AWAKEN

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Brightening up, blinking awake I was aware that this would be a long journey through the game. The forest realm below spread to the horizon line in all its greatness. And as the wind skimmed the tops of the trees, the density had created an illusion of a green sea.

Mind you that the very same wind is not at all weak, and being spawned upon an edge of a cliff above the wilderness, what a seemingly playful brush on the tree tops was a horrific semi gale in the higher altitude where the air is raw and rasher.

My hair whipped back furiously, including the features of the famous full drive console, I not only hear the screeching of the wind but feel it grab hold my skin from underneath my beginner's equipment set.

'Guess the game will start once I reach a certain point on this cliff.'

The land behind me continued the heavy forest, but it was at least clear that there is a path through the trees. At least to guide new players to that 'certain point' so the story can start.

But instead of going on it immediately, I took a detour of ten steps into the west of the cliff. No boundary. Seems like one can just skip it until one feels like doing it later on.

I went back at the small patch of clearing and took the path to the certain point. It was behind a tree and past a bush that the certain point has appeared. How I noticed was that there was a hooded person waiting for something as she smokes a rodent with a sharp peeled branch on a spit.

Her head twitched to the sound of my approach and stares at me, cautiously with a predator's intensity. Her face, despite shadowed by her outfit, it was too fair for her attitude. With an technically advance anatomical character customisation, this stands against realism. 

Is this just fan service or does she play another role than just a hooded figure? Pretty obvious that it's both though. First impressions and interaction in MMORPG always have been important since it can affect the story.

"What do you want?" 

Sweet her voice may be, maybe even probably have taken many hearts of innocent boy players, its clear she wanted me to go away no matter the looks, state, gender or anything.

A few options had appeared at her dialogue. Keywords to choose what and how she would answer back.

Mediocre as I am. I choose the mediocre keywords.

"I am but a weary traveler. But do mind me for I am hungry."

No response. The options were still hovering which meant she didn't understood me.

Or not.

"Go scrawl away back to your ditch traveler. I have no intentions of sharing my meal with a person like you."

No options showed yet the scene was still ongoing as her audio gave out a sight of exhaustion, as of tired of my presence. A few glances at my way to show she still acknowledges me as a threat.

A couple moments of silence past and the scene continued.

"Why are you still standing there. Get lost again traveler."

Options appeared. This time, something more useful and story impactive. To continue talking to her or ask directions, to the nearest settlement which would be the beginner's town in this game or inquire other things.

I chose the latter.

"I am unarmed with nothing to spare. Will you not pity me?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Spew your shit at the merciful. I want nothing to do with you."

"Least something to defend myself as I go through the forest?"

A sudden shock and she dashed forward at me, knife in hand. Inhuman speed but not fast enough to catch me unguarded. Within a second I was able to rise my arms to shield myself but not prepare with the amount of force driven on to me.

The charge forcefully jocked my head forward, threatening to throw my conscious for a moment. But the thrill from the short hover that threw us back to the bush awaken me from weakness.

Thrill and fear. The sense of physical contact, of heat and soft hands pushing down my chest as she bought the dagger to my throat. The light split to my eye from the polished blade, blinding me for a millisecond, but as well have me clarity of her features from under her hood.

Beautiful, yet so strained. A face of someone who had tragedy haunt them for their life. Perhaps maybe she isn't part of the story, the certain point.

Who is she and why is she here?

"So what. You can use it to stab me in the back?!"

"You are in some trouble?" I gasped my breath as best as I could with a sharp edge at my throat. The pressing on it urge an explanation of my words.

"Those are not hands of a hunter." Nor eyes of a stalker. But an angry, self-contained person. Was that not a stare of a predator before but a mask to hide this?

Her eyes became complicated, unsure of what to do next, but eventually stopped pressing when a line of blood spilled from my neck. Her morality stopped her from splitting my neck as open as the rodent on the spit.

"I am not desperate to live in this world." After all I'll just respawn. "But why are you out here?"

"I need no pity from a traveler who has nothing to be trusted on." But nevertheless, she had cleaned her blade from blood and sheathed it.

She resume turning the spit. I quietly sat next to the dying fireplace. I received a deathly stare from her so I turned around. 

"The shadows are chilly." No kidding since all I had is a tunic and short.

Leafs tussled with the wind above our heads in the silence of us. Neither of us could hear much because of it, the sizzling of the fire, the crisping skin of the rodent, each others breath. It was as if the interaction from before was but from another reality.

The young woman took off the pierced rodent from the forks and nibbled at it, she made an effort to quietly eat it but the little sounds of her saliva drooling getting in the way of her feast, making her reflectively slurp it back was sensational to my ears, amplified by our environment. It was awkwardly satisfying to listen.

I waited a few minutes later when her sounds has ceased and rotated on the spot. After eating, she look like she was in a better mood.

"Why are you still here?"

I didn't care to answer as she was packing up to leave. But to where and what to do is a mystery. And this NPC has caught my curiosity.

If she isn't the certain point, then the story should be ahead of this woman's camp. The path was more of an obvious corridor through the trees, as if the trees couldn't grow near each other because of an invisible line cutting to whatever. Which is probably why she set camp in it.

It was a bit tricky following her down the slope for anyone without experiences of trekking down a untamed forest, especially one as dense as to nearly shelter the entire region. This has caused some areas to not to dry from the air humility, and or last downpour.

With great effort, the Huntress tried to avoid hidden mud holes and pitfalls from aged and recent erosion. But that effort revealed that she was not keen about her journey.

Minutes past, and judging by the virtual map, we where going to the dense forest below, far from the nearest town in tens of miles. Had she gone through the town on the path at the spawn?

During the journey I tired to interact with her stats but no info or menu had actived. This is possible since it had work on her equipment, but strangely not with her.

"Do you know where you are going?" I inquired from behind.

Checking back on the map. The monster bar was rising, meaning the chances of an encounter of one was going to become more likely. But also indicates the amount of hostile mobs nearby.

Is this alright? We're entering a map for +20 and I couldn't even see her name, much alone her level. For being a Huntress, she didn't show an impressive amount of agility or dexterity climbing over fallen trees or traveling to here. We were pretty much equal is skill and I just started.

"There is monsters ahead of us. I'll make use of that bow right now before they appear."

She stopped at her tracks, hesitating before agreeing. She wasn't displeased nor was my advice were welcomed but in a fantasy world, with monsters and magic, being too careful is just the norm.

"Your going to die if you keep stalking me traveller."

I just flashed a smile in response. But I targeted her on auto-lock and set my shortcuts for my skill. Which was only one. The auto-lock was to keep track on her while I surfed through the menu and settings.

I had doubts to whether she was a NPC at this point but she showed no characteristics of a player. No inventory usages or teleportation to another map. Lag spike or outstanding features like exotic hair and eye colour. She could've teleported to the middle of the forest if she was a player leaving this noob behind. But she was walking towards it, knowingly or not.

So what happens if you die? I want to see it... Your death.