A cuff unlocked from around my wrist, then the other clicked open as a man in a solid white mask placed a stack of documents on the table in front of me.
“Take your time,” he said, but his voice sounded computerized.
I nodded.
Mr. J and the two people behind the lights, disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the agent beside me visible. I was sure we weren’t alone though.
I picked up the first page, staring at the thousands of little letters, trying to decide if I should read them or not.
I hadn’t bothered to check the details of the job application, maybe I’d have noticed some red flags if I had.
Sighing, I resigned myself to reading the documents.
Welcome to your project New Dream. You have been selected as a holodiver—a holodiver? Then I’ll be using that new full immersion VR machine?—your role will be to play DreamLIFE and—good god, this is boring.
I glanced at the agent. He was still standing beside the table, with his arms behind his back.
I wondered how much he understood about the documents, or if he knew the full context of what was going on. “Did you sign one of these too? You must have, right?”
He didn’t answer.
Not being able to see his face was unsettling too, and a bit unfair. I didn’t get any sort of identity protection.
“Mind summarizing for me?” I asked.
The man tilted his head to the side, but again didn't answer.
I sighed.
Well, I guess I have no choice.
Explore, dominate, and gather resources…raise profile within the game world, but maintain real world anonymity…Assist with—I know all this.
I skimmed ahead until I came to a page titled “Enforcement”
The section was smaller than I expected, though it still had its own page. It read, this is not a legally binding document as one party is signing under duress. Nevertheless, enforcement shall be carried out to the point of death should either party fail to meet their obligations.
“So my only hope is to succeed then…what kind of—”
“If you understand,” Mr. J boomed from somewhere off to the right. “Just go ahead and sign the document.”
I took a deep breath, then signed.
White mask took the stack of papers, vanishing into the shadows behind me.
Another agent, a female with silky red hair, stepped forward. She holstered her gun, offering a sympathetic smile as she said, “I’ll be your instructor for orientation. Apologies for the rough welcome, but it was necessary.”
She was a good actor. I almost believed she actually meant it.
She glanced down at my clothes, then said, “First we have a certain dress code here. Those rags won’t cut it.”
Her tone was friendly, but her expression seemed a bit put off, like I should’ve known better than to prance into her fancy government office wearing peasant clothes.
I frowned, feeling my anger flare. “Sorry, I’d have put on a suit, but between being pinned down while your agents forced something down my mom’s throat and getting pistol whipped, I couldn’t find time.”
The agent's smile vanished, her cheeks turned red.
It was impossible to see if anyone was watching, but she glanced in the direction Mr. J had disappeared, then looked at me again.
“Listen, I can be your friend, or I can be your enemy. Which do you prefer?” she said, placing a hand on her gun.
“Whichever is more genuine. Don't waste my time with fake smiles and apologies, just say what you mean.”
She took a step forward. Her lips turned down as she spoke through clenched teeth,
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Allen. From today on, I’m that hand. So if I give you a fake smile and play friendly, then you smile back and play along.” She took another step and leaned down placing her hands on mine. “Do you understand?”
She squeezed my fingers so tightly that I could feel my knuckles grinding together.
I swallowed, trying not to show any fear, and nodded.
The agent smiled, patting my hand.
Stepping back, she looked at me, making no effort to smile as she gruffed, “Welcome to project New Dream.”
Then she walked away, motioning for me to follow.
I took a deep breath, then rose and followed the redhead.
Lights were strategically placed to illuminate only the path I was to follow and block sight of anything beyond. My guide hurried on without looking back.
The door was already open, leading to a brighter hall. Colored lights ran the length of the halls on either side, illuminating a line of doors. Each had a metal plate engraved with a string of numbers.
We walked past every door, until we came to a set of steel doors that closed off the hall. Red pulled a keycard from her pocket, placing it against a scanner on the wall.
There was a beep, then the doors pulled apart.
The space opened to a room about half the size of a basketball court. It was filled with racks of clothes of varying styles. There were black suits paired with white masks on one end. In the middle there were nicer suits, but they didn’t have masks paired with them. The furthest end held clothes that appeared to have neon lights on them. I couldn’t see them well from the door, but they looked more comfortable than the suits.
Red stepped aside, waving for me to go first.
I made for the nearest rack, but stopped when an agent in a white mask called, “You must be number 751, come over to the counter please.” The voice was different from the agent who handed me my contract; this one was female, but she also sounded computerized.
I turned back, seeing the woman sitting behind a glass counter, with a computer screen and keyboard before her. The redhead followed me over.
As I approached, the clerk asked, “Do you know your measurements?”
“No,” I answered, wondering if anyone knew their measurements.
