Every heart wrenching moment I stood there like a deer caught in headlights, I was putting myself in even more danger. For some reason I couldn't find the strength to move my legs; I found quickly that I was shaking, and my veins began to fill with a cold adrenaline. The sound of the dragons procession among the skies grew even more thick and horrific, every now and again its wings creating a pound as it pushed the dragons massive form through the air. "Dannen, where are you! Can you hear me!" I cried again, this time as loud as I could. However, instead of getting any answers from my brother I gathered more of the dragon's attention instead. Even from afar I saw its eyes shift towards me. That was when I began to feel my muscles tighten in a sudden urge to run.
With a powerful gasp of its lungs the dragon roared again, causing me to finally break from my stationary position and run the opposite direction. I had no idea what I was doing; whenever I actually played Skyrim I'd at least have people around to help me, or even objects or other characters to loot off of. But this time, I was bare and I was scared. Despite that I ran as fast as I possibly could, it didn't seem like it was making much of a difference. The whoosh of the dragon's wings and its terrifying growls crept up closer by the second. Because of this, I couldn't help but let out a scream. Something about the beast gaining up on me caused every emotion I tried to hold back come pouring out of me like an overflowing barrel.
"Kailey! Kailey, where are you?" I heard my brother's voice frantically call out finally, but it was distant, almost unworldly. I jumped behind one of the large stones to escape from the dragons gaze and tried to regain myself. I knew that hiding wouldn't do any good for long, considering I probably had a horrible sneak level.
"Dannen! Where are you? Get me out of here!" I called again. My voice was cracking now, and my words came out rather quickly.
"Are you in Skyrim?" Dannen's voice called, but instead of just filled with distraught it was now filled with absolute fear. "What's happening?"
"I'm being chased by a dragon, you dimwit!" I cried again, putting emphasis on the insult, "This isn't just a game. This is real, way too real! I can't fight a dragon!"
"You have to find a way back to the portal!" Dannen's voice explained, "If you arrived in Skyrim that's where it is."
"Stay in Skyrim?" My eyes widened like a defiant child being forced to do homework, "Screw that, I'm running for my life!" With a quick burst I broke from my temporary hiding place and blasted off towards any direction that proved to have the least amount of obstacles that could ruin my chances of escape.
"If you don't have a sword, you have magicka at the start of the game!" My brother tried to remind me, but I didn't really care. How the hell was I supposed to know how to use magicka? When I played at home sitting on my damned couch all I had to do was press and hold down a single button. This wasn't the same.
The dragon, which I hadn't taken the time to look at for a number of moments, was still obviously on my tail. The moment I flew from my hiding position I could tell it was after me. Its roars projected with less amount of time in between, so now the fear factor had grown ten times full. My eyes scanned the world around me, desperately seeking for any sort of cave that I could rush into. It was after a few moments of running, when the trees in the west became thinner, that I noticed a large open doorway. I figured it must be the portal my brother was talking about, so I rushed towards it. However, as close as I was, it was too late. The dragon roared again, but this time it was louder than it was before. I turned my head around, and just a few yards away from me I could see it. It had come down from the sky and was about to claw me.
Raising my arms, as a pitiful way to protect myself, I braced for impact, tripping in the process backwards. Because of my fall, I was able to get away from the dragons claws just enough for the fatal blow, but instead my arms were torn to shreds. Although my body was filled with adrenaline I could still feel that pain consume my arms like a thousand bees piercing my flesh. Looking down, blood immediately began to flow from myself like a bunch of tiny rivers. I had to get up and get to that doorway.
The dragon continued flying, but it looked to be making a comeback as I saw it take a wide turn from the direction I was heading. It had gathered so much distance that it was close to the doorway, so I had to make it under the dragon and arrive to my rescue before it could to me. Without wasting time I sped up again, though realizing how tired I was getting. On top of loosing blood I had been running for a good long while, so the possibility of me even making it to the doorway seemed out of my chances. However, thinking like that wasn't going to make those odds any better. Breaking from any tears I felt weld up behind my eyelids, I managed to strive onward in a hard dash. The dragon quickly was making its turn and now was heading straight towards me. It was now or never though, and there was no turning back.
