The Virtual Realm

by Daniel Perusko

  “You know, the main reason we got into this game was to practice diplomacy. To study humanity in a smaller sample. This is somewhat of an experiment for us.”

  Dusk’s mind was thrown into disarray as he attempted to connect the dots.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You remember the opening narrative when we were all level 1, correct? We make our own story in this game. The world is split into six nations, with one neutral nation residing in this world: the seventh nation. If you ask me, that is a perfect practice ground to emulate the real world’s politics. Diplomacy will undoubtedly take place here. There may even be war. A reflection of the real world, downscaled to fit this virtual world. Although we didn't count on being trapped here.”

  “To be honest, I hadn’t thought overly hard on this. I always thought the way this game was set up was bullshit though.”

  “Oh? How is it bullshit?”

  “Because... the thing with the obelisks and the six stones. Each race gets a stone for clearing their respective obelisk. The system message on the first day said if the races work together and clear the game entirely we will all be freed from the system. Yet they give players every incentive in the world to kill other players or even take over other nations. The fact that one race alone can be released from the game if their race collects all the stones—the fact that if you kill a player you gain their items—the fact that if you win a war against another nation you get their territory.”

  “But don’t you think that’s exactly like the real world, Drake? In the real world, humans kill one another. They do so for various reasons: money, jealousy, passion, love, hate, and sometimes just because it gives them a thrill. Humans wage war against one another over: religion, land, ideals, and control. The victor of war often gains the loser’s land and the right to govern over the defeated. Isn’t this exactly like reality?”

  This matter was one that Dusk was very ardent about. Even before entering this world, the way humans conducted themselves had always left a bitter taste in his mouth. Knowing the system message was made by Raven; he couldn’t help but wonder more about this Raven person whom he despised so much. His voice had climbed to an impassioned peak.

  “But why? What’s the point of having a virtual reality game if it’s going to be exactly like real life?”

  “Who knows, maybe Raven is more like us than we thought,” Reaper muttered through chuckles.

  Dusk’s stare intensified, as if he was trying to crush Reaper under the weight of his glare.

  “I was kidding. Settle down there, buddy. I heard everything about what Raven did to you. That goes for Kevlar too, of course.”

  “She told you all of that, huh?”

  “Well, it is rather important for us to know don’t you think?”

  “It’s my problem.”

  “I’d say Raven is everyone’s problem wouldn’t you? Kevlar is also someone that we all knew at one point.”

  Dusk couldn’t believe the question he was about to ask. It had been about three months since his friends had disappeared from this world, yet any time he spoke of Kevlar his speech was still wrapped in a box of bloody fury. Three months later the wounds were still fresh, still festering. Dusk kicked himself for this weakness.

  “So then, you know of course that Kevlar slaughtered all my friends in front of me as if they were animals. Tell me. Was Kevlar always like this? From how you all knew him in the past, does this seem like something he would be capable of doing?”

  Reaper let out a long sigh, granting himself a brief reprieve before his inevitable answer. “I wasn’t very close with him, but I can tell you a few things about him. He seemed to mainly care about Karla. The ideals of Phoenix took a far backseat to anything having to do with her. If you ask me, he was obsessed with her so blindly that he could not even see anything else. The bastard hardly seemed capable of hurting a fly, much less killing your friends as you claim. But if he did do this, the only way I could see it happening was if his obsession with Karla had something to do with it.”

  These words caused a poisonous feeling to course throughout Dusk’s body. Each sentence stung with lethal venom. The thought of the woman he loved having been with the man he hated most made him want to vomit, hopeful that all of the poisonous sludge rising within him would be released, never to return. As nauseous as he felt, he tried his utmost to keep himself composed, not wanting to appear weak in front of another.

  “You’re right, Andrew. The last words he said to me were that he killed my friends so that he could see Karla again.”

  Reaper was silent for a moment. The disgust was written plainly on his face.

