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Legendless

Legendless

Netherworld Overlord
Ashley Brinks didn't know what happened.


It had begun when she had stood in that long line. The line that took over four hours for her to get to the front of. She spent most of that time playing a handheld game and nearly beat it by time she had reached the front. She had been hungry throughout most of the wait, but she refused to budge from where she was. If she lost her spot, who knew how long if would take to get to the front. The line seemed endless both ways. No she could eat later. But it was worth it in the end. Or so she told herself. Now she wasn't so sure.


Ashley had been waiting for this breakthrough in technology for some time. She had always loved video games and to apply to the chance to be one of the first few to test out a virtual reality game. She had read sci-fi and seen other things about the topic, but for so long it had not been an actual reality. Now Fusion Tech, a gaming company she rather liked, was releasing the first one ever. There was no way she was missing this chance.


They had announced all over that they were searching for beta-testers and Ashley was right on that. She hoped, prayed that she would be chosen for it. To not only get a chance to play, but to beta-test the whole game was exciting and almost surreal.


She went though the normal process of signing papers to say that she would not hold Fusion Tech responsible for anything that happened. It was a bit worrying beta-testing a VR game, but she had faith in them that they wouldn't put them at risk. But they had to make sure the testers knew the risks of what they were doing.


"Okay now Mrs. Brinks. Can you tell me what you want your character to be. This is important so if you get chosen we can make the character available to you. Here is a list of things you can choose from."


Ashley took the paper from the man's hand and scanned the list.


"You can take as long as you want."


But she had already waited so long. She circled a few things and made some notes. Being an elf would be awesome and she added in what she wanted to look like. She choose magic-caster as well. She had always been fond of that type. Then she added in her username of choice as well. She handed it back to the man and he smiled at her.


"You will be contacted within 50 days to report if you were chosen or not."


It was 37 days later that she got the call that she was chosen. Ashley was excited but she wondered at the people who would be chosen as well. She was not the only one and the thought of sharing the new world with others was not pleasant. She didn't like being around people nor having to work with a team as she didn't do so well, but she thought maybe it was big enough that she wouldn't have to worry.


She waited another fifteen days for the gear and game to arrive. This told her that the others had been selected as well. The letter she received informed her of when to log on in a few days to make sure that the others had gotten things as well.


When the days were up, she logged in, excited to start it all and get ahead of the others. But something happened. Something not right. The screen was black. Nothing happened.


Ashley went over it and called up the help desk. It seems she was not alone in her trouble as well. But sadly there was nothing they could do. Upset as she wanted to begin that day, Ashley reminded herself it would be worth it. She could wait.


This was when things went weird. Ashley went to sleep, but was woken up to the sound of...birds? She opened her eyes and blinked, looking around. She went wide-eyed and pinched herself.


"Wha...."


In front of her, instead of her room, was a field. Off to her right was a forest and to her left was a river. Further away curled smoke up she could not see the source. Somehow she was somewhere else. But that was not all. She felt...different. Looking down at her body, it was not longer her own. Somehow she was...well she wasn't sure.


Slowly Ashley stood and moved to the river. It felt weird, walking in some new body. As she looked at her reflected, confused, not believing this was real. Her reflection.


"It's my character."


Thankfully, she guessed, the voice that came from the body was her own. Well maybe a bit more deep, but it was surely her own voice. She looked back to where she had woken up. Others seemed to be laying there as well.


"What is going on?"
 
Luna DeClair had no interest in video games, but her brother, Mitchie, was a different story. He had to be a part of the new video game that was being tested. And Luna had to accompany him. She waited with him for hours in line and filled out the application for him. The man with the forms insisted she fill one out too. Luna rushed through the form, filling in the blanks and circling various things. She was going to be a wizard. She was going to have white hair. She was going to use a staff. The list went on and on. Luna could care less, she doubted she would be selected and even if she was she wouldn't play. Two weeks passed, and Luna got a phone call from the video game company. She had been accepted. Her game would be sent to her within a few weeks.


The game arrived and Luna let it sit in the doorway, very wary of it. A couple days passed and she decided that she would at least give it a try. She opened the game and started it up, but nothing happened. Oh well she thought I really could care less. Soon after, Luna went to bed, not at all suspecting what was to come.


The next morning she woke up in a forest. She saw smoke from near by. Bird screeched in the trees. Luna didn't recognize anything. Where on earth was she? She ran to the left, into a field. Sleeping people lay all around her on the ground. What was going on. She passed a stream; to her surprise, her reflection was that of the character she had described on her game sheet. Luna didn't have time to ponder this though, because next thing she knew she was crashing into what looked like a female elf. Luna shook her head and leaped up, off of the elf. "I am so sorry!" She cried. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She stared at the elf looking for injuries.
 