I closed my eyes, and let out a yell. I heard the swoosh of its wings again, and the gust of its power flinging my hair and clothing around. Though instead of another roar, I heard it speak this time. The dragon wasn't resorting to physical attacks anymore, it was about to use its Thum.
"YO TOOR SHUL!" The dragon's voice was deep and mighty and its sound resembled thunder, or an avalanche. This in itself caused me to open my eyes. Looking upward, it was hovering just over me, with its mouth wide open. From the back of its throat I could see an ember spark, and suddenly a wave of fire twisted into my direction. I ducked and threw my body under it, escaping the direct flame, but feeling the burst of fire behind me. It was painful despite not hitting me directly, and it was even more so on the wounds on my arms. I didn't waste time, however, and dashed into the doorway. I continued running despite that I had made it, letting out a scream of relief. My eyes closed again, as I continued to holler, and just as abruptly as I flew in, I bumped into something. I tumbled backwards but was able to catch myself from falling. Peeking from under my eyelids, I looked up.
"Hey, sorry about that!" A extremely tall man, with huge hands greeted me. He seemed genuinely happy, which on my part was strange due to the situation I was just in, and expecting to see my brother.
Still panting and containing a twisted and confused expression, I stared up at him with my arms tucked and wrapped around each other. I could see his smile vanish once he noticed my arms, and how they were now dropping blood every now and again over the floor.
"Wait a second- are you bleeding?" The big guy exclaimed. His large hands tried reaching towards me, but he was reluctant due to the obviously urgent matter at hand. "This can't be for real, are you a human?"
Before I could even try and answer a sudden hologram of a police like character popped up beside me. In his hands he held a notepad and with the other a pin. Without looking up he stated, "Random Security Check! Where are you heading?"
I looked over at him but I couldn't manage to answer him either. My eyes were still wide open and with every fiber of my being I felt traumatized. It was a few seconds of silence between the three of us that the police officer finally looked up, but upon staring at me he gasped.
"Y-you're a User!" He cried a bit too loudly for my liking, which caused the entire place and all its characters to look over in my direction. Like a domino effect, each and every conversation stopped dead in its tracks, and it didn't take long for the entire room of game characters to surround me in an awe struck stare.
"Hey, everyone, nothing to see here!" The big guy broke the awkward silence as he waved his large hands in the air and then settled them down in front of me, as if shielding me from their constant stares. "Can't you see that she just came from Skyrim? I mean- just the thought of going into a game that scary would make me into a zombie, too. No offence to the actual Zombie, of course! Heh." After his short speech the big guy turned around to look at me and hunched a bit so he could be at eye level with me, "Hey, I know somebody that can fix those scratches right up. You should come with me."
I didn't bother responding verbally just yet. Instead I nodded my head in agreement and began following him through the utterly silent crowd of characters, through each step looking straight at every single one I could. They were all here; all the characters I saw in the arcade. This place must be where all the arcade games connected.
Once we made it from the large main area we came to another doorway, though this time above it I saw it was titled Fix-It Felix Jr. I recalled seeing the game during my time exploring the consoles, so I knew it couldn't be that bad. However, I recalled the similarities between the big guy that smashed stuff with the big guy that was helping me. "So, umm… my names Wreck-It Ralph, but you can just call me Ralph for short." The big guy finally spoke once we arrived to a small train ride. He crawled in and offered a seat in front of him. I looked at the seat, and then to him, clearly showing my worry on the matter. "Look, I know you probably know me as, well, a 'bad guy' but I'm not going to hurt you." Ralph explained sincerely, "Here in the arcade, 'bad guy' is just a term for most. I guess you could say were just all acting roles."
Ralph's kind domineer helped me loosen my nerves a bit. For once in a long while I fell into comfort, a relief if you will. "Wow." I let out at first, sighing a bit to show the stress lifting, "I still can't believe this is happening."
Ralph chuckled a bit, "Yeah, same here." He stated as he itched the back of his neck, "Us guys from the consoles see you humans all the time on the screen, but we never thought one of you would actually come into our world. So, tell me, do you have a name?"
