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~~~(POV: Lyatt Scott)~~~
~~~(Date: February 7th, 2297)~~~
James invites me into his home, and I walk in. His house is in disrepair and probably isn't going to last much longer. He invites me over to a rickety table, and I take a seat. He pulls some bread out and breaks a piece off for me. I take it and begin to have some, not the best, but it has flavor. Players have to eat and drink once a day. If not, you'll get a debuff until you do have something to eat and drink. "James is glad that he has a new visitor. James wants to give you his riddle now." I focus and prepare for whatever riddle I'm thrown.
It's up to my own intellect and skill to solve the riddle. "I be everywhere and nowhere, I be the only thing found when not looking for anything. There is only one of me, and nobody recognizes me. What am I?" Geez, talk about not much to go on. If I'm being honest, this is too obscure to have an answer. I'll give it my best shot anyway. James is an odd man, and that means he'll likely have odd answers for his riddles. He's the one that made them, after all. This gives me something to follow. I close my eyes and think about his words.
Everywhere and nowhere, found when not looking for anything. One of a kind, and nobody recognizes it. I'm going to go with my gut and say a loss of time. That's my best guess. "You're the loss of time." I give my answer with an air of confidence, and I watch Bloat's smile grow. I got it right. The riddle was difficult, but I'm not an idiot. Bloat is an old man and in that jumbled-up mind of his. I bet he's wondering where all the time has gone. I watch him open his interface, and he sends me a quest. It's the quest that I'm after.
[Unknown Madness]
[Objective 1: Head to the cave that's located in the forest to the north. The eastern part of the forest will have a cave that leads underground.]
[Objective 2: Retrieve James Bloats favorite shoe, he misses it dearly.]
[Rewards: James Bloats Bread Recipe][10% player level EXP]
[Difficulty: Common]
There have been quests like this. Seemingly worthless ones, only to be incredibly special once complete. The system that built this world has a sense of humor. The Devs created the system, but it made its own personality. A quirk, if you will. "I'll accept the quest. I'll be back with your shoe as soon as possible." James' smile grows, and his nearly toothless mouth throbs at me. I stand up and make my way for the exit. The only thing giving away the true difficulty of this quest is the name—Unknown Madness.
This is how the Darkness will test me. It's how it tested Devin. It'll induce challenges in our minds based on our greatest fears. When Devin overcame his worse fear, he got the Mythical Class. I have a fear. Not one of pain, but loss. My biggest fear is seeing the people I love die: my family, my friends. I can't stand the thought of living longer than them. The Darkness is going to create some sort of scenario in my head. I don't know how to overcome it, but I'll be damned if I don't try. So I'm going to give it my best shot.
I slowly make my way towards the forest. I walk into it, and the woods are silent. Completely and totally still. I don't know what's causing it. I make my way east in the forest, and I see the gave against a small cliff. I make my way towards it, and I slowly walk inside. I get a notification from the system telling me I've entered a dungeon. Everything is lining up. I continue walking deeper and deeper. Soon, I have to feel around with my hands from how dark it is. After some difficulty, I find the path forward and continue.
A little bit of walking later, and I see a light up ahead. I walk towards it, and after a little while, I make it out to be a hospital room. I walk inside, and the entire environment has changed. I look towards the bed, and I see my father. My father taught me everything... We played my first VRMMORPG together... I am who I am because of him. He turns and looks at me. He tries to smile at me with a tube in his mouth. My heart breaks at this. He reaches his hand up, and I rush over to his bed and grab it. This is going to be hell.