Elizabeth Warren stretched her limbs after climbing out of the VR-2 Full-Dive pod. Her wavy strawberry blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, she would need to get it cut soon.
The machine behind her slowly whirred as it powered down and she instinctively pulled out her phone to check the time.
3 A.M. God she was so screwed for classes tomorrow morning. Grinding out levels and finding out more information on those Seedlings had been priority number one for her ever since she created her character inside of War of the Realms: Online.
A fearless elven ranger who kicked ass and looked amazing while doing it. The total opposite of who she was in real life.
The real 'Eliza' was a nobody. A twenty-two year old loner girl who skated on by in life, not really applying herself to anything other than this new game.
So what if she intentionally only scored a 75 on the entrance exam to college? So what if she deliberately played the clumsy shy girl in the class? It's not like it would make a difference if she actually showed her true colors.
She wouldn't be popular and she wouldn't make friends just because she was suddenly the smartest girl in class. Besides, she didn't really want the attention.
Being a nobody was a thousand times better than being somebody. Being a nobody meant she didn't have to work to impress anyone, or try to do anything that she didn't want to. Low expectations meant she couldn't disappoint anyone.
Maybe that was why her dad had disowned her and sent her away. As the CEO of a corporate tech company, great things were expected of his children, and Elizabeth didn't quite make the cut.
She was nothing like Quentin who inherited the charm and wit of their father. She was nothing like Cassandra who had the natural beauty and good looks from their mom. She was just Elizabeth, plain and boring, and she was insanely smart. But she never revealed her genius mind to anybody.
It's not like she cared all that much, or really missed the rest of her family; they were never close to begin with. But these last few years she had only withdrawn more and more into herself, shutting herself off from others.
Being alone for so long was beginning to take a toll on her, but then salvation came in the form of an impressively massive MMO.
She could live out her wildest fantasies without a care in the world and without the weight of expectations. She could escape from her cramped shitty dorm room into a world that was endless. And to top it all off, it was where she had met him.
***
"So. He's really dead then huh?" Eliza sipped at her cup, the warm liquid inside chasing away the cold of night and the sadness eating away at her mind.
The tavern in Tendrassil still wasn't experiencing any business as of yet, which was perfect for her and Agnor. They both liked the calm and quiet.
"It seems to be that way." Agnor's response was gruff and void of any warmth, as if Alex's death was inconsequential to him. Eliza didn't blame the man either, it wasn't like they had been a party for long.
Growing attached in such a short time was stupid, and yet she had felt a connection with Alex that defied logic.
He was a complete stranger to her, someone she was using to advance her own goals. Someone she could just discard as soon as said goals were achieved.
So then why did she feel this way? Why was his sudden death causing an aching in her heart? Why had tears threatened to pour from her eyes for hours? How could he have even truly died in the first place, this was just a game, wasn't it?
Sure, the pain experienced was real, but that was where all similarities to Earth ended. Being able to respawn and throw yourself back into the realm was a core mechanic of the game, it was what drew so many people to it.
Surely nobody would play a game if it could actually kill them. A game like that wasn't even feasible, right? Full dive technology was fairly recent, and Argus held the keys to it.
It must've been something with the dive pod he was using. It had to have malfunctioned or something. Plenty of accidents had occurred before, especially during the trials for testing the full dive pods.
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. This was different, she wasn't sure how, it just was.
The second she had received that notification she had felt it in the core of her being. No matter what really happened, Alex had truly died and was gone forever. And from the weird look Agnor was giving her, he knew it too. Alex had left them as quickly as he had come.
"So, what do we do then?" Her question broke the silence that had ensued. Neither of them were exceptional conversationalists, but this was a conversation that was necessary. Figuring out the next course of action was impo-
"We do nothing. The party is gone. He is gone. We go our separate ways and forge our own path."
***
Agnor's words were fresh in her mind, stinging like paper cuts. She knew the goliath wasn't big on emotions, but splitting up for good seemed like the worst possible decision to make.
It wasn't like she could force the man to stick with her though. Forging her own path. She could do that. She had been doing it her whole life.
Her own body reminded her of the time as a yawn escaped her. Sleep was calling her and the smart decision would be to answer it. Still, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut.
Alex's death was too odd. Too random and sudden. The whole game had made a big deal out of him being some kind of hero, and he was killed off just like that?
It didn't sit right with her. Something about the whole situation was just off. Her inquisitive mind started racing with possibilities, questioning things that no human would ever think of.
There was more to Alex and his death than what the game had told her, she was almost certain of it.
A cold pillow greeted her as she laid on the small bed the dorm had provided her. She pulled the blanket up and over herself, tucking into it as much as possible for warmth.
Though their time shared was short, Elizabeth thought about it fondly. Alex had seemed genuine and real, a breath of fresh air in a world that was stifling and suffocating. She owed it to herself, and to the connection they had made, to uncover the truth.
***
Ajax Uratan, better known as Agnor Stone-Cleaver, chopped his hand downward in a closed fist, killing the Dire Wolf in one hit. It let out a whimper of pain before collapsing to the ground, surrounded by five others of its kind.
