Fantasy. A genre of whimsy, an immersive and expressive literary category. One who writes in fantasy writes to an audience of people who want to disappear to a new world, an audience that loves knight and dragons, kings and queens, elves and dwarves... so on and so forth, all of it. Authors that write in fantasy have room to deviate, to craft their own worlds, to build their own concepts. The most successful of authors able to create a world that brings people joy.
And the greatest joy of fantasy worlds, it comes from a slight desire for what isn't real. Something separate from modern town and city life. Something that can make a person go "oh, that's endearing" and "ooh, interesting" and all. Fundamentally, the glamor (or glamour) of it all shines through this invisible barrier of real and fake.
Hence, why they call it "fantasy".
However, with an elevator able to infinitely cross worlds and universes to escort people to anywhere they want, there's always going to be a group of imaginative and creative people who will transcend this barrier. People who want it all to be real, desperately wanting it all to be real.
And there is no bigger demographic of this, than the fantasy nerds.
The nerds, the geeks, the fanatics, all these people who love engaging with all things of their genre, the fantasy ones being some of the most passionate. When you think "fantasy nerd", you think of a glasses wearing man - fat, or skinny - that dedicates a subset of his life to fantasy.
Thus, we follow one such group of nerds, the passionate players of the fantasy genre. Those that come together on a schedule to act out these fantasies, now able to get the opportunity to travel to the world they crafted themselves.
"So- why did you ask us to pack survival kits?"
"In case we need them," answers the leader of these nerds. A balding leader, an amateur author, one that fits the mold of what a fantasy nerd looks like.
This is the Game Master, the "Master of the Table". Otherwise known as this group's dungeon master, those unfamiliar with the concept can equate him to an author that crafts this wonderful world before a group of individuals and friends. This particular one has a surprise for the group, standing outside his basement with his campaign players - the "audience", the few people that assume the roles of characters in this world, characters they've made themselves.
Within 1 to 2 business minutes... the door warps and is replaced by an elevator door, sliding open.
"W... What in the-"
"Dude, what is this?"
"Huh...?"
"... hello. 'Welcome to G-DUC, an elevator service to deliver'-"
"Oh my GOSH, it's real!" the Dungeon Master shouts, visibly astonished.
Attendant #7, our apathetic professional, appears before this group of tabletop campaign players, staring at them blankly with his bubblegum pink eyes. One look at them, and he thinks to himself:
... ah. More fantasy nerds.
"... oh, sorry-" the Dungeon Master apologizes. "Do you want to continue?"
"No, no. Your group, sir. All you," Attendant #7 offers, giving the dungeon master ample opportunity to basically do his job for him.
The Dungeon Master happily agrees, clapping his hands together and excitedly looking to his players. "Alright! So, surprise, everyone! This elevator is our mystical portal to another world! This wonderful, wonderful thing can... in essence, take us to infinite worlds! And I've scheduled a sort of... well, a sort of 'immersive' tour with a certain... Silvaria!"
A collective gasp sounds out amidst these fantasy nerds, #7 just witnessing their very existences being validated in real time. Judging from context clues, "Silvaria" is the fictional world that these people have been... roleplaying... in.
"W-We get to go to Silvaria?! Duuuuude!"
"I-Is it exactly as we imagined it?! Are there a ton of hot elven mages just waiting to be talked to!?"
"Will we get to ride the Golem Horses?!"
"Hahahaha! Fair questions, adventurers! The answer to all of that, is- drum roll, please!"
Promptly, someone begins to mimic and pretend to be actively drumming to wind up the reveal, the group of players absolutely excited beyond all belief.
The Dungeon Master then looks to the attendant, a bold smile on his face, discreetly checking to see if they were - in fact - going to that very world.
... #7 looks to the Dungeon Master and nods subtly.
"... yes!" the Dungeon Master exclaims, giving a thumbs up! "EXACTLY as we envision it, adventurers!"
Loud roars of cheering erupts from the group, Attendant #7 having to cover his ears as these fantasy nerds go absolutely ballistic. Unhinged, ecstatic exclamations from all of them as they run into the elevator, grouping up in the enclosed space.
"Alright-! Finely dressed man, please, take us to the land of Silvaria!" the Dungeon Master exclaims.