Ashley or she guessed ashes now as she was her character, was surprised by the sudden impact. She was not use to her new body and so it sent her and the other person onto the ground. She blinked and her vision swirled for a moment. Ashley clutched her head and then shook it. Well it looked like one of the others had awoken as well. At least she wasn't alone, although that could be a bad thing as well. Maybe this person knew what was happening.


She looked at them as they apologized. Another girl. She seemed to be a magic-user as well. Ashley would remember that.


"No it's fine. I am okay. I do not think this body hurts easily," Ashley reported. She spoke of it as if the body she inhabit was something different and not her's. Which was the case or so it was for her. "Did you just wake up as well? Do you remember anything that happened before this?"
 
Thirty-Six knelt next to the stream, pulling her hood back as she did so, then pulled her gloves off her hands and bent down to the flowing water. She cupped her hands and dipped them in, and bringing to her lips to drink in. She sighed at the pleasantly cool water as it replenished her thirst. Thirty-Six felt her health increase a notch or two. Of course she couldn't see the bar that would normally take up the corner of her screen at home, but somehow she could feel it, always aware of her level of health or other things like the steady flow of regeneration.


She didn't know how long ago it was since she was trapped in this world. Two-three days? Weeks? In here what were "characters", real players, had no concept of time. That was the problem, days and nights were increasingly shorter in game-time, their definition of reality and virtual reality blurred that line. All Thirty-Six knew was that she had been here for a while, but not too long ago had she been sucked in. Even her memory of the real world was somehow less defined, like an old memory you eventually lose the exact details of.


Cameron Mercer was one of the first beta-testers for Fusion Tech. After sending in her application, she had waited a year for them to reply back to her on her status. That was when she found out they were recruiting her for testing of a new software platform. Cameron had heard rumors in the news and she had doubted most of it; but right then holding the letter freshly opened in both of her hands did she truly believe it was actually legitimate. One of the first to try out a new software that would "revolutionize the world of gaming as we know it", she was more than eager to try it, excited even.


It was only know that she knew she should have read the fine print.


She didn't remember it all clearly, but she did remember they had her lay on a table in a high tech all white room with eleven other testers. The designers and scientist developing it weren't sure what the outcome would be. They connected her to the gaming platform somehow. She heard commands as they began the actual testing, turning on the machines and starting the games. Cameron didn't know what to expect, but she certainly didn't expect nothing. There were a few scientists and designers arguing amongst themselves trying to figure out how to fix whatever problem had arised. She and the other testers where instructed to hang on and relax while they worked things out.


And that was just what she did. Laying there with nothing else to do, she closed her eyes. Cameron seemed to be out for just a few minutes before something woke her up. She groaned, the voice coming out from her throat sounding older or more mature. She rolled over on her side and felt an strange sort of thunk of metal as her shoulder hit the ground. Cameron pushed herself up, finding that her table was now made of bright green grass and that the arms pushing her up where not her own as she was now wearing some kind of durable thick mesh suit and that what had thunked on the ground was the metal armor on her shoulder. Her shoulders weren't the only thing with armor, she wore a heavy armor breastplate and along her forearms and her knees, with kinks of armor across her stomach, down her arms and legs. She also had boots and a belt with a sword hanging from it.


Cameron had stared at her gloved hands then down her body. It was then that she had realized she wasn't Cameron Mercer anymore, she was Thirty-Six, her character....and she was in the game.


Thirty-Six sat at the sandy rocky edge of the stream, reviving the memory, when she heard the sounds. They came floating down the stream, carried by the magnification of the water. Her head automatically whipped up...Voices? She thought, Impossible, it can't be the other testers, I've searched this region a thousand times. Thirty-Six stood up, reaching across her body to grasp the hilt of her sword while she waited and listened. She couldn't make out any words, but it was definitely voices. She decided to check it out.


She ran silently through the forest alongside the stream towards where she learned would be a large open field. Six stood crouched behind a tree and scouted to make sure there was no threat. She saw that it was just another pair of testers, they had that same confused look on their faces as she assumed she did when she first woke up here. Thirty-Six approached them cautiously.
 
Mia liked to play games more for fun than anything else. She decided recently that she wanted to try something new. When she had heard about a game that was coming out that needed beta tests, Mia jumped at the idea to try it. Although she never thought herself a luck person, she did win the chance to beta test the new game.


