Description:
Have you ever wondered how the Dark Gamer Guild came to be? I’ll tell you. It started with a garbage collector, his sick sister, a faulty capsule and the need for money. Oh you want to know more? Well, read it then dammit!
Chapter 1:
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Sometimes, the biggest changes to one’s life can come unexpectedly. For me, it all began on a bright April day. What started as a routine shift quickly became the start of something extraordinary.
“Now, what the hell is that?!”
-”You’re asking me? You've been in this job longer than I have!”
“Oh, please after three years you know about as much as I do; and in all my years I ain’t ever seen something like this.”
-”It looks like… a… a coffin…”
The two men looked at each other.
-”Y-you think there’s… something in it?”
“Won’t know till we open it up, now will we?”
After five minutes of trying, Dan was about to give up when he saw a small indentation on the coffin. When he pressed his finger into it, he felt a pinch and quickly retracted his hand.
-“FAGHAAAA! Ouch!”
“This capsule has individualized itself for your use. Please initialize the program so that we can access your personal information.”
A female voice spoke from the… capsule before it opened up in front of him, letting out a jet of air.
Peering inside while Dan sucked on his thumb to stop the bleeding, Jim didn't see any corpses and let out a relieved sigh. All that he saw was what looked like some sort of improvised cot.
“Well that’s… Now, how do we get this thing out of here?”
-”We are gonna have to bring the other truck later. Otherwise this thing will break our smasher.”
Dan said as he looked back at the garbage truck.
“Ack. These damn people.”
Jim looked up at the skyscraper that held the US’s branch of Unicorn Corp. The early morning sun was glinting off the fifty some story building.
“Have no common sense when it comes to garbage disposal. Do we look like goddamn trash fairies? That make shit disappear on demand?”
Dan knew it was best not to comment when Jim got taken on by one of his moods.
“How are we even gonna get this out of here!? I want to file a complaint I tell you! I am sick and tired of people who do this kind of shit…
Jim’s tirade was interrupted by the same feminine voice.
“Please enter the capsule, so that the program can be run.”
“Oh shut up! I am talking here!”
Jim shouted at her interruption.
“You are of no consequence.”
The voice replied.
“Why you…”
-”Wait, wait, Jim.”
Dan interrupted.
-“I think this is that thing everyone is talking about!”
“What thing?”
-”That thing! That virtual game that is on the news! You know… The one that was released last week in Korea? It’s making big headlines! Here…”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Dan rummaged through some of the trash they were about to pick up and came up with the previous day’s Chicago Tribune. Smacking the headline, he said.
-”Royal Road release in the US.”
After reading for a while he said.
-”Says here they are releasing here beginning of next week… so, in five days… You know… we could sell this!”
”Boy! Have you learned nothing these past three years? Heh Heh.”
“...”
Dan looked at Jim blankly.
“Boy, people don’t throw shit away that works. The shit people throw away is actual shit.”
-”It looks fine though.”
“Please enter the capsule, so that the program can be run.”
-”Hell, it even sounds fine.”
“Yeah, well, don’t bet your marbles on it.”
“Please enter the capsule, so that the program can be run.”
“Here, why don’t I just try it out for a spin and see if it works. If it does… sweet… If it doesn't… Well… too bad.”
Before Jim could say anything, Dan got into the capsule and closed it. Jim was a little bit worried for the kid, but he figured they were ahead of schedule and almost done with their route. He picked up the discarded paper, pulled up an empty beer box and sat down for the wait.
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When Dan sealed himself into the capsule he thought not about how he would get out trusting Jim to save him if it came to that. Instead he focused on the green bar flashing Loading as it filled slowly.
Suddenly the capsule seemed to flash and Dan found himself in an empty white room. Floating in air around him stood 29 manikins of various races. Strangely though, When Dan went to examine one closer they would drift away from him.
“The scan on your Iris has determined you are a new user. Testing of your blood shows that 27 of the primary 29 classes are incompatible with you.”
Suddenly all the manikins except that of the Human looking one and the transparent, almost invisible, Manikins vanished.
“Please select your race. Only one character per account is allowed.”
-”Why am I incompatible?”
Dan was quite upset. One of the deleted mannequins had called out to him, with its bestial features. He thought it would have been fun to play a beast.
Instead he was given the choice between human and… whatever that was.
-”But, human is so boring.”
“You have chosen the unbodied race. This race does not allow you to choose your starting location or appearance.”
“Username has been set to: Dark. “
“ Welcome to Royal Road.”
*FLASH*
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Many thanks to Snow for "assisting" in the writing without her, this never would have happened.