The terms that this man has specified insists that any question be phrased in a way that makes him sound super cool to his friends, so... #7 clears his throat and bows, playing the character word-wise as the elevator doors close. "'As you wish, o' valiant chronicler of tales...'"
The Dungeon Master is greatly pleased by this, albeit #7's acting tone could use some work... "Hohoh! Onward we go!"
The elevator inhabitants are absolutely giddy and excited, one able to see their vibrations. As if it were a complete and total shock to all of them, they were just excitedly readying themselves for the grandeur of the world! Stars in their eyes, visions of the bright sun and lush fields of grass filling their visions.
The one person completely unamused and unenthusiastic, Attendant #7. His eyes narrowed the whole time, just actively standing in place as these people were jittery and shaking in excitement.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"So- so, so, question! I-Is there a Rosa on this world?!" a player exclaims, asking #7 this question directly.
"... I believe there is, yes. Plenty, even," #7 responds.
"But what about Rosa von Liveltzia, queen of the fallen Liveltzia Kingdom?!"
"..." #7 nods slowly. "Yes... we are... headed towards her and her party's current location. You will have ample opportunity to meet her."
"W-What about Chorvenine the Chorminator?!" another player exclaims. "The fabled jester of legend, the spellcaster of dreams?!"
"He is also present, yes..." #7 answers, nodding slightly. "We are headed to the time after his army fell to the party... and he is still imprisoned for his countless acts of regicide."
"Okay, okay! What about-?"
Attendant #7 listens for a few seconds and indulged in "pretending to care about their interests", before beginning to tune out. His eyes narrowed as the exact words begin to fly over his head, a bunch of nonsensical words being thrown in his direction. Question after question on if there's a character present, or if some event has transpired.
The thing about infinite worlds is that anything could happen. There are countless stories, campaigns that can be derived from this. But thanks to the Dungeon Master's... preorder, the requests, he had to find an exact world that went the route that this group's party went to. Only one in existence where the world is called Silvaria, and all of the characters these people made are present in the world.
Their specific "homebrew" and "actions" narrowed this significantly, as detailed by the Dungeon Master's 195 papers of everything this world needs to have. #7 has had to read this, #7 has had to find this exact world, and #7 is just having all of this repeated back to him. Tuning out everything that these nerds were saying, already knowing that the answer to every single question they have is "yes".
After this pain-staking, lengthy line of questioning and asking, they eventually make it to Silvaria. The land of Silvaria, the fabled lands of whimsy and wonder.
It is as beautiful as they imagined it to be. The group of fantasy nerds were absolutely elated to witness and behold everything. This utterly majestic sight that filled their hearts with glee and joy to explore!
"... alright. Hope you enjoyed this trip."
Promptly, the elevator door begins to close, as #7 begins the preparations to take them back home, to bring them back to the safeties of their world-
"H-Hold on a moment!" exclaims the Dungeon Master, reaching a foot out in between the elevator door, having it bump into its ankle to prevent it from closing. "The hell do you mean, 'hope you enjoyed'?! We didn't get to do anything!"
"Yeah, we didn't get to speak to any of those heroes!"
"I didn't get to ride a Golem Horse...!"
"There are hot ELF babes waiting out there, we're leaving now?!"
"Maaaaaan..."
"... well, there are safety reasons," Attendant #7 bluntly answers, crossing his arms. "If I were to let you all roam free of this world, then I suspect you all would-"
"Regardless of the reasons! Did I not enlist you to deliver us to our next quest?!" the Dungeon Master exclaims, hands on his hips as he heroically stands to continue blocking the door. "This is an elevator of travels, of journeys, and you dare take us back before we could ever enjoy it?!"
"... you arranged for a brief visit to your fantasy world, as specified," Attendant #7 tells him.
"Right! And I say this visit is TOO brief! Now, I demand you let us out, let us explore!"
Attendant #7 blankly stares at this man for a bit, before... sighing. "If you truly want to explore, you are free to. All of you may leave. But I must warn you in case, that-"
"Wonderful!" the Dungeon Master exclaims. "Let us be off, adventurers! The World of Silvaria awaits! We must be off now, to live out all of our fantastical dreams!"
