by Adam Drake
Then, in an instant, the spot became the world and Rob found himself looking down onto a field in the middle of a vast forest which extended beyond his vision. Armies were assembled on this field, huge and varied in their composition. As he drifted downwards both armies surged forward and soon were joined in battle.
Screams and the clashing of steel assailed Rob's hearing.
As he was pulled closer, he could see more details of the combatants. They looked medieval in appearance, knights in full armor wielding swords, archers firing long bows and cavalrymen mounted on stout horses. But this was only one army. The other was much different.
Piggish man-beasts squealed with bloodthirsty abandon as they struck at the men with massive axes. Large humanoids, with thick tufts of fur sticking out from between makeshift armor, used logs as clubs to bash the men around their legs. Small child-like beings danced amongst the carnage and stabbed unwary combatants with glowing spears.
All this passed before Rob in a handful of moments, as if he were watching the snippet of a very expensive, and incredibly realistic movie.
He was guided to the center of this bloody maelstrom to find two warriors fighting. One was scaled in blood red armor and had a long whip-like tail. As the being turned to strike out with a trident, Rob could see a long wolf-like snout and large fangs. Angry gray eyes scowled at its opponent from beneath a battered helmet.
The other warrior was certainly human. Stout, and broad shouldered, he attacked the wolfman again and again with what looked like a blue rod of glass. But when it hit the wolfman's fang-shaped shield, arcs of lightning shot out from the points of impact.
The human warrior's face became more clear. His beard was long and thick and his eyes glowed faintly with a white light. A distinctive crescent shaped birthmark or tattoo could be seen on his left temple and nearly encircled his eye.
Then Rob was pulled away as fast as a bullet. Once the details of the battlefield and its surrounding forests could no longer be seen the mosaic shifted.
Down again he dropped. This time he found himself inside a dank cavern. In one corner was the only source of light. He was pulled closer and saw a man with his back against the cavern wall. A mass of beings surrounded him. They had the heads of hyenas and the bodies of men. Yipping and coughing they tried to attack the man who stood alone against them.
Rob recognized the man. It was the bearded warrior with the crescent mark on his face. He fought hard against overwhelming odds with a look of serene calmness. Instead of the blue rod he was now armed with a whip which he snapped forward. When the whip struck one of the hyena creatures the being turned to stone. But still they came, undaunted. Their eyes filled with hatred, desperate to kill this man.
Then Rob was pulled away again, quicker this time. He was plunged downward toward a vast ocean well beyond the shores of any land. He dropped into the water without a sound and plummeted down, down, deeper and deeper until he reached the bottom. A strange tangled mass of coral and plant life formed a bizarre forest here.
A light appeared and as Rob came close he again saw the bearded man. This time he was wearing a set of armor entirely composed of seashells. In one hand he held a spiny sea-urchin which vibrated, casting small shock-waves outward around the warrior. In the murky darkness at the edge of the warrior's light, great sea creatures floated along, bidding their time.
And again, Rob was taken away. This time he saw the bearded man standing on a tall cliff at the edge of a volcano which boiled with lava. The man was encased in armor of all black, made from the carapaces of giant beetles. Suddenly, a huge being rose from the lava and towered before the man. The giant appeared to be made entirely of rock with glowing magma pulsing through its prominent veins. Its featureless face looked upon the man without eyes.
Then a crack split across its face forming a mouth and it roared with rage, spewing lava. The man watched calmly, unmoved by this display. He raised a small green globe in an armored hand and crushed it in his fist. The giant golem reared back in horror, and huge slabs of its rocky flesh began to tear away from its body.
Again, another change. This time a vast field of ice stretched off in all directions. Heavy snow fell from the sky by a strong numbing wind. Two figures fought each other on a cleared section of ice, the snow melted away by the magical heat of their combat. The bearded man was exchanging bolts of magic with a lithe woman with dark black skin. Both were clad in deep gray armor, matching in style and adornments. The woman's braided hair was wrapped with bright green vines. The end of each braid was capped by a hollowed fang.
Green tendrils of magic blasted from her outstretched hand only to be absorbed by a strange black orb which hovered before the man. The bearded man then made a motion with his fingers and the orb suddenly engulfed the woman who became frozen inside, her mouth open for a scream.
The scene changed, and Rob was floating through a magnificent city. Tall medieval looking buildings lined the cobblestone streets. A huge sprawling castle sat in the distance. As he traveled forward he noticed figures of people standing in doorways or at street corners, unmoving.
Passing by one Rob could see that they weren't people at all. Each was a stone man faceless and mute standing sentry over a dead city, devoid of life.
