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Year of Rebirth 0001

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the bright blue sky, a stark contrast from the dark chamber I had just departed. Around me, giant oaks reached to the heavens, their trunks so large I couldn’t even wrap my arms around them. The ground beneath me was covered in leaves larger than my palm, with wildflowers of blue and purple and green that swayed near my waistline.

It was amazing. I could feel the soft earth beneath my feet and the air press against my face. This was VR truly on another level…. It was as if I'd left my normal body behind entirely.

I raised my hands in front of my face, trying to orient myself to this new body. My size seemed to be relatively the same, though the extra layer of muscle the game had packed on was certainly a welcomed addition. My hair was a bit longer as well, nearly brushing my shoulders. I always wanted to grow my hair out, but I guess this was easier.

Encircling my vision were two translucent bars. I focused on the first… HP 100/100. The second read Mana 100/1000. It seemed straightforward enough. I took a quick glance over myself. Cotton pants, tall boots, a brown leather tunic and a short sword strapped to my belt. It wasn’t much, but this was just the beginning, after all. A small notification indicator began to blink in the corner of my vision. I focused on it, pulling up another menu in my field of vision. It was my character sheet!

Name: Zander

Class: Slayer

Lvl: 1

Exp, 0/100

Str: 10

Dex: 10

Int: 10

Con: 10

Wis: 10

Cha: 10

Faction: None

Skills:

Mark of the slayer

            I decided to take a closer look at my attributes.  I focused on them, bringing up the information in greater detail.  It would be important to know how they affected me inside of the game.

Strength:  Your characters physical power in game.  Increasing your strength will allow you to lift heavier objects, wield larger weapons, and inflict greater damage to your opponents. 

Dexterity:  Your characters speed and agility in game.  Increasing your agility will allow you to move faster, dodge more efficiently, and perform acrobatic feats.

Intelligence:  Your characters ability to manifest spells from the Magick domain.  Increasing your intelligence will allow you to cast more powerful magick spells, cast them more frequently, and have a larger pool of energy with which to draw from.

Constitution:  Your characters health.  Increasing your constitution will improve your ability to withstand damage, resist poisons, and recover from injury.

Charisma:  Your characters wit.  Increasing your charisma will improve your persuasion and diplomatic ability.  It also grants a small bit of luck!

Although increasing these attributes will grant you greater power, one must also rely on his or her inner strength if one is to survive Aetheria.

May Aether’s Light Guide You

Pretty standard stuff, though my starting skill, “Mark of the slayer” had caught my interest. The description read as follows. ‘Mark an enemy for death. Your attacks and skills will increase by 10% against this foe. This skill may make you vulnerable to attacks from others.’ It certainly seemed powerful, though I’d have to be careful about using it against larger mobs.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I closed out my character screen and began to tool around with my interface. That’s when I remembered… Max! I scrolled past my inventory and pulled up my friends list, which had automatically been uploaded from my soulink headset. There he was…

Maximus Lvl 1 Guardian

Currently in Combat

Damn! Max must’ve jumped right into it! I focused on his name, intent on sending him a message so we could meet up. Another notification popped up.

A player must be in your vicinity to receive personal messages

I sighed. I guess I’d have to find him, then. Hopefully this starting area wasn’t too large. I started to scroll through the interface a bit more, that was until a loud humming sound caught my attention. The leaves at my feet began to swirl and the wind whipped through the trees. I gazed up. Floating through the sky above was a sight that was truly breathtaking. Built of steel and wood and a bit of magic, it glided between the clouds behind the strength of two massive spinning propellers. Massive sails bent and swayed with the ever-changing wind current. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing… it was an airship! A freaking airship!

I stood in awe as the massive transport passed over. I’d only been online for a few moments and I was already itching to find out more. I took another quick look around. The area seemed relatively quiet. Weird… most of the games I’d played held your hand through the starting zone, not drop you off in some strange area with no instruction. Nevertheless, I started to trudge forward. I would have to come across something eventually, right?

