seat along the edge and watched as they got faster and faster. At the point where his eyes were having trouble keeping up he saw that the fighters and their swords began to emit a soft light. Small wisps of flame and sparks were appearing rapidly in the air around the pair and disappearing just as quickly. The flashes of light these effects threw off formed an aura that was similar to the aurora borealis in the real world, but with sharper contrast consisting of bright blues and red.


    The speed slowly wound back down before they stopped and bowed towards each other and the crowd. Several groups began cheering and chanting. The warriors just waved then left the circle to grab some water from a table nearby. That''s pretty incredible, hopefully I''ll be able to fight like that someday. Scion began to head towards the fighters but was cut off by a group of human youths in fancy clothing. ¡°Hoho, what do we have here? Looks like this weakling beggar trash thinks he''s good enough to join the Hunters! In fact, most beggars I''ve seen are dressed better than this. Although that''s a nice fur jacket he has, maybe we should take it for ourselves.¡±


    The group started laughing at Scion who tried to master his anger. Eventually he couldn''t take it and swung at his antagonizer, landing a hit on the chin. The youth looked surprised, but didn''t even move an inch. ¡°Ha, what was that? My little sister can punch harder than that. I''ll show you how a MAN punches you animal.¡± Everything suddenly went black.


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