Sync (Chapter 2 Out now!)

[Meeki]

Sync

Please note there is a discussion board here, as well a place for development here.

Summary
In a world where technology is advancing swiftly, Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games have taken off. In particular the most popular of that is Myth, a fantasy MMO with over 7 million players, where dreams and adventures await! However 3 friends, having gone through a bad experience with the game before, don't play. However their need for adventure is strong and so return Myth. What awaits them?

Chapter 1 - A need for adventure

“Guys, let’s play Myth again”

Chase’s suggestion, casually given while leaning against a window, caused the London Academy 6th form class, which was currently on lunch break, to go silent and turn their attention to the corner of the classroom. His two friends Zane and Jared looked up from their mobile phones at Chase, and then at each other and shrugged.

“Meh why not”

Zane’s answer was greeted with an even deeper shocked silence. In a time of fast technological development, it had only been a matter of time before Virtual Reality was attempted, with most failing spectacularly and causing companies to go bankrupt in the attempt due to the high development difficulty. Because of this only 3 VRMMORPG’s (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Game) were in existence and Myth was the most popular of them all. Boasting a player count of nearly 7 million and growing, outstripping the other two games population combined these days it was rare to find someone who didn’t play a VRMMO let alone Myth.

Except for these 3. Zane, Chase and Jared for some inexplicable reason just didn’t play any. Sure Zane was an adopted orphan with a single dad, Chase had siblings to take care of and Jared lived with his grandmother, but it wasn’t as if any of the three were poor per say. If anything VRMMO’s were surprisingly affordable, both in terms of the gear and the subscription. This was due to the huge profits the company behind Myth, Pervasive Inc, simply being put back into the company. It was largely because of this that the 3 friends were considered somewhat odd in school. Whispers flew fast around the class.

“The oddities are going to join Myth!”

“Surely lightning striking twice was more likely to happen”

The oddities were a nickname given to the 3 friends. Zane was an above average height, slim 17 year old with spiky black hair and piercing blue eyes; it gave him the appearance of being somewhat a little moody, however he had an open and approachable personality which offset that. Chase was slightly shorter but a little more built than Zane, with shaggy brown hair and matching hazel brown eyes; Chase constantly had his mouth twitching into an almost smile which matched his exuberant personality and appealed to many. Jared was the giant of the group at well over 6ft and nicknamed the “saiyan”, due to his blonde hair and emerald green eyes. He was the most silent of the group saying less than his two friends, but was regarded as a cool person by many due to his automatically helpful nature.

In all the 3 would have normally been considered popular, but due to not being part of any VRMMO were soon quickly left out of social activities. After the initial shock of the announcement, interest died quickly and everyone turned back to their original chatter, trying to make the most of their fast draining lunch break.

“Alright! Let’s start planning”

Chase grinned widely, his brown eyes sparkling with mirth, and dragged a chair over to sit by the other two’s desks. Zane sighed and sat up, while Jared just continued to lean back, but looked more attentive.

“So what really brought this on”

Zane didn’t beat around the bush.

“We may be able to log into our old accounts”

The other two looked at Chase as if they had been slapped in the face by a wet fish.

“Now are you absolutely sure”

Zane was somewhat disbelieving. Contrary to what you might think, Myth was actually not a new game. 5 years prior it had been a normal MMO and the game was merely transitioned and reworked into the VRMMO genre, then marketed and re-released a mere 6 months ago into the top game on the planet, defeating its already established two rival games. Even back then however, Myth was already a game ahead of its time, with its complex and evolving world.

The 3 friends had been regular players on the old Myth. Playing as a party they enjoyed the adventures and quests that came with exploring the land of Myth. However a catastrophe struck them. At the time there had been an extremely powerful demon lord who was shaking up the continent. Seeing an exciting adventure, the 3 went to challenge this monstrously powerful being, quickly cutting through its army and reaching the throne room.

After several hours of fighting, both sides were near death and prepared to strike their final blows. Just as the attacks were about to land, all 3 were unceremoniously logged out. They frantically tried relogging in, but the game simply would not allow them. They even resorted to emailing and calling the company, who said they couldn’t do anything but promised to try their best to sort it out. However they never called or emailed back. They tried other games, but nothing could ignite their adventurous spirit like Myth had and since then the boys never touched a single game. Even with the advent of the new Myth, they merely felt depression as it reminded them of their previous efforts that had been lost with no explanation.

