A Virtual World

A/N I was inspired to write this work by reading Zurai’s ‘Path of the Chosen’. This book takes place in an entirely different setting and features some different stuff than that, but I got the idea for this from that book.

———

I opened the box to the new VR game that released in two days. I’d gotten my hands on a 48 hour early copy, and I was so excited to play it. The new game, Mystic Realms, had already made a killing in reviews, with every big game reviewer giving it a 10/10. Mystic Realms was an awesome virtual reality game. It took place in a fantasy world, meaning stuff like orcs and elves. Supposedly there was an awesome main campaign, but it was entirely free-roam, so you could do whatever you wanted.

I glanced at all the special gear the game brought with it. Along with the more normal headset, there was a whole kind of bodysuit I had to put on, and had controllers in my hands.

“Damn, this is a lot.” I huffed to myself as I strapped it all on. I grabbed my phone and shot a quick text to my girlfriend, Amaya.

“Headed into VR for the next week.” I said. Amaya, who’s also a gamer, was getting her copy in two days, where I was sure she’d join me. Mystic Realms was an MMO, kind of. Most of the world was single-player, but things like the Taverns let you connect with other players. With a building sense of excitement, I pulled the headset down over my eyes.

———

When I looked around the dim room I spawned in, I was confused. And then words popped up on a screen.

Welcome to the Mystic Realms, traveler. Here, the rules are clear. Every individual has a Class. The most basic ones are mage, swordsman, or rogue.

I grinned. My pre-release copy had a fourth option.

Select Class?

>Mage

>Swordsman

>Rogue

>Blade Mage

With a smirk, I picked blade mage. It was an Uncommon class, and it was cool because I got to cast spells and use a sword.

A blank character model appeared and I took about half an hour to customize them.

Soon, I had a muscular human warrior with short blond hair, green eyes, and a good deal of height. He wore the starting clothes, I guess. It was a cloth shirt and cloth pants.

I pushed confirm, and a much better spawn point appeared around me. I was at the peak of a gorgeous mountain, looking out over the land. It was mostly wild, but I swear I saw a city out to the east. I glanced down at a leather pouch that had appeared. I lifted it up, and opened it. I saw the menu of items.

+1 Basic Sword

+1 Wooden Shield

+1 Stick Wand

+1 HP Potion

+5 Sandwiches

Huh. Not bad loot, I didn’t think. I pulled the sword and shield from the bag and hesitated. Then I lifted it up to my back and it suddenly was in a sheath. With a chuckle I lifted my shield, and it too was strapped onto my back. I grabbed a wand and attempted to holster it at the waist. To my surprise, a leather belt appeared with one slot which I put the wand in to. I swung the pouch over my shoulder and started walking down the clear path down the mountain. I was pretty drained when I made it to the bottom, I realized.

The game was startlingly realistic, with true to life textures and everything. I felt like I was walking across a field of daisies as I did in the game. As I walked I checked out some menus. There was a Proficiency menu where everything was greyed out. There was an Abilities tab. There was Skills. There was also a mostly empty Quest Log.

New Quest!

For purchasing an early pass to the Mystic Realms, this quest is available to you.

Quest Objective: Reach the Elvish village

Quest Reward: 25XP

Well, that’s cool. I opened up my Map, and frowned at its’ emptiness. Huh. Why was my character lugging around a blank map? The only thing written on the Map was Witch’s Peak, which is the mountain I just walked down.

As I watched, words appeared.

Each region has a Cartographer to find. Speak with them and for a price, they’ll fill in their respective region on the map. Important locations appear on the map when you visit them, and quest indicators are yellow stars.

So, that’s how I fill in the Map in this game. Always something, isn’t it?

I kept trudging through the fields as they gradually turned to woods. As day dimmed I found myself clutching the handle of my sword tightly. It was no longer sheathed, held in my hand firmly. Real fear seemed to course through me as I heard things crunching and moving about.

“Hey!” a voice called. I turned. Standing five feet from me was a slender man in a dark hooded robe.

“Um, hello.” I said warily.

“I’m Jak. I’m a rogue.” the hooded figure nodded.

“I’m Sebastian. Blade mage.” I nodded. Sebastian wasn’t my real name, of course. But it was a cool one none the less.