It was Ace, of course. He messaged Seb two months ago, when the new VR game, Godsrealm, was announced. Sebastian didn't want to do anything with it, he didn't even respond to Ace but deep down he knew it was only a matter of time before his old friend figured out his whereabouts. He was still impressed it only took him two months despite him going almost completely off the grid.
- Long time no see, captain! - Ace saluted jokingly.
- How did you find me? - Seb asked, not really thinking he'll get a straight answer.
- I have my sources. - he said, while taking off his sunglasses. - besides, I messaged you so you must have known this was coming.
- I should have made my intentions clear. I'm sorry you traveled all the way here, but I'm not interested.
Ace frowned.
-I know. I just wanted to see you after all this time. - he smiled. - how you holding up?
- Look, Ace. You're like a brother to me, but I came here for a reason. I want to be alone.
- Sure, sure. - Ace held up his 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 something fun?
Seb nodded his head slightly towards his left hand that was still holding the recurve bow.
-Of course. Your only drug... - Ace sighed. - Anyway. There were only 2 million capsules sold for Godsrealm in the whole world. 1 for Asia and 1 for the rest.
- I know, I was following the news.
- So you are interested then, aren't you? - he laughed.
- Not really. I was just getting curious, is all. - Truth be told, Seb was more than a little curious. Even though his situation in Valhalla turned into a nightmare, he hasn't really been himself since he stopped playing the game. It was what he was best at, after all. However he couldn't bring himself to start again, after all that he has been through.
- Well, is there any way I could change your mind? I have been doing quite a research on the teams and players who are about to join Godsrealm.
- And?
- Avalon is coming too. - Ace said after a theatrical pause. Seb frowned.
- I know, I know, - Ace continued, - but hear me out. Avalon is joining one of the northern kingdoms, the Kingdom of Ravenloft. I have been scouting around for the last couple years, and I have quite a big group who are willing to follow me and challenge Ryder's reign. I have decided to form a guild in Godsrealm.
- Good for you, Ace. You'll be a splendid guild leader.
- I was thinking, you could be our guild leader. - Ace laughed, then hesitantly continued after seeing Seb's expression. - I mean, you are a leader figure much more than me.
- I disagree, Ace. Valhalla was different. It was a five man team and we needed quick decision making. Leading 4 people is different to leading hundreds. I'm not qualified for that. You'd do a much better job. Your charisma and social intelligence makes you much more suited for a position like this.
- Well, thanks. Still, it was worth a shot. Just think about it. Valhalla legends Zephyr and Blade, fighting against the tyranny of their old comrades. It does sound like an epic fantasy movie or something.
- It sure has a nice ring to it. - Seb smiled. - But no, Ace. My virtual days are over.
- You know my number in case you change your mind, boss.
- You will be the first one to know if that happens. Also, don't call me boss. - Seb rolled his eyes.
Ace sat in his SUV and rolled down the window.
-You've got it. Boss. – he winked. - it was nice talking to you, but I'll let you continue sulking and being all edgy. In any case, my Godsrealm alias will be Damocles. You can hit me up there, too. - he said before speeding away, not even waiting for Seb's answer.
Seb kept looking at the car until it vanished in the distance, then let out a deep sigh. Every inch of his body wanted to try Godsrealm, but his principle was solid; he had already left that life behind, and there was no going back.
Besides, the capsules have already sold out, so there's no point in thinking about it anyway, he thought.
He packed up his archery equipment and set off to go home. His car was not as luxurious as the SUV his former teammate was roaming with, but being the best player in Valhalla for all those years meant he could still afford a decent life, even after losing most of what he had earned to Jack Goldmane and the rest of Avalon.
Every time he thought about his former team, the feeling of anger formed a cramp in his throat. Despite his calm demeanor, he yearned to seek revenge on Ryder and the rest of Team Avalon more than anything in the world. He dreamt about it almost every single night. His social life was non existent because this was all he could think about. The only time he wasn't ruminating on the past was when he was practicing archery, but nowadays even that had only caused a fleeting sense of tranquility.
With Godsrealm, he was given a second chance. A chance to build up what he had lost, a chance to avenge his former losses and to reconnect with his lost friends.
He had almost convinced himself to look for a capsule online. That would mean he couldn't start the game immediately, as the servers launch in a couple hours, but it would still be better than nothing. Although there was no guarantee that he could find one for sale, and the second hand market was already atrociously expensive for them, so in the end he dismissed the idea. Vengeance isn't a good guide, he thought. He was pretty sure something similar to this has been said by one of the great philosophers before, and it was befitting the situation, so in the end he let it go.
As he was driving home, the weather cleared up and it almost seemed like even the sun was going to imitate something akin to shining; a phenomenon very rare in these parts of the world at this time and day.
He arrived in about 20 minutes. Seb parked the car on the driveway of a spacious condo with well kept grass and neat bushes, wrought iron fences and an ornate gate. There were no other properties in the vicinity. In fact, the closest town was more than ten miles away. Seb chose this remote location because he has had enough of people, but nowadays he did feel a little bit too isolated.
The house itself had no additional floors but it was wide and modern, with plenty of space. Most of Seb's remaining assets went into getting this condo after leaving Team Avalon. He cleverly invested the rest, and now he lived comfortably enough. He didn't need to work, his passive income was enough to never be in need of anything and he never had to touch his emergency funds either. Capsules for Godsrealm were 12.000 pounds MSRP, but they were selling for more than double the original price on the second hand market. Seb could afford it without needing to tighten his belt, but the price did act as a bit of a deterrent against making a rash decision.