"..." Attendant #7 just holds his hands up and steps aside, letting the party out. Reluctantly just letting them out, letting them indulge their fantasies.
The Dungeon Master and his party march out, ready to explore, ready to take their first enthusiastic steps into the world of Silvaria. A land of wonder, a land of dreams, with all its glory to behold to these most diligent of players.
Attendant #7 is subject to watching all of them rush out, letting them "enjoy the world they have created, together", letting them behold the grandeur and wonder of the world. The land of fantasy, the land they have been dreaming of, the land where they take their first steps and embark on their journeys in this fantastical new world.
... and the elevator doors close.
"..." After that... Attendant #7 takes a moment to stop at a cafe for some coffee... and continues on with his work. They're not #7's problem anymore.
He doesn't have to be bothered about the fact that he was, is, and will be completely right about what was going to happen next.
The problem that a lot of people don't realize, that a lot of fantasy blind passengers of G-DUC are too willfully ignorant of, is that the fantasy world is utterly and hopelessly dangerous for the normal person. Without the guidance of an attendant, something Attendant #7 is not obligated to give due to the Dungeon Master simply requesting the most basic of transportation, countless things can happen to a person.
Legends will tell of the foolish common man of unknown origin that sought to find an elven bride in the Snakeoak Forests, a man that traveled through thick and thin to the lands of the elves, only to be executed promptly for defiling their most sacred of artifacts: the Pot of Relief. His death swift in the eyes of many, many of which laughed at his pathetic naked body as it is offered up to the "Stinky Corpse Devourer of the Elves".
Legends will tell of the adventurer that sought to make a living in Golem Horse racing, an adventurer that took out a loan to purchase such a majestic and tough creature. No race will ever involve him, due to his inexperience causing the creature to break out and flee on Day 1, and his head being taken by "the Gold Collectors of Yomoyomo-Yomyom". The most ruthless of fantasy loan sharks.
Legends will tell of the player of "Rosa von Liveltzia" as the man that came uncomfortably close to the real Rosa, knowing her entire life's story and hoping that he would be able to romance her. Deemed a suspicious enemy that knew too much, he was made an example of as his head was brutally impaled with a spear, using him as a flag for the castle walls to warn all who dare cross her... the "Chubby Flag of Liveltzia."
Legends will tell of the maniac that expertly snuck into the prison of Chorvenine the Chorminator, the maniac that defended Chorvenine's wicked and sinister ways... leading to his immediate demise and vaporization by fireball, and the 100 year war of Silvaria's biggest kingdoms against the Neo Chorvinians - a converted cult that has partaken in Chorvenine's mystical "party dude drugs".
And finally, the Dungeon Master. The instigator of all of this. As the creator of this entire world, the one who understood this world better than anyone else...
... he, in truth, died when a band of goblins ambushing him, most of the players unaware of his fate to begin with.
An initiative roll that he, in essence, rolled last in, causing him to suffer a critical damage roll that downed him instantly, numerous failed death saves, a stealth roll that made it so the goblins could take this defeated soul away with none the wiser, and effectively leaving these poor and pitiful players stranded alone in this world, only for all of them to meet their poor demises later on.
The idealistic head of this campaign, downed the first night they began their journey. No legends will ever tell his story in this land. Rather, his home will spread word of his sinister intentions, the man all these travelers were told to have been last seen with. The Dungeon Master will have an arrest warrant on his head for months, with police desperate to capture him for causing these few disappearances... and the suspected disappearances of countless other hopeful and naive victims.
None of these people will ever come home. Their mothers mourn their losses every day, when their grown adult children mysteriously disappeared one day...
All of these events set in stone to unfold...
"..."
As the elevator door opens... and Attendant #7 blankly stares out.
"... hello. 'Welcome to G-DUC, an elevator service to deliver'-"
"OH MY GOSH! IT'S REAL!" a man exclaims, gasping hard as the doors open. As he and his... robot dressed space crew... stare at the elevator with astonishment.
"..."
Attendant #7 nods subtly, and just lets their little leader explain... that this elevator can, in fact, take them to "the real Space Federation Vessel featured in world renowned Galactic Travelers: the Solar Emissaries".
A bystander to the mass wave of passionate fiction fans... ready to seal their fates in the worlds they love most.