  “To think that he would be obsessed with her to that extent; I can’t believe it. We were right to cast him out. You know of course, if he knows about how close you two have become, he’ll come after you. Are you going to kill him?”

  “You’re not the first person to ask me that. I honestly couldn’t tell you what I would do. I’ll only know if and when I see him.”

  “That’s bad, Dusk. You cannot be so uncertain of these things. Uncertainty means weakness. Just know one thing. If you kill Kevlar out of anything but self-defense, you will no longer be a member of Phoenix.”

  Hearing those words, the troubled fighter felt the powerful impact blow him away. He may as well have been punched in the face by those threatening words. The powerful verbal blow had knocked the breath out of him.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Dusk uttered weakly.

  Having a profound distaste for this subject, he decided to direct the conversation back on track to where it was before the subject of Kevlar was thrown into the air.

  “You said the main reason you all entered this game was to practice diplomacy. You made it sound like there were other reasons you all chose this.”

  “Yeah, there are other reasons. One of the other reasons was that we planned on making an MMO of our own, and we were using this as inspiration. Well, I’d say we’ve gotten tons of inspiration from this world.”

  A loud laugh dripping with sarcasm bellowed forth from Reaper as he basked in the complete irony of this statement. They had wanted to use this as a source of inspiration, but they had become trapped there, possibly never able to make an MMO of their own if they failed to escape this place.

  “Now I have a question to ask you, Drake.” Reaper raised his eyebrows, as if challenging him.

  “What would that be?”

  “Part of the reason you joined Phoenix was so that you could become stronger, right? Another part was that you truly wanted to bring peace to our world. Jed told me this. Would you say that is your dream?”

  “Jed told you, huh? What is he to you? What was your reason for joining Phoenix?”

  “Me? I too, want to better this world. It’s not enough for me to just sit back and watch as humanity destroys itself. Such a mindset would be as bad as being one of the destroyers themselves. As for Jed, I’ve known him for a long time. We’re not linked by blood, but we are truly brothers.”

  “I see.”

  “Now, I’ve answered enough questions. I ask you again. Would you say having a hand in bettering humanity is your dream?”

  Dusk spun around, showing his back to Reaper as he gazed up at the black ceiling, sucking in a deep breath.

  “You know, there was a time when I used to hate humanity: people and their stupid little problems. It all seemed so irrelevant and petty. I could never understand how people could kill each other so easily and treat each other the way they do. I was content to watch the world burn, which I guess would’ve made me one of the destroyers. But for a few months now, ever since I started in this virtual world, I realized that I’d rather change humanity from the shitty state of affairs it’s in. I realize now hating and avoiding people was wrong. I realize that most are simply ignorant to the truth. They are raised by their parents and the media to believe a gospel of lies. Guidelines that are written out by society that humans must follow; guidelines that are g
uiding us on the path towards destruction, rather than salvation. How can I be mad at people that simply don’t know any better?”

  A smile invaded Reaper’s features. This wasn’t the normal confident smile that the Phantom was used to seeing, however. This was a heartfelt smile, filled with warmth—warmth on the cold face that Dusk had thought to always have an icy persona. Reaper replied to Dusk’s little speech, his words encapsulated with joy over the Phantom’s conclusion.

  “I guess you understand. Your dream is a noble one, shared by all of us in Phoenix. Never give up on your dreams, Drake.”

  Dusk, having been happy to draw a genuine smile from the normally aloof Reaper, returned his own smile in kind.

  “I won’t.”

  Mere moments later, the door leading to the entertainment room the duo was in opened abruptly. The dark skinned leader of Phoenix had entered the room, driving home a few words with urgency before he walked back out of the room.

  “There is something we must discuss. The rest are already in the meeting room, come.”

  Dusk turned to Reaper, flashing a playful yet rough grin.

  “Looks like your friend has something important to tell us.”

  “Seems that way.”