“Yeah, some other people said on forums that they were able to”

Chase’s remark was met with hard silence. The other two were still on the fence. He resorted to cajoling.

“C’mon guys it’s at least worth a shot. Besides, even if it doesn’t work....its Myth! We can always make a new adventure, man we can’t be stuck wallowing in the past!”

“Yeah…you’re right!”

It had worked. Zane was smirking broadly and Jared looked happily distant thinking of all the possibilities. Standing up, Zane made held out his fist.

“Then today we return to Myth!”

“Yeah”

The other two fist bumped him in agreement.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Huh, I figured there’d be more to this”

The 3 friends were chilling in Chase’s room, having just bought the VR gear and subscribed. Unsurprisingly, Chase’s room was an absolute mess with clothes strewn about messily and books which he clearly didn’t read piled haphazardly on his desk. The boys didn’t pay it any attention as they were kneeling hunched over the VR gear on the floor.

It was surprisingly simple. Composed of a simple visor and gloves linked by a wire, it was somewhat underwhelming. However on closer inspection, one could tell it was a hiding some serious hardware and software in it.

“Well no use wasting time let’s get on with it”

Having discussed everything else beforehand and feeling no need to waste time, Zane got up and settled into a chair by the desk, briskly putting on his gear. Quickly the other two followed suit, with Chase lying back on his bed; Jared rested cross legged on the floor, leaning against the bed. Suddenly nervous, Zane said final words to the other two.

“See you guys on the other side”


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zane had the impression he was falling. Or at least as much of an impression as he could in the never ending darkness that he was in. He could look around and could even turn around, however aside from that there was not much else. Well this is fun. Just as his thoughts were starting to wander, a female voice spoke.

“Now scanning….characteristics unrecognised. Create new character?”

Zane had expected this. He took a deep breath for luck and spoke like the steps they’d gone over before in the room.

“No I’d like character retrieval please”

There was a long pause of silence as if the system was considering whether or not to bother with his request. Just as Zane was about to speak, it replied.

“Please state Username and Password, along with security question and answer, and email”

Zane sighed at the bureaucracy, but trudged onwards and gave the information.

“Username: Zerox……”

When he was done there was an even longer pause than before. Zane was pretty nervous. What if it doesn’t go through? After another tense several minutes of waiting and there was finally a reply.

“Account retrieved”

Zane couldn’t believe it. His account was back! If he could, he would’ve jumped for joy but in the void there was no ground to land back on as such.

“Are you going to take the account?”

The voice cut into Zane’s jubilation, almost sounding a little impatient. He sobered up quickly and replied confidently.

“Yes!”

“Confirmed. Will you be keeping your current appearance or customising?”

“No customisa- wait on second thought can I change it to dark blue hair and add purple eyes”

“…….Fine”

Is it me or was there an annoyed pause there?  But Zane didn’t dwell on it for even a second.

“Account Zerox registration is now set. Welcome to Myth”

As the voice finished Zane thought he detected a hint of relief, but again didn’t let it bother him. A bright pinprick of light appeared, growing ever larger, and Zane realised he was falling towards it. He felt a sense of excitement well up. My adventure starts here!

Zane burst through the light and the first thing he noticed was the dazzlingly blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds. Amazing! It’s so realistic. I mean I can even feel the wind. However he was puzzled. What is that whistling sound? Twisting over required a great effort. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to this games controls yet. Suddenly Zane yet out a yelp in shock.

“OH SHI-!“

The view was spectacular. The entire continent was spread out before him, with its vast oceans, sprawling cities and huge jagged mountainous ranges. However one view in particular held his particular attention. And that was of the ground as he hurtled towards it.

[Meeki]

Chapter 2 - Changes

Pervasive Inc. With its creation of Myth, it had stormed onto the world stage like a kid in a school play who’d gotten fed up with being the tree in the background and decided to kill both the prince and the princess because they were taking too long to finish the kiss scene and he wanted to eat lunch.

