Stepping out of the Adventuring Guild hall, I looked around the town. It truly was delightful, I felt free and light. “I could really get used to this place,” I thought to myself. “There's just something about it that's so exciting and yet home like.”

I had the feeling of familiarity; that I had started off hundreds or more of adventures in similar places. But somehow this one seemed like the right kind of place to really start an adventure.

Wait a second, where was that thought even coming from? I couldn't remember anything about my past and yet here I was comparing this village to others. And what was a 'starter village' exactly? Weren't all villages just villages? Yet, part of me had the thought that this character creation process had really seemed to flow seamlessly into gameplay. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation about what this game could hold.

“Game,” I thought to myself. “Why am I in a game? I shouldn’t be in a game.” This felt so real; the colors were so bright. The textures felt so... textured. “No. I know this is a game. There were even ads for other games in it.” So why was I so worried about being in a game? “What if I get caught?” For just a fraction of a moment I felt panic and dread. Just as quickly I felt a wave of calm, followed be exultation.

“No use arguing with myself. If I’m here, I’m here. What’s the harm in exploring.\? I’ve got a quest to complete!” I could leave the navel gazing for another time. “Adventure Awaits!” I struck a pose similar to the statues of heroes I was standing between. “Right now it is my solemn duty to leave the city and find 12 Silverberries!”

“What is it a Silverberry? I don't know. What's it used for? Also don't know, but it is my quest. I'm an adventurer. It's what I do,” I declared.

With that existential dilemma solved, I strode whistling down the main street past the inn. Thankfully the carts from this morning had been moved. I was free to go in the direction of the main gate.

“Yes, this was right. I'm on the right path. Oh, and it seems that my smiling friend from this morning is no longer blocking the doorway to the tavern. Wonder where he's going off to? Well, I'll have to check back in with him later once I have 12 Silverberries. Yes, it was quite exciting to think about the quest... almost too exciting. Nope, nope. No second-guessing. We're on an adventure!”

As I walked I found my eyes drifting towards the edges of things. Glancing down a back alley as I passed or behind a banner, as if I was looking for something. I couldn't imagine what. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important after all. Who decorates the backside of a banner? Whoever made that one just left the back blank and textureless, like it wasn’t even cloth, just white. What was it that I was looking for? Oh, well. I'm sure it would come to me in time.

The guards at the gate smiled at me and and I smiled at them as they waved me through the gate.

“Oh nice. There are even some very large lovely signs pointing the way. The Great Meadow. How nice that it's so easily labeled, just like somebody planned it this way. Wow, all this sunlight and exercise is making me cheerful. My cheeks almost hurt from smiling.” Before I knew it, I left the tall mossy stone walls of the city behind and I was looking at wide rolling green hills dotted with wildflowers.

I blinked and all of a sudden, I looked around and I was surrounded by people. I didn’t even know where they came from, but they were all sneezing. A well-dressed man with a handkerchief dabbed at his red swollen nose. A young child rubbed his eyes and looked around blearily. A woman was on the verge of a sneezing fit, when a very friendly bee swooped in and handed her a package.

I could somehow see the label on the package. In nice friendly words it read 'Allergy X'.

Soft music played, and the bee said in loud, happy, cartoonish voice, “Allergy X: make those allergies Bee-have.”

I looked around again and there was no one there. There was no man with a big red nose. There was no child, no woman. The bee was also gone. There were flowers, but also somehow I no longer felt like I needed to sneeze.

“Well that was odd. I guess the bee must have fixed everything?” I wondered. I looked all around, trying to see where all the people had gone as I continued on my way.

The grass-covered hills were lovely and it felt amazing to be in nature. I felt safe and reassured. Nature meant safety. Someone had told me that recently. “Stay out of the cities. Stay away from large gatherings. Stay away from drones and billboards.”

“Who had told me that? No one in the city had told me that. Well, of course they wouldn't tell me that, they were in a city. Maybe they didn't know that you were supposed to stay out of cities?” Now that I thought about it, it was just silly. It didn't matter. I had a mission here and now. My memories could just sort themselves out once I remembered them.

My attention was caught by a large, smooth stick floating across the path, surrounded by a bubble of light. Above it was a label: 'stick'.

“Oh, look. A stick.” I thought to myself. “A nice big, sturdy walking stick.” It had a nice little curvy nob on the top, perfect to hold on to or rest on.I felt the urge, no the absolute need, to pick it up and walk with it. I reached inside the bubble, finding no resistance.

“You have found an Item. Stick, improvised weapon. Base damage 1-5.”

“Yes, trusty stick. You will help me fulfill my mission.” The unusually wide Cheshire smile returned to my face, and I continued on my way.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

After a few minutes of walking, I realized I had made it. A wide open valley stretched infront of me. A verdant grassy field with several small bushes alongside a tiny babbling brook filled the space between two hills.

“I wonder if there is a specific place where the Silverberries grow.” No sooner had I thought it then a map appeared in the lower left hand corner of my vision. There was a happy green arrow at its center and an X marked as Silverberry patch next to the creak.

As I turned my head I noticed the green arrow on the map moved. “I must be that arrow. So the Silverberry patch must be right there. This is going to be easy.”

I wasn't alone on the map however. Close to the berry glade there were several concerning red dots moving around erratically. I looked around, but all I could see were cute little bunny rabbits. Cute little bunny rabbits with horns. No, antlers. Antlers like a deer. “I guess the horns would make them Jackalopes. Well, bunnies are friendly. I can't imagine them being too dangerous.”

Sure enough, the first Jackalope let me walk right on by. The second just looked at me and crinkled its little nose and hopped away. “I wonder why they're marked in red. Oh well. Probably all creatures are marked in red on my map. I'm sure it's nothing.”