It wasn’t but a few moments before I started to notice some… changes. The sky began to darken from an iridescent blue to different shades of scarlet. A cool, crispness in the air settled in. I thought about tucking my arms into my tunic, but I decided against it. Quick access to your weapon was always imperative.

I looked up as another object began to materialize in the sky. It was much smaller than the airship… in fact it was quite the familiar sight. It was the elvish maiden from earlier! Despite the distance between us, I could see something was very different this time. A long crimson robe settled on her shoulders rather than the violet she had on before. It dangled freely in the air as she levitated above the trees. Though welcoming during our first encounter, now her faced seemed quite serious… almost angry.

“Welcome players, to the world of Aetheria.” Her voice echoed through the sky, projecting through the forest and beyond. It had an edge to it this time. “I am Luscinda, Herald of the Aether Gate. I hope you’ve taken a few moments to acclimate yourselves to your new body… for now begins the culling!” The way she said it sent a shiver down my spine. “Fight for your lives and earn your glory. Those that fight valiantly will move on. Those that are weak will fall. Only the strong will survive!”

With that, Luscinda faded from view once more, replaced by a beacon of light that seemed to touch the ground at some unseen point in the distance. That must be where I need to go. I gathered myself and started to move out, eager to jump into some action. It wasn’t but a few seconds before I heard movement in forest around me. I looked to my left and then to my right. I could see them, moving through the trees. Some of them proceeded with caution while others were in a full-blown sprint. Other players! They must’ve been rushing towards the beacon as well!

I started to run, ignoring my inhibitions and desire to explore. It was important not to fall behind on launch day, and the way that elf spoke about the ‘the culling’ had me wondering if there was an opportunity to grab some exclusive Day 1 loot.

“Hey!” A voice yelled as I began to make my way through the area. I tried to ignore it, but the voice persisted. “Hey, hey you!” I paused and turned to face the voice. Behind me was a man of similar height and proportion, though his black hair was trimmed much closer to his head. He wore an expression of both fear and confusion. This must’ve been his first VRMMO. “C-can you help me out? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” He stammered. I focused on the small icon above his head.

Name: The_Destroyer

Warrior

Lvl: 1

What a shitty name, especially for a guy who looked ready to shit his pants in the starting zone. I sighed. “C’mon then. I don’t know much yet either, but I’ll let you follow. Let’s head to the beacon and see what’s up.”

Some of the man’s fear faded from his face. “Thanks man. These games are pretty new to me.”

Great. Stuck with a complete noob. Nonetheless, I focused on his icon once more until another menu popped up.

The_Destroyer

-Invite to party

-Trade

-Duel

I sent him a party invite, which he eagerly accepted.

The_Destroyer has joined your party.

“Awesome.” The warrior said with enthusiasm as he threw his arm around me. I quickly shrugged it off.

“Let’s get moving.”

He complied, and we started making our way towards to beacon once more.

“I can’t thank you enough.” He said not more than a minute later. Damn, he was already annoying. “I’m Vic, by the way.”

I paused. No way. There was just no way this could be the same Vic that tried to make my life a living hell.

“Sector 7 1st district high school?” I asked nonchalantly.

“How’d you know?” he replied emphatically.

Crap. I had to think quick. “Uh, the game spawns you regionally, so your close to others in your area. I saw your name in the paper, so I just figured. 7 sacks last week. That was awesome.”

Vic’s face beamed with pride. “Damn right it was.”

I couldn’t believe this. Trapped with my tormentor from high school in the one place I thought I was free. My hand twitched as I rested it on the hilt of my blade. I could take him down right here and he would never know what hit him. Who cares if I got flagged as a Player Killer. Then I thought on it for a second…. He had no idea who I was. This could actually be fun!

I released my blade and we trudged on.

“I’m Zander.” I said, deciding to keep my real identity secret. He nodded, and we moved out. It didn’t take long to reach the beacon… or to hear the screams.