Load Custom Character

by Tyler R Lee

  “Oh. Cool.”

  “You all will also be receiving a free level up,” Yoshitsune continued. “So, here you go!”

  On cue, Ariel, Peter, the other player behind them, and, they assumed, everyone in the game had the same light burst from their bodies, moving them up to the next level.

  “Awesome,” Peter and Ariel said at the same time.

  Peter realized he had a new skill, but decided to check it later as Yoshitsune continued talking.

  “And now, for the big announcement. I built this system, the Emerser, and this game, Our World, as a way for people to experience a fantasy world like no other before. With the system I created, you can actually be a part of this amazing world. You can live it, feel it, and love it.

  “It is of no surprise, then, that many people use my game as an escape from the real world.” Peter hung his head at that, but smiled all the same. It was true that this was the reason he had started playing, had wanted to play so badly. “And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, that is the main reason I created this game.”

  “The world we live in today is so full of hate and fear. Racism, sexism, homophobia, murder, genocide, and so much more. Why would anyone want to live in this society?”

  Ariel and Peter looked to one another, a bit surprised by the tonal shift in the announcement.

  “Which is why I am happy to announce that you no longer have to live in that world. Your new home is Our World!

  Again, Ariel and Peter looked to each other, now completely perplexed by the statement. “What does he mean?” Ariel asked. “Obviously, we can’t just stay in the game.”

  “Now, some of you may be wondering what I mean by that, and I will explain it to you now. As of about two hours ago, I completely disable the logout function of the game. You will see that it is no longer even visible in your heads-up display.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Ariel said, fiddling with her HUD to see if this was, indeed, true.

  “He is completely serious,” Peter said, apprehension and worry clear in his shaky voice as he located the now blank spot where “logout” had once occupied. “What is going on?” he asked the image of Alexander Yoshitsune.

  “Earlier today,” the game’s creator continued. “I also sent out a signal to all of the Emerser headsets to begin emitting subtly stronger simulated brain waves that are meant to condition the brain to fall into an even deeper level of synchronization with the game. Removal of the headset, or any kind of tampering, will result in a self-destruction sequence that will release a sudden, massive surge of electromagnetic waves to the brain. This sudden and aggressive mental shock will effectively kill all brain function...permanently. Not to mention the physical damage the malfunctioning headset would cause.”

  Ariel’s and Peter’s eyes went wide. “What!?” they asked in unison.

  “Also, to make the game truly worth living in, there must be a bit of danger involved. So, now, if you meet the parameters for dying in game, the Emerser will ‘self-destruct’ then as well. Put simply, if you die in the game, you die in real life.”

  “You can’t be serious,” the player behind Ariel and Peter cried, panic causing his voice to crack.

  “This has to be a trick,” Ariel said, panic taking over her voice as well. “He...he isn’t serious, is he?” She looked at Peter, who just stared back with dread in his eyes.

  “Now, some of you may find this a bit hard to believe, so I have these news posts that have already come in of people attempting to remove the headset from someone, or from those who died in the game within the past hour or so.”

  Suddenly, the sky was filled with videos and articles, as if the very heavens had become several large screens. Each video or article was, indeed, detailing several deaths associated with the game and the “malfunctioning” headgear.

  “My god,” Peter wheezed out. He found he couldn’t speak above a whisper as he looked on at the news.

  “Now, not to worry,” Yoshitsune started again after he paused for everyone to take in the terror happening in reality. “I have informed the authorities and the news outlets. And I am confident that with that, combined with these terrible tragedies, no one will attempt to remove the devices.

  “Now, obviously, there will be some who wish to exit the game safely. For that, I offer you this. The only way to safely get out of the game, is for a player or group of players...to kill me. That will effectively end the entire simulation for everyone.”

  Ariel stared on, terrified, while Peter kept mumbling how insane this all seemed. Surely, this wasn’t real. Was it all a dream? This was a game, after all. It couldn’t be this real.

  “For those wishing to do battle with me, I can be found at the summit of Mount Apex.”

  “Of course,” Ariel said, sounding defeated already.

  “What is that?” Peter asked.

  “Mount Apex is the end game zone. No one has been able to access it since the game began.”

  “Fitting.” Peter almost laughed.

  “If I am killed, then the game is configured to shut down, logging everyone out, and to stop the signal to the headgear to self-destruct.”

  Peter and Ariel stared on in silence, still not willing to believe this was actually happening.

  “A couple of things for people to know. The pain signals, which no one knew this game had, have been turned on. Meaning, you will feel everything that happens in this game as you fight and take damage. Also, players are only safe from death in rented rooms at inns and taverns and at campsites made by the ‘tent’ item, as well as a couple of story centric places.”

  Every piece of info he gave just opened up a bigger pit in Peter’s stomach. He was in more danger now than he ever was in reality. This was a world filled with monsters and killers. How could he hope to survive?