Blue dots appeared on her mask, forming a pixelated smile and triangle shaped eyes as she typed into the computer.
I blinked, a little surprised by the display of emotion. I was unsettling, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it yet. I hesitated to smile back, unsure if the mask was expressing her genuine reaction or if it was just programmed to do that.
After a few moments, the screen flashed green, then the woman said, “You have been fitted, please wait a moment for your wardrobe to arrive.”
I nodded, trying to push through my awkwardness and said, “Thank you.”
Red smiled at the girl behind the counter, but the expression didn’t touch her eyes.
The blue dots on the mask faded away as the woman nodded back.
Another person wearing a suit and white mask emerged from between two racks of clothes, carrying two hangers. Hanging on one was a suit and white mask, the other held what looked almost like a wetsuit with neon lights running along the seams.
The man stopped at the counter, then turned, extending his arms to hand the clothes to me.
I took them, then the man turned away again.
He disappeared back through the rows of clothing, and I heard a door close somewhere in the back.
Red pointed at the bodysuit. “Put that on, then we can continue with your orientation.”
“Here?”
She nodded. “You can keep your underwear, but 834 will take the rest of your things. She’ll also see that everything you’ll need here is delivered to your room.”
I swallowed, glancing around the room.
Red rolled her eyes, saying, “This is a professional environment. We all know what our jobs are.”
The agent behind the counter nodded in apparent agreement.
“Still, suddenly asking me to change in front of two women is just—”
“There will be many requests that you aren’t used to. Please try to adjust quickly. You don't receive many warnings around here, and the top brass are especially impatient. Keep in mind that enforcement will be prompt, should you break any of the rules.”
Her smile widened.
Was she kidding?
I wasn’t sure, but she certainly didn’t seem sympathetic at all. At least she’d dispensed with the fake smiles and niceties.
I glanced at the suits and masks. They were identical to the ones the other agents wore.
The bodysuit had a zipper on the back that twisted under the left arm so I’d be able to put it on pretty easily.
I glanced between the redhead and the white mask once more. Neither gave any indication of discomfort, but Red took a long heavy breath that told me she was growing impatient.
Whatever… if they don’t care then why should I?
I undid the button for my pants, letting them fall on the floor then pulled my blue T over my head.
My body wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, but the way Red snorted at my barely visible six pack made me self-conscious.
I tried to ignore her, sliding the bodysuit over my legs and up my chest, but I felt her eyes like daggers against my skin until I had it all the way on.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
The fabric had a strange texture, not exactly soft or rough, just strange. It was like silk, only lathered in butter or oil. The fabric was dry though, I was sure of that.
I zipped up the suit, and felt the fabric tighten, then the lights activated, giving the suit a dim neon green glow.
“What’s this for?" I asked.
Red nodded towards the counter, reminding me to hand over my clothes. I wasn’t particularly attached to them and my phone and wallet were probably still back home, or in some evidence locker somewhere. But when the clerk reached for them, I hesitated to let go.
My heart ached at the thought. It felt like letting go of those clothes was the first step towards letting go of my old life.
Red grabbed the clothes, tossing them onto the counter.
“Let’s go, 751. It’s time for your test dive.”
I glanced at the agent behind the desk, she was busy typing and didn't even look up.
Red started walking.
I had no choice but to follow.
The steel door closed behind us and we headed back the way we came. We passed by the room where I woke up and made our way to a room labeled: Orientation.
Mr. J was inside sitting at a table next to a holographic monitor and two white masks. He glanced up as we entered, smiled, then looked back at his screen.
A Holodiver sat under a bright light at the center of the room, its white hull gleaming in the gentle glow. The machine, an oddly shaped chair with a reclined back and ergonomic padding that would surround the diver, had a dark glass shell that would close over it.
Two other agents stood beside it, one holding a tablet and the other a rifle.
The redhead stopped beside the device, placing a hand on it as if she was touching her lover.
She smiled at the machine, then motioned for me to sit.
I did.
“You’re lucky. DreamLIFE has already launched so you won’t have to waste time with a demo software. If you can handle the dive for at least six hours, then you meet basic requirements. If you manage to achieve something impressive in that time, then you’ll be rewarded,” Mr. J said from his seat. “Good luck.”
Red pushed a button on a pad beside my hand and the glass shell began to close.
Six hours of straight gaming seemed like a cake walk. I averaged eight, except for when mom interrupted me.
A message appeared on the screen.
Please relax. The pod is equipped with a full range of medical devices to ensure your safety. The dive will begin soon.
3…
2…
1…
The world went black. It felt like a train slammed into my body. Then colors swirled around me like I was caught in a rainbow tornado. I screamed, but there was no sound.
