Link Start!

A rainbow of colours filled my vision and my long awaited dream became a reality. Age of Aincrad, the virtual reality MMORPG was finally in my possession and I could finally indulge myself in a world of fantasy. The feeling was surreal. I was brought to a customization menu, but rather than customizing my appearance I decided to go with the flow and keep my real world look. It was really weird to see yourself just standing there in the character screen waiting to be used. I finished creating my character and connected to the world of Aincrad: my new world.

After being blinded by light my vision was restored to me and there I was, standing in the starting town, Primum. The pictures I’d seen on the internet and in gaming magazines could not compare to the beauty of how it looked in game. Stone buildings and castles, a fountain in the middle of the town square, and beautiful fields and meadows all around the outskirts of the cities. I couldn’t wait to explore the villages around, meet tons of new and interesting people, and go out to slay monsters. I thought that this was everything I wanted, but it came with a price. The price being that this alternate reality was now the only reality. A reality where if you died in this game, your body in the real world died with it.

It’s been two months now and we’re still stuck here on the first floor, but progress is being made. I decided early on that I was going to have an impact on this world. I decided I was going to help liberate everyone who was trapped here. It didn’t take me long to find what I needed: a strong mace, a sturdy shield, and a heavy set of protective armour. Out in the fields fighting monsters I could take a big hit, but I couldn’t dish out as much as I could take. That’s where I met the closest thing to a true friend you could find in this chaotic world: Zak.

We met in a small village when we were both stumped on a quest. We were both trying to see if the other could help and when we found out we were encountering the same problem it seemed like a good idea to party up.

“Hey there, do you got a second?” said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see a guy around my height with spiky brown hair and a boyish face. “I’m really stumped on this quest called The Forsaken Village. I have no idea where this flippin’ village is! Is there any chance you know the location?”

“Hate to break it to ya, but I haven’t a clue where that place is. Actually, I’ve been trying to find that village myself for a little bit now. it’s been a real pain in the ass if you ask me.”

“Tell me about it, I’ve already paid three different information brokers for helpless lore about the city!”

“Oh really? I hadn’t even thought about going to an info broker about it. What did they tell you?”

“Give me a sec; I’ll pull it up from my info log.” The stranger waved his hand and his menu popped up. After clicking through several buttons a screen appeared in front of me with the story of the Forsaken Village.

The Forsaken Village

There used to be a mining village not too long ago. The villagers there lived happy and peaceful lives. They had vast hunting grounds, a fresh river and spring, and a very close community. It seemed like the perfect place to spend your days. One day all of that changed… the day when the evil depths of the mines came to the surface. No one knows where the evil came from or why it came, all they knew was that it brought death. These monsters slaughtered the villagers and took the village as their new home. Now only the bravest souls dare even to come close to this village, for anyone who enters will face the wrath of evil.

“Wow” I said as I closed the window. “Pretty bad way to go.”

“Well it wasn’t much help because I still can’t find the damn place.”

“Well the text says that it was a mining village right? Did you try searching through some of the foothills?”

The man’s expression dropped. Suddenly he raised his eyebrows and widely opened his eyes. “MAN! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! So many hours I could have spent levelling!” The look of frustration and sudden realization for some reason made me break out in laughter. “Oh, ha ha, it’s so funny that I overlooked the obvious!” mocked Zak.

“Don’t take any offense about me laughing. I was the one who didn’t even think to consult an information broker; that’s way worse.”

“I guess that is pretty bad, but I couldn’t have found this place without you. Hey, that gives me an idea,” said the man in excitement. “Why don’t we party up and do the quest together? It’d be way easier and this “great evil” thing sounds like it might be tough for either of us to handle alone.”

“That’s not a bad idea; plus it’d be a lot more efficient. Oh, what the hell, I’m-”

“Awesome!” the man interrupted. Before I could even say anything he raised a hand and opened up his menu again. This time a different window opened up on my screen.

Party Invitation

Username: Zak

Accept | Decline

Zak, eh? I guess him and I will be partying for a bit. Without hesitation I lifted my hand and clicked the accept button.

“Kathrall? Cool name, glad you could join me!”

Zak stuck out his right hand and looked at me with a grin. I rose my hand, gave him a firm shake, and our adventure together would begin there.