He started walking towards the door, deep in his thoughts. Just as he was about enter his home, he saw a transport truck turn onto the street. This was already weird, as during the time he lived here, he never saw a truck come through these parts, and this particular road was a dead end. He must have gotten lost, Seb thought.
As the vehicle stopped in front of his house, Seb turned back and went back to the gate to give the driver directions or whatever help he could offer.
Two men stepped out of the truck. Both wore working overalls and a cap, and one was holding papers and a pen. As they went to the gate, the driver nodded and said.
-Delivery for Sebastian Quill.
Seb didn't understand the situation.
-I didn't order anything, - he said.
The worker looked into the papers.
-This is 99 Strathy Point, Strathy, Thurso KW14 7RY, right? - he pointed at the house.
- Yeah? - Seb said, but it sounded more like a question.
- And you're Sebastian Quill?
- I am.
- Then this is for you. - the man said. While the other worker unloaded the truck. He used a machine to do so, lifting out a massive box from the vehicle.
- What is it? - Seb asked.
The man laughed and pointed at the logo on his overall. The letters NWE said everything he needed to know.
-Just sign here and here, please. - the driver pointed to the documents. - oh, and you've also got a message that was sent with the delivery. Here.
He handed Seb a piece of paper.
In case you change your mind
It wasn't signed, but it was obvious. Ace knew he was going to refuse. He knew, but he still traveled here and gave it a shot. But Ace being Ace, he already had a plan B.
-Where should we setup the capsule? - the other person asked.
I don't need the capsule, he wanted to say, but even as he was thinking about it, his hands were already moving to sign the documents. Maybe I'll just look into it, just a little. It is ground breaking technology, after all.
-The living room's fine, follow me. - he said after doing 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 Seb without any problems. The leaning chair was comfortable and the controls were easy to understand. All you had to do was put on the helmet and gloves, lay inside the capsule and turn it on.
-If you experience any dizziness, unusual headaches or similar, exit the machine immediately. It monitors all your life functions and it has been tested for years, so there's nothing to worry about, but it is safety protocol. Just don't forget that eating and drinking inside the game will not satisfy your real life needs, although it might feel that way once in game. Your body will be in a similar state to hibernation, so you won't necessarily need as much nutrients as you'd do on a day when not using the capsule, but it is still advised to keep a healthy diet. The machine will give you periodical 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.
As they were briefing Seb through the initial setup, they connected the machine to the power system.
-If there was a power outage, the machine will notify you about it. It can still run self-powered for 12 hours due to the built in generator, but it's best to log out immediately in such scenario. Recommended maximum game time is 12 hours, but the capsule won't force you to exit until 24 hours has passed. There is something called the cooldown period. It is developed for your safety. Cooldown period is a period of time after logging off when the machine locks you out. The length of this period equals the length of the play session. This means that if you play for four hours, you will not be able to enter the game for four hours after logging out. If you play for 24 hours, you will have to wait a whole day to log in once again.
The briefing took about 1 hour, and it was exceptionally thorought. After the men explained everything, they left Seb's house.
Sebastian quickly checked the game's website and started browsing through blogs and forums, trying to gather as much information as possible. He said to himself not to delve too deep into it, since he still had no intentions of actually becoming competitive in Godsrealm, but the more he read about it, the more invested he became.
He has played MMOs in the past, when he was a child, but not to a great extent. His only major gaming experience was with Valhalla, which didn't have players leveling up and gathering gear; it was a purely PvP game.
He had noticed that IRL auction houses were already set up. It must have been a bit discouraging for casual players, as this has meant that wealthy people would be in a natural advantage in the future. However, this worked the other way too. Although the initial investment was high at 11,999 pounds (13,999 EUR, 14,499 USD), if one took the time, they could sell gold and items on the market, making pretty good profits. Also, this was only the price of the "early access" capsules, the first 2 million capsules worldwide. More machines were already in production and other than a little "Founder" logo on the sides, they will be identical to the first ones at half the price. They will be available in limited batches after the first week.
As he was reading through all the available information, he noticed that almost nothing could be found about the actual game. No maps, items, skill trees or classes were leaked. This made his blood boil with excitement. Without online guides, all of the world will be theirs to conquer. Pioneering through a whole new realm would excite even the most sceptic people.
After an hour or so, the Public Service Announcement had appeared all over the internet:
Character creation is now available!
Seb didn't waste any time. He didn't contact Ace, as on the surface he was still clinging to his principles of not getting involved, but deep down he has already started feeling his competitive spirit thrive.
He entered the capsule, put on the helmet and the gloves and powered on the system.
The character creation screen had appeared in front of his eyes. It was already announced that the customization and registration part is not done in the virtual world, but from a "normal" VR viewpoint with the help of 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 looks now.
Attention! Customization is limited to 20% difference from your real body! This is to ensure the fact that your characters physics work as intended!
One could alter their height, weight, muscle mass, various colors, hairstyle and a few other things, but could only do so in a limited fashion.
Seb didn't want to be recognizable in the game. He altered his hair color to white, and his eye colors green. He also altered his facial structure a bit until he was satisfied with the result.
Character customization complete?
-Yes! - he 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
Seb froze. What did Ace say, which one will they choose? He kept scanning the kingdom names with his eyes, but his mind went blank. I wish I paid more attention to him.
After a good ten minutes of thinking he was almost sure Ace told him about the Kingdom of Ravenloft. He could have logged out and asked, but that would defeat the purpose of "not getting involved", and it would have also meant that he would have to remake the character once again.
Trusting his intuition he chose Kingdom of Ravenloft. Hopefully I won't regret this later, he thought.
Character origin: Kingdom of Ravenloft
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