"It's Kailey." I stated.
"Well, then, er… Kailey. I guess we should get going, hm? I don't think your first visit to our world would be a very good memory if you passed out from blood loss." He chuckled again, but this time nervously. I could tell he was trying to make light of the situation.
Steadily I crawled into the seat in front of him and tried to relax. The train started moving forward once I was settled, and it was only a matter of moments before we arrived. This time I was the one awe struck when I saw the screen to the real world. Despite that this game was pixilated on the outside; here it was just the opposite. It was amazing to see it from this perspective. It looked nothing like an old game, no, it was crystal clear and real just like the real world. I had no idea that the games we created were like this, not only living within them sentient characters that were well aware of us, but functioning and breathing worlds. As the train finished its venture into the Fix-It Felix game, I saw the details that made the game so iconic. I saw the penthouse that was the games main setting, but even more so, I saw things that I didn't notice just by looking at it from the screen. There were other buildings further down into the world, and to the other side was a large mound of bricks. I remained seated, staring up at this new world without realizing we had come to a stop.
"Hey- you coming?" Ralph spoke up, breaking me from my trance. I shook my head lightly and then took a stand, however, immediately being offered help from the cart. For a 'bad guy', Ralph was the most polite person I had ever met. "Don't push yourself too hard, I'll help you out." He said, simply extending his right hand for me to grab. Since I was looking at him again I took in other traits from the game world that I had not noticed before. According to the Fix-It Felix game guide I had checked out earlier that afternoon, Ralph was nine feet tall. Here, though he looked to be much smaller. If I had to make an educated guess he looked to be about three feet taller than me. Thinking about it the game world versus the real world may just as well have differences.
Once out and about, Ralph led me to the front of the main and centered building, where standing there among a small group of Nicelanders was Fix-It Felix himself. I could tell it was him quickly due to the way he looked. "Well, hello Ralph!" Felix greeted happily, though like Ralph had done to me, Felix's smile faded into worry once he saw me. "Jiminy Jaminy! Who is she? What happened?"
"You're not going to believe this, but she's a User. An actual human!" Ralph said, expressing a bit more excitement this time. "But you gotta help. She ended up in Skyrim and one of the dragons flying around got to her."
"Goodness!" Felix said, "I can try, but I've never tried fixing… well a human before." Felix proceeded to grab his trademark golden hammer and walk up towards me, however, I was reluctant. The idea of being hit with a hammer on an already painful spot was the last thing I wanted. The two could both see my dismay.
"It's okay, Kailey!" Ralph spoke up, "Felix fixes things, it's his thing."
I eyed him and then looked back down to the little guy. I realized that not taking this chance could lead to far worse things, so I kneeled down and stretched my arms out for Felix to take a look at. The wounds were bad, almost like I was attacked by two cats that decided to fight on me. But it was despite this horrific display in which Felix knocked both of my arms with the golden hammer, and in an instant the red and swollen scars vanished. I gasped with surprise as I lifted my arms to my face to get a better look. "I can't believe it worked!" I said, "It's gone, the pain is gone too, thank you!" The sheer fact that a game world character could cure me was in itself a marvel. What would the real world be like if there were people like Felix there? What my brother had done, sending me into the game world, was more than just changing the way we played video games. Indeed lives would be changed.
"You're welcome, Ma'm!" Felix responded giddily, "It was an honor of mine, after all!" His eyes seemed to dart away from me quickly though, likewise with Ralph. They were staring at the screen. Because of this I turned my attention there as well, and to my surprise my brother was waltzing around the arcade. His hands were rolled up in his hair as he seemed to pace, looking into other console screens searching for me.
"Hey! Dannen! Over here!" I cried as I waved my hands as frantically as I could, "I'm in Fix-It Felix Jr.!" This got his attention quickly. I could see him look over and jump towards the front of the screen and slam his face into it like a kid looking through a window.
"Holy Shit!" Dannen cried, "How did you get in there? And what happened to the dragon?"
"I managed to get out…" I responded, "But that's over and done with, please tell me you have a way to get me out of here."
"The portal is still opened. Like I said when you were running for your life, the portal should be in the same game you entered. You have to go back to Skyrim if you want to come out now."