  “To all of my players, I sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay in Our World. I wish you all the best of luck in your adventures. Be safe, be smart, and never stop fighting.” With that final word, the image disappeared, as did all of the news that had dotted the sky.

  Ariel looked to Peter, who returned her terrified gaze as they both fell to their knees, overcome with fear, their brains taken in too much shocking information. An eternity seemed to pass before anything happened.

  Then, in an instant, Peter was brought back to reality by a horrified scream. He jerked his head in the direction of the other player in the area, who was bleeding and crawling across the ground as the goblins, now unfrozen, chased him with their blades.

  “NO! SOMEBODY HELP ME!” he cried as he was stabbed by another spear. He cried out in pain “OH GOD, NO! PLEASE, NO!” His screams echoed off the virtual sky.

  Peter stared on, too terrified to move as the goblins closed in. He turned to Ariel, who was also paralyzed with fear at the sight. Peter saw the goblins getting closer, and the player falling completely prone, panic and pure dread in his eyes, knowing he was about to die, painfully.

  It happened without him even thinking about it. In an instant, on instinct, Peter was dashing across the field at the attacking goblins. He made it to the one closest to the unfortunate player first. With all his might, he landed a punch that sent the goblin sailing across the landscape. However, the impact was muffled by Peter’s own cry of anger and desperation.

  He turned his eyes to the other goblins, at least ten of them, and not a low enough level for this to be an easy fight. Peter, for some reason didn’t care at this moment. “Stay away from him!” he yelled. This person didn’t ask to be here. He had just logged in to play a game. This angered Peter, and he took it out on the goblins.

  They came in and he met them. His battle cry, the one he had entered the fight with, he kept up for the majority of the battle. Every punch, kick, or any offensive, Peter was yelling, giving himself strength. But there were far too many for just him. After dispatching four goblins, he took a spear to the ribs and a sword slash to the chest. Falling back, crying out in pain, more pain than he had ever f
elt, blood poured from his chest and side. As he hit the ground, he snapped out of his initial rage. He was just Peter, again. A boy who could barely defend himself against bullies. And here were six more closing in to kill him.

  However, Peter had made one friend that day, and she came in with a powerful downward slash with her greatsword, slamming it into one of the goblins, causing the ground around the impact to erupt and throw the other goblins in different directions.

  “Ariel,” Peter gasped.

  “Grab him and let’s go while they are stunned!” she cried. She helped Peter to his feet, and they both grabbed the trembling player and made a run for it.

  Th...thank you,” the player said as he did his best to run, though his HP had gotten close to zero, making it difficult for him to function.

  ***

  Within a few minutes, Peter and Ariel made it back to town, injured player in tow. “Get to a healer or an inn,” Ariel said, breathing heavy, her stamina almost depleted. “Don’t waste your potions.”

  “Right,” the player nodded as he limped off.

  New Beginnings was in chaos. Players were running around in a panic, some were on the ground crying, others were trying to console one another. There was literal hysteria in the streets. Obviously, everyone had heard the announcement.

  Cries of “We’re all going to die!” and similar sentiments rang out in-between the sounds of sobbing and panicked voices. The dream that so many had held for this game had become a nightmare, all in a matter of moments. The escape that so many had called this place had now become their prison.

  “Are you...okay?” Ariel huffed. “Peter!” she said, more forcefully when he didn’t react.

  That snapped Peter out of his trance. “What?” he asked.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t...I’m not...no,” he answered, honestly.

  Ariel reached over and grabbed his arm, giving it a small squeez. He looked back at her and saw she was giving him a weak smile, with a tear streaked face. “Me neither.”

  So, Peter thought, you can cry here.

  Chapter 5

  The month following the announcement was one of panic inside the game, and one of turmoil in reality. The world was horrified at the events that unfolded. Most of the players were able to be transported to medical facilities without losing their connection with the game, but some were not so lucky and paid the price. Parents wept at their children’s hospital bedsides, children wept at their parent’s, husbands and wives held the hand of their spouse as they lay trapped in virtual reality.

  Inside, players struggled to deal with the horrible reality that had taken hold. This was not made any easier by the fact that every night, the number of surviving players was projected into the night sky once the sun had left view. The first night, it said “PLAYERS” in giant, blood-red letters. Underneath, the number 8,114,672 was visible, representing the total number of players that had logged in for the much lauded free weekend. Then, it rapidly fell to 7,562,089 and hung in the air for several minutes, signifying the massive death toll from that day. Many players lost hope then and there.

  For the first two weeks, the number dropped dramatically nearly every night, averaging about eight to ten thousand deaths a day. However, after four weeks, the worst hit. Many players, having lost all hope, and others being simply unprepared to take on the dangers Our World had to offer, commited suicide, while others rushed headlong into the game in the hopes that they could somehow survive to the end, not understanding how difficult it would be. Because of this, deaths spiked, claiming a total of one million players. At the end of the first two months, the red number that hung in the sky read 5,632,289.