Quickly, he was shunted along a wide street to the mighty castle where more stone men stood guard. Through the main doors he was brought to a huge throne room. At its far end, sitting on the throne, was a man. The bearded man.
Rob hovered before him and was shocked at his transformation. Large leathery wings now sprouted from his back and pulsing black veins bulged from his skin. His eyes were pitch black and emanated with a dark mist. The crescent mark on his face glowed brightly. But most disturbing of all was his throne. His body had fused with it, absorbed into its framework of wood and stone. Rob sensed the man could not move or escape. His gaze was vacant. Insane.
Then everything went black. Rob found himself wanting to see more. Who was the man and what terrible thing had happened to him? Several moments passed and Rob began to think this wild, strange show was over.
Then the world brightened and he was flying through a sky. He looked below and could see he was passing over a landmass. As he descended he could see mountain ranges and oceans, cities and towns. The outline of kingdoms and regions were prominently shown. A living map. He descended quicker and he could see sailing ships rocking on the tumultuous seas.
He settled in over the water and rocketed forward. Finally, he approached a little kingdom. It was strange because, unlike the others he'd passed, it was completely surrounded by walls. He passed through one of the walls and arced down toward a tiny island off the kingdom's shore. There was no time to look around for details of this place. Because now he was plummeting downward, and he felt he was no longer being guided, but dropped.
As he fell faster he tried to scream, but couldn't.
The words 'You have entered the realm' appeared before him.
Then the tiny island grew huge in his vision and in the next moment its beach raced up to meet him.
CHAPTER THREE
Rob opened his eyes to find himself standing on a beach.
He blinked in surprise. He'd been flying through the air over that incredibly detailed map and now he was here on an island.
White sand stretch in both directions and curved out of sight. Trees and bushes presented a living wall of green before him. He could smell the salt from the sea that lapped at the shore. A bird cried out from within the trees. A wind gently buffeted his hair. The sun warmed his face.
Where the hell am I? Is this a dream?
He took a moment to take it all in. The sounds, the smells, the sensation of being in a different place.
His clothing even felt different he realized and looked. He wasn't wearing his work clothes and janitor's uniform. Instead, he had on a light colored shirt that appeared hand stitched. His jeans had been replaced by tan colored cloth pants. And his sneakers were gone. Now he wore leath
er sandals that exposed the whiteness of his feet.
He blinked in amazement. Where did his clothes go and how did he get these on?
Suddenly, words appeared before his vision.
Inventory:
Simple cloth shirt (worn)
Simple cloth trousers (worn)
Simple leather sandals (worn)
He stared at the floating words in confusion. What the hell was this? Some type of projection?
Confused he reached forward to touch the words, but as he did they quickly jerked away out of sight.
He examined his shirt more carefully, feeling its texture with his fingers. It felt real. Everything felt real.
More words appeared.
Item: Simple cloth shirt, Durability: 10/10
Value: 1 copper piece.
He reached for the words again, only slower this time. They remained as his fingers passed through them, but he couldn't feel them in any way. On a whim, he swiped his fingers to the left.
The words zipped out of view.
Huh, he thought. Just like his phone.
Looking up and down the beach he saw no one else around, or anything that might indicate where he was, or more importantly, why he was there.
Memories fought to surface in his mind. He remembered working and then suddenly finding himself floating through space. He'd been forced to watch some screwed up movie about a crazy warrior fighting different opponents.
He shook his head, confused.
Figuring he needed to look around for help he decided to explore the island. But when he tried to step forward, he found his feet rooted in place. He looked down, but found nothing holding them there. He tried again, but he still couldn't move. It was like he was cemented to the beach.
Suddenly, another set of words appeared.
What is your character's name?
Rob stared at the question. Character? What character?
Annoyed, he swiped at the words, but they only wiggled a little and stayed in place. He did this several times to no avail. The question remained.
“What the hell?” he said.
The prompt changed.
Your character's name is What The Hell.
Keep this name?
“No,” Rob said with frustration. He just wanted to move, not answer moronic floating questions.
The prompt changed again, reverting to the original question.
What is your character's name?
“Uh, Rob.”
Your character's name is Uh Rob.
Keep this name?
Trying not to lose his temper Rob said no. When asked again he said, “Robert Barron.”
Your character's name is Robert Barron.
Keep this name?
“Sure,” he said, thoroughly annoyed. What the hell was going on? Did someone spike his coffee? Was he high on something?
The words changed, again.