  A few minutes later, Dusk and Reaper had entered the meeting room, joining the rest of their comrades.

  The last time they had been here, it was so Dusk could reveal Raven’s role in everything. Remembering that and seeing the Phoenix members sitting in the same places as before caused him to feel the worst sense of déjà vu. Dusk constructed a nervous smile on his face as he turned to look at his lover, secretly hoping this time that the group discussion wouldn’t be as dark as the last time they were here.

  Omni sat at the end of the table, carefully eyeing each member as if a king on his throne. He smiled, deciding to break the total stillness that lingered about in the air.

  “Everyone, today we will do our first raid. I spoke with the guild leader of Descent. They were the first Harians to reach level 50 after us. They’ve been doing level 50 dungeons for a month now, and have all the best gear they can get for five of their players. The guild leader, who calls herself Joan, sought us out for a joint guild raid run. I agreed to her proposal, though I thought I would ask you all for your opinions on this. Do you have any questions or objections to this?”

  “Yeah, I have a question. Can I trust them to have my back? Are they worth a damn?” Scarlet inquired, worried about the companions who would be in the foxhole with her so to speak.

  “I met each one of them, and they seemed suitably capable to complete the task with us.”

  “What dungeon will we be doing?” Tsuki asked.

  “The Sundered Towers in Venotium.”

  The legend behind the Sundered Towers was that they were four formerly colossal towers that pierced through the very clouds themselves, threatening to stab the sun. Eventually the towers—unable to bear the strain of their own weight—cracked in two. Large remnants of the former proud structures were littered across the zone of Venotium. Some even believed that the god of that virtual world decided to punish those who tried to reach the heavens by rending their decades of hard work asunder.

  An unsettling fear was churning inside Dusk, but that was mostly numbed by how eager he was to tackle this new challenge. He spoke up anxiously, posing the last question of relevance.

  “What time is this raid happening?”

  “6:00 PM, so five hours from now. Any preparation that you might have to do, I suggest you do it. Get some rest if you need it. That’s all.”

  five hours later, the time had come. Phoenix arrived first on the scene.

  Venotium was essentially a wide open plain, full of various flowers standing atop the lush green grass. A large river which shone a crystalline blue cut through the middle of the emerald scenery, flowing beautifully downstream and culminating in a waterfall far off in the distance. A beautiful mix of sapphire and emerald glowed on the ground, augmented by the radiance of the heavenly sphere in the sky. The tranquil burble of the river flowed into their ears along with the peaceful chirping of birds. This place... so pleasant, so serene, who would have thought it held a den of monsters deep within?

  Directly in front of them stood the entrance to what would be their first raid experience. How challenging was a raid compared to a normal dungeon? In normal MMOs, raids could be considerably more challenging, often wiping out entire groups several times before they learned the secret to claiming victory. Equipped with this valuable yet disconcerting knowledge, they should have been afraid of what was in store for them. What resided within them was not a limitless well of terror, however. The reason for this unfathomable courage was the absolute confidence they held in each other. Even Dusk, who would’ve been trembling in fear if he was raiding with anyone else, had his cup filled with excitement. He felt like he could do anything with these peerless warriors by his side.

  He stared ahead valiantly at the large golden door, which seemed to be inviting him inside. He was ready to do this now, but he had to wait for the other half of their raid party to arrive.

  Dusk could not say he was as confident in this other half. After all, he knew little to nothing about them.

  “Are you scared, Drake?” Tsuki asked in a teasing manner.

  “Of course not! I’m ready to get in there and find out what monsters are waiting for us.”

  Dusk stopped for a moment as Tsuki gazed upon him with doubting eyes.

  “Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous.”

  “It’s fine. I am also very curious to find out what awaits us inside.”

  “Hell, yeah! I’m ready to take a crack at this thing. Hopefully this will be a real challenge,” Scarlet boasted as she cracked her neck and shook her muscles, warming up her body for the trials to come.