It had steamrolled its already existing competitors, TransReality Gaming and Augment.Co, and gained number 1. It wasn’t that the other 2 companies’ games were bad per say. Myth was just that good. VRMMO’s were already a big deal but with the advent of Myth it skyrocketed to a level comparable to that of football, with it being televised, analysed and huge sums of money being made in association with the VRMMO’s. Forums were usually talking about VRMMO’s and its players and events, as well as searching for the latest info and items.

“Expeditions are happening!”

“Any one know where’s a good dungeon to explore?”

“Requesting item sets here”

Myth is still wrapped in a large amount of mystery. Despite the game having years on it prior to its upgrade to VRMMO, the players even then had barely explored even 20% of the game’s landmass. And in those years of the 3 boys’ absence, they had barely managed to expand further and were now standing with roughly 75% unexplored landmass. However that merely showed to the people and players how huge Myth actually was and that there was still much to discover.

Based in the super continent of Nea which was split into 4 main regions: Akuko, Mito, Shenhua, Gende and Fabula (south, west, east, north and centre respectively), it was packed with an abundance of monsters, races, land cities and the like. However most importantly of all, was having the unique disposition of allowing the players themselves to shape the continent as such through the quests and exploration they did, creating its own unique history that made Myth a marvel in and of itself, the likes of which enthralled millions in the first place.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The head scientist wiped a bead of nervous sweat, as he read part of his presentation speech on Myth to the Pervasive Inc board directors at his desk in the Myth server management department. Why do I have to do this?! I just wanna do more development on Myth. The messy haired young man sighed and pushed his glasses back up and continued looking at his notes, oblivious to the sounds of running computers and huge machinery in the background in his lab. His assistants, who were as usual hurriedly moving about flustered with work, looked on at him enviously. Damn if only we’d been picked instead of Dr Dio, we could’ve avoided the usual work too!

In spite of its massive world, Myth required very little attention to run. This was due to the simple fact that the entire game was completely managed by the Goddess AI system. Designed and created by the genius Dr Amadeus Dio, who by the time he was 16 had already garnered several doctorates and then in boredom created the prototype for what was to be the Goddess AI system. Using it, he then went on to create the world of Myth, setting it in charge of watching over the fledgling world. Dio sighed again, deeper this time. However, despite being his creation, in the 15 years since he’d created it, the goddess AI system had barely responded to him. He’d been able to easily verify it was sentient and even brilliantly intelligent, but it just refused to interact more besides basic functions and orders, even more so in the past 5 years. It left Dio extremely upset sometimes, as he felt like a father who’s teenage daughter hit puberty and had hit a rebellious phase.

“Hmm, what the-?”

Dio looked up from his mild reminiscing to see his computer screen beeping and flashing warnings. This is a first. He quickly clicked and opened a screen showing a view of an area in Myth, taking a sip of his coffee while he was at it. Then he spat it out in shock.

“My God!”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What the hell is that!”

The people in the central square of the bustling beginner town of Rodales, in the western region of Mito, all looked up at where one player was pointing at fearfully. In the distance a huge column of bright white light had erupted, piercing into the sky. The citizens, who had literally forgotten what they were doing and stood gaping in shock at the sight, erupted into frenzied chatter.

“That’s over the badlands!”

“Nobody ever goes to the badlands”

Their discussions were interrupted as they noticed activity from the column. 4 lights shot out from the column heading into 4 different directions, streaking beautifully across the sky like shooting stars, with one speedily passing over Rodales, clearly heading for unknown ends of the continent.

“This definitely has to be an event!”

People began to excitedly chatter again. As the column of light started to wane and thin, it suddenly shot out another 4 lights. This time however they all were somewhat larger in comparison to the previous 4 and they stayed closer together all falling towards a similar vicinity to each other. If the previous 4 lights could be compared to shooting stars, then these were more like burning comets. With the release of the 2nd set of lights, the column final disappeared. The people were left stunned. Something big is going to happen…and I want to be part of it! This thought crossed everyone who had watched the lights. However, thanks to people returning to chat amongst themselves and hurriedly running about to find information about what happened, nobody noticed a fifth and very tiny light follow after the last 4 lights.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Zane was fast losing hope of somehow surviving and with the ground approaching ever closer at an alarming speed, his thought process hit overdrive. Wait a sec…SKILLS! Almost as soon as he thought of the idea, he shouted it out.