"What?" I exclaimed, "I'm not going back in there!"
"Kailey! Don't worry about it. I'll take you back to the portal." Ralph intervened, though his statement brought worry to Felix.
"Not that again, Ralph!" Felix said, "You know what happened last time you went Turbo. I can't let you go alone, if anything I'll accompany you. My wife should be coming here shortly, so we can recruit her as well. She's the best gal around for escorting Users to their destination."
"Wife?" I asked. Reading up on the characters of the game I didn't recall any other main characters other than Felix and Ralph, and of course the Nicelanders, so it was surprising to know there was more to it.
"I'm sure you know of her." Felix answered, "She's Sergeant Tamora Calhoun from Hero's Duty. Quite the Dynamite Gal, isn't she? Although she doesn't like it when I say that."
"Calhoun? You mean that blonde?" I asked again with emphasis. Initially the thought of a badass futuristic space soldier dating this little guy was what caught my attention as strange, but soon it was the idea that these characters also communicated so intimately with each other despite coming from different consoles. Nonetheless, I was glad they wanted her to come. I needed all the help I could get reaching the portal and dealing with those dragons. The thought of meeting one again made me shutter.
"If you guys are going back to Skyrim I can upload my character and meet you there." Dannen insisted from the screen, "That way I can keep the portal free of dragons or any other nuisance."
"Sounds like a deal then." I said, "Go ahead and do that. I'll be there soon."
Dannen gave a nod and ran off, though now I sensed he was happy again that he was going to get to play with me in a video game. Of course the circumstances were of its best for any gamer. It was the ultimate crossover, sort of like Super Smash Brothers only with different characters and instead of Master Hand or something we had dragons. I couldn't help but smile. I felt a surge of giddiness overcome me, like butterflies. It was that joy you got when you opened a present on Christmas day, or when you made an A on a test you worked hard to pass. "Once we get this all figured out I'd love to stay longer." I said aloud, "Of course, I wouldn't go to Skyrim as my first game, ya know?" I chuckled as I turned back to look at Ralph and Felix. My smile remained as I looked at them, appreciating now what they were doing for me, and how much they cared for someone of my kind. "Why are you guys helping me, anyway?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Well, it's kinda funny you ask." Ralph responded, "I guess you could say, we need each other. You humans give us reason to exist, and we give you fun times and good memories." His statement was simple, but within it held all the meaning and focus of how they thought about humans, how they thought about me. I would have never realized that coming home from work and plopping on the couch meant meeting up with a friend every day. A friend whose sole purpose was to help me through hard times; a friend that saw me as a reason to live.
"What's all the humbo jumbo about a User?" A woman's voice stated bluntly yet fiercely from the entry way. We all looked over to see the woman from Hero's Duty, Sergeant Calhoun. As she seemed to stomp over to us, her question was answered with my presence. Despite that I was no longer bleeding, which obviously was a huge giveaway, she knew I was human. Her hand swept through her hair in a manner of surprise, as she sighed. "I guess those guys weren't kidding." She said.
"Honeybunch!" Felix jumped for joy as he rushed over to her. Calhoun was just a bit taller than me, so it was funny to see such a short guy like Felix clinging onto her. I wanted to chuckle and wipe a growing tear on my eye but knowing her personality I didn't want to say anything. "Kailey, I'd like to introduce you to my wife." Felix said, though his eyes continued to embrace Calhoun's presence, adoring her.
As typical of my upbringing I walked over and extended a hand. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Calhoun." I said, attempting to be as polite as I could.
Calhoun looked at my hand a second, which made me feel awkward. I wasn't sure if I did something wrong or she was just testing me, but after a bit she grabbed my hand and shook it, though a bit harder than I anticipated. "It's Sergeant Calhoun, to you." She said, "But it is quite an honor to meet the kind of my creator."
"So, we need your help." Ralph spoke over to Calhoun, "She came in through a portal in Skyrim, though the game is too dangerous for her as of now. Felix and I were going to escort her back. We were hoping you'd come."
"I don't see why not." Calhoun answered, "You Pussywillow going Turbo almost destroyed the entire arcade. I think it'll be better if I did tag along."