The glade seemed to be positively overrun by the little creatures. They were drinking in the brook, chasing each other through the grass, and sitting in the shade of green and silver bushes.

“Perfect. This seems like just the perfect spot.” I looked at one of the silver bushes and, sure enough, it had a large silvery berry hidden underneath one of its leaves.

“Nothing can stop me today,” I plucked the berry. In the upper left hand corner of my view a silver 12 appeared and counted down to 11. “Easy enough, I’ll be back at the tavern eating a BLT in no time.”

“Skill: Gathering acquired. Gathering Skill level 1: Novice. You can gather berries and herbs.”

“Sweet, a Skill! That was easy enough.” I felt exalted, euphoric. My head was swimming. Perhaps too good? “No, don’t question, just keep gathering.” I stepped to the next bush. “I wonder what other Skills I will learn as time goes on? Maybe I can be an herbalist or an alchemist. Nah, what’s the point of being an adventurer if you don’t get out there and fight.”

A rustling came from the bush behind me.

“Skill: Observation acquired. Observation Skill level 1: Novice. You have learned to notice what's going on around you. Good for you!”

All of a sudden I realized how many of the little Jackalopes were looking covetously at me and my berry. The one nearest to me started hissing. “No little bunny. This is my berry. There are plenty more berries. You can pick one for yourself.”

The Jackalope apparently was not a good listener, despite the ears. It barreled towards me, antlers pointed directly towards my unmentionables. “Oh no, no, no, not there! You get away bunny. Get away! Shoo!”

It charged. My stick swung. Almost by instinct I knew what to do with it. There was a loud thwamp as the nob on the end caught the rabbit mid leap. “Skill: Improvised Weapons acquired. Improvised Weapons Skill level 1: Novice. You can swing a stick, throw a stone, or smash someone over the head with a barstool. When it comes to improvised weapons, you can figure something out on the fly.”

The Jackalope was knocked back and landed in a heap as a red 6 drifted up from its head. Apparently 6 was all the Hit Points it had because it didn't get back up again to keep fighting. The one behind it however, didn't seem deterred.

“Oh boy. Oh no!”

Crack! My mighty stick once again struck out and another Jackalope was motionless on the grass. There was no blood or gore. It was just dead.

I laughed as I swung for the next one “I’m getting good at this.”

With the next swing I really got into it. Put my weight behind it. This was really fun. So fun, in fact, that I failed to notice the three little furry devils sneaking up behind me.

“OUCH!” I said, leaping up as the first one lodged its antler into the soft meaty center of my left buttock. “That hurt!” I spun around.

A Health bar appeared in the bottom right hand corner with the number 12/20 over showing.

“The pain is really real in this game.” I paused to rub my sore tushy, but my break was short-lived. Two more pointy-fur-fiends leapt at at the same time. The first one catching me in the side and the second one getting me right in the family jewels.

“Critical hit. You have been hit by Jackalope for 7 damage. You have been hit by Jackalope for 3 damage.”

I was down to only two Health and worse, I was surrounded. I swung for the one who was trying to make me in to a permanent soprano. I managed to connect sending him sliding back through the grass. The other one however… yeah, not so much.

I'm not too proud to say that in that moment, I ran. Pride does however prevent me from saying exactly how much I cried, or whether or not I relieved myself in my pants as I ran. That you'll just have to guess for yourself. I found out that the problem with running away from rabbits with antlers is that they are just as fast as their non-antlered counterparts, which is to say, much faster than I was.

“You have been hit by a Jackalope for 4 damage. You have died. At level 1. No experience is lost. Class penalty as a Jack of all Trades: When you die, you lose a number of Skill levels proportionate to your level. You have lost one Skill. You have lost the Skill ‘Improvised Weapons’. Once lost, it will be harder for you to reacquire Skills. Skills learned through Class Skill ‘I can do That’ may not be relearned from the same person.”

This was bad. Only one fight in and not only did I lose, but I've already lost the only combat Skill I've learned so far. I really hope that this wouldn't be an indicator of things to come.

The beautiful green valley faded away. I didn’t find myself back at the inn like I expected. I found myself cruising down the highway in a sports car with the top down. The wind blew through my luscious long hair. In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of myself. Sunglasses and bright red lipstick, my manicured fingers clutched the wheel as I hit the gas.

A sultry voice from nowhere and everywhere said, “It's all about the adventure. Flirts rent-a-car. Flirts: Get there your way.”

A moment passed and I had another vision. Not the same as the car ride. This was something that had actually happened. A memory. A highway. Bumper to bumper traffic. A 20 car pile up. The people sitting frozen, smiling like they couldn't be bothered to notice the car next to them was on fire. Like nothing really mattered. Truly asleep at the wheel.

A family climbed out of their newly dented and steaming station wagon near the end of the row of cars. “Mommy! Mommy! What happened? Why did everybody stop?” called a young boy as he ran forward along the column of cars. He had barely passed one van before pausing and collapsing boneless onto the ground. His father ran after him and fell next to the boy, the two looking for all the world like they had decided to take a nap in the middle of the massive traffic jam.

I held out the binoculars as I turned and vomited against a nearby redwood tree. Kara patted me on the back as she passed the binoculars to the old man.

“Damn, I really thought there wouldn't be enough signal up here.” he said surveying the wreck.

“Is there anything we can do for them?” asked Kara.

“No, not unless you want to join them. I think I have some explaining to do.”

“I can't just do nothing. I'm gonna go warn anyone who's still awake. Don't worry I won't get too close.” Kara took off downhill toward the crash.

I took one last look at the flaming cars and smiling, sleeping people. Why was part of me jealous?