When everything had arrived, Mia had gotten it all in order in an excited frenzy to play. She had to wait a few days before she could actually try. But when the day get there, she was disappointed with the device did not seem to work. Regardless they will fix the problem, so she retired from a hard day of work hopping tomorrow it would be fixed.


When Mia opened her eyes, she saw two people, elves, talking to each other. Sitting upright she looked at her gloved hands. The material felt very real. Maybe it was a dream. Looking back at the two elf women, Mia watched them with interest. Was she so excited about the game that was dreaming about it? Regardless, he name would be Chimera if she was in game.


Chimera decided that she was maybe having a good dream and she should let herself have it. It did bother her that everything was feeling real. Running the tips of her exposed fingers on the grass she marveled about how soft it felt. How real the two women’s voices were, the tickle of the stream.


Thinking of her character’s appearance, she remembered signing up to be a human healer. She touched the top of her head to feel the silly goggles and the soft hairs. A bit of dread was slowly mulling over in her stomach. She was getting more more the feeling that this was not a dream.
 
Luna was relieved that the girl was fine. She addressed her question."No, I don't really know. I woke up and found myself here. Before this just seems like a dream..." Her sentence trailed off as she noticed someone approaching them. Not quite knowing what to do, she held up her arms and waved. " Hello," she called, " Can you help us? Do you know where we are? Or better yet, how to get out?"
 
Gill walked out of his fathers study, ripping a black and blue stripped tie away from the collar of his dress shirt. he hated meetings more then anything, no matter who his father brought they were all stuffed shirts with no personality, and only taste for mater possessions or money. he wanted to be free. he was sick of being his fathers puppet, and today he would finally get a taste of that freedom. he hurried back to his room, changing into a comfortable blue hoodie and a pair of jeans, which he was almost never allowed to wear. he tossed the dress shirt, tie and black dress pants to the side and ran down the hall of his large home, slowing down only when he passed his fathers study. he ran down into the basement, and into the large walk-in closet that his mother once used when she was still alive. his father swore never to open it, as it caused him to much pain. because of this, it made the perfect place for Gill to hide his few, old-school RPGs and the sleek new gear he had just received. of course, he still paid respects to his mother, but used the large closet space none the less.


he turned the equipment on, on prepared himself to play. VR was like a dream come true fo him because he could travel and be who he wanted to be without his father breathing down his neck. no more fake "Gillian Hamilton", just Windspirit, or Wind, for short. the name had such a free spirited feel.


Gill was launched into darkness, and for a moment, was worried for some terrible malfunction of the new software. his worry seemed misplaced as he found himself waking up, surrounded by greenery, and what appeared to be other beta testers.


he immediately sprang to his feet and ran to the edge of the water, looking at his reflection. he blinked in amazement, as his normally green eyes had paled to a soft grey, and his blonde hair was now a stormy white-grey. his father would have never approved of such a look. he ran his and through his hair, tossing it into a messy style and grinning. he let out a quiet, yet triumphant "yes!" the stood up to greet the others.


"hey!" he grinned, looking at each of them. "im Gi- i mean, WindSpirit but you can call me Wind" he relished the feeling of freedom that came with his new name, and although he felt he looked like an overly eager noob, he didnt care. he was just glad to be somewhere other then under his fathers thumb.
 
Donovan was one of the first in line to beta test this new VR game. He had read everything about this game, from bios about the creators to the character lists you could choose from. He knew everything there was to know about this game, he didnt know if that would help him in game or not, but he learned anyways. When they called him in they sat him down in a chair and handed him a piece of paper. A man older then he started to say,"Okay Donovan, i need you to fill out this character sheet. This will-" Donovan raised his hand to hush the man, "I know what to do from here." The man held his hands up in defense but backed down and went and sat in a chair in the corner. Donovan furiously began on his character, not missing anything. When he was finished he handed the man the paper and promptly left.


He was contacted 42 days later saying he was accepted. Donovan installed all the necessary equipment into his computer, but didn't play right off the bat. He still had a few things he had to do on Assassins Creed III before he could ever start a new game. It was late at night, he was playing on his Xbox, completely engrossed in his game. He started to notice something weird happening though, his vision was becoming very narrow. He dropped his controller and tried to rub his eyes, but he didn't have control of his arms. Suddenly he fell to the ground, eyes semi open still. His head was spinning, his thoughts racing. Then, he was asleep.