There was that term again, Turbo. It didn't really strike me as interesting the first time that term was used but now it caught my attention. Not to mention it was always used in a negative sense, along the lines of a shutter or along with the word 'destroyed'. "What's 'going Turbo' mean?" I asked.
"Err, it's quite a story." Ralph said, cringing a bit, "About a year ago I wanted to prove myself to Felix and the Nicelanders that I could be a good guy. Though, I almost let the Cy-bugs destroy everything."
"What do you mean, almost?" Calhoun said, "Any longer and that Candy freak would have lead the invasions to the entire system."
"I don't need to be reminded." Ralph mentioned, lightly face palming himself, "Anyways, that leads me to another part of the story. 'Going Turbo' originated from a racer named Turbo, from a game way back when called Turbo Time. When his game became unpopular he tried wrecking another racing game, which got both games unplugged. Saying 'Going Turbo' is another word for saying Game Jumping."
Although he tried explaining it, it left me with more questions. "And Candy Freak?" I asked again, this time looking towards Calhoun.
"Again, this concerns Turbo. He survived when his game was unplugged and ended up at another game called Sugar Rush. He messed up the codes and took the games place as King Candy, though when Ralph started his circus show and brought Cy-bugs into the game of diabetes and crying children King Candy turned into a Cy-bug himself. A Cy-brid or something, who the heck cares. He's dead now." Calhoun didn't seem to care about this Turbo, King Candy guy or whatever. Everyone, in fact, looked like they wanted to put whatever happened behind them. Each of them had suddenly become fidgety, awkward or angry in their own way. So, I decided talking about Turbo was best left finished.
"Well then, I guess we should get going to the land of Skyrim, huh? My brother is probably already set up." I then suggested, hoping that would quickly make things better.
"Just stick with us Civilian, and we'll have you home quicker than a cute kitten in animal shelter." Calhoun said, and grabbed the giant gun that was hanging on her back and began to arm it. Without another word, she started back to the exit, and the three of us followed.
"So, what's the real world like?" Ralph asked. Hearing his questions brought me to think about my daily routine; which was boring as hell.
"Well… err… I've never really had to explain it before." I responded, "There are a lot of cars, trees, roads. Squirrels, I guess, and birds. As for me, I wake up early, usually before the sun is up, get ready and go to work or college."
"What do you do for work?" Calhoun then asked, though I found myself a bit ashamed thinking about it.
"I sit in an office and write stuff on a computer." I stated, though that was it. There weren't any more questions after that, and for a long moment or so all that was heard was the sound of our footsteps on the ground.
"No wonder you need video games." Calhoun said sarcastically.
It was then that we got to the end of the tunnel and back to the entrance. Though, what we found was nothing like I saw when I first arrived. Instead of game characters casually walking and talking among themselves, the clean walls and floors were now littered and covered in deep scratches that looked like a giant chainsaw was let loose. Some characters were laying on the ground unconscious as well, which caused the guys with me to gasp and cringe.
"What the blazes happened here?" Calhoun cried aloud, as she raised her large gun upward as if preparing for something. It was then that Ralph gasped again, and then suddenly and quickly ran over to one of the game characters that was laying on the ground. I saw him rush over to a little dark haired girl with candy covered in her hair. She looked tired and shaken but not hurt, though she apparently was out cold.
"Vanellope!" Ralph said with terror, lifting her small body upward in his big hands which seemed to encase her. When she didn't respond we all rushed over beside him, looking down at the small child.
"She's stable," Calhoun brought up to comfort Ralph, "But we need to get moving. Whatever happened here is apparently back in one of the consoles. We need to get Kailey back to the portal."
Again, all my anticipation for traveling Skyrim with these awesome characters subsided. This wasn't normal, and was completely out of line. Whatever, or whoever did this wasn't playing any game, this was an outright attack. Getting out of this place now was my top and only priority, though I wished things had gone a bit smoother, because I did after all long to stay.
Ralph hung onto Vanellope as we then proceeded back to Skyrim in a rush. Entering the game itself didn't take long, but the lingering anxiety of what we just saw stayed with us as we proceeded into the mountainous covered world.