  During these first months, Peter spent most of his time either alone in a rented room at one of the local inns, or out scavenging by himself for gold to use to purchase more days in his room, one of the few places he was safe. His brush with death with the goblins had terrified him. He had thought he was some powerful warrior, capable of taking on any who would try to hurt him, capable of protecting any who needed help. But, he had seen the truth. Just like in school, the bullies had gotten the better of him. And just like in school, he had been helpless. He saw his death in the goblins’ eyes, and would have met it had Ariel not intervened and saved him.

  When he went out to gather gold, he made sure to stick close to the village where the monsters and enemies were easy. They didn’t drop much loot, but it was enough to get him by. Ariel, ShieldBro, and Lysander tried talking to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to converse much after the announcement. He felt scared, weak, and betrayed by someone he had let himself look up to. Yoshitsune had been more like a father to him in a matter of minutes than anyone else in his whole life. But, this was all because of him. This game, Peter being trapped, his inevitable death, all because of that man.

  “Okay,” “no problem,” and “I understand,” were the responses he got from his friends when he declined their offers to join in on group hunts or to simply come out of his room. He didn’t feel like he would be of much help to them, and he could barely look Ariel in the face after having to be saved. He was ashamed that he had allowed himself to feel strong, and then looked so weak in front of her.

  ***

  At the end of the third month, Lysander, Ariel, and ShieldBro all visited Peter separately. Lysander was the first.

  “Come in,” Peter said in response to the abrupt knock at his room door. He knew it would either be Lysander, ShieldBro, or Ariel. They were the only ones he knew in the game, though it had been a week or so since he had seen them. When the tall, robbed, dark elf stepped through the door, wizard hat in hand, the boy gave Lysander a weak smile and then returned to his contemplation of the floorboards.

  “How are you holding up?” Lysander asked, his eyes scanning the room. Since the announcement, Peter had noticed that his friend’s voice had lost the signature jovialness he had always carried when playing with others.

  “Fine,” Peter responded without taking his eyes from the floor. He just sat cross-legged at the edge of his bed.

  Lysander took a seat in one of the wooden chairs by the desk at the other side of the small room. It was mid-day, so the light was shining through the single window by the desk, casting light on both the wizard and Peter. “I’ve heard you’ve been leaving the inn to fight monsters out of town.” Peter looked up at Lysander, not showing anything but the sullen face he had worn since safely making it back with Ariel months ago. “That’s good. You shouldn’t stay cooped up in this room.”

  “What should I do?” Peter asked as he returned his eyes to the floor.

  “Well,” Lysander answered as he leaned forward, rubbing the fabric on his hat between his fingers. “Actually, that’s one of the reasons I’m here, other than to see how you were.”

  Peter slowly shook his head, already knowing what his friend was going to ask, and not for the first time. Lysander, seeing this, pushed on, anyway. “I was hoping you would finally wise up and come help us out there.” There was the slightest edge to the wizard’s voice.

  “I’ve already said I can’t. I wouldn’t be of any help.”

  “Oh come on, Pete. You venture out on your own all the time to gather gold so you can stay hold up in this place,” Lysander said as he motioned to the room.

  “Just for gold, like you said. And not far from the town.”

  “Whatever, man. The point is, you know how to fight. And Ariel said you were pretty good at it, from what she saw.”

  “She didn’t see enough to know,” Peter said, a bit of shame evident in his cracking voice. She had seen him fail. What was “pretty good” about that?

  Lysander made to say something, then stepped back, bit his bottom lip for a moment in frustration, then stated, calmly, “Look, a bunch of us are getting together, seeing who all wants to join. After we get everyone involved that’s going to help, we’re going to figure out a way to beat this game.”

  When Peter didn’t respond, Lysande
r continued. “At the town square tomorrow evening, we are calling everyone together to see who wants to join. We’re going to figure out the best way to Mount Apex, and we are going to get outta here.”

  After a minute of no response, Lysander raised his voice, slightly. “Peter, you have got to get out of this room. We could really use your help.”

  “I wouldn’t be of any--”

  “Do you get that there are other people in this game other than you?” the older boy interrupted, his voice elevating even more. “Younger than you? Not as experienced with games as you? Some of those people have already signed up. They aren’t just going to sit around and wait to die in this game world.”

  Still silent, Peter clenched his fists in anger at his friend, but mostly at himself and his cowardice. Lysander continued. “I’m not going to sit around and wait to die.” the dark elf’s voice was lower now, still serious, but also defiant to something or someone who wasn’t in the room. “I’m not going to let that psychopath Yoshitsune or this damn game determine whether I live or die. All my life I’ve been told by other people that I have to do this or do that. ‘You have to play football,’ because my dad did, because my brother did. ‘You have to skip college because your mom is sick,’ nevermind that I had a full ride to get my degree. ‘You have to stay home and work at the supermarket because your dad and your brother bailed.’ No going to college. Not any more. Not here.”