Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You should group up with us, we’re about to run Ireforge. None of them seem to see us coming, which is weird and useful.”
“They don’t see you coming because they’ve never met humans before, and most of the realms are settled and peaceful. Nobody expects anybody to show up with a quiver full of arrows and a heart full of malice.”
Everybody looks faintly insulted by that, which makes me realize I am on the verge of losing the crowd. That could be very dangerous if I don’t keep everybody on my side.
“What do you guys think is happening?” I ask the question curiously. I still don’t know how Nox got them here really. The guys at the party didn’t really know what was happening, or at least, we didn’t ask them about it. We fixated on the how and not the why.
“We’re here in the World Championships. The best players in the world all got sent here to this simulation, like VR, but better. You know. Nobody got here without being selected in the tournament.”
“Maybe she’s got the Holographic sickness?”
“Maybe she’s part of the simulation.”
“So you all came through the same door?”
“Yeah, we went to the Equinox HQ and got put into the simulation,” a cheerful-looking young guy says. He’s fresh-faced, with a neck tattoo, and I am starting to realize I actually don’t want any of these people to end up hurt.
“You go through the door and you end up here. None of it’s real, but all of it matters,” someone chimes in.
“Who are you?” I ask the leader. “I’m Melissa.”
“Doug Landris, AKA KornmanTheBarbarian.”
“Kornman! You’re a legend.”
His cheeks color slightly at the compliment. “What’s your game tag?”
“LadyFacePunchKick.”
His eyes light up. “No, you’re not LadyFacePunchKick. There’s no way. You’re too young. And too girly. I ran a public group with you years ago. You healed us out of three separate wipes.”
“You remember that?”
“I got the Flailing Shard mount,” he says. “You’re the reason I got that. I owe you. It really helped at the time, the extra vendor? And an enchanter? I could run dungeons back to back to back, never had to go to Ireforge even once.”
I take the opportunity to suggest something I know he won’t really want to hear, but everybody needs to know.
“Okay, but what if I told you all of it was real. That this isn’t a simulation. But that we’ve actually all been transported to a realm we can’t imagine?”
He gives me a patronizing look. “It seems real, that’s what made the others run when that dragon spawned, but that’s their loss. Those of us who stayed are reaping the rewards. We’re going to make history and be the first people to ever compete in this level of virtual reality.”
“Haven’t you noticed the way the kobolds scream?”
“Oh, my god, that was fucked up,” a girl with bright pink falls in her hair interjects. “I almost couldn’t do it. But you get used to it after a while, and some people liked it, so I let them do it.”
“Yeah. Guys, this isn’t a simulation. This is real. And there’s no prize at the end. There’s just death. They’re going to eradicate us if they can. We don’t belong here. This place changes humans.”
“Speaking of change, how did you get those wings?”
They gather around, touching my wings with gentle interest.
“Well, it was, honestly, not something you’re going to be able to do. You have to…”
“What?” Their eyes widen.
“It happened after I… you know… with a dragon.”
“You fucked a dragon?” the girl shrieks. I should ask her name, but it feels weird now.
“Yeah. It was a thing.”
“So you’re on their side?” Kornman looks at me with some suspicion.
“I’m actually trying to get you not slaughtered. Because they know what you’ve been doing. The kobolds in that forest don’t respawn. You just wiped out a species. This isn’t a game. This is a world. And it’s going to fight back.”
They laugh. I can see they’ve already got legendary items. These guys know how to play and they’ve already adapted to the world. They might not believe it is real, and they might very well go to their fiery graves wondering why the fire hurts so fucking much.
“You didn’t see the ones who got burned? When we got here? The dragons chased half the people across the plains and murdered them?”
“Not sure any of them were real. If you can simulate a kobold, you can simulate a person on fire. The important thing is to level as fast as we can and take Ornisius out.”
Suddenly, a burst of conversation erupts around us. The group has spotted a new source of interest.
“Holy fuck, look at their gear!”
“Look at their hair.”
“Is even one of them any shorter than six foot five?”
“Are they dragons?”
“Don’t do anything fucking stupid. If they are, we don’t have fireproof enchants yet. Play it cool.”