Samantha's usually immaculate office was an absolute disaster - the paperclips were not in their usual organized piles, two books were askew on the shelves and there was not one or two, but three empty food wrappers on her desk. To an unknowing eye this mess was a casual thing, but to those familiar with Samantha, who prided herself on pristine orderliness, it was an apocalyptic sight.
Samantha had left the real world behind and completely immersed herself in War Never Changes. She no longer saw her room, but instead each new location of the game as if it were really there. CooperTheSly, her level 34 Restoration Raccoon, had taken over her body and soul, and all she could focus on was the sights and sounds of the digital reality that enveloped her.
CooperTheSly clambered up the rutted tree trunk with grace and ease. Her strong tail twitched subtly as she propelled upwards, securing a firm grip on brittle bark. Acorns tinkled around her like a shower of chimes, but CooperTheSly, heretofore referred to as Coop, remained indomitable. Closing in on the lofty treetop, Coop could already make out the silhouette of a house nestled within the branches.
Coop prowled cautiously toward the house, her sharp gaze constantly surveying her surroundings for any potential dangers. Suddenly, a squirrel scurried into her path and they both locked eyes. In the blink of an eye, Coop struck with blazing speed and caught the tiny creature in a tight headlock. It thrashed wildly against her grasp but she spoke soft words of comfort and ran her fingers through its fur as she choked the tiny mammal into a numbed sleep. She carelessly tossed the squirl into a bush.
Coop cautiously slid through the window and landed in a crouch on the musty, creaky floor. Once inside, she immediately noticed the smell of wood polish and old books. She tiptoed her way to a nearby trash can, making sure not to alert the inhabitants of the house with her presence. Taking a deep breath, she approached the trash can and began to rummage around, praying that no one would hear her and come investigate. As her luck would have it, there were hidden treasures within the trash can; several coins, a pocketknife, half of an old record album, and the quest bauble.
The noise of Coop's frantic heartbeat echoed in her ears as she scrambled back to the window. She found it closed. The squirrel she'd so carelessly tossed away before slowly rose and made eye contact. Coop gulped. She Coop slowly brought her finger to her lips in a sign of- the squirrel let out an alarming wail.
Coop tore out of the house, her arms full of trinkets and treasures. She didn't have time to stop and think as she stumbled over her own feet trying to avoid getting caught. With a loud crash she burst through the front door, hoping the leader raccoon would accept her findings before it was too late.
She made it over the hill to the raccoon elder who gave her the quest, pointedly ignoring the angry shouting from the house not far away. The elder accepted the bauble and gave Coop her reward.
+1 to Chittering
Coop had her raccoon speech up from rank 2 to rank 3, the point where some of the chittering actually started to sound almost like words. She now had all 5 raccoon racial skills to rank 3. And the raccoon elder lit up with a class quest.
Coop spoke in a strange combination of chittering and words. "Chirrri, eeeer... yaaayaaa?"
The raccoon elder chuckled and responded, "Rrriippp, oooor, ppppreh.."
Coop nodded and answered back, "Yeeehhhaa, keeeexxx!"
Coop raced alongside the raccoon elder, weaving through massive oaks and knotted birches. The air thrummed with the cacophony of birdsong and dry leaves crunching beneath their feet. They chattered at each other in a language almost understandable.
The pair hesitated just before the opening of a vast clearing. Countless adventurers exhausted from their perilous trip into the depths of a dungeon. Many were strewn around, sprawled across the ground in exhaustion while a tall hedge wizard and a stone shaper quietly left without a word to their comrades.
The wizened raccoon elder directed Coop's attention to two figures that emerged. The stone shaper carried a shimmering, glowing orb. The adventurers had disheveled hair and dirt-streaked faces; their ragged clothing hung on their frame like old tattered banners. But despite the weariness in their eyes, there was something else -- a kind of victorious determination.
“Did anyone see you take it?” the wizard asked, his voice low and controlled.
"They were too busy at the time, on account of most people being on fire and all" the stone shaper said with conviction.
"You're sure?" The Wizards looked around shiftily as he pocketed the orb.
"Yeah, like 89- No..." He took on a serious face, "87%" sure."
Coop slinked through the shadows, her movements more graceful as a jungle cat, obviously since she was the most elegant species of all, the majestic raccoon. She snatched the sphere from the wizard's pocket with lightning speed before melting back into the brush like a ghost in the night. The wizard and the stone shaper continued their discussion in hushed tones, completely oblivious to what had just occurred.
But then, a shout cut through the clearing, "Hey BillTheBobder, don't think I didn't see you loot that orb."
The Hedge wizard glared back at the Stone shaper, presumable BillTheBobder. The Wizard's face twisted in annoyance as he realized they had been caught red-handed.
Frantically checking his pockets, it slowly dawned on him that the priceless item was missing. He shouted, "Hey, who stole my orb?!" All thoughts of secrecy were gone now that Cooper had made off with their prize.
"It's another one of them Raccoons, get it!"
A cacophony of fists and shouts echoed through the shadows as everyone scrambled to get the stolen item back.
Samantha had never felt more alive.