Several minutes later they both stood before the massive doors wearing matching gray uniforms donned with the silver and gold CyberBolt logo on them. A full party of other gamers waited anxiously with them.
Allan was startled by the sudden sound of a trumpet call, “Welcome gamers! Please silence all virtual phones and messenger apps and log in to your interfaces now. Your quest is about to begin!”
The massive doors began to swing open. Allan held off on logging into the game quite yet in order to get an idea of the interior layout of the arena. As the doors pulled open, a throng of players exited the arena in an orderly fashion. All of them had large grins on their faces, having returned from their various quests. Inside, Allan could see hills, valleys and mountains as far as the eye could see – and all of it was made out of green foam.
Aha. So that’s what James meant by a safe environment.
He quickly logged into his avatar’s profile on Conquest. The scene before him morphed dramatically. Instead of the foam, a lush forest appeared before him, teaming with mountains and valleys. The sky above was a clear and brilliant blue. A flock of dragons were soaring high above. In the distance to the left a glorious city rose up higher than a mountain like a gigantic castle with hundreds of beautiful white spires.
He stared in awe at the sight. He’d heard rumors that the glorious city of Atlantis existed in the game, and there it was. Nobody happened to divulge that the city was hidden here in Chicago’s Arena. Two solar giants shined brilliantly in the sky, indicating that he had entered the fabled World of Zion in the game Conquest. Here he would help his fellow warriors fight off Voidspawn and other minions of the Leviathan and gain points to level up. He could gain magical spells and powers, purchase wares and the finest weaponry, fight off demons and dragons… The options were endless. The game was designed to have no end – an alternate life full of endless quests and adventures.
He eyed James’ virtual armor with sheer envy. At only level 7, Allan was lucky to have a shield and a spear to protect his bare skin and loincloth.
“Don’t worry buddy.” James consoled as together they headed toward the beautiful city, “I’ll make sure we find you some proper armor.”
Allan followed James as they cut a path through the thick forest.
“How far are we from the City?” Allan asked as he chopped away at the path.
“It's not too much further.” he nodded toward the hill ahead, “Just over this hill…”
Suddenly his friend stopped short and held a finger to his lips. They stood in silence for several minutes as both of them scanned their surroundings. It was dead silent, and Allan couldn’t understand his friend’s hesitation.
Then his eyes darted as he heard a shuffling sound to his right. Slowly, he raised his spear as anxiety piqued on the back of his bare neck.
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Threat Detected: Level 3 Voidspawn
HP| 300/300
Strengths: Long black tentacles allow for speed and easy subduing of prey. Head is covered with gnashing mouths full of razor-sharp teeth to allow for rapid devouring of trapped prey. Head is also covered with eyes to allow for 360-degree sight with intense focus. Will not remain killed.
Weaknesses: [LOCKED]
An inhuman screech erupted from a black mass that barreled toward him, knocking him into the sharp brambles.
[- 10 Damage]
The pain from the thorns felt real, and Allan cowered and swung his spear wildly in the air. He felt a sticky tentacle grab his leg and drag him forcefully through the sharp brambles at a tremendous speed.
[- 50 Damage]
An eerie voice echoed in his mind: Yield thy soul unto me!
Allan could see James chasing but falling far behind in his pursuit, casting a myriad of spells and enchantments. One of the spells struck the beast, stunning it momentarily. Allan took his chance, and stabbed at the black tentacle that had wrapped around his leg.
[- 50 HP]
The severed remains of the tentacle retracted into the black mass that resembled a land-bound squid, with hundreds of mouths gnashing their teeth. Allan made no hesitation, thrusting his spear deep into the heart of the nasty creature.
[- 50 HP]
Dozens of sticky black tentacles wrapped themselves around Allan has he held onto the shaft of the spear, thrusting it deeper and deeper with all of his strength.
[- 75 HP]
CRITICAL HIT!
Lifebar: <33%>
The tentacles attempted to crush him, and the mouths threatened to rip his bare skin to shreds with their razor-sharp teeth. One of the many mouths got ahold of his shoulder, and Allan screamed out in excruciating pain.
[-50 Damage]
He twisted the spear and forced the head in every direction he could muster before yanking the spear out and stabbing the creature again.
StabTwist: Medium
Instant Kill
[+60 XP]
At last, the tentacles relaxed and the mouth released its hold. The beast shuddered several times as Allan held his stance. Finally, the dozens of tentacles fell and appeared to melt as they hit the ground. The giant mass of creature seeped into a messy puddle of a tar-like substance, staining his blade.
James arrived, panting from his sprint.
“You…” he spoke between breaths, “You did it!”
Allan stared at the mess of black goo at their feet and took several deep breaths to calm himself. He was surprised by how realistic the dark beast had appeared with its many tentacles and large gnashing teeth, but what was even more surprising were the voices inside his head threatening to consume his soul.
“Man! I sure hope we don’t run into one of those things again!” he panted.
“You’d better get used to it.” James laughed, “I hear those nasty beasts are crawling around everywhere. The higher Level Voidspawn are even more dangerous than this one. You'll see. But we gotta get out of here quick! Those things can respawn from that black mess of goo in mere minutes.”
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