Leiff was scrolling through various forums trying to find any information about Brave World. He had saved up us much as he could to buy the hardware he needed to play the game, but he still did not have enough. He wasn't even close to cover half of the cost for the VR gear needed to play Brave World.
Leiff had been searching for weeks to find a way to obtain the required hardware for Brave World. He had scoured the internet and asked around, but everything was either too expensive or too shady. That was until he stumbled upon a black site, forum called Omnibus Non Est. It was a place where people discussed all kinds of things related to virtual reality, from games to hardware.
As he was browsing the forum, he came across a thread about a mysterious person with the handle Initiae Novum. People were talking about how this person had access to the best virtual reality hardware and could get it for you at a reasonable price. At first, Leiff was skeptical. He did not want to get involved with shady people, but the thought of finally being able to play Brave World was too tempting.
He pondered about contacting Initiae Novum but decided against it. He did not want to risk getting scammed or worse. However, his hesitation did not last long. A few days later, he received a personal email from Initiae Novum offering him the hardware he needed at a price he could afford, even if it was all the money he had left. Leiff couldn't believe it. He felt like this was too good to be true, but he decided to take a chance.
Leiff was startled when he received this message from Initiae Novum, asking to meet in person. He had been hesitant to meet with the mysterious figure, but his curiosity got the better of him. The message instructed him to meet at the decommissioned power plant on the outskirts of the city. The government had shutdown the power plant years ago, leaving the surrounding area abandoned and forgotten. It was a slum area, and no one went there any more. Leiff was worried about the location, but could understand the need for secrecy.
***
He was a programmer at Divinus Machina. I was tasked with developing the code for their advanced AI systems that monitor the players in Brave World. I discovered that they were using the data they collected for nefarious purposes. Brave World was more than just a VR game.
Initiae Novum was on the run. He knew they were closing in on him, but he could not give up now. He had to deliver the VR gear to Leiff. While he was still able to.
***
Leiff arrived at the location, and the scene was desolate and run down as he saw on the mapping system. The plant had been closed for years, and no one had any reason to venture out there. It was the perfect place to for the trade as no surveillance media was around to monitor anything. He looked around, feeling a little apprehensive.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, shrouded in darkness with a mask and hood covering his appearance. Leiff could barely make out the figure's face.
Initiae Novum approached Leiff, "Are you Leiff." Leiff was unable to utter even a little murmur due to being startled. All he could do was nod in positive. "I understand that you are looking for hardware to play Brave World." Leiff nodded in response again, feeling a mix of fear and excitement. Initiae Novum explained that he had the equipment, but it was risky to deal with it since the gear he had was special. He offered to sell it to Leiff, but warned him to be careful of not standing out within Brave World.
Leiff was surprised to hear that. He wondered what kind of trouble he could be involved in. Just from the interaction so far, Leiff realized that he might be in a dangerous situation. Before he could ask more about why he had to be careful. Initiae Novum had left the equipment and disappeared back into the shadows of the power plant. The man had even left before Leiff could pay him.
The location was grim and desolate, he was unfamiliar with the place and could not follow in pursuit. Leiff could not help but feel a little uneasy, but was unable to help himself. He took the gear and left, returning home to try the gear out. Brave World was launching at midnight and he could finally play it. Leiff had no idea about the danger he had put himself in by dealing with Initiae Novum. Little did he know that everything would change due to this interaction.
***
Suddenly, he heard his smart device alarm. They were closing in on him. He disappeared before Leiff could even finish his sentence. He had to get as far away as possible before they found Leiff. Luckily he had about 30 minutes before they found him.
He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to face a man in a black suit. "You know why you are going to die today," the assassin said, "you left Divinus Machina. You created your own tomb."
Initiae Novum was caught off guard. "I know you have something that belongs to Divinus Machina. And I know you plan to sell it to someone," the assassin hissed.
Initiae struggled to breathe but refused to reveal anything. "I do not know what you are talking about," he said between gasps.
The assassin's grip tightened. "Do not play dumb with me. I know you were an ex-member of Divinus Machina. You escaped with something that does not belong to you."
Initiae's mind raced. He knew he couldn't reveal the truth about the VR gear he had sold to Leiff. "I do not have anything with me." he said with a weak voice.
The assassin grinned. "I have ways to make you talk. When I am done with you, you will be wishing you did not make it this hard on yourself." he said, pulling out a knife.
Initiae's eyes widened in fear. He knew he had to act fast. He activated a small device hidden in his pocket, and a sensor beeped loudly. "You should be more careful," he said, struggling to speak as the assassin pressed the knife to his throat. "They are coming for you."
The assassin's expression turned to panic as he looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. "What have you done?" he growled.
Initiae smiled weakly. "I Divinus was closing in on me," he explained. "You see, I planned this. I knew they would come for me eventually."
The assassin's face twisted in anger as he realized what had happened. "You little rat!"
The assassin tried to escape, but before he could, an explosion rocked the air, and the entire area was engulfed in flames. Initiae had triggered a trap he had set up earlier. Initiae smiled weakly as he lay on the ground, his life fading away. At least he was able to get rid of the VR gear.
"What the hell happened to you?" "Your face looks horrible" a man standing in front of the window looking out at the sky. "He prepared a trap, it looks like he sold it before we could find him" Said the assassin. "No worries we will find the person he sold it to eventually." " Go to this treatment facility they will get you healed up. I have more work that I need you to take care of. Oh and XIII, make sure to be ready when I call you and don't screw up like this again" said the man ushering the assassin out of his office.
***
Leiff returned home from the slums of the outer city. Leiff sat down at his computer and started unboxing the VR gear he had obtained from Initiae. The sleek black headset was accompanied by a device that he could plug into his computer, which would allow him to connect to Brave World. He carefully connected the device to his computer and put on the headset, making sure that it was properly adjusted. He felt a rush of excitement and nervousness, wondering what he would find in this new world.
It was finally midnight, he laid down on his bed and logged on to Brave World. . As soon as he entered the game. The graphics were even more stunning than he had expected, and the level of detail was impressive. Leiff noticed a few things that were different from what he had read in the tutorial forums.