"Kailey, are you in yet?" My brother's voice called from the skies sounding airy and distant due to the massiveness of the game from wherever the screen was located.
"Yeah, I'm in!" I yelled back, placing my hands on both sides of my lips to try and project my voice.
"Well, I found the portal." Dannen said, "It's directly west of Whiterun, in that field. It should be relatively close to where you were initially."
"Ah, the Western Watchtower." Calhoun spoke up, apparently knowing the game rather well, "That's just a mile or so this direction. We should be there quick enough."
I was thankful to hear that I wouldn't be stuck here much longer, but at the same time I was sad. "Why couldn't this have worked out better?" I placed my hands together and breathed into them, attempting to keep them warm as I said this, so it came out as a mutter. I wasn't sure if the guys heard, but then again I didn't want to worry them much. They were having problems, and complaining wasn't going to make it any better. I just had to hope that whatever was happening to the arcade would be taken care of.
We strove onward for what it seemed to be a long time, though once we did reach over the hills to gaze downward to our destination, the journey didn't seem long after all. Just like my brother said, to the west and just a bit beyond the tower was the portal. It looked like a crack had broken in the sky, and the heavens of Skyrim were leaking a solid yet lovely light blue light in which fell to the land like an airy moving waterfall. The line of the portals appearance was so perfectly straight it looked like it was a physical building that was standing up, made of glowing fireflies. As beautiful as it was, another sight sat before it, and beside the tower. A large dragon laid dead, and another body beside it. It was my brother's character. I didn't understand why this was. It should have been easy for Dannen to kill a dragon, and as program his character should have absorbed the dragon and its power, though the creature's body was left unscathed.
"Dannen, what happened?" I cried out loud.
"There was something else here!" Dannen responded, "I've never seen it before!"
"R-Ralph…" Vanellope suddenly woke though her voice was cracking and fading in and out from exhaustion. Hearing her speak again caused everyone to look at her, who still sat in Ralph's large hands.
"Vanellope, you're okay!" Ralph cried with joy, "What happened to Game Central Station?"
"I was racing…" Vanellope responded slowly, "…For the rooster lineup, like we always do when the arcade closes. When we heard about the girl, the human girl though after the race, something happened… It was…"
"It was what?" Ralph asked again, but more urgently, "What happened, who did this to you? Who crashed Game Central?"
"It-it was, King Candy…. Turbo" Vanellope said, "He's alive. I don't know how, but he's alive."
"How could he be alive, I saw him go into the Diet Coke explosion!" Calhoun said, though angrily, "He died outside of his original game, that doesn't make sense!"
Another voice, then accompanied ours. "There is'th so much you fools'th don't know!" This voice was angry and menacing, yet very much had a character sound to it. We had no idea where the voices point of origin was, but when it was then accompanied by the sound of pounding wings, like that of a wasp, or a hummingbird, we saw him. Rising above the ground and from his hiding place among the tower and rocks, was a giant creature with the face of a man with a rounded nose. However, this face didn't remain consistently, but glitched between this and another, the second face having a pale appearance with darkened eyes.
"Turbo?!" Ralph said, "Ho-How are you alive?"
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Turbo responded, his appearance continuing to hiccup in between faces, "But I suppose'th I can go ahead and give you the story. When that glitch crossed the finish line it reset the game. Luckily for me, I embedded my own code into Sugar Rush and became a part of the game, so I was revived. Though the Cy-bug that merged with me remained a part of me. I just waited for th'he perfect opportunity to reveal mys'thelf. Hearing about a Us'th'er arriving gave me an idea, so I decided to find the portal before you could get to it! But now that you are here and seeing the girl for mys'thelf, I have other plans for her!"
"Kailey, run now." Calhoun said urgently, "Get to the portal, we'll take it from here."
Again, I fell into a state of panic. Calhoun's statement was urgent yet blunt, and she stared me down with her icy blue eyes as if trying to shove me psychologically. "Get going!"
I wish I could say goodbye, but I knew remaining there would only make it harder for them. With distain growing in my heart from having to part this way, I turned to look towards the portal and ran.
