Time seemed to pass with intense precision, each ticking of Lance's wrist watch proved agonizing. He watched the doors to his local Gamestop with anticipation. All he could think about was rushing in and grabbing up a copy of what may be the most exciting and revolutionary game of all time. Lance was practically salivating at the thought of entering a new world of virtual transcendence. He was excited to test the mechanics of the game and meet all sorts of new individuals while challenging some of gaming's most intense enemies. He had been reading up on the game for months and now he had a golden opportunity to seize the day, as they say. So he waited... and waited... and waited. And suddenly in a giant burst of excitement and adrenaline the crowd quickly pummeled each other to besiege the metal door to the game store. And within that crowd stood a goofy young man plowing through the front lines and up to the counter. He was third in line, and within minutes he had achieved what he believed to be a fantastically executed feat. Of course, the feat did include camping outside the store for two whole days so he was bound to get something...
Nonetheless, Lance paid a fortune for the game and briskly rushed out the store and pranced home like an enthusiastic school girl! The run home seemed endless, and soon Lance was well out of breath, but he wouldn't... no... he couldn't stop! He had to get home as soon as possible to start the damn game. His mind was racing with tons of character ideas and anticipations of the game's layout. And soon the door was in view! Lance charged through the door, still running at full speed. His mother shrieked as he breached the front entrance and Lance heard the clanging of a pot followed by a splat noise, which Lance could only assume was breakfast. "Sorry, mom! It's just me! I'll be upstairs..." He heard her reply with an angered response, yet he couldn't really make out what she said... not that he really cared either. Lance's bedroom door closed behind him, and he clicked the lock before opening the neatly constructed package for ToK. A wide grin spread across his face as he lifted the console and virtual head piece up to his face. The salivating turned to drooling and Lance let out a weird giggly noise. It was a sound he had never once emitted until now. Then he looked in his mirror with regret and shook his head disapprovingly. "Okay, calm down Lance. It's just a game. Just take a breath and set up the game and start playing. Quite simple." ANd so he did, and then he started it up. He took a deep breath and then...
<<WELCOME TO THE THRESHOLD OF KAKOPHONIA>>
<<STATE YOUR USERNAME AND RACE>>
Interesting start... Lance thought to himself as he scanned the race options and was instantly drawn to the Veni Yan. But a name? Ha! Lance didn't even think about it. After all of that waiting and reading and pining, Lance hadn't thought of a character name. So he began thinking quietly. I definitely want something that fits the race and has a medieval feel. Hm. And suddenly it hit him. "Sarecyn FurLance," he said with a bold tone. The name appeared on the screen above the race section and Lance smiled. "Veni Yan," he uttered next. And suddenly the system went white and Lance lost feeling in his body. He instantly panicked and wondered what was happening. Is this how this is supposed to feel? Or is this some strange bug in the system? Lance tried to move, but he couldn't tell if he was even successful. Not until, of course, the sounds started. Voices. Wind. General scenic noises. Then the flash of light settled into a gorgeous surrounding. The feeling in his body slowly came back, yet it wasn't his physical body anymore. He darted back and forth, taking his surrounding in for the first time. He breathed in fresh, foreign air that seemed so real. The sights and sounds were real too. With an awkward jump, Lance raised his fist and exclaimed a notable "Yeah!" A few others looked at him with mixtures of contempt and laughter. He didn't mind, really. He was too blinded by sheer excitement. And now it was time to start his wondrous journey through the outlandish world of ToK!
Lance acquired the skills to maneuver his new body relatively quickly and he was soon walking around aimlessly within this strange town. It seemed there was some sort of festival taking place, which only excited Lance more. Soon he was bumped by an older man who then dropped a crate that he was carrying. Lance felt embarrassed despite it only being a game and quickly jumped to the man's aide. He looked elderly and so Lance could only assume he was an NPC. However, he looked as real as the other player characters he had encountered. And he moved fluidly and without pause. He even spoke as if he were a real human being.
"Sorry about that, young one. Didn't see you there..." He bent down and then immediately jerked his body upward. "I'm not the man I used to be," he said solemnly as he held onto a vendor stall nearby to support his weight.
"No... no... this is my fault. I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry!" Lance stacked the crates one on top of the other and brushed his hands together afterwards to remove the soot that had covered them. "Do you need any help with this stuff?"
The old man paused and then smiled. "Ya know! I could use a hand from a young lad like yourself." Suddenly, a quest indicator appeared in the left part of Lance's vision.
"From merchant to merchant? Hm?" He fiddled with the dynamics of accepting a quest in real time without the use of a mouse and keyboard. The old man gave him a strange look and scratched his head.
"You going to help me or what," he asked? Lance hit accept almost immediately as he asked his question, and with a big smile Lance nodded!
"You can count on me!"
The old man smiled back. "You're a bit strange, but I like you. Anyway! I need you to bring these crates to my good friend down this road here. She is our one and only produce vendor, and she's quite the looker." He cackled and slapped his own knee. Lance tried to fake a meek laugh as well and quickly grabbed up the crates and began his first quest!
Lance scanned the area filled with market vendors as he walked carefully down the road. Carrying the crates was actually difficult, or as difficult as it would be in the real world anyway. But Lance didn't complain; he was truly enjoying his experience within the game world. Suddenly, he saw a colored marker over this woman's head just a ways away. He hurried over and placed the crates at her feet. "A...um... delivery of crates from one of the other merchants. An old man, the carpenter I think."
"Oh yes! I've got to make sure I make him something special as thanks." The woman smiled and shifted the crates next to her stall before looking back at Lance. And with that, the quest indicator appeared again and showed that he had completed his first quest of the game. A feat he would never forget...
To be continued