He awoke on a moist, rocky floor. Water was pooling around his face, dripping from the ceiling. He sat up, looking around the vacant space. He was in a bloody cave, surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites and random bugs crawling on the walls here and there. He arose and brushed himself off, feeling something odd about the clothes he was wearing. Silk. He was wearing a silk robe, mostly black, with hints of red. At this point Donovan was freaking smooth out. He ran, slipping on the smooth moist surfaces of the cave. He ran awhile until he slipped, skidding on the ground. He rolled, his face falling into a pool of water. He lifted his head up, gasping for breath, the water underneath him rippling. He was still gasping when the water had settled. He looked into the reflection of the water, not believing who he was seeing. It wasn't him, not even close to him. This man had black and red hair, a smooth olive toned face, with piercing red eyes. It wasn't him, but he knew who it was. It was his creation, his character, it was Gambit.
 
As the girls continued to speak, the sun starting to beat down upon them, a gentle breeze starting to push a few odd leaves through the empty field. Quite the sight, a bunch of confused players staring at their reflections and at each other, trying to figure out what was going on. The VR had worked, it seemed more R than V, truely realistic but no matter, it wasn't a bad thing. People longed to be a person of their own creation, a dashing young hero, the kind hearted healer or the wise mage ect. Some of the other players didn't share the others curiosity and just started doing what anyone would do, tested out what their bodies could do. With new stamina, once lathargic rarely moving individuals were sprinting full speed towards whatever looked interesting. Some went south, deeper into the forest, probably forgetting the depth of the gaming machine. They'd soon stare. The others went north towards the desert, just following each other, pulling out their respective weapons and swinging them at whatever could be cut, blasted with magic or shot with an arrow, whatever their weapon of choice, they were loving it. In hindsight a few hadn't thought it threw and almost lopped off their own arms and such but hey, it's a game they thought. "Yay, where's my experience bar?" one asked, aimlessly looking up and down, trying to find a spot in his vision that had said bar. "Screw it.. where's the quest book!" another asked, checking his pockets, they hadn't got the chance to find certain things out of course. From between the two elven girls came an odd voice, not attached to any visible body. "Hey there! Guess you all made it in here huh? Well that's terrific, truly great, a marvel of technology!" It had a joking attitude, a fairly deep, young sounding voice continued to speak, seemingly having some sort of grasp on what was going on. "Right! Everyone get over here quickly, next to these two.. elves is it? Right.. all you have to do, just think of your quest book, it'll pop up, talored to your character, isn't that fancy?"
 
"Wind," she echoed, her voice sounding strange in her foreign body. She put out a dark gray gloved hand and said introducing herself, "Thirty-Six. But you can call me 'Six'. This is so crazy...I can't even believe I'm here." Six couldn't wait to start exploring. Whether the world ended where the designers quit, she wished to discover those regions and see what was behind them. But her main goal was to complete the game for now. She would have to see what she could manage. Six was only able to advance to the second level in the time that she was in the game, soon after discovering that the other beta testers from her level when she first started had all disappeared she found out that she needed the help of another person to advance onto the higher levels. So much for being the first and having some kind of head start.


((sorry for crappy post))
 
Wind looked over to one of the female players who had spoken out. she introduced herself as Thirty-Six and offered her hand. Wind took her hand and shook it with a more calmed smile. "nice to meet you Six. might i ask what your game experience is? im actually pretty new. the only games i play are the ones i manage to slip under my fathers radar, which is a very rare occasion. i have a lot of older games, classics to be more specific." he wondered if perhaps it was best to keep such info to himself, but he quickly dismissed the thought. he was happy to be communicate with someone who wasnt a stuffed shirt politician. he was free here, he could be himself, he could talk about something other then his fathers "greatly popular" political reign over his region of their state.
 
Six smiled politely. "Been a player all my life...kinda, since junior high school I guess. Mostly shooting slash tactical ops games, you know." She shrugged. "Not so much fantasy, so this is a bit new, kinda off my game. But I adapt quickly," Six smiled, resting her hand on the but of her sword in a casual sort of gesture. It wasn't magical, and since she was inefficient at magic, for her, it was effective means of defense. "A bit of warning, time here is hard to judge, I don't know how long I've been here. But I know its been a while..." Her brow furrowed and her eyes brightened a bit as she got an idea, "Wait a second, what's going on in the outside world? What is the last date you remembered?" Even know she found her memory from the outside--reality. She had to correct herself. This wasn't another world, this was virtual reality.
 
