There, in City W, a beam of light appeared. Players around were used to these beams of light, as they showed the arrival of player intelligent NPCs. These were different from the ones they usually found in market places and forging quests from.
Player intelligent NPCs allowed one to befriend them; raid dungeons with them; or even kill them. They came with almost unlimited possibilities. However, they were easy to spot and the few players who saw the light, were more interested in their own doings then hunting a level 0 NPC down.
As the light faded, it revealed not an NPC but the half-elf Cithrel.
She stood with her eyes closed, waiting for the sensation of falling to cease. Her fingers curled as she had been so close to the burning of houses, that she could still smell the smoke in the air. But how many floors stood between her and that one?
Would a trip there even be worth it?
No, Cithrel knew it would be better to leave this insane game and figure out what caused her DRIVE to be interrupted. Unconsciously she touched her temple, expecting for there to be a bump but her fingers found none.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself in a city square.
"Where am I?"
A dialogue screen appeared before her.
[System 666:
In a land once raged with wars, the kingdom of Dragonare, rose above all. Calming the waters and bringing a sense of peace. In this kingdom, a small city, Wanborne, stood as a shield against the beasts from the Thundering Mountains. For hundreds of years, this city has stood for protection and as a symbol that anything is possible. Travelers near and far only know this city as City W, and that it is rare for the population to expand past 5k citizens.]
Cithrel would have preferred if it had just kept the information short and straight to the point. The names didn't ring bells, but she also blamed that on her not looking at any of the information that was relevant.
She pulled up her inventory. It was simple, not packed, but also nothing special to look at. She could easily see the weapons equipped, the amount of gold she has, while also being able to get to the items and stats area.
With a touch, she viewed the beginning items, but saw it was empty. As empty as the gold she had. There was no beginning gear. No starting money. Nothing that told her how to get any of that either.
Besides the screens of some system.
Returning to the pervious screen, Cithrel searched for the logout screen. But there wasn't one. Just as there wasn't a place for her to save; to change characters; or anything else.
Anger ticked through her. She searched, finding that she could send messages, but there wasn't one for tech support. Her frustration continued to build at the lack of being able to get out in such a simple manner.
Her vow of leaving this world, this game, became void. Instead, with anger burning through her veins as she struggled to grasp what was happening, Cithrel took a deep breath. She knew that focusing on one thing at a time would be important.
One thing at a time, until she had a familiar ground under her feet. Then she would sink into everything that happened. She would everything and figure out if there was more to this then she was seeing.
The possibility of some God being real was far from her mind. She refused to see that it was even possible. Did she believe in some God?
Who knows.
With another deep breath Cithrel finally looked at her surroundings. She wasn't alone, though no one openly gawked at her, leaving her to feel a bit better that her appearance wasn't that unordinary. She tested her movement as she looked at the red-brick buildings, before to the fountain just behind her.
Instead of the normal crystal blue water one would expect, Cithrel was confronted with a hazel purple that flowed. She tilted her head in confusion.
"What is that?"
Her question was out loud, not that she expected anyone to answer.
[City W local mana water. Its as refreshing as the pure water sold in other towns, but is extremally rare to find outside of this city.]
She had heard this voice before. It was the finally voice that announced a system. A frowned formed.
"Who are you?"
[System 666.]
She bit her tongue at the lack of information. It was all to happy to give her information about the town but not itself.
"A player guide? A annoying bug? Can others hear you? What as that back there?"
Even if she had wanted to wait, Cithrel also had to face that the unknown was killing her. She wasn't sure what to do without trying to find some type of ground. Even if that meant asking a system that could be designed to make her over powerful.
[Normal beings can not hear or see me. You experienced a transmitting into this world. The time here is different from Earth. I am and can become a number of things at your request.]
Her frown only deepened.
"Then what are you?"
She resisted the urge to try and find the thing talking to her.
[System 666.]
She breathed out a poof of air and shook her head. Today was not going her way.
"What makes you System 666? Are you an AI? Or something that I should be worried about. Like some part of my imagination?"
Cithrel wasn't putting it past herself to suddenly start hearing voices. With how everything was going, from meeting a so-called God, to not ending up in the game she wanted, things were going bad. Very bad.
"Great. I'm talking to myself like some crazy person."
She threw her hands up in the air and once more shook her head. Instead of standing there, looking like she was talking to only herself, Cithrel moved away from the fountain. Away from the area she spawned in.
There was no plan. No goal. She didn't even know what she was doing.
All Cithrel knew was that she didn't want to stand there, looking like some noob waiting to be taken advantage of. As she walked she thought about everything that she had learned so far.
1. There was no log-out option.
Her frown deepened. Maybe she needed to find some type of statue. She had played games like that before. Where there was an object or statue that she needed to use to save her process without losing it all.
2. She was hearing voices. Mainly something called System 666.
She really hoped it was some type of advance AI system.
3. She was in Bloodrim.
That is if she believed that so-called God and every bit of her really didn't want to believe she was in that game. Her dislike for it had not improved at all.
4. She had to defeat the game to return home.
5. She had no starting gear. No money. No idea how to level up or anything of the like.
6, This world didn't believe in Gods.
As she rethought of her list, Cithrel was sure she was missing something. But what hadn't she added to it? And why was the nagging feeling only growing the further from the fountain she got?