The Steam Knight

"Let's see..." Tara said thoughtfully to herself as she looked over the various options of games the headset offered. She came to a stop at a doorway that read "Steam Knight" and tapped her chin as she looked over the artwork, looking like some sort of RPG that was a hybrid between steampunk and sword & sorcery.

"'Steam Knight'!" She read, "'Set in a fantastic world where magic and steampunk technology go together like peanut butter and chocolate, you take the role as The Steam Knight to help defend the land from tyranny. Battle monsters, forge your fellowship, level up to earn powerful moves, and end the tyranny of The Dark Queen Lilith and her mechanical undead army'. Eh, could be fun."

Of course, Tara had no way of knowing that she was actually standing in front of her own front door, reaching out and opening the door before stepping outside into the warm afternoon sun while closing the door behind her.

"Wow. Talk about virtualy interactive!" Tara exclaimed as she felt the grass between her bare toes, not once aware that she was naked outside.

Of course, Tara was not seeing her front yard through the headset. Instead, she looked around to see she was standing in a village that looked like it was ripped out of a fantasy story but given a slight Victorian era makeover. The young woman turned to see an elf in Victorian clothing walking a mechanical creature pass by before coming to a stop, staring at Tara with a smile.

"Ah, Good Morning traveler!" The Elf greeted as she and her machine came closer.

In the real world, however, things were a lot different. The Elf and Mechanical creature, for example, were actually Tara's neighbor Beth and her mastiff; the woman having let out a cry of 'What the hell?!' before coming over.

"Tara?! What the hell is going on here?! Why are you out here naked?!" Beth shouted, "Get back inside before someone sees you like this!"

And Tara heard something completely different...

"I see that you have come a long way, Young Traveler." The Elf said, "And by your attire, I see that you are a knight. By what name do they call you?"

At this point, a box with the option "Enter Player Name" popped up in front of The Elf.

"Tara! Are you even listening to me?!" Beth snapped, stomping her foot.

"Hmm... What to put as my player name." Tara said to herself. "Not enough space for my usual user name, so maybe just my name instead."

Beth blinked a few times in bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

"My name is Tara."

Now Beth looked annoyed. "I know it's Tara, you dumb -"

"Lady Tara, eh?" The Elf asked thoughtfully. "Hmm... I wonder if you're the one from the prophecy?"

"A prophecy?" Tara asked. She knew where this was going, but her experience as a gamer told her she wouldn't get anywhere if she didn't ask.

"'Prophecy'? What 'prophecy'?!" Beth asked in exhasperation, "The Prophecy of The Naked Idiot who's gonna get arrested if she doesn't take that stupid thing off her head and put some clothes on?!"

"My father told me of The Prophecy when I was only a little girl." The Elf began, "It told of a brave knight from a far away land who would come to vanquish The Dark Queen Lilith and free our beloved country of -"

"- You moron!" Beth finished, letting out an annoyed growl as she slapped her forehead. "And you didn't hear a single word of that, did you?"

"Ah, The country of Clankwall."

"... Well that answers that." Beth deadpanned. "Now go inside and -"

"Yes." The Elf said, "She and her undead automatons have ruled this country with an iron fist for the past five centuries, and if you are The Steam Knight of legend, you must defeat her. But you can not do it alone."

"What must I do?" Tara asked.

"Oh, I don't know. How about, and this is just a thought, but maybe... PUT SOME FREAKING CLOTHES ON, YOU LOONY!" Beth shrieked.

"First, you must visit the wizard Lord Octavius Eli Oakley in the middle of town." The Elf explained, "Only he can tell if you are The Steam Knight or not. After which, you must find a group of willing rebels to build your fellowship. I recomend you start with a healer."

"And where do I find this healer?"

"That's it!" Beth snapped, finally having enough, "If you're just going to stand there naked and keep ignoring my attempts to help you, then I'm gonna call the cops!"

"My cousin, Orion, works as an assitant to Lord Octavius." The Elf replied, "He can help you on your quest. Just be careful as he is a bit of a romantic."

"Ooh! A romance option!" Tara said with excitement, wiping away a sliver of drool.

"... Okay, I was only bluffing about calling the cops, but now I'm seriously considering it."

"Also be warned, Dark Queen Lilith has a swarm of spies and soldiers in and around the city." The Elf warned, "So be very careful about who you converse with."

"Sounds like a challenge to me!" Tara said with a smirk as she walked past The Elf. "And I love a good challenge!"

"Good luck, Possible Hero!" The Elf called out.

"Hey, get back here!" Beth called out as Tara walked down the street, the fully dressed woman groaning as she turned to her dog. "And that, Bruno, is why I prefer to lose myself in either television or a good book."