Wind nodded as he listened. He gave an excited smile, "I think fantasy is amazing. More of your imagination and less tethers of reality. It feels a bit more open and free that way. As for the date, I can't remember. For all I know my unconsious body is laying ina closet in my basement while my concious mind is frolicing here in a world os fantasy." He chose to leave out the part about his mother having owned the closet. He didn't quite trust anyone here with his personal real life. Besides, he felt that no one should really need to know that he played his games in his dead mothers abandon closet.
 
Six shook her head slowly, not liking that no one knew how long exactly they had been in the game. That worried her. Her memories from reality felt like they were all blurry, like they were at the tip of her tongue but she couldn't quite remember exact details. "I don't like the sound of that..." Six murmured, then said out loud, "I guess we should try to get to the next level and explore and whatnot...I've figured out the basics of our objective, pretty simple. Retrieve the fairy queen's scepter, and we win. Just were we find it is our dilema. That part I haven't quite figured out. I haven't been able to get past level three, because it requires another person's assistance. Everyone from my team of testers disappeared so I haven't been able to advance."
 
Wind frowned a moment, thinking back to what he said. if his father did manage to find him, or if he was gone too long he wondered what would happen? would his dad care about something other then his political career? Wind shook his head to clear his thoughts. "well, if its not troubling i would like to go with you. i feel like i could learn a thing or two from you." he said, "that is, if you are looking for a new team" in such a broad new world, he figured he would be better off with someone who had some experience. he was apprehensive about what was going on in the outside world, but was serious about the adventure he was about to embark on.


(sorry about the short post)
 
"Well, of course," Thirty-Six said, "Two are better than one, and I could use someone with fantasy experience, as I have had almost none myself. I should think we'd make a good team." She meant what she said, he seemed to make a worthy ally. "As for myself, like I said, I don't now how long I've been here, but I don't know very much. Being here, even though I'm a gamer, this feels like unfamiliar territory. I have a small camp nearby that I have been taking refuge, but that is about it."


(Gah, legend needs to post...)
 
Ashley looked around as she heard more voices. Wonderful. Ashley scowled. It seemed to match her character's face and for a moment, she smiled. But she then went back to scowling. Not only was she confused on why she was here and where she was, she was saddle with these people. She figured they had to be the other testers, but then a thought came to her.


"How do you know we are in the game? How are we in the game would be a better question actually. I do not recall falling asleep with my gear on. So this is either a delusion I am having or something is going on." Ashley looked at the two of them who were chatting. They seemed to have accepted the weirdness of the situation but Ashley refused to relax until she understand what the hell was happening.


 
Wind looked at the newcomer. she seemed tense, and a bit unnerved. "perhaps your right, but i think we should continue the game until we can figure something out. we may be able to find something out along the way" he suggested. as much as he wanted to relish his new found freedom in this virtual world, he knew that if there was something wrong with the system that he was not the only one in danger. he cursed himself inwardly for thinking that he could find freedom in a game. now he was possibly stuck, and even in danger. he also cursed himself for still thinking that this was better then his home. as much as he hated his father, rationally it would be better being held under an iron fist then to be stuck in a hostile world with no known escape. he shook his head to clear his thoughts, then offered the new girl his hand. "the names WindSpirit, but you can call me Wind" he tried to relax, despite the cirtcumstances.
 
Elena burst through the building doors, leaving a tornado of mixed papers in her wake. Notes, Post-It's, and flyers swirled together like a flock of confused paper birds before softly landing on the cracked sidewalk behind her. Elena was in a hurry. Today was the day she would apply. Fusion Tech had just released the beta version of their new virtual reality game and were looking for beta-testers. Elena, being an avid gamer herself, had to apply.


Elena rushed through the campus parking lot, leaving a trail of papers behind her like thin footprints. She threw her bag into the backseat. She jumped into the drivers seat and sped away. She reached the Fusion Tech Customer Center. She saw a line beginning to form. Elena found a parking spot, parked, and opened her car door. She grabbed her wallet, closed her door, and made her way to the front.


After about 15 people, Elena was up. She was told to sign a few liability papers and user preferences. Of course, the people at Fusion Tech wouldn't be responsible should you get harmed because it is your own decision to apply. She never signed such documents before but it excited her. She was ready for adventure.


Hmm.. 'Choose your character class from the list below.' Elena read a couple to herself.


'"Animage?"... Nah..'


'"Warlock?"... Cool, but not my style...'


'"Elf?... Hmm.. Maybe..' Elena was impressed. But she was looking for something else. She read only a couple more classes before she finally found what she wanted.


