Muraya stopped to pick up some dinner at a local restaurant and hurried home. She arrived a few minutes later and looked around her dilapidated apartment building. Her neighborhood was unsafe, crowded and the smell of garbage always lingered in the air. The graffiti on the walls covered the decades old paint that was caked into the building walls. She quickly walked up to her apartment and put her keys into the rusty lock. Before opening the door, she looked around to make sure no one was waiting to push her into her home and rob her, or worse. She quickly slid inside and breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door and fastened three locks. She walked into her cramped apartment that had a small kitchen with a dining nook and a tiny living area with a dusty old couch pushed up against the wall. She plopped her dinner on the table and devoured it in two minutes. She was starving since she wasn't able to take a lunch break at work today, but that was normal at her dead-end job. She cleaned up her mess and walked to her room. Like everything else in her home, her bed was small and old, but she didn't mind. She preferred to have more room for her Cerebral Console setup. Unlike everything else she owned, her gaming area was lavish and spacious. If anyone in her neighborhood knew she had thousands of dollars of equipment sitting in her home, they would surely break in and steal everything, so she was careful not to invite anyone over.
Muraya didn't have any hobbies, nor did she do much else except play on her Cerebral. She had no family and very few friends to go visit, so she always invested in upgrading her console where she spent most of her free time. She wanted to stay healthy and never wanted to end up like her disgusting slob of a boss, so she bought the vertical upgrade package a few years ago. The vertical upgrade allowed the player to walk around and move in the real world without ever leaving one spot instead of sitting or laying in bed to play. The player would stand on a mat that was circled by a soft guard rail at waist height. The mat itself was specially designed with wheels and bearings that faced every direction so the player could walk and turn in the game but stay in the same spot in the real world. The play area was large enough to allow room for player movements while the rails ensured the player never hit any surrounding objects if the mat failed for any reason. She also upgraded the console last year with sensory detection improvements and wireless capabilities. This allowed her to use all of her senses in the game while not worrying about tangled cables and increased the realism for every game she played.
She equipped her head gear and turned on her console and kicked off her shoes before jumping onto the mat. As the system loaded, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
'So plain' she thought to herself and she stared at her reflection. She was a petite girl with a nice figure but saw herself as just an average female. Her light green eyes shone brightly though her long dark eyelashes. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders and down her back just past her tailbone. She was still wearing her usual office attire which was always a plain blouse with some black dress pants.
When the console turned on she logged in and was pulled from her gloomy apartment to a luscious forest surrounded by the sounds of singing birds as a gentle breeze brushed her cheeks. She breathed in the smell of the blooming flowers in her garden and looked at her large cabin. Her neighbors waved hello, and she greeted them with a smile.
"Your flowers bloomed this morning," they said. "They attracted some fairies that have been floating around all day!"
"How wonderful!" Muraya responded. "Come over for some ginseng tea later and we can try to catch some!" Muraya ran over and inspected her crops before gliding into her cabin. She entered through the grandiose front doors into a well-lit entryway. The cabin was two stories tall, and every room was immense and contained exquisitely crafted furniture and decor that she built. The sun's rays beamed in through the skylight as it crossed the sky, and she could hear the ethereal dragon's wing beat as they floated by. She walked past a mirror where a glamorous elf stood staring back at her with large dark eyes, snow white hair, and ocean skin. The forest green gown she wore was one she crafted with the finest velvet and hand embroidered with brilliant glowing threads that she collected from her glowing silkworm farm. As she admired her work, she heard a knock on her door, and she saw a customer at the door. 'Gasp! I almost forgot about the weapons pickup today' she thought to herself. She opened the door and let in a beastly man with a thick tufted beard and silver armor that covered his whole body.
"Hello Muraya! Were you able to finish the order I placed last week?" asked the bearded man. "The war will start soon, and I need my men ready."
"Of course! You know I always deliver on my promises," she said as she read off the list of requested gear. "10 Dragon Scale Sheilds, 10 Mithril Long Swords, and 10 sets of Diamond Coated Graphene Armor. Each one has been enchanted and upgraded as requested. "
"How do you get the high quality materials for these if you never fight monsters?" he asked with curiosity as he initiated the trade with Muraya.
"A beauty like me has her ways," she replied with a giggle and accepted his payment. Her neighbor finally arrived and knocked on the door. Muraya invited her in and offered both her visitor's some tea. After the man agreed to stay, she boiled some water using a simple fire spell and enchanted it with restorative properties. The three friends drank tea and shared stories of their day. They toured the gardens and the burly man watched and laughed as Muraya and her neighbor tried to catch fairies outside while falling over each other. After they said their goodbyes, her visitors logged off and Muraya started on next weeks order for another customer. The upcoming war meant business was booming. After a few more hours of crafting, she too logged off to get ready for bed.
When Muraya logged off and removed her headgear, the luscious forest and brilliant landscape before her, disappeared. It was replaced by a bland concrete wall and the scent of musty rooms. Her world turned grey again and she was immediately thrown back into the gloomy reality she actually lived.