Everything hurt, my head felt like it was going to explode, and I couldn't breathe. Every inch of my skin tingled with the sensation of a thousand little bugs crawling over me, but I couldn’t move.
Then a woman's voice came. It was sweet and smooth, and seemed to emanate from everywhere.
“You appear to be experiencing a mental shock from the holodive. Please remain calm, I will attempt recovery now.”
It didn’t feel like I had a body anymore. The pain subsided, and my mind was clear and free.
I floated in space, surrounded by a brilliant spectrum of color.
Stars glimmered in the distance and everything was so quiet, so still, that I felt I could just drift there forever.
“Dive stable…”
The colors began moving again, swirling together until a figure took shape before me.
He looked a lot like me, dark skin, short hair, brushed in smooth waves, and eyes dark as two coals. He was taller though, and he had a much stronger build.
He smiled, his muscles flexing beneath his tight fitting black T.
“Dive successful… new user detected, no character data exists. Please create your avatar.”
A menu appeared with a selection of races to choose from. The options were elf, beastkin, human, dwarf, giant, and fae.
I selected beastkin.
The avatar before me shifted, growing pointed ears and thick hair. His face elongated slightly, forming a short snout and his nails sharpened into claws.
The menu options changed, this time showing Celebrawn: these wolfkin are said to be the descendants of a legendary wolf named Celebrius. The first known record of a Celebrawn is of a great warrior who claimed to have grown up as part of a pack, deep in the Celebane woods, a place so dangerous that even beasts don’t dare enter. Now, the Celebrawn are considered a common race. They have spread throughout the world of Asoria and are well known for their valor and loyalty.
Not for me…
Next was Strynum. A race as mysterious and stylish as their feline kin. The Strynums are said to be the result of Nysenthar’s failed attempt to turn his familia human. The ancient scorer fell in love with the creature and aspired to marry her. Strya was less interested in her master and killed him before stealing the jewel that was the source of his magic. Today, Strynum are a common race that are well known for speed and dexterity. Unfortunately, due to the legend of Styra, few trust these beastkin and they are often pushed to the fringes of society.
Darrgoz, a race descended from dragons. They are born with innate magic, however their powers do not reach full maturity until they are two hundred years old. These beasts are highly in tune with the elements and nature and generally prefer to avoid cities and other forms of civilization. They are a rare race, sparse in number and sought by those who aspire to power; for it is said that he who has a Darrgoz by his side shall prevail over all enemies.
That sounded more interesting, but from the description it seemed like growth would be slower. Still if it was truly as powerful as it sounded, then it might be worth it.
I skipped over Meecila—a kind of rat race—and Usarai. I had no interest in either. Kyther, however, fought my eye.
Kythers may predate all other races, though it is not certain whether these cloud dwellers or dragons came first. Kythers, like dragons, are a race with strong magic. These creatures are thought to be wise and peaceful, but are rarely seen, and little is known about them.
There were several more options, and perhaps if it were possible to have multiple characters, I would try them eventually.
I selected Kyther, then the avatar morphed again. His canine features faded away as he returned to an almost human appearance. The man’s dark eyes became white and his eyebrows thick. His face flattened as wings sprouted from his back and his feet became talons. Thin lines appeared on his body and in his hair, each forming circles and other odd shapes.
I was able to change my hair color, though it was impossible to get rid of the lines. They couldn’t be changed independently and always changed to a color that popped against whatever I selected as the main hair color. I settled on black, so the lines settled on white. At least it wasn’t on the wings. I could cover most everything else up if I really wanted to.
Next I adjusted the height to be closer to my own. I didn’t have to reduce the bulk. Selecting Kyther did that. I adjusted my eye color to an ice blue then confirmed my selections.
The man disappeared from view as I drifted into him. I had a body now, but I still couldn’t move.
A small message appeared, reading:
Congratulations on starting your new DreamLIFE. Please choose a name before you begin your adventure.
“Owl,” I said, not expecting to actually hear my voice.
Name accepted…
Your character has been created...
Please enjoy your dive into the world of Asoria.
I blinked and suddenly I was standing in a forest. I was in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by giant trees and thick foliage. The sun was high, it was humid, hot, and my body felt both heavy and strange.
This was on a whole other level from the video games I was used to. Even with the Holoset, I never felt the world, let alone my character, so fully.
The air smelled fresh, earthy, and a little bit like rotting wood. It was the same scent of the woods near my home, yet it was much stronger and more pungent. I was certain I could also smell a campfire somewhere. Beneath the smoky scent, I detected the subtle tones of meat, salt, and honey. Someone was cooking.
I started toward the smell, but the avatar moved differently than I was used to. Each step had to be planned and executed carefully. My center of gravity was all wrong.