Elena signed the papers and looked over it one last time.


'Name: Elena Vicenzo


Gender: Female


Age: 18


Desired Username: "Evo"


Desired Class: Monk Fighter


Special Skills: Close quarter combat and martial arts technique.'


Elena kissed her writing before handing them to the assistant at the desk. The assistant looked at her quizzically as Elena had placed her lucky lips to the sign up papers. Elena cracked a grin and walked away.


A mere 30 days passed when she received her gear from the mail. She ran upstairs into her dorm room before tearing the box open like an impatient child on Christmas morning. Inside was the game disc, a game manual, and a user preference letter. In the letter she found out her character would be a Monk Fighter with Special Fighter Gloves.


She opened her computer and inserted the game disc. Elena could hardly contain her excitement when she logged into the game. The loading screen appeared and then the screen went black. Elena's hopes tumbled through the floor. She had gotten a defective copy, she assumed.


Elena would send a request for a replacement disc and a letter explaining why. She would do that tomorrow however. It was getting late anyway. Elena slipped into comfortable pajamas and tucked herself in. A few moments later, her roommate Marie came in but she didn't mind her. Elena then drifted off into what seemed like the most amazing slumber she had ever experienced.


Elena woke with a startle. She looked around, blurry-eyed. As the light came into focus, Elena found herself dressed in some sort of bluish robe costume.


Her surroundings had changed as well. Trees, tall ones, stood Behind her was a massive field, grass and flowers so placed, like a perfect reality. Elena remembered the Power Gloves. They were blue, white, black, and an accent of purple. She approached the trunk of a tree and swung her arm in a text-book executed right hook. The gloves flashed white on impact and the tree trunk shattered. It fell over and crashed into the branches of another tree.


'This is weird.' she thought to herself. She heard a weird sound, like people on a fuzzy radio, rapidly speaking of numbers. She then noticed other people around her, sleeping like she just was.


"What the hell?" The chatter became distinguishable words and then she saw them. An couple of people. They must be other testers.


"Hey guys, I'm Evo." She said with a cheery smile.
 
Light Lawliet woke up, his eyes snapping open in response to the glare of the morning sun through his window. It seemed like any other day. The sun was shining outside, the birds were chirping, and there was a pleasant breeze wafting through the air. However, today, Light payed no attention to these phenomena. The past weekend had been a national tournament, and Light had won first place after a heated battle between his team and the opposing team. 'With my superior planning and research, the other team simply stood no chance. The outcome was inevitable.' he thought with some satisfaction.


Booting up his computer, Light leaned back in his chair. He saw his father's gaming trophies and smiled. Soon, however, that smile turned into a scowl. 'Don't worry, Father. I will become the best gamer in the world. I will make you proud.' Light looked over at the stack of trophies and medal cases that took up the better part of the far wall. They were the trophies and medals he'd received for all the various competitions and contests he had participated in. However, the one he wanted to see the most was still missing. Light had intentionally left a large gap in the showcase of his prizes. The center hole was to be filled only when he felt the glorious feeling of being the best gamer in the world.


Light's computer made a beep, signaling that it had turned on and warmed up. Pulling up an Internet browser, Light eagerly logged onto his international gaming account, anxious to check how his standing had improved with his win over the weekend. He opened the tab, and smile slowly cracked open on his face. 'Ten. I'm number ten in the world. I've reached it. Father, I can do this. I will this.' he thought with conviction. He closed the browser and turned off the computer. The rest of the day was open to whatever Light wanted to do. But, there was something special coming in the evening, and Light couldn't help but think about it throughout his day.


At 6:00 PM, the doorbell rang. "I'll answer it, sir." spoke his butler, Willard. Willard opened the door and received the box that had been sent to Light. "Thank you." he intoned to the mailman, and shut the 10 foot tall oak double doors of the mansion. "Sir, you have a package. Is it what you sent me to sign you up for?" asked the butler politely. Light replied by eagerly taking the package and opening it. "I believe it is, Willard. You may go for tonight. I shall be a while." said Light, dismissing Willard to his quarters in the south wing of the villa. "Good night, sir." said Willard. "Good night, Willard." said Light, although he was only paying attention to the contents of the box. The kindly man left to retire for the night.


