Chương 2: Start Game!

Long time no see, Captain!" Ace saluted jokingly.

"How did you find me?" I asked, but I already knew I would not get a proper answer.

"I have my sources," he said, taking off his sunglasses.

"Besides, I messaged you. You had to know this was coming, eventually."

"I did get a message," I nodded.

"The lack of a reply was my reply. Also, sunglasses?" I glanced at the sky theatrically, checking if the clouds were still around, but he just shrugged.

"There are certain stylistic choices a man has to commit to," he said, grinning. The expression held for another second before softening into concern.

"How are you holding up?"

"Look, Ace. You're like a brother to me, but small talk is not really my forte. Never was."

"Sure, sure," Ace held up both hands.

"Don't need to be so unwelcoming, though. How about a beer?"

"I don't drink."

"A cigarette, then?"

"I don't smoke either."

"Do you do anything fun?" I nodded slightly toward my left hand, and the recurve bow in it.

"Of course. Your only drug..." Ace sighed.

"For now, at least. Tell me you've at least been following Godsrealm?" We were on topic. I had to give it to him; he wasn't much of a time-waster.

"You know I have." The game was all over the internet. It was all over everything, really, and for good reason. New World Enterprises was promising something that would skyrocket science, modern medicine, end global warfare, and solve world hunger at the same time. Of course, I was exaggerating with the last two, but the others still held some merit. If they delivered, that is.

"Two million capsules were sold for early access. The first week is for the pioneers, baby!" Ace shook a fist toward the sky.

"I know, I was following the news."

"So you are interested then, aren't you?" he laughed.

"Curiosity got the better of me." Truth be told, I was more than a little curious. Even though my Valhalla career ended in an unfortunate way, I hadn't really been myself since I stopped playing the game. It was what I was best at, after all. Godsrealm could have been a second chance to climb to the top once again, and maybe settle some scores along the way. That thought had crossed my mind more times than I'd care to admit, and honestly, I wasn't even sure what was stopping me from ordering a capsule.

Of course, one would be wary of repeating old mistakes, but what if they learned from them? If I stuck to myself, if I didn't group up with others, what harm could it do? Regardless, by the time I'd almost convinced myself, they were all sold out.

"I have been doing research on the teams and players who are about to join," Ace halted my train of thought.

"And?"

"Avalon's coming, too," he said after a theatrical pause, and I instinctively frowned.

"I know, I know," Ace continued after seeing my reaction.

"But hear me out." I raised my eyebrows, saying nothing.

"Avalon is joining one of the northern kingdoms, the Kingdom of Ravenloft. I have been scouting around for the last couple of years, and I have a group who will follow me and challenge Jack's reign. I'm forming a guild." I'd expected that much. Ace was everything you'd want in a guild leader. Enough charisma for a family of five, more talent than what was fair, great instincts, loads of experience, and a metric ton of confidence to back it all up.

If Cassie were joining him — which I suspected she did — there would be no stopping them.

"I always knew you'd be a leader one day," I smiled. He scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks, but I was thinking that you could be the one to stand in front of the wheel. I mean, you were always more of a leader than I was."

"I disagree, Ace. Valhalla was different. It was a five-man team, and we needed quick decision-making. Leading four people is very different from leading hundreds. I'm not qualified for that at all, and I'm sure you'd do a much better job. Your way with people, your patience for company politics… You're much more suited for a position like this." Ace put his hands in his pockets and stared at the horizon for a while before answering.

"Maybe. But you were always the glue, Seb. No wonder Avalon could barely perform after we left. It wasn't me or Cassie.

"Just think about it. Valhalla legends Zephyr and Blade, fighting against the tyranny of their old comrades. It sounds like an epic fantasy movie, doesn't it?"

"It sure has a nice ring to it." I smiled. I was tempted, for sure. I'd left behind my friends, ended a relationship, said goodbye to my aunt, and retreated to this God-forsaken place to collect my thoughts and find some peace, but I was slowly realizing that isolation was not the answer. With Godsrealm, I could have a second chance. A chance to reach new heights, to achieve greatness once again, to reclaim my throne and to reconnect with my lost friends.

Still, the day I would not think about Avalon would be the first day of me getting better, and somehow I doubted that joining another VR game would make that day come sooner.

"Maybe one day, Ace."

"You know my number in case you change your mind, boss."

"You will be the first one to know if that happens," I said, smiling.

"Also, don't call me boss." Ace got into his SUV and rolled down the window.

"You've got it, boss," he said with a wink.

"Alright, I'll get going, but don't think you can get rid of me!"

"Why, you moving to Scotland?" This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"God, no," he laughed.

"Pretty place, just not enough sun for my taste. Not like London's better, though. But now that I know where you are, I'll come by every once in a while." I wouldn't have said it out loud, but it meant a lot to me.

"Take care, Ace." I kept looking at the car until it vanished in the distance. * As I was driving home, the weather cleared, and it almost seemed like the sun was going to shine as well; a phenomenon very rare in these parts of the world at this time of day. I arrived home in about twenty minutes and parked the car on the driveway of a cottage with well-kept grass, neat bushes, wrought iron fences, and an ornate gate.

There were no other properties in the vicinity; in fact, the closest town was over twenty miles away. I chose this remote location because I'd had enough of people back then, but nowadays I wouldn't have minded a neighbor or two. Just as I was about to enter the house, I saw a transport truck turn onto the street. Huh, I thought. Weird. During the time I lived here, I'd never seen a truck come through these parts, and this road was a dead end.

As the vehicle stopped in front of my house, I turned back and went to the gate to give the driver directions or whatever help I could offer, when two men stepped out of the truck, wearing work overalls and caps. One of them had a stack of papers and a pen in his hand, and he nodded as he approached the gate.

"Delivery for Sebastian Quill."

"I didn't order anything," I said, surprised. The worker looked at the papers.

"This is 99 Strathy Point, Strathy, Thurso KW14 7RY, right?" he pointed at the house.

"Yeah?" I said, but it sounded more like a question.

"And you're Sebastian Quill?"

"I am."

"Then this is for you," he said, while the other worker started unloading the truck with a machine, lifting a massive box onto the pavement.

"What is it?" I asked. The man laughed and pointed at the logo on his overalls. The letters 'NWE' said everything I needed to know.

"Just sign here and here, please," the driver said, tapping the documents.

"Oh, and there's a message that came with the delivery. Here." He handed me a piece of paper. In case you change your mind. It wasn't signed, but it was obvious. Ace knew I would tell him no at first. He knew, and he still traveled here to give it a shot, but Ace being Ace, he already had a backup plan.

"Where should we put the capsule?" the other worker asked. I skimmed the paperwork first — that much I'd already learned. The capsule was prepaid, legally transferred, no subscription, no hidden company contract waiting to eat my soul. Ace had bought it outright, no strings attached. Of course, I would never in a hundred years think my friend would try something nefarious, but at this point, checking was as natural as breathing.

"The living room's fine. Follow me," I said after handing back the paperwork. The two gentlemen set up the capsule in about 30 minutes. It was a sleek design, one that could easily fit a man much bigger than me. The leaning chair was comfortable, and the controls were easy to understand: all you had to do was put on the helmet and gloves, lie inside the capsule, and turn it on.

"If you experience any dizziness, unusual headaches, or similar symptoms, exit the machine immediately. It monitors all your vital functions and has been tested for years, so there's nothing to worry about, but it is a safety protocol. Just don't forget that eating and drinking inside the game will not satisfy your real-life needs, despite feeling that way. Your body will be in a sort of hibernated state, so you won't need as many nutrients as you'd usually do, but it is still advised to keep a healthy diet."

"The machine will give you periodic updates about your body and will notify you when you have to get out of the capsule. You can also check your body functions from the in-game menu," the other man added. As they briefed me on the initial setup, they connected the machine to the power system.

"If there is a power outage, the machine will notify you about it. It can still run on its own power for 12 hours thanks to the built-in generator, but it's best to log out immediately in such a scenario. The recommended maximum game time is 12 hours, but the capsule won't force you to exit until 24 hours have passed. There is a cooldown period. It is developed for your safety," the driver said, checking boxes on a list before continuing.

"Cooldown period?"

"The machine essentially locks you out for a while. Done because of the new laws regarding VR addiction," he smiled.

"The length of this period equals the length of the play session. This means that if you play for four hours, you cannot enter the game for four hours after logging out. If you play for 24 hours, you're out for a day."

"This doesn't affect bathroom or food breaks," the other added.

"Or any short interval, pretty much. There's a grace period where the timer is still ticking, but you can get back to the game. About an hour." The briefing lasted for a while and was exceptionally thorough. After the men explained everything and left, I quickly checked the game's website and began browsing blogs and forums to gather as much information as possible, spending the remaining time before character creation to familiarize myself with Godsrealm.

I watched through videos after videos, live-streams after live-streams, and consumed every piece of information I could find. The hype that had slowly built up to never-before-seen levels all around the world throughout the years was overwhelming, and right now, mere hours after launch, the internet as a whole was about to blow up. Not much was out there in terms of concrete details; the developers had shared nothing regarding levels, classes, or items. No maps or skill trees either.

Practically not a single line that could be used for an early advantage, and that made my blood boil with excitement. Without online guides, the entire world would be a mystery. Ace had been right; it was indeed the time of the pioneers. I had played MMOs in the past, when I was a child, but not extensively. My only major gaming experience was with Valhalla, which didn't have players leveling up and gathering gear; it was a purely PvP game.

When that thought raced through my mind, I realised something: I hadn't given a second of thought to Valhalla, Jack, and Avalon ever since I started looking Godsrealm up. Even if I was sceptical at first, the infinite possibilities, the anticipation, and the improvised theory-crafting I'd delved into these last few hours had completely occupied every square foot of my mind. Maybe it was time I returned.

If brief news about the game could do that to my peace of mind, maybe Godsrealm really was the thing I needed the most. Bow God Zephyr, once again at the top. Rallying together with my old friends, conquering the unknown. I liked the sound of that. After an hour, the announcement appeared all over the internet: [Character creation is now available!] I wasted no time. I didn't contact Ace, as I didn't want to suffer through all the 'told-you-so's' just yet, but I made a mental note to thank him later.

I entered the capsule, put on the helmet and gloves, and powered on the system. The character creation screen appeared in front of my eyes. It had already been announced that the customization and registration were not done in the virtual world, but from a 'normal' VR viewpoint, using the helmet. [Welcome to the world of Godsrealm! Diagnostics have been completed. Complete body scan has been completed. We have created a character template for you. You can customize your appearance now.] You could alter your height, weight, muscle mass, various colors, hairstyle, among a few other things. I didn't want to be recognizable in the game, at least for a while; staying relatively unnoticed long enough to scout the scene sounded like a good idea. I altered my hair color to white and my eye color to green, while also changing my facial structure a bit until I was satisfied with the result. I was debating adding some height, muscle-mass or other…

measurements, but the vain side of me had lost that particular battle today, and I hit 'Confirm'. [Character customization complete?]"Yes!" I said. [Choose the Kingdom you wish to be part of!] Kingdom of Hawken Kingdom of Vegir Kingdom of Ravenloft Kingdom of Pendragon Kingdom of Arith Kingdom of Westfal Kingdom of Irongate Kingdom of Nox Kingdom of Ignis Kingdom of Cheps Kingdom of Baal Kingdom of Dracia There was a list of twelve kingdoms on my screen, and from what I'd gathered before, they were all roughly the same size as a real-world country. Although whether they were relative to the US or to, I don't know, Monaco, or The Vatican, I didn't yet know.

If I had to guess, the developers had likely found a middle ground. Something between Slovakia and Poland, maybe? Regardless, the sheer scale of the game was incomprehensible. I chose the Kingdom of Ravenloft: a slightly mountainous kingdom in the northern hemisphere, with plenty of vast forests, sea access to the east, and a myriad of different biomes. To top it off, it had the same time-zone as the UK, which immediately made me wonder about how time actually worked in the game.

It was no wonder that Jack and Team Avalon chose it as their base of operations. The same time-zone meant easy-to-schedule practice runs, future scrims and raids, and the various biomes would help them get accustomed to different parts of the world for future content. It's what I would have done. [Character origin: Kingdom of Ravenloft] [Initiating virtual sequence. Entering the world of Godsrealm in…] 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…