I stumbled, crashing into a tree. As I flailed to catch myself, my wings spread wide, flapping frantically.
I managed to stop my fall, but a flock of birds took flight, filling the forest with loud caws.
I sighed, shaking my head. This was going to take some getting used to.
Ding!
A message appeared. ‘The forest of awakenings is a strange place where heroes, legends, and even monsters are born. Do you have what it takes to become one? Make it out of the forest, then report to the Zynum. Your past is a mystery, but surely someone there can help you discover who you are.’
Quest active - All towns center around a crystal that emits a visible beam at all times. Use the beam as your guide.
Completion condition: Reach the Zynum town hall.
Reward: Unknown
Penalty for failure: Unknown
Difficulty: easy.
I stumbled forward another couple steps before my wings spread out again, catching a gust of wind and pulling me upward.
I tried to fight against it, but my wings flapped of their own accord and I rose a couple feet before crashing down again.
I groaned.
At least there didn’t seem to be any monsters in the area.
I took a deep breath, and forced myself onward.
It took a while, but my body began to feel more natural and my pace quickened.
The smell of meat grew stronger, and I could see an orange glow through the tree trunks. The sky was turning pink, prompting me to wonder just how far I’d walked, and how the flow of time here compared to reality. I might’ve spent three or four hours walking, maybe more or maybe less, it was really hard to say since I was so focused on learning to move.
I never thought I’d be so grateful for an enemy free area where I could familiarize myself with basic movement.
It might have been faster to fly, but every attempt so far had ended with me crashing into the ground or a tree.
Finally, I made it to the edge of the clearing.
A single Celebrawn sat by the fire, peeling the hide off a deer. Three rabbits laid limp by his feet. Their legs were bound and their necks broken, but he had yet to remove their skins.
His body was lean and his muscles tight. He was taller than I expected, at least seven feet. The wolfkin had long hair pulled into a ponytail and wore only a pair of tattered shorts.
When I stepped into the clearing he glanced at me with a toothy grin. His eyes caught the firelight as his lips parted, saying, “Welcome to Asoria. My name is Rokhan. If you’re hungry, feel free to take any of the day's catch.”
His voice was gruff and a little too deep, but there was no menace or suspicion in his words.
I approached, keeping my eyes locked on the man and said, “My name is Owl. Are you heading to Zynum?”
The man shook his head. “I’m just a hunter, here to provide a little help and direction to new arrivals.” The man motioned towards a tent on the opposite side of the fire. “You can rest there while I finish cleaning the meat.”
He returned his attention to his work, pulling the hide away from the deer with a swift motion, and tossing it aside.
I wasn't tired, but I was thirsty, and hungry.
I sat on a hollow log, asking, “Do you know where I can get some water?”
The man tossed me a water skin, then pointed into the forest as I started drinking. “There’s a few sips left in that, but you’ll have to refill it at the river.”
I sighed, stood, then started towards the trees.
Just as I reached the tree line, he added, “Careful, there are a few dangerous beasts that come out at night.”
I glanced back, nodded, then continued onward.
The sky grew darker and the air became colder as the last slivers of the sun vanished behind the trees.
Oddly, my vision felt sharper in the dark, though there were too many obstructions for me to notice much difference in range.
A rustle in the bushes sent my heart racing.
I was so focused on the sound, I didn’t notice the slope.
My foot slipped, and I crashed into the bushes below.
Something growled, low and rumbling, as the ground trembled.
I pressed myself lower as a huge black hoof stamped the ground in front of me.
It was an ogre.
The monster was about twenty feet tall, with dark green skin and long, thick arms.
It looked down at me with small, black eyes, and grinned, showing two rows of razor sharp teeth.
A chill ran down my spine.
I don’t even have a weapon yet, how the hell am I supposed to fight something like this.
A prompt appeared:
The beastkin of Asoria have many special abilities. Kythers talons make for powerful natural weapons. Speed and master of flight make these foes formidable on ground and in the air. Their innate magic isn’t to be forgotten either.
I can’t fly yet and I don’t think I’ll get anywhere kicking that thing, but what magic? How do I even use it? Where’s the fucking tutorial?
The ogre swung down a thick branch, which I dodged by jumping to the right.
As soon as I landed, the beast slammed the stick into the ground where I had been standing.
It was fast, but its size was a disadvantage.
It roared in frustration, lunging at me with its lower tusks.
I stepped aside, grabbing the branch and trying to yank it from its grasp.
The beast held on, but stumbled forward.
I planted a foot on its nose, pushing off as I jumped over its head.
The range of motion was superior to even the most advanced maneuvers I could perform with my old Holoset. This was more than virtual reality, it was a whole new world and my chance to really live as Owl.