His father had owned large shares in the company Fusion Tech. Those shares had passed on to Light, so he held 47% of the stock in the company. However, neither Light nor his father had ever attended board meetings or been privy to its secrets because they though they're gaming careers would present a conflict of interest. Light was late in receiving his gear and copy of the new game because he had been playing the tournament. However, he was excited to see how the VR software would play out. 'After all,' he thought, 'I wrote most of the code for the software anyway.' Although Light didn't want to cheat, he was all about preparation. Being part of the design team was beneficial because he knew all the ins and outs of the game without having to research them like he normally did. He also knew about some coding backdoors and black rooms, but he wasn't about to cheat. No, his father had taught him the meaning of honor, which is why his father never defeated the cheating first place gamer.


He booted up the game, excited to finally play. However, he was met with a black screen. 'Fools!' he thought. 'Some of the final polishing techs at the company must have messed with the introduction sequence's code. I have no time for this tonight. I'll visit them in the morning and fix their moronic mistake.' he thought with disgust and dismay. He had been looking forward to playing the game, but he figured it would be better to play a working game later than not to play a game at all. He left the gear and the disc in the drive. He went to his room-sized closet and put on his woolen sleeping garments, only to decide that tonight, his Persian silk pajamas would comfort him better. He opened the doors to his room, climbed into his king-sized bed, closed the banisters, turned off the lights, wrapped his high-quality sheets around him to keep the night's chill at bay, and fell into a deep slumber. Before he gave into the arms of sleep, he noticed something strange. Usually, Light stayed up for quite some time. However, tonight, it was as if something was willing him to fall asleep quicker. He had no more chances to think about this before he was claimed by sleep.


Light woke up on a soft patch of grass that was covered with a slight amount of fresh morning dew. ‘Where am I?’ he thought in a daze. Standing up and taking his bearings, Light realized that he was in a replica of an area in the game. Amused, Light thought of what was going on. ‘This is quite interesting. I particularly remember coding that river. It was tedious, but I finally got the water physics right.’ he thought with a sense of accomplishment. However, as he looked at the river, his sense of amusement ended. It was replaced with a sense of uncertainty and dread.


In the river, Light saw not a reflection of his usual handsome self, but the visage of an angel. ‘What?!?’ he thought. He flexed the six wings on his back and came to a realization. ‘Somehow, I’ve been transported into the game!’ he thought. However, Light was not a normal person. Whereas most others would panic, he instantly began to decipher how he got in the game. When he realized that he had no memory past going to bed, he thought, ‘If thinking about how I entered is futile, I must concentrate my effort on a method to exit the game. Obviously, the most apparent way is to simply comply and complete the game. Perhaps I’ll gather more information along the way.’ Thus, Light accepted his new life in the game, and he was ready to start his journey to get back to his real life.


Light washed himself off in the stream. As he did so, he heard voices. ‘They may be NPCs, but I certainly don’t recognize their sound bites.’ Suddenly he realized, ‘Ah, they must be fellow beta-testers.’ However, just to be safe, he climbed a tree, then lithely jumped across the treetops and hid on a long branch in a tree above the group. He wasn’t visible due to the dense leaf coverage of the tree. ‘First, I will observe their nature. Then, I’ll deduce their motives and intentions. Lastly, if I deem it safe and necessary, I shall present myself as a friend and ally.’
 
Skylar had been one of those individuals waiting for the game's beta to be released. He in his room every day writing details on his character and the background he imagined for him. It seemed he could have made a book behind the character if he wanted to. The character was a cyborg, that was far more machine than human. His character was also larger of stature possessing an arsenal of weapons on his person.


For days, he waited anxiously until he finally received a phone call. The person on the other line told him when and where he would pick up the game. More than excited, he put some food in his back-pack and left for the pick-up sight. There was a line. He sat in and waited to get to the front for what seemed to be days. In all reality, it was only a matter of hours. In the meanwhile, he drew several sketches of his character. When he finally came up with the right one, he colored the details in. Once the picture was complete, he was at the front of the line.


When Skylar made it to the front, he was asked to fill out a form describing his character's personality, physical attributes, mental attributes, and other misc. details. Skylar was able to fill the form out quicker than others as he already knew such details. To fill in the physical attributes part, he submitted his most recent drawing. They gave him a card with a number on it and sent him on his way, telling him to await the call to tell him if he was chosen.


Skylar got home and went to sleep. He went to bed for the next thirty days wondering if he'd get that phone call. Sure enough, after a month, they called and told him he was selected. A few days later, the gear came in and he logged in for the first time. However, when he logged in, he got a black screen. He called up the operation's desk and notified them, learning that the others had the same issue. He shrugged it off, figuring he could wait if everyone else was putting up with it. That night, Skylar went to bed and fell asleep quickly.


