I hadn't opened my eyes yet but somehow I knew something was off. Nothing was a dead giveaway more than the hardness of the ground I was lying on. The smell of soil and greenery filled my nostrils and when I opened my eyes, my suspicions were confirmed. I was sleeping on the ground in a forest.
Well, not inside a forest, but right at the edge, like whoever had brought me here couldn't be bothered to deliver me to wherever they'd been taking me and left me here to fend for myself. I was still surrounded by trees and bushes but they were sparse and scattered around unlike how densely the ones just a few feet away from me were packed.
The question now was, who was this kidnapper? And when did he get me unconscious enough to take me from… from… My mind buffered a bit. From where exactly? Only at the end of this trail of thought did I realize I didn't know who I was.
I snapped up to a sitting position in the time of a millisecond.
[Welcome, new player.]
Words written on a neon-blue holographic screen appeared in the air in front of me and I let out a yell, scrambling back on my arms to get away from it. Now, not surprisingly, it did not move from right in front of me, but that agitated me even more and I raised my hands to my face, checking for some sort of high-tech glasses or helmet that could have been displaying the message. I didn't find anything.
"What the hell?" I mumbled. I reached my fingers out to touch it but they passed right through, like I was only seeing it in my head. What the fucking hell was going on?
My question was answered immediately as if the display thingy knew my thoughts.
[First time? Watch an introduction to get started!]
[ Yes] [I'm good]
It displayed.
"Uhhhh," I said, now confused. "What?"
[Tap to select your preferred option.]
It said after I spent too long just staring and I did.
Holy hell, I thought as the option lit up and the screen closed. Almost immediately, another popped open, much bigger and farther away from my face but this time, there were no words. Instead, something started playing, like I was watching a video. Soft, hearty music played as the view rushed over majestic mountains and lush green forests, much like the one I was currently sprawled in front of with my arms now aching from holding my body up for too long.
A voice, cheery and light sounded in my head, beginning to explain the things I was looking at.
"Welcome to Aetharia, a stunning virtual landscape filled with lush forests, towering mountains, and sparkling rivers. From the rolling hills of the starting area to the icy tundras of the north, there's always something new to discover!"
Next, I was shown a town, cozy and beautiful.
"As you explore this world, you'll come across bustling towns and cities filled with people from all walks of life. Visit the marketplaces to trade goods and buy new equipment, or relax in a local tavern and listen to the stories of fellow Aetharians."
Naturally, at this point, I sat up intrigued and slowly understanding what was going on.
"Speaking of people from all walks of life, Aetharia is home to a diverse community of adventurers, each with their own unique story to tell. From the grizzled veteran to the wide-eyed newcomer, everyone has their own reasons for being here! And with the ability to form guilds and work together towards a common goal, you'll never be alone on your journey.
"Aetharia is a vibrant and dynamic world, full of beauty, danger, and opportunity. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting out, there's always something new to discover and experience."
And after a few more shots of the (honestly, captivating) activities of this world, the video shut off finally, unblocking my view of the sparse trees and rocks that filled the area. Something else popped up though.
[Watch again?]
I tapped no and got up from where I was, hands dusting the dirt off the back of my pants. I was dressed simply — brown pants, leather boots and a waist-length tunic that fit loosely over my body. I'd finally realized what was going on. I seemed to have woken up in some sort of game world with my memories wiped clean and with those memories, any idea of how I'd gotten in or who was behind it.
Well, at least now I know there was no kidnapper. I probably just spawned in right on this spot. What was I supposed to do now, though? I had no idea how to activate the player menu.
I groaned and ran my hands down my face, already feeling foolish about the things I was going to attempt. I tapped two fingers to my temple. No screen came up. Shit. I jumped, yelled, shot my palm out and tapped around in the air. Still nothing. If anyone had been watching, I bet I looked incredibly stupid to them. Sighing, I threw my hands in the air in frustration and as I brought them back down, the holographic screen popped up again.
Huh, I thought. It had to be the most random action. I still wasn't sure what had activated it but I didn't close it just in case, deciding to have a look around. There were tabs labeled 'Player', 'Inventory' and 'Settings'. I was currently on the 'Player' tab where I could see I'd already been given a gamer name. It was pre-set to… "Hero"... What the hell sort of name was that?
Was I supposed to be playing the valiant hero of this game? I didn't know a lot about myself outside this world but I knew that I wasn't anything near hero material. I felt more like some average guy. But I couldn't change the name as much as I tried. There was no edit button which was weird…
A notification popped up that said 'New player! Tap here for a tutorial.', so, of course, I did.
Apparently, swiping down with my hand accesses the menu but I could change that to whatever I wanted which was cool. Under the Player tab were different sections. One of them displayed stats and data elements alongside a miniature display of my avatar — I was on Level 0. Fair enough for starting but it wasn't hard to figure out I needed to level up to avoid certain things and I needed to do it soon.
The other sections included an empty Friends list section and a Quest info section. I quickly checked out the other tabs and put my menu gesture in my settings as swiping across the air with two fingers because of how easily I could accidentally pull it up with the other one. Done, I closed the hologram.
Standing with my hands on my waist, I exhaled. This was a fateful start, I guess. Next, I had to figure out the geography of this place and give myself a purpose. Game on.