“Mana Shield!”

A blue orb surrounded Zane, just as he crashed into the rough barren ground with a loud boom causing a huge cloud of dust debris to scatter in his wake. As the smoke cleared, he got up coughing and wincing slightly.

“Well, guess that’s what you’d call a crash landing”

He chuckled a little to himself at his own joke, then looked around and surveyed his surroundings. The first thing that came to him was the word lifeless. And that was pretty much it. From what he could tell, it appeared that Zane had crash landed straight into the middle of an open field. Or at least what appears to have once been a field. Now it was merely a barren and scarred area, with craters dotted here and there, the most notable being the one Zane himself had just created.

“Yo, Zerox you there!?”

Zane jumped as a voice spoke in a low voice. Zerox? Who’s that? Then he remembered the manual. Oh wait I’m Zerox is my ingamename(IGN). Better get used to being referred to as such. So this is a whisper….and I can even tell it’s Chase, I mean Crash. If there was one thing that Myth was notorious for, it was for its lack of a tutorial of any kind in-game. This negative however was beaten by the fact that a) it was a VRMMO so most movements were as in real life and b) there was a small manual explaining how to do everything else like whispers, menus, skills etc. Chase had wanted to rush straight in but Zane had put his foot down and made sure the 3 of them thoroughly read and understood the manual.

“I’m in some sort of…field”

“Ah ok, well I’m with Jared at the moment. We landed in pretty much the same place”

Zerox knew it wasn’t important, but he felt he had to ask.

“How did you guys survive the fall?”

“Oh that was easy, I simply punched the ground as I landed; and Jiru simply used the updraft from my punch to slow himself down”

Jiru was Jared’s IGN. Zerox was astounded. He didn’t know whether to be amazed at his friends or at the game which allowed his friends to do such things. Either way it didn’t matter for now so much.

“Anyways where are you guys, I’ll come find you”

“Oh well see we landed on this mountain ages ago and had tried contacting you before, but you didn’t reply, so we kinda got bored and climbed to the top”

There was a bit of a silence as Zerox struggled not to get annoyed. I can’t even get angry. He had to concede that even he wanted to run off and explore this new world. Instead he sighed.

“Fine let’s do this. Since we don’t know where we are in relation to how far we are from each other why don’t we just get to the nearest towns and plan from there”

“Sure sure”

Crash readily agreed. Zerox already knew him and Jiru were going to take the long scenic route.

“Alright see you when I see you, I’ll add you guys to my friend list now”

“Cool, laters bro”

Without wasting time, Zerox quickly added Jiru and Crash to his friends list, then decided to check his own situation out and opened his stats window. He quickly scanned the general information.

“Ok so let’s see”

Character Name: Zerox
Level: 200
Alignment: Chaos Neutral
Class: Chaos Archmage
SubClass: Alchemist
Title: Legendary Hero

Zerox’s mouth dropped. A chaos archmage?! I didn’t even know archmage’s were around let alone chaos one’s. And legendary hero? Since when? Obviously a lot had changed in 5 years in the land of Nea, with new classes and probably even races unlocked as the continent had been further explored. But more importantly Zerox’s class and title had changed. Previously he had been a mere Sorcerer with the title of magical mischiever! And glancing below at his stats he found his entire stat point distribution had been reset. Worriedly, he quickly opened his equipment and skills window.

“Phew its all clear”

Zerox’s skills were still present with their levels and he even had a new skill.

“Chaos Control”

Just as he was about to read on, a sudden wailing cry reached his ears. Curious he followed it. After walking for about 5 minutes through the barren grounds, it gradually grew louder and he finally came to a cave. He stopped dumbfounded at what was before him.

“I-is that a baby?!”

Edit: I changed Zero's previous class from mage to sorcerer and added subclass. It doesn't impact the story at this point in time really so it's no big deal.