Author's Note: I apologize for the long . . . alright, extremely long delay and a super short chapter, but this is a launch off point for the rest of the book. As my studies have to come first, I'll see what I can do. Thanks for your cooperation. As always R&R.
First Floor: Starting City - King's Highway
Date: November 6th - 7th 2024
I stood, alone, amidst the panic. Disbelief kept my my mind in stasis, panic held my limbs in rigid shock, fear grasped at my heart and turning my tongue to lead. 'No, this is a joke. All a joke. An event, a glitch.' came the cloudy words into my mind, my limbs unlocking and trembling at this realization. "This is real." I mumbled to myself, now on my knees in the plaza where everyone gathered via teleport of some kind.
"Coper?" I called weakly, looking around, finding no one. The one who taught me, who helped me, had just run away. I felt tears welling up as the mad stampede turned to fearful protest, then to silence.
The first death wasn't even a monster, or a duel that went wrong, or even a malfunction or someone pulling the plug.
It was suicide.
Standing in disbelief, I found it on the wall, a name was crossed and blurred out, illegible now. The reason remained, clear as the rest of the names. Falling in midair. 'What did it feel like? Falling and falling, until he realized there was nothing there, and continuing to fall.' I thought as my mouth went dry. "Maybe he escaped." I croaked, looking around hopefully for the rest of us to disappear, for me to wake up and have this nightmare over with.
Silence was the world's reply.
"What a waste." "Suicide." "No escape." "Dead." "This can't be happening." along with hundreds of other murmurs, whispers, yells and screams of all kind echoed throughout the city.
I stood there, unmoving, debating with myself. 'If I fight, there's a good chance I'll die. But I'll never be able to forgive myself for being so weak. If I don't, I'll live, but for who knows how long and I'll run out of money, but I can do jobs that don't require killing.' I thought, looking up at the twilight skies as they cast their pale luminescence on the slowly sleeping world below.
Clenching my fist, the choice was rather obvious, "I'm not sitting around like some weak kid, I'm fighting, and I'm getting out of here." I muttered to myself as I turned away, heading once more to the central plaza, where it all began.
I strode away from the masses, away from the noise I now found annoying, pitiful, weak. The exit gate was wide open, the setting sun was picturesque, hanging in the void between this floor and the next. Smiling at the sight, yet frowning at the thought of my parents, worried sick about me by now.
"Mom, dad. I'm definitely coming back." I promised to the sky, looking up at the amber clouds, drifting lazily as I walked forward with a new sense of purpose. Once on the road, I found a Frenzy Boar, a small blue creature with glowing red eyes. Giving a raw yell from my throat, I pulled my sword back as it charged at me, the sword crackling with blue light as a notification popped up Sword Skill: Rage Spike and I rocketed forward, the sword slashing effortlessly into the creature's side.
Nearly a minute later, I watched as the boar gave a high squeal and blew apart in an infinity of polygons and pixels with the ring of shattering glass, rising and dissipating into the twilight sky as I lowered my sword, trembling slightly. "It's a game . . . but why does killing still seem so wrong?" I sighed as I trudged towards the next boar, mechanically repeating the process several times until the stars began to peek out from beyond the firmament of the dark heavens.
Hurrying back, I sheathed the sword quickly and made a beeline towards the nearest inn, passing all the other players without a glance. Survival, at that moment, was the only thing that mattered, I'll worry about being human later.
At the back of my mind, a thought gnawed at the back of my mind, would I ever get home?