  “That is, if Descent ever gets here. Honestly, it’s 6:10 already. Rather rude of them to be late,” Reaper uttered, his voice shaded with disappointment.

  “Now, now, be patient. They’ll be here,” Omni reassured.

  “Yo, what’s up, guys? Sorry we took so long!”

  This new voice was rough yet feminine. The voice’s owner belonged to the most colossal female he had ever encountered. He estimated if they stood face to face, she would come up to his nose. This would make her height somewhere between 6’0 and 6’2. Her hair was also shorter than he was used to on a woman, not even touching her shoulders. In fact her rosy pink hair barely stretched longer than Dusk’s sand shaded hair. Her eyes, boisterous and bold, were filled to the brim with a ruby shine.

  On top of that, this woman had an odd aura about her. Tsuki was refined and elegant. This Joan, however, seemed like a man in a woman’s body. But that wasn’t possible. Gender was locked to whatever gender you were in real life. So this person had to be female.

  She was covered from shoulder to toe with armor that radiated with the same color as that of carnations. There were a few intricate crimson designs augmenting the armor. From the dusky red sword she was wielding right down to her pale red shield; she had to have been a Knight.

  I guess she must be a tomboy to the extreme. Interesting then that she would have pink hair. This makes no sense to me. How can someone who seems like such a tomboy be into such girly colors? Whatever, best not to think about it right now I guess.

  “See, I told you they’d be here.” Omni spoke in a voice that had the slightest hint of playful spirit mixed in.

  “Of course! Descent would never miss an opportunity to kick some ass!” the newcomer gloated. “My name’s Joan by the way, pleased to meet ya!”

  She waved her arm haphazardly behind her, revealing the rest of her party as she introduced them.

  “This is Chaos. He’s the most badass Monk on the server.”

  “Yo, what’s up, bastards?”

  The voice came out coolly yet rambunctiously. The man was probably equal in height to Dusk. His prickly hair, tinged a fiery orange, jutted upward in several spikes that
looked almost sharp enough to be lethal weapons. A wide rebellious grin curled itself on his face. His outfit, toned a near matching shade of apricot, was not that of a thick plated armor, but a full leather texture. His jacket was popped open with no shirt underneath, revealing his chiseled abs and prominent pectoral muscles, which he flexed proudly. This man reminded Dusk of the typical jock type that he hated so much growing up.

  He seems like a complete douche. Unlike in real life though, even if I piss him off he can’t kick my ass.

  As if to confirm Dusk’s assumptions about him, Chaos uttered a sentence that only an asshole could say.

  “I’ll carry all of you through this dungeon. So just stay out of my way. Got it?”

  Scarlet laughed heartily without even realizing it. This baseless bravado had struck her funny bone.

  “Well, well, aren’t you just a badass? Or maybe you’re just an ass.”

  “What’d you say, bitch?”

  “I said you’re all bark and no bite. Stop pretending you’re hot shit.”

  Chaos had finally taken in the feast in front of his eyes: a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair that was dyed in blood. The look in her eyes spoke of a ferocity that was unmatched. It was almost as if he was looking straight into the eyes of the devil himself. This was the woman who was now challenging him. His mouth hung agape for a moment, before closing into a cruel smile.

  “Well, I don’t know about hot shit, but you’re just plain hot, lady. You’re just my type.”

  Scarlet scoffed in disdain. She would rather gouge her eyes out with a rusty spoon than to even entertain the thought of being intimate with this man.

  “Unfortunately, you’re not mine. I don’t date losers. I’m also taken. But even if I wasn’t, I’d never get with you.”

  The potent sting of rejection had no effect on Chaos’s stone skin. He had been rejected by many women before who had ended up with him later on. This would just require a little bit more force.

  “You don’t need your boyfriend, hun; not when I’m here.”

  “I beg to differ on that,” Omni interjected, calm as ever. Yet there was a threatening tone behind those words.