Prologue
"Cmon James, don't be such a killjoy. Why don't you just give it a try?" Slowly shaking my head, I smile while taking a sip of my beer. "What is so great about this Lost Lands – thing?" I ask. "You have been trying to convince me to buy it for-" I take a quick look at my clock "about half an hour." Suddenly Max stop talking, looking at me shocked. Slowly, he of them answers. "You don't really watch the news, do you? The world is talking about it, man. It's the first full immersion VRMMO with a major AI managing it, for gods sake!" "Ah, meaning?" comes my uncaring answer. He sighs. "Just give it a try. Knowing you, you're just sitting around in your free time." "Well, I really didn't have much to do in the last few weeks. So I guess, I'll just give it a try?" is my answer as I down the rest of my beer in one go. Disappointed at my unenthusiastic attitude, Max just slowly heaves a sigh and also drains the rest of his beer in one go and stands up. "Well, I've gotta go now. See you tomorrow." "Yeah, 'till tomorrow." Taking a last look at the bar I also leave, slowly staggering back home, drunk.
The next day, Saturday
Waking up with a small hangover, I try to remember what I did after coming home yesterday.Due to me not being able to remember it, I frown and stand up, changing my clothes from "the wrong way round - pajama" to a shirt and a jeans and afterwards eat breakfast. A short while later, which I spend by sitting around and doing pretty much nothing, I finally admit how bored I am. But before I can do anything to change this, the doorbell rings, disrupting my train of thought. Slightly confused about who would come to my house at about 9:30, I open the door to find an exhausted deliveryman standing before my door with a fitting package on the ground next to him. A deliveryman? "Are you James Rockwell?" "Yes, that would be me." I distractedly mumble, still confused. "Good. I've got a delivery for you. Please sign here." After finishing the usual procedures and saying goodbye to the deliveryman, I drag the annoyingly heavy package past the door into the house and open it. Inside of it is some kind of helmet with the Lost Lands label on it and next to it, a ton of manuals. "Damn, you could open a library with that amount of books." Seems like I actually ordered it last night. That's pretty surprising. "Oh well. Guess I really am going to give it a try." I'll start with the first manual.
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A few hours later
Well, that took quite a while. More than the "few dozen minutes" promised in the first manual. But I've successfully installed the so called "Immersion Gear" after a lot of almost-breakdowns. Satisfied about my fictory over the not really user-friendly, I put the Immersion Gear on my head and start it. I almost immediately feel some kind of pull on my neck and everything gradually fades to black. The moment nothing but black is visible, a blue box opens up before me.
Welcome to Lost Lands Online
After mentally aknowledging it, it disappears and another one opens.
In Lost Lands Online, you play as one of many explorers on a recently discovered continent, the Lost Land. On this continent, there are unexplored ruins, undiscovered races which can be unlocked, strange monsters and much more! In order to start your adventure on the Lost Land, please first select your race (doesn't affect relationship with others or stats and can be changed later on in game).
Immediately after reading the box, a list with the classical fantasy races opens. Not really caring, I just select human.
You may now alter your appearance.
Ignoring this uselessly complicated step, I think about the name I want my character to have. How about Quaesitor? After all, I am looking for entertainment.
Name accepted. ID number is 74098. Character creation finished.
An the whole world brightens suddenly, making me close my eyes.