Elliot Rowan was the token average midwesterner. He was fair-skinned with unkempt dirty-blond hair, hazel eyes, stood at 6'1, and weighed in at a scrawny 163 pounds. Born and raised in small-town Minnesota, Elliot spent his days maintaining C-average grades and playing video games. He had very few friends, and had little ambition when it came to choosing a career, despite his family's nagging. All he wanted to do was escape into his games.
CloudJumperEli was a different story.
Eli was infamous among the hard-core gaming community. He maintained first place in at least six global-scale multiplayer titles. Eli had a massive following on his social media, and a posse of good friends and squad-mates. Eli had won tournaments, been invited to expert panels at conventions, and gotten direct access to early releases and beta versions of games to test for some of the biggest media brands on the market.
Despite all of this, his family remained strict on their disapproval of media as a career. "It's too unpredictable!" His father grumbled.
"It's not practical, Elliot." His mother pleaded.
But Elliot would not hear it.
Finally, the fateful graduation day came. June, 2027; Elliot had completed his K-12 schooling. He graduated with a 2.5 GPA, no honors, a score of 21 on his ACT, and no extracurricular achievements beyond participation in the video-game club. He was nothing to sneeze at.
Amid his few college application invitations, Elliot received the letter that would change his life.
Peri-Helix Entertainment invited him to participate in their new GEAR program. Elliot had no clue what this was, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth!
By the first of July, Elliot had arrived in LA, California. He only had two bags with him — a duffle-bag carryon containing five shirts, three pairs of shorts, two pairs of pants, a formal suit, seven pairs of socks and underwear, and all his toiletries. His larger cabin suitcase was filled to the brim with his gaming equipment.
Elliot was promptly checked into a hotel, which was paid for by Peri-Helix. He was given instructions for his first day on the job and directions to the Peri-Helix Entertainment headquarters and where the GEAR program would take place, as well as a pre-paid debit card for any taxi, parking, or bus fares he may need to get there.
Elliot was ecstatic! His dreams were becoming reality. He settled in for a good night's rest, eager to uncover his future.
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July 2nd, 2027; Elliot arrived at Peri-Helix Entertainment promptly at 9am. He was given a badge to allow access into the GEAR lab area. He was greeted by the manager of the GEAR program, Dr. Wendy Ortega.
"Welcome, Elliot! We have your GEAR space all set up. Please follow me."
Elliot was placed in a small chamber that resembled an interrogation room. The light was rather dim. He was supplied with a full Virtual Reality setup, including a mobility pod to maximize full-body movement tracking accuracy. This also minimized disruption from the game immersion. The wall behind his gaming rig had a large two-way mirror so any onlookers in the next room could observe Elliot.
At 10am, Elliot was all hooked up and ready to sign in to the game. Over the intercom, he heard Dr. Ortega's voice.
"The game you will be playing is titled 'Escape from Gran Marina'. It is a fantasy adventure game based in puzzle-solving and player cooperation. Gran Marina is mostly open world, but some areas will be meant for stronger players and demand a certain amount of story completion prior to entry. "
This was nothing new to Elliot. This format was pretty standard for most modern releases. The player would be thrust in as the main character —sometimes with extensive character customization before entry — and follow the story to completion.
Dr. Ortega continued her briefing. "You should now see your character customization options. Feel free to take as much time as you like."
Elliot was happy to see character customization. He liked to design his entities, as it was a good method of immersion and player investment. He looked around, getting a bearing for the controls and his surroundings. Everything moved fluidly. The environment was stunning.
He was impressed.
Elliot opted for a character race called "Draconian". This race was anthropomorphic and embodied Dragon-like features — a scaly, spiky tail, dragon wings, and horns. They were elemental mages and could choose to don a staff, a wand, or simply use their hands. Elliot made his primary dragon color a deep purple, while keeping his human features close to his own.
He was also pleased to see a left-handed primary controller option.
When prompted to enter a name, he just went with Eli.
Once his character was finished, he resumed attaching himself to the VR system, which included earbuds, a heart-monitor pad attached to his chest, a bungee harness, and two small neuro-transmission pads attached to his temples.
Dr. Ortega spoke again.
"Are you ready, Mr. Rowan?"
Elliot grinned, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready."
Elliot pressed "CONTINUE" on the menu screen, and it faded to black. He heard the whirring of machinery booting up, and felt an electric buzz shoot through his body as he fell unconscious.
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Elliot woke up in the middle of a grassy field. He felt sunshine on his body, and wind on his face. 'Where am I..?' He thought. Suddenly, he heard a brassy, female voice call out to him.
"Hey! HEEEYY! You alright?" She asked, approaching him. Elliot opened his eyes to see rolling hills of crops and a rustic village near the horizon. He gazed at the girl now standing in front of him. She was pale with long, vibrant red hair pulled into a braid. Her eyes were bright green, and she was wearing simple a cloth shirt with a leather vest and cropped pants. She carried a bow and arrows on her back with a dagger on her thigh. Her outfit and the surroundings were indicative of a fantasy setting. Just how realistic was this VR?
"Hey, still talking to you." She pressed, sounding a bit impatient.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yes, I'm okay. But can you tell me where I am?" Elliot asked.
"You're in Gran Marina, of course. My name is Della; I'm the main character around here. I've already been given my backstory, completed the tutorial, and left my home village. On my way out, the elder stopped me. I was told to find a Draconian named Eli to aid me on my quests! Is that you?"
Wait... what?
"You mean... I'm not the main character? I thought Dr. Ortega said—" he stuttered, but Della cut him off.
"Nope! But I don't know any Dr. Ortega. Fancy name." Della said, cheerily. "So, you're coming with me, right Eli?"
"I don't know? I am so confused..." Elliot murmured, standing up. He stumbled of course, with the new weight of his tail and horns.
"Suit yourself, dragonboy!" Della jeered, marching away. Eli was still trying to get his bearings when he felt a strong tug as he flew toward Della. He landed on his butt right at her side.
"I guess I have no choice." He said, annoyedly. When he agreed to participate in this GEAR something or other?
This isn't what he had in mind.
At all.