When Skylar woke, his back hurt like all hell as something seemed to be jabbing at him. He groaned, hearing a dark and deep groan. When he rolled over, he put his fist in front of him on the rocky ground. He opened his eyes at the sound of metal hitting dirt and saw his iron fist. "Huh?" he asked startled. He heard his voice deep and dark again. He went to rise and he catapulted himself off the ground about ten feet in the air. When he landed, dust blasted in a wave away from him. He looked down and saw his bionic lower half. It was just as he drew Mordekaiser. He felt his hips. Sure enough, the two handguns he designed on the armor were there. He felt his back and found the handle of a blaster rifle. He pulled it out it's holster and examined it. Just as he had drawn. It was all too... real... He put his rifle back and checked the other side of his back, feeling the pommel of a sword that was sheathed in the back of the suit. He then looked at his wrist to check the last detail. Indeed it was there: the wrist-cannon. He flexed his fingers in a certain, activating the device. He extended his hand and flexed again, a bolt of blue energy bursting the ground where he aimed. "I am Mordekaiser..." Skylar registered. He deactivated the wrist cannon and examined his surroundings. He was in a crater. He could see his character fall from the sky and descend to the earth in such a fashion. He climbed out of the crater and began walking along the nearby river, hoping to find any of the other beta testers.
 
((I just wrote a long ass post and the stupid computer ****** up. Didn't auto-save even though I saw it do it. I don't feel like rewriting all of that again. So basically it was Six saying how they couldn't trust this place, it was obvious they were in the game. She introduced herself, explained her situation, and the situation around them. That it was fragile and that the unknown was their enemy. The creators haven't made any attempt to make contact with them and that their only hope was to work together to complete the objective of the game. My post was more eloquent than that. But there you go. ******* internet.))
 
Wind listened quietly to what Six had to say, feeling that she had a point. no one had been contacted therefore no on knew if it was even possible to escape or leave before their objective was met. "so what do you say we do first then?" he asked, "i just got here, so i think its fair to say that i shouldn't be throwing around suggestions until i get a handle on the game." he wasnt familiar with the landscapes or all the enemies yet, because he had looked forward to learning as he went alone. now he was regreting not reading up on those things before he started the game.


((well, i replied the best i could, if you internet wouldnt have screwed you over, i would have had more to work with. no hard feelings (: ))
 
((Alrighty, time to get this thing rolling. [MENTION=1872]Legendless[/MENTION], [MENTION=3261]Ricia[/MENTION], [MENTION=2986]WantYourSoul[/MENTION], [MENTION=2768]StarDust[/MENTION], [MENTION=3555]DonnyV[/MENTION], [MENTION=3596]Gabriel Ryker[/MENTION], [MENTION=3778]Equinox[/MENTION]))


Six nodded. Assuming they were all in agreement. They'd spent enough time waiting around. It was time, she thought, to act. "Right, so we should get go--" Her immediate words were cut off as there was a large groan coming from below their feet. The earth spiked and cracked. Fissures began to break up the land. Six couldn't see them right away because of the tall grass, but she could certainly hear the earth pulling apart, rocks grinding, thicker roots snapping as they were pried apart. Across the field she saw one player with bright lemon yellow skin and pointed features disappear, sucked into the divulging earth.


Her eyes widened as she traced the crack that had just gobbled the faerie as it continued to grow, seeming to stretch out demonic fingers towards her. "To the trees!" Thirty-Six yelled. The way the fissure was opening and growing it looked as if it was sectioning them off from the other part of the field that eventually spread out into a purplish mountain range. That made her mind whirl with possibility. She had been in the wood for days--well, actually, she didn't know how long--and she had found nothing.


Six scrambled back from the ledge that was creeping closer as the fissure widened. She glanced up into the mountains. Not sure if she was suppose to see it, she saw a the tinniest flash of a sparkle high far up on the mountain. This must be a test, she decided. That must be treasure, treasure ment a path to follow, and if it wasn't treasure it was the scepter which seemed more likely. "No wait!" She called, "In the mountains, that's were we're suppose to go!" If they waited to long the gap would open wider still and they would lose their opportunity to cross because it looked like if they waited long enough the gap would stretch until it was long enough to completely block their path.


Backing up before she took a running start at the fissure. At the last possible moment she launched herself. The gap had to be the length of her body plus a couple more feet. Though her new body had more powerful muscles, she hardly made it. She flattened the grass where it was opening into the pit, her legs hanging over the ledge from her knees down.


She started to pull herself up when the ledge crumbled away. And Thirty-Six fell.
 
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