His messy, pitch-black hair was matted with blood and clung to his sweaty forehead. Shallow cuts lined his forearms and a small hole in his gut leaked crimson fluid. It slowly trickled out, suffusing his simple woolen white tunic. He felt pain from the wound. It was a dull, steady pain -- near non-existent, but he felt it nonetheless. The sensation reminded him of how he felt when biting down on his lip: his body made him aware that something was wrong when he did so, but it didn’t hurt nearly enough for him to be truly bothered. Still, with each light throb of pain he was reminded that a few more injuries like the one in his gut would be more than enough to completely deplete the half-full yellow hp bar, flashing, and slowly draining, in the upper left corner of his vision.
The thought excited him.
In front of him stood a tall, burly man with rugged features and short, cropped blond hair. He wore a simple tunic of his own, green with not a trace of blood, and black trousers. In his right hand was a blade, raised and pointed forward, moist blood painting the length of its cold, double-edged steel. The man’s face was emotionless, his dark blue eyes aimed at the young, black haired fellow, but seeming to look completely through him.
The wounded young man returned the piercing gaze with a smile, and eventually opened his mouth to let out a burst of boisterous laughter that sent his head snapping back. This display caught the burly man’s attention, sending his thick eyebrows up in a skeptical expression.
‘This is awesome!!’ the young man thought, ignoring the blond’s confusion. ‘I mean, they said the realism was revolutionary, but this… this is unbelievable!’
Naphal, or Eli as he was known in the real world, was currently completing a beginner quest for Aeturnum Volo, a fantasy VRMMORPG of massive scale. The game, which came out 2 weeks ago, met heavy skepticism in the period preceding its unveiling. Somaedifex, the company in charge of the VRMMORPG as well as the device that runs it, caught the attention of gamers and game makers alike after stating that their upcoming game and hardware would render all existing competition obsolete. This brought excitement at first, which quickly transformed into irritation, and then disinterest as 14 years went by without a single word on the supposedly upcoming products. The company was completely silent the entire time, almost as if it had vanished from the face of the earth.
Virtual reality devices, known as dive spheres, had already become a household fixture by that point, with 42 years of existence in the current time. New devices and games came out fairly frequently, and claims of vast superiority were common; the only reason Somaedifex gained so much attention was its pedigree as an expert in the field. They were the pioneers, the creators of virtual reality, changing the entire world with their release of neural dive software and the hit game Principium Via: a single player, adventure rpg, that let players roam a vast medieval world on a journey to save the kidnapped princess of a mighty kingdom. It was a cliched plot line and a cliched world, but the characters were well done and the graphics, dynamic quest software, and combat system were all top of the line. Most important, of course, was the breathtaking experience of watching through your character’s eyes and feeling him/her dash across the battlefield as the system assisted you in executing unrealistic sword skills to cleave through an army. This renown lasted years, but eventually, other games for the same system and more sophisticated VR hardware entered the market, providing enough competition to match Somaedifex. They released interesting new titles sporadically, but nothing on the same level of innovation as Principium Via and never any new dive spheres. And that is how things went until that day 14 years ago.
With the potential release of another world changing game and machine, excitement was a given. Alas, 14 years of inactivity was enough to reduce any excited conversations to mere passing thoughts in contemplative hope. But at the beginning of the year 20XX, Somaedifex made a massive announcement: their game and new Dive Sphere were finally ready, with 500,000 copies of each available for pre-order, and release set for the first of August. The cost was significant, to say the least, at $12,999 dollars for every game and Dive Sphere bundle. Not to mention the added $100 monthly subscription fee for Aeturnum Volo. Yet, even with so much information still unrevealed and such a hefty price tag, every single bundle managed to sell. Reputation is a powerful weapon, after all.
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Naphal was but one of those many buyers. Being a highschooler, his personal funds were rather low. He only managed to gain some financial assistance after promising his grandfather that he would accompany him on a trip to the Philippines, his home country, around Christmas time. Naphal felt that it was all rather tedious. Still, his promise secured him the money he wanted, and now he could engage in escapism to his heart’s content.
Naphal grabbed the hilt of his own sword, quickly unsheathing it and revealing a dull, grey iron blade with no guard. Iron Sword (Attack: 3, Durability: 9/20). Not impressive at all, but he wasn’t exactly in a life-threatening situation at the moment, so it would do.
“Finally decided to take a crack at fightin’ back, eh? Wasn’t sure if ya had a taste for gettin’ cut up er sumthin, boy.”
“Just familiarizing myself with the feeling,” Naphal replied, smiling at the blond training instructor.
The man’s mouth twitched and he appeared to be about to say something, but his words were cut short when Naphal ran forward and attempted a lunge, forcing the instructor to step aside and parry the movement. The instructor showed a grin, clearly unfazed by the sudden attack, and he sliced down toward Naphal’s shoulder. Not fast enough, though, as Naphal met the blade with his own, pushing back hard and moving away from the burly man.
“And ye even know how to swing a sword,” the words left the instructor’s mouth with a note of playful sarcasm...
“Speak for yourself,” which Naphal happily matched.
The two paced each other in a circle, both filled with tension and excitement, but neither willing to make the first move. Naphal’s eyes were darting between the instructor’s hp bar, floating above his head, and the blood-soaked steel blade that could very well end this practice session. The man in question seemed much more animated than before, finally showing hints of emotion, specifically amusement, on his previously impassive face. Emotion…
‘Crap. I still can't believe how great the AI is. Still not sure if this guy's really an npc. It's either that or he gets just as into roleplaying as I do.’
As Naphal lost himself in his thoughts, the instructor decided to end the lull in fighting. He flashed forward with blurring speed, right arm’s muscles rippling with effort as he swiftly brought the blade down at Naphal. The boy rushed to respond, but only after taking a second too long in pulling himself out of his thoughts, leading to an awkwardly held sword above his head. The shabby guard provided little resistance against the instructor’s heavy slash, which quickly met flesh, slicing deep into Naphal’s left shoulder. The pain felt like an ant biting every inch of Naphal’s body the sword passed through. It instantly subsided into the same dull, near non-existent pain he felt from his gut wound, but the thoroughly uncomfortable sensation caused Naphal to let out a grunt. His hp bar rapidly drained, bringing it below twenty five percent and turning it scarlet. The sudden drop sent Naphal into a panic and he kicked at his attacker, forcing him back and his blade out. The blade left in spray of blood, further depleting the boy’s already drained hp bar. Wincing at the pain, Naphal swiped horizontally, hoping to catch the instructor off-guard after his kick. The thought was in vain, however, as the instructor easily blocked the attack.
Naphal kept up his assault, stabbing, slashing, and swiping at the blond man, who, at the moment, had a cheeky smile plastered across his face. Each action was greeted by the instructor’s steel sword, every clash sending metallic vibrations through the air, filling the small wooden room with the music of battle. The two kept up their dance of parries and strikes for what seemed like an eternity, with each exchange leaving Naphal a little more worse for wear. Then finally, the instructor ended it, gripping his sword with both hands and thrusting it forward in one deft, fluid motion. The technique the instructor displayed was so masterful that Naphal couldn’t help but gape in awe as the sword pierced his gut once again, hp plummeting as the bar darkened to the color of a fine red wine.