[50/50 Direwolves slain. Quest completed.]
The notification was quickly dismissed by the goliath, he didn't care about having completed the quest. He only cared that the voices had gone quiet, satiated by the blood that had been spilt.
For the first time in three days, he finally had peace and quiet. The man let out a heavy sigh of relief, grateful that this was all that had been asked for.
This damnable curse had been plaguing him from level one, and he hadn't gotten any closer to uncovering a way to remove it. That hero had been the first glimpse of hope, and it had gotten quashed almost immediately, as if the universe was determined to mock him.
Alex. He couldn't say for sure what had initially drawn him to the young man, but the second his existence became known, Agnor couldn't shake the feeling that he belonged at the human's side. His presence had quelled the voices. Not indefinitely, but what once had been loud shouts too hard to ignore had become whispers.
Somehow a level one human had the power to make literal Daemons cower, a task that Agnor had thought impossible.
Alex's death, while saddening, hadn't come as much of a shock to Agnor. He had long since known that there was something more at play with this game due to the curse he bore.
It wasn't like he could go to someone else and explain himself though, they would think he had gone insane. Alex was the first person he had felt like he could do that with, but now it was too late.
At first, Agnor had thought the curse was just another mechanic of the game. A gimmick meant to add a lair of immersion for whoever had it. He wished that was what it was, because the truth was so much worse.
***
The glass lid to Ajax's dive pod slid open, releasing the man from its grasp. He had been so lucky to have gotten the pod and the game this early. It had just been released only five hours ago, but he was already enamored by the realms and the depths they held. What Argus had managed to create was impressive
He had even acquired a crazy thing called a curse. It obviously didn't sound good, but it was just cool that such a mechanic existed in the game; it added that extra bit of flair that separated good games from great ones.
If Ajax had stopped for just a moment, he would have noticed the faintest traces of red ink starting to swirl onto his skin, but he was in too much of a rush.
He wanted to share the experience with his brother and had started bolting to his room as soon as he left the pod.
"Kaleb! It's amazing! It's like nothing we've ever seen be-
"Feed."
The voice stopped Agnor in his tracks, just outside of his brother's room. He could hear him rummaging around and plugging in the various bits of machinery necessary to power and turn on the dive pod.
Kaleb stepped out of his room, a near perfect mirror of Ajax's own features. Being twins meant they shared a bond, and had been closer than most siblings would ever be.
"I can't wait to see it brother. Together we're gonna be unstop-" Strong hands wrapped around Kaleb's throat, squeezing the life from his lungs.
"Feed."
The voice was incessant, demanding Ajax fulfill the requirement. He couldn't stop himself from the horrible act he was committing. And it wouldn't matter if he shouted for help.
They lived alone, in a slightly rundown apartment complex. The two twenty-four year olds had moved out of their parents' place when they were sixteen, striking out in the world to try and prove their worth.
Hard times led to years of servitude at the hands of the rich and powerful, until they finally managed to break free of their contract and were able to get decent jobs. It barely covered the bills, but they had managed.
"Feed."
Yes. Ajax had to feed this voice in his head, otherwise it would keep asking for more and more. Its hunger was insatiable. This was the only way.
The light faded from Kaleb's eyes, and he stopped struggling in Ajax's grasp. Blood red ink, now completely visible, had grafted itself to Ajax's skin. It had been flaring until the moment Kaleb died, at which point it went dim.
The voice went quiet, and Ajax's eyes widened in horror as he realized what he had done. Filled with grief and rage at himself, as well as a desire to not hurt anyone ever again, he ran back to his room, entered the pod and dove back into the game.
***
Ever since that moment, Ajax had been trapped in the game. He couldn't allow himself to feel, or to reflect on the sins he committed. It took all of his effort to stay focused on finding a way to break this thing.
[Curses: 1/1]
[Hunger of the Hells: A Daemon of Hell hungers for blood. One way or another, you must provide it.]
Ajax closed his character menu, the ink on his skin flaring up slightly and causing him a bit of discomfort. It was as if looking at it had reawakened the beast.
This was the reason he had sent Eliza away after Alex died. Even though he welcomed the company and appreciated her presence, she would always be in constant danger around him. He refused to drag anyone else down with him.
All of this had led to him being aware that this game was more than just another escape from reality, something far bigger was at play here. Alex's existence as a Hero, and then his death, proved Agnor's theory correct.
Agnor looted the wolf's body, taking whatever drops it had provided and started making his way back to the main road. There was sure to be another town on the way he could stop at to turn in the quest and pick up another one.
So far, he had been able to manage the Daemon by just killing things at random, but there were times when he had felt the pull to target something other than beasts and monsters.
Those were the moments he was truly scared of. He didn't want to have another moment where all he could see was red until the deed was done and it was too late to go back.
The ink flared once more, as if reminding the goliath that it was there, a permanent blight on his body. No matter the cost, no matter what it took, Ajax would see himself freed from this nightmare.