Welcome Robert Barron to the tutorial island! Follow the prompts to learn how to interact with the gaming world. Complete each task and you will be granted access to the mainland where your true adventure awaits. Good luck!
“What the hell?!” he shouted. Gaming world? He looked around again this time with a different perspective. This was a game? Impossible. No game was this damn real. At all.
He squatted down and grabbed a handful of sand. It felt just like it should. Real sand, each grain hard and coarse. He turned to look at the sea. Waves rolled in to lap at the beach. He reached forward and let a wave touch his fingers. Wet. He tasted the water with his tongue. Salty.
Not a game. Nothing created could ever be this perfect a simulation of the real world. That left only one possibility.
Someone was screwing with him.
But why? Why go through all the trouble to bring him to a beach in the middle of nowhere and throw words at his face?
As his mind raced with questions more words appeared.
Combat is essential to your survival in this world. Time to fight your first opponent.
“What?” Rob said with alarm.
Suddenly, a piece of beachwood appeared in the sand at his feet causing him to jump back.
Use this club to kill the crab.
“Crab? What crab?”
As if in answer, a large red shape crawled sideways out of the waves and onto the beach a short distance away.
Rob gawked at it in horror.
It was a crab, but unlike any he'd seen before. The size was what boggled him. It was easily as big as a picnic table with one prominent claw the size of a large suitcase. The creature looked at him with two eye stalks, its large mouth wriggling open and closed.
That's not a crab, Rob thought. That's a God-damn monster!
More words appeared.
Creature: Large Crab
Hit Points: 20, Mana: 0
Speed: 8, Armor: 5
Main Attack: Claws
Trying to ignore his growing panic, Rob read over the words. If this was a game, then their meaning became clear to him. These were statistics, or stats, as Todd would often say.
Suddenly, the monster crab scuttle forward.
“Oh, crap!” Rob said, quickly scooping the club off the beach and holding it up with both hands. At least he could move again.
The crab paused and more words appeared.
You have taken an item.
Item: Beachwood Club,
Durability: 15/15
Damage: 1-4
Value: 1 copper piece.
Swiping the words away, he tightened his grip on the club. He could feel its weight and the rough texture of the wood. It certainly felt real enough.
The crab scuttled forward again and quickly closed the distance between them, kicking up sand.
Wide eyed with terror, Rob hefted the club over his right shoulder, ready to swing. He shifted from foot to foot, like a boxer, preparing to move.
As the crab got within range, it extended its huge claw, shear-like pincers opening wide, and reached for him.
Rob shouted and danced back, swinging his club and striking the huge claw.
At the bottom left corner of his vision words scrolled into view, but he ignored them, too busy fighting for his life.
The crab reared back from the blow with a gurgling hiss. Then it moved in again keeping its huge claw out to one side.
Rob swung aiming for the claw. His panicked brain figured if he could damage the claw enough it couldn't hurt him.
But as he swung at it, the crab pulled the giant claw back, and suddenly jabbed forward with its other, smaller claw. This one was long and narrow with a little hook formation extending from its shell at the tip. The hook snagged Rob's shirt at the shoulder and as he tried to back away, he felt a hot stab of pain.
“Son of a bitch!” he shouted and backed up. That felt real! Damn real!
The sensation of warm blood flowing from his wound alarmed him, but he didn't have time to look because the crab continued its attack.
Crowding forward it grabbed at him with its huge claw. But Rob would have none of it. The pain from his shoulder made him angry, tempering his fear.
With a shout of rage Rob swung the club like a baseball player trying for a home run. He struck the claw hard enough to make the deadly limb snap back. The crab hissed in pain. Then he continued the swinging motion, ending with the club over his head and with all his strength, brought the club down.
The heavy weapon struck the crab above its eyes, cracking its protective shell.
Instead of dying like he hoped it would his attack just ticked the creature off. The crab bulled forward, trying to overrun him.
Rob did the only thing he could think of. He ran.
Spinning around, he raced down the beach. The crab pursued, its many legs motoring it along kicking up a spray of sand behind it.
The beach worked against him, its soft surface slowing him down. Whereas the crab was made for chasing panicky janitors across sandy beaches.
Watching over his shoulder Rob was alarmed
to see the crab speed after him, sailing across the sand with ease.
On impulse he turned toward the small forest that covered the island. Changing direction only helped the crab close the distance between them.
Maybe I can lose it in the trees, he thought and ran faster.
But before he could enter the potential safety of the forest the crab was on him. Rob spun about as the crab charged. It wasn't slowing down.
Instead of attacking with its claws the creature intended on trampling him, pinning him beneath it so it could rip him apart.