Man, it’s hell being an early adapter.
The Dream Machine technology had really advanced since its initial release. The newest model the Old Lady picked up consisted of a small pair of glasses and a sleek set of headphones that combined to provide the neural stimulation that put the player in the game. There was nothing wrong with my Dream Machine; it was just really tempting to pick up the updated model. Especially since compared to hers, mine looked like a football(American football, for my non-U.S.A. readers) sans the mouth guard and with a glass visor while weighing about the same.
The set up was incredibly simple, mostly requiring her to wear the glasses and headphones while the Dream Machine took some baseline scans of her brain activity. As she did, the glasses displayed a video explaining how the Dream Machine would monitor her vitals as well as the immediate environment while she played. Her mind would be bought into a trance like state that would only be interrupted if unusual changes in her physical state or environment occurred. I’ve heard that the sudden wake up can be quite jarring and leave you very confused and groggy for a couple of minutes, but I felt it was an acceptable alternative as opposed to ignoring a heart attack or having the house burn down around you because your mind was in another world at the time.
After that was done, I instructed her how to go through character setup while Realms was downloading onto the Dream Machine. Once it was downloaded, she just had to select it from the Dream Machine and lay back on the bed. The Machine would get her mind down to the relaxed level it needed to be at to properly engage, then the game could begin. She seemed shocked with how simple it was, which was admittedly how most people react when they first engaged with it.
Once she was set and going through the character set up, I went over to my own room and got my own Dream Machine ready. I slipped into my helmet and laid back on my own bed as I resigned myself to the fact that this was really happening. My mother was about to join me in my MMORPG, maybe even help fight the monsters spilling out of it into the real world. Things are about to get a lot more interesting, I thought as I activated the Dream Machine and logged myself into Realms of Fantasy.
“Nyaaahhh…”
A heavy yawn escaped me as I went from sleeping in my real world bed to waking up in my bed at the guild house in Realms of Fantasy. I stretched and flexed slowly, getting used to the feeling of being back in Aerilla’s body. Unlike the black hooded robes I wore during the Breach, now I was in a much more practical set of black flannel pajamas. A smaller yawn escaped me as I slipped out from under the covers and made my way toward the door of my room.
“Anybody else on?” I called out. Nobody called back, but that was no surprise. It was still early in the afternoon, and most of my guild mates had 9 to 5 jobs. Oh well; might as well get ready.
I’m not sure if it’s a common experience for other players, but I probably spent about as much time worrying about what to wear as Aerilla than as I do as Xavier. Why was I so concerned about my character appearance? Was it something about being a female and feeling a need to make myself look presentable even in a game? Was it because I cared more about what my fellow gamers thought of me than random strangers in the real world? Am I just weird?
Well, I AM weird, but that’s besides the point. As Xavier, I’d be perfectly content with a t-shirt and jeans for any non-formal setting like work or family gatherings. Similarly, I’d be happy with a basic tunic and pants unless I was going into combat; then I’d get my robes on. Ultimately, I decided on my robes if only to make it easier for the Old Lady to find me when she got out of her opening area.
Stepping in front of the full length mirror, I took a look in myself in the mirror. Damn, this technology really is something. I knew logically this body was just something that was a combination of the Dream Machine technology of my own mind created and didn’t actually exist. Still, looking at my soft skin, bright blue eyes, and shoulder length blond hair felt so real as I ran my hand through it gently.
That feeling extended to the rest of my body as I gently squeezed my chest through my pajama’s. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for some players(almost but not exclusively males) to make their character’s chest size as large as possible during creation, and the game is quite generous in that regard. Any titillation at having melon sized breasts was quickly lost once they realized they would have to perform all the actions of the game with said cleavage. Many found it difficult swinging a sword or make the necessary arms and hand movements for spells with a giant pair of airbags in the way, and though alterations can be made, it’s not cheap. Luckily this was a well-known fact by the time I started playing, so I was careful not to make the same mistake. While no one was going to be mistaking my character for a male, I also wasn’t dealing with constant backaches or paying for extra-large shirts just to be decent.
Anyway, I needed to get ready. The Old Lady would be on at any moment, and the thought of my mother showing up put any more carnal thoughts out of my head. I quickly slid into my robes, smiling gently to myself as the feelings of magical energy that I already produced amplified even more once it was on. Just to show off, I made a small fireball and tossed it back and forth between my hands. Damn, magic’s awesome!
<Refur A Friend Link Request from Book Katt>
“Hmm?” I glanced at the display that popped up on my CommChain. The Refur(really punny, Realms…) A Friend program gives bonuses to those who bring in new players to the game and allows them special privileges with that person. Considering the Old Lady was the only one I’d given it to, it was a safe bet to say this was her… and she named herself Book Katt. First name Book, last name Katt. And I thought I was bad with names…
With a sigh, I accepted her request. Normally she wouldn’t be able to communicate at all without a CommChain herself, but the Refur program allows the two players to communicate directly through what was essentially telepathy. This would allow me to walk her through her origin story and help guide her to the point where we could actually meet up. I shifted my CommChain communication to display on the mirror while I straightened myself up a little; while I haven’t gone so far into exploring my feminine side with make up or the like, I did have a serious case of bedhead that needed to be untangled.
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*Book Katt* Xavier? Is that you?
*Aerilla Tohka* Yeah, Old Lady, it’s me. I’d appreciate it if you called me Aerilla while we’re on here, if only because it’s going to look weird if you keep referring to me by a different name than my character.
*Book Katt* Alright; I guess I have to get used to that. So, what do I do now?
*Aerilla Tohka* Well, that depends. You would’ve ended up in one of three starting areas, though I can’t tell where from here. What does your environment look like?
*Book Katt* Well, it’s really dark, and it feels hot. I woke up on a bed that’s a board… and held to the wall by a set of chains? Wait; why are their iron bars on the window?!
*Aerilla Tohka* Ah; guess you ended up in the desert city of Akrahbar. Bad news; you’re in jail.
*Book Katt* JAIL?! What did I do to deserve getting thrown in here?!
*Aerilla Tohka* You don’t know; you’re an amnesiac. Kinda a tired trope in my opinion, but it does give a reasonable explanation for when people have to explain to you how the world works.
*Book Katt* Well, how do I get out of here?!... Wait, someone’s here. He opened the door and he’s ordering me out. He looks pretty angry…
*Aerilla Tohka* Better do as he says for now or he’ll bust out his whip and force you along. I’m told it stings pretty bad. Don’t worry; he’ll get his soon enough.
*Book Katt* O.K…
The Old Lady went silent for a while; I could imagine her being led through the halls to the illegal slave auction where she was about to be sold off. Things would turn around for her in short order, but I could imagine her feeling pretty nervous as she was forced to stand in front of a bunch of strangers arguing over how much they were willing to pay for her life. Some people criticized Realms for even having this and some other emotionally heavy themes in the game, but a lot of people also applauded it for taking a realistic approach to certain subject matters that other games weren’t willing to address. Anyway, my hair was done; time to get moving. I could just take the Tele-Pool outside and get right into the center of Akrahbar, then take a quick wal…
*Book Katt* XAVIER! What the hell is going on?!
*Aerilla Tohka* First; Aerilla, please. And second, what are you talking about? You just have to stand on the pedestal while some NPC’s talk bad about you for a bit, and then you’ll get led back to your cell.
*Book Katt* Just stand here?! The guard who bought me here just grabbed my breast!
*Aerilla Tohka*…Wait, what?! That’s NOT what happens!
*Book Katt* Well, it IS happening! And now he just pinched my butt! What the hell kind of game is this?!
*Aerilla Tohka* That’s not supposed to happen, either!
*Aerilla Tohka* …*facepalm*
*Aerilla Tohka* …Old Lady, did you check the box that said you were O.K. experiencing potentially sensitive subject matters? Things like sexual harassment?
*Book Katt* No! It just asked if I was over 18 and I confirmed it. Then it asked me that again, and I confirmed it again. And why can’t I talk?! When I try to yell at this jerk, nothing comes out of my mouth!
*Aerilla Tohka* To the latter question, you’re wearing a Collar of Silence. It’ll come off in a bit. And to the former, the second time the game asks you to confirm you’re over 18 AND that you’re alright with experiencing potentially sensitive subject matters. I think it states verbatim, “You’ll will be treated very poorly by certain NPC’s and may experience some very uncomfortable situations”. If you hadn’t checked that box, you’d just get sold and led back to your cell.
*Book Katt* Well, I didn’t read that part!
*Aerilla Tohka*…said the person who’s employed as a LIBRIARIAN! You might as well be a professional reader!
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Great; as if this whole situation wasn’t uncomfortable enough already. At least it stopped there, and nothing else like that was coming up in the near future. Seriously, though; the warning is pretty clear, and if she’d been under 18 the game wouldn’t have even given her the option to pick it in the first place. I do remember that being added as a feature sometime post launch after some players complained about how men tend to get marginalized in the game as to show that being a woman isn’t all peaches and cream all the time, either.
Still, it’s my Old Lady; I made a mental note to check with the admin’s later if there was a way to change that option after the fact as I made my way to the Tele-Pool outside the guild house. It was literally a small enchanted pool, with larger ones in all the major cities and some of the smaller villages as well. You tossed in some coins while thinking about where you wanted to go, and the ripples formed by the coins hitting the water would make the image at the bottom of the pool form into your intended destination as long as you paid enough. Then it was just a simple matter of hopping in the pool, and other than a slight sense of vertigo as your body went from falling into one pool to rising out of another an instant later, it was a harmless trip.
Well, harmless except maybe to your dignity; you came out soaking wet on the other end. You dry out pretty fast, though a few players would sometimes hang out near the pools and have impromptu, “Wet Armor” contests. Today was no different as I shook my soaking robes dry to a chorus of hoots and hollers. I responded with the ancient but not exactly arcane movement of extending my middle finger at them off heading toward the abandoned house the Old Lady would eventually end up at.
I passed through the open air markets and player run stalls to the older district of the city. The house was only a few steps in, so I leaned back against a palm tree and waited. A couple of minutes went by without word from the Old Lady who was most likely going through the combat tutorial at this point. It should be smooth sailing for then on out; I’d probably walk her through the world a bit and do a couple of opening quests for today, just to keep things simple for her.
Things were not about to be so simple for myself as someone approached me from behind and pressed the blade of a glowing sword directly against my throat before I could turn to face them.
“I finally found you, foul mage.”
