Phoenix
Thrust in to a densely wooded forest, a canopy of thick leaves from the trees towering far above her head. Countless masses of think twisted roots weaved themselves in tight tangled knots hiding small clearings like shallow burrows. She closed her eyes taking in the scent of the fresh crisp air, the damp soil beneath the overgrowth and floral fragrance of the cool breeze that winded it way through the tree trunks and vegetation, teasing her long silver hair. The soft grass and dry fallen leaves tickled her bare feet beneath her as if what she saw, smelled and felt was truly part of her surroundings.
Strange. This was never mentioned in the game description.
Assessing her avatar once more, she found herself clothed in the generic beginner's clothing of simple white long sleeve shirt and long dark grey pants. Her VR bracelet was snuggly on her avatar's wrist the same as it was outside of the game. Red flashed across its tiny screen so briefly, she barely noticed. She stared at the mini monitor for a few minutes before shaking her head. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her.
"Status menu". As commanded, the status menu screen popped up within reach for her to view.
[Phoenix]
[Level 1]
[Race Locked]
[STR 10]
[END 8]
[SPD 12]
A chill went down Phoenix's spine. Race locked? That can't be right. That's supposed to be available from the moment we create our avatar. She closed the status menu and opened the system menu in its place. She composed a brief yet detailed description of what she had experienced so far to the game's development team. After reading over her report, she promptly sent it and closed the menu.
May as well check out the quests while I wait. She opened the quest menu and found the first and only quest available.
[First Steps]
[Explore Twisted Root Forest]
A mix a curiosity and uncertainty swirled within her, causing her ears to tick back in response to her emotions. The quest seemed simple enough, but it wasn't a location that she remembered seeing on the list of places available to explore. She checked the status of her report to the devs. Finding that it was still pending, she sighed. "I'll just take a quick look at this forest and log out."
" Elysium Realms " Development Team
The office was a massive open space with white windowless walls and long tables hugging each wall. Hundreds of computer monitors lined up side by side filled each table leaving very little space between each one. Each screen provided live feedback from our beta testers, a precaution in the event a malfunction transpired. On one of the screens, flashed red only for the warning signal to fade as suddenly as it came.
15 minutes later, the same monitor pinged with a message report. One of the staff, Mark Braxen, rushed over to monitor to read the message. After reading the report then rereading it, his green eyes widened. Frantically, he raced to the hard wooden desk in the center of the room where his supervisor, Ms. Steele sat in a tall matching wood chair.
"Ma'am. One of the beta testers has discovered an anomaly in the game's program." Mark's speech had an air of urgency. He took in a deep breath before continuing. "The tester reported her race to be locked in her status window."
Ms. Steele's dark gray eyes locked on Mark. Her expression was unreadable as she lifted one neatly manicured hand. Pressing it lightly to her lightly tanned cheek. "Have you checked that the AI programing is working as intended or for other bugs in the system?"
"Yes, but that's not all. After finalizing the avatar setup an error message appeared. It had happened so briefly it was overlooked." Mark dropped his gaze, clinching his fist in an effort to stop his hands from shaking. "The tester may be in danger."
Ms. Steele straightened in her seat causing strands of her platinum blonde hair to shift around her face, her dark eyes narrowing. "How so?"
With dread, Mark lifted his eyes to face is supervisor again. "Beta tester, Lillian Frost's synchronizing compatibility surpassed the games limitations. Her mind could potentially become trapped within the game. Perhaps even some other unknown phenomenon could happen either within the game or reality."
Ms. Steele's placed both hands on her desk and stood up, her face a mask of resolve. Her voice composed as she gave the command, despite the frantic urgency coursing through her veins. "Adjust the programming and prepare emergency health services. I want that tester's progress tracked at all times, even if it means one of the administrators has to enter the game to do so. I want every health record gone through and her every move in and out of the game recorded. Report anything out of the ordinary that comes up with this player." She watched him leave to fulfill the task before she slumped back in her chair. She whispered under